Travel | Transfercar Blog

How to Plan a Relaxing Weekend in Melbourne

Although the first association that comes to mind when you think of Melbourne probably isn’t relaxation, this glorious city hides a whole range of Zen-boosting events and experiences for any avid traveller as well as its charming residents. Then again, even if you’re a local whose hectic life rarely allows you to rest and recuperate, perhaps a chilled weekend is exactly what you need.

Here’s a foolproof weekend itinerary for every Melbourne lover out there, to make the most of your brief chunk of time dedicated only to blissful unwinding and pampering Aussies are famous for.

The nature buzz

Located in the appropriately named Birdwood Avenue in Melbourne, the Royal Botanical Gardens are a perfect soothing oasis that will keep you far from the concrete rush and sweltering heat. If you’re a true foodie, then you can set up a picnic and spend an entire afternoon in the shade of a tree or next to the Ornamental Lake, surrounded by your favourite munchies and refreshments.

An outdoors yoga or Tai-chi session, a stroll around the park or just a few hours of reading in the presence of cheerful bird chirps and the friendly Aussies mingling and giggling, and your depleted energy will be replenished as if you spent a whole month in an exotic retreat.

Float your worries away

Ever heard of the gravity-free flotation method? Well, it’s high time you gave it a go! Once you step inside the floating pod and immerse yourself into the healing Epsom salts, the weightless state of silence and serenity will cleanse your entire being.

The Gravity Floatation Centre offers a unique relaxing experience of sensory deprivation that helps distance yourself from the constant overload of input from the outside world. All the noises, tactile sensations and the feeling of weight will dissolve as you spend some time in the restorative essential minerals that will help your body and your mind restore their natural balance.

The wonders of a massage

You need a pampering, healing session, but you simply have no energy to get out of your home or your hotel? Create a perfect little indoor Eden with the help of soothing fragrances, dimmed lights and comfortable clothes. To top everything off, scheduling a home massage in Melbourne is just a few clicks away.

This way, you can stay in the comfort of your own home and bring the luxurious pampering treatment to your doorstep – from Swedish relaxation methods, deep tissue massage, and all the way to pregnancy-friendly techniques, feel free to take your pick. They are all designed to keep you relaxed, stress-free and happy, as if you had a week-long spa vacation in Bali.

A culture boost

annie-spratt-253796 After you’ve had your dosage of pampering and relaxing, you can continue your slow-paced weekend by visiting the Centre for Contemporary Photography in George Street, and spend a few hours in quiet contemplation while admiring its versatile exhibition.

The four galleries will give you a history lesson, fun facts on the art of photography, some interesting photography courses, and a unique insight into the contemporary Australian as well as international works of art that have found their place in the Centre. The fifth gallery, the Night Projection Window, is dedicated to evening viewing of both new and established photographers’ works.

Make the most of your limited weekend time to recover from your weekly rush and sneak a peek into some of Melbourne’s most Zen corners that will completely restore your energy and help you prepare for the next round of challenges!

The best travel videos of New Zealand

New Zealand is an incredibly beautiful country, so you may think everybody knows that… The truth is some people don’t! That’s why Tourism New Zealand and others are producing amazing videos to showcase the beauty of our country. Here’s our selection.

Obviously Tourism New Zealand has a huge budget for this, and it shows. Their latest campaign is one of the best they’ve ever made:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWOwe_n-2Gw

Tourism New Zealand has just produced amazing 360 degrees videos! Use your mouse to move the image around! Here’s the one from Doubtful Sound:

Here’s the one showcasing how fun Auckland can be:

Air New Zealand is equally or even more famous for producing fantastic safety videos that showcase the country. Our favourite is the one of Middle Earth:

Producing great videos isn’t just limited to the professionals! There are tons of young people out there who film their holidays with their GoPros and the like. We particularly liked that one:

To finish, it’s easy to find videos of timelapses in ultra high quality (4K) on Youtube, check out this one for instance:

Tasmania Calling: Best Summer Festivals This Year

If you plan to visit Australia, or more specifically Tasmania, this summer, you’re in for a treat. This summer will see many different events, festivals and celebrations organised all over the place and you’re sure to find something to your liking.

