Australia

Phillip Island, about an hour and a half south of Melbourne, Australia is infamous for penguin research and the "Penguin Parade". Thousands of Little Penguins, the smallest penguin species in the world, waddle up the beach shores at dusk to return to their inland burrows after a hard day at sea.

For weeks I was agonizing about what to do with my free week between Fraser Island and Tasmania. The Little...

I have always dreamed of visiting the Great Barrier Reef and snorkeling there has been on my bucket list for...

It's no small feat to get to Fraser Island, but you MUST put it on your destination list. I've seen amazing wildlife and dingoes aplenty. I've walked on the softest sand in the world and been jostled on rough inland sand tracks. Fraser has a lot of adventure and relaxation. It's got everything.

Fraser Island is a World Heritage site off the eastern coast of Australia and is the largest sand island in the world. It's also the only island in the world with a rainforest. The driving is adventurous, the views are stunning, the water is crystal clear, and we've already seen lots of wildlife. It's heaven on earth!

Lone Pine was founded in 1927 and is the world's largest and oldest Koala sanctuary. It's also one of the few sanctuaries in the world that allow you to hold a Koala for a fee. Koalas, kangaroos, lizards, and wombats, count me in!

Tuesday afternoon I left Seattle for a 5-week trip to Australia and New Zealand.  I’m flying out with an Australian...