Festivale

Towards the end of the summer, City Park in Launceston comes to life, as people from all parts of the world flock to attend Festivale. A quarter of a century ago, a street party was organised and little did the organisers know about the success that would ensue.

This event, now featuring not only music, but food and drinks as well, is organised at the time of the year when the weather conditions are supposed to be perfect for an outdoor festival. So, if you’re anywhere near Launceston around the weekend when the event is organised, make sure you check this festival out. You most certainly won’t regret it.

MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival

The MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival is organised every two years and if you’re planning to visit Tasmania in February 2017, you’re in luck. Hobart’s waterfront will once again be host to hundreds of wooden boats of various sizes, used for different purposes. The owners and manufacturers are all there, willing to chat to visitors about their prized possessions.

Of course, there’s much more to the festival than just boats. Music, food and drinks from Tasmania, races and exhibitions all add to the overall vibe of the event. The best part is that it’s all free of charge!

Getting around

Once you’ve sorted out your accommodation, you need to look at the transportation options. Apart from taking a bus or flying from one place to another, now you can also get a free car or campervan. As it is a one-way rental, once you’re done travelling from one festival to another, you can simply leave the vehicle at one of their subsidiaries. An increasing number of young people are doing this in an attempt to save as much money and be able to attend as many festivals as possible.

As you can see, there’s so much that Tasmania has to offer in terms of summer festivals. There are also many smaller ones, held at many towns in the region, so you just need to check local tourist organisations for more information. What is guaranteed though is that you’ll have a whale of time down under this summer.

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Wooden Boat Festival

5 Reasons You Should (Re)Visit NZ’s North Island This Spring

If you live in the South Island, a trip up North is always worthwhile. Even if you live on the North Island, you haven’t seen it all. The variety of wonderful natural attractions and interesting cities is just too great. Here are 5 reasons why you should plan a spring road trip!

Spring Festival in Wellington

ships-in-the-bay-in-wellington-new-zealand

It’s logical that your spring visit to New Zealand and its North Island starts in its capital – Wellington. Due to its southernmost position, this town is a great starting point for a tour de Te Ika-a-Māui for people coming from the South Island.

Apart from being the gate of the North Island, Wellington also hosts a wide range of interesting spring events, the most important being the Spring Festival. Here you can see the natural treasures of the local Botanic Garden, as well as buy plants for your home collection. When your feet start to hurt from all the plant-seeing, relax and try some tasty food and first-class wines at Picnic Café, inside the Garden.

Moreover, if you’re in Wellington’s Botanic Garden this spring, don’t miss the Victory Medal cultural installation, in memory of the New Zealand’s soldiers who died in WWI. It’s going to be on display from 9 September to 13 November this year.

Taranaki Garden Spectacular

This region is situated on the geographical horn that dominates the middle of the North Island. It was named for Mount Taranaki – the dominant geographical feature of the entire area. Since this mountain is actually an old volcano, the slopes around it have fertile soil. Thanks to a God-given combination of volcanic rocks and rainforests, Taranaki is famous for its lush gardens, the most prominent being Te Kainga Marire. If you want to see some endemic rhododendrons or samples of original New Zealand-grown roses, come and observe how these and other plants create one of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

Garden-lovers should come to Taranaki at the end of October, to witness the Taranaki Garden Spectacular – a large garden festival, during which you can visit more than 50 enchanting gardens and see some fine examples of garden design and landscaping. The easiest way to get to Taranaki region is to rent a free car and enjoy a 250-mile drive along the west coast of the North Island.

The Waitomo Caves are Less Crowded

waitomo-caves

Situated in the continental part of New Zealand’s northwest, The Waitomo Caves are famous for Black Water cave rafting, which is an endemic extreme sport – a blend of mountaineering and rafting. Check out this ideo to See what this thrill-provoking activity looks like.

Since you can’t squeeze the visit to this site in one day, you’ll need some fine accommodation. Although you can find dozens of hotels and bungalows in this area, try camping in Waitomo. Combined with a cave rafting tour, it will give you the best experience this region can offer.

The easiest way to get here is to go along the coast from New Plymouth to Awakino and then follow the signs to Waitomo.

Blossoming Orchards in The Bay of Plenty

The Bay of Plenty is a great follow-up to a visit to The Waitomo Caves. The reason this part got such a sound name is definitely the plentitude of natural wonders it displays. First of all, there are eight rivers that flow into the sea in The Bay of Plenty (take a look at the map). Apart from the rivers, in spring, you can see the beautiful sights of blossoming kiwi orchards throughout the region. It’s interesting that this branch of agriculture is developing rapidly there, so use this opportunity to visit those orchards of plenty.

As for sea activities, surfing is the most popular sport in this region. But the real eye candy and a holiday treat every visitor to this part of the North Island should experience is definitely White Island. It’s a volcanic island located about 35 miles from Whakatane. You can visit it by boat or by helicopter. Here you can read more about the island and the preparations necessary for a visit to this Pacific gem.

Rotorua: It’s always good there!

If you’re visiting Bay of Plenty for the first time, you might be surprised that this waterfront region also hides some wonderful attractions in the continental part, too. The most interesting inland area of this bay is located around the town of Rotorua. In spring, you can go for endless strolls around one of 18 beautiful lakes located in the vicinity of this town.

Moreover, you can go to river jet tours, hiking adventures and casual walks. Finally, when every single muscle in your body starts aching from all these activities, visit one of numerous geothermal pools and relax your mind and soul.

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Mount Taranaki

Waitomo Caves

Rotorua

The Strangest Overseas Driving Laws That Could Catch You Out

It’s hard enough trying to remember all the laws of your own country, let alone memorising those from overseas. When you’re next in any of these countries, make a note of these driving laws which could catch you out.

Don’t stop for pedestrians – China

Kicking it off with a doozy, this Chinese law actively encourages you to continue forwards, even if you see a pedestrian coming.

That’s a little harrowing when you think about it – and certainly something you’d need to watch out for if you’re a stranger in the country.

While jaywalking might be actively punished in places like the US, there’s still an expectation on the part of the driver to stop. On the brutal streets of China, that apparently isn’t the case.

No Speed Limit – Germany

If you’re out for a nice drive on the German autobahn network – effectively their equivalent of a motorway or highway – you’re not actually forced to follow any kind of speed guidelines.

That might sound somewhat scary if you’re a beginner, but it isn’t too bad. People are allowed to travel at whatever speed feels best for them – with different lanes offering varying acceleration.

Worryingly though, stopping or breaking down is illegal – meaning you can’t head out if you even remotely suspect you might be in danger of either of those things happening.

6-Eyes – Spain

For some reason, Spanish law states that if you require glasses, you must carry a second pair when driving.

I suppose the concern is the first pair might break – but then, it begs the question as to how that could happen without already having crashed?

Glasses don’t tend to fall apart off their own steam – they need something to cause them to break in the first place…thus making the second pair somewhat superfluous.

Blind driving – USA

Only the good old U.S. of A could pump out such an obscure law, yet, amazingly, in the state of Alabama it’s illegal to drive while being blindfolded.

It speaks volumes this would even need to be implemented as a regulation in the first place and does leave one wondering how it came about.

Whatever the circumstances which brought in this bizarre rule, I guess we can’t argue you definitely shouldn’t drive without being able to see. Well done Alabama, I guess?

Drink and drive – Costa Rica

It’s perfectly legal for people driving in Costa Rica to have a pint of beer while they’re out for a casual drive.

Wow, talk about liberal views on drink driving right? Wrong. Despite that rule, it’s an instant jail sentence if you’re caught with more than 0.75% of alcohol in your blood.

It’s not really clear why a nation would be so casual in one regard, yet so stringent and authoritarian in another. The simple solution to avoid catastrophe is to avoid drinking and driving at the same time altogether.

These are just five of the most bizarre driving laws from across the globe which could catch you out. Make sure you don’t fall for any of these when you’re next in any of these countries, or else you could find yourself in a spot of bother.

Springtime Beach Escapades in Australia

Springtime is usually associated with beginnings, awakenings and other dynamic notions. So, no wonder Australia, vibrant and joyful, attracts so many people between September and November. Apart from the always popular city breaks, hiking tours and visits to outposts, the most in-demand destinations are the magnificent and renowned beaches.

Despite the existence of coastline paradox, which makes it impossible to say exactly how long Australia’s coastline is, it’s safe to say that it’s among the longest ones in the world. It happens every now and then that great potentials simply don’t deliver. However, this can’t be further from truth when it comes to the beauty of Australia’s beaches and what they have to offer.

Surfing

The obvious first choice. There are few keen surfers who haven’t heard or dreamed of hitting the waves at Bells Beach in Victoria, Byron Bay in New South Wales and, well, the name says it all, Surfers Paradise in Queensland. Naturally, there are hundreds of less famous and less frequented beaches which offer amazing surfing experience, as well. Whatever your preference, there is a wave waiting for you at one of Australia’s pristine and breathtaking beaches.

Beach festivals

These are becoming increasingly popular, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists, some ready to travel more than 15 hours just to feel the world famous atmosphere. Bands and DJs heat up the stages all over the continent in spring, while after-parties may either cool everyone down or keep the temperature up, depending on the crowd.

Since these festivals last for several days, it’s vital to book accommodation early enough. Luckily, you can choose from a wide offer of private accommodation units, campsites and hotels in the vicinity of the beaches. Depending on the part of Australia you’re visiting and the dates of your visit, you might be lucky enough to attend one of the many festivals organized there

One of the premier surf beaches in Australia. Unfortunately, we could not get any closer as they were setting up for some big surf competition. On to our next scenic stop.

Diving and snorkeling

There aren’t many more awe-inspiring places for divers and snorkelers than the Great Barrier Reef and the area around it. Whether you’re an experienced diver or a complete novice who’s never donned the equipment before, you’re bound to find your own piece of heaven underwater.

You may organize your own trip or decide to join a guided tour. If you’re interested and can afford the time and money, you could take a diving course and become at least a certified recreational scuba diver.

Canoeing and kayaking

Usually associated with tranquil backwaters and inlets or inland white-waters, canoeing and kayaking off the shore provide you with an opportunity to see the marvelous coastline from another perspective. Plus, you’ll be getting an excellent workout while doing something fun.

Chances are, whichever part of Australia you choose, dolphins are quite likely to keep you company while you paddle your way off the coast. They might be accompanied by seals or other curious sea creatures, which would only bring the experience to a whole new level.

Chilling and eating

Perhaps an adrenalin rush is not what you’re after this spring, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have some extraordinary time by the water. For example, you can throw your own beach party for your family or friends. What better way to celebrate one of Australia’s greatest contributions to the culinary world – a barbecue breakfast, than having it at one of nature’s greatest gifts to us – a beach in Australia.

Millions of people flock to the beaches in Australia each year in search for fun, excitement or relaxation and an overwhelming majority of them find what they want. A lot of them find even more than they bargained for, while some find exactly what they need, though they didn’t have that particular experience in mind before embarking on their journey.

You’re probably not a jolly swagman who’s going to camp by a billabong, but someone looking for a spring holiday with a twist. Well, look no further, because you’ve chosen your destination wisely. Now all you need to do is make up your mind about what you’d like to experience, but keep it open. What might happen could be just the thing you need.

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Byron Bay