Oct 23rd, 2009 at 10:30AM: "No sex please, we're British." That old joke has been proven wrong by a new medical study that found British backpackers in Australia are picking up more than just short-term partners; they're picking up infections that they spread around Australia and back home. A survey of 1,008 backpackers at youth hostels in Sydney and Cairns revealed that 24 percent of British backpackers had unprotected sex ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Sydney posts
British backpackers spreading sexually transmitted diseases
Oct 23rd, 2009 at 10:30AM: "No sex please, we're British." That old joke has been proven wrong by a new medical study that found British backpackers in Australia are picking up more than just short-term partners; they're picking up infections that they spread around Australia and back home. A survey of 1,008 backpackers at youth hostels in Sydney and Cairns revealed that 24 percent of British backpackers had unprotected sex ...Teenage Aussie set to sail around the world
Oct 18th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Jessica Watson likes to travel, but she approaches the concept a bit differently. The 16-year-old Australian just left Sydney Harbor today, and she wants to take on the world. Her goal is to sail 23,600 miles alone -- through some of the toughest waters in the world -- and become the youngest person in history to do so.
The trek has kicked off some debate in Australia as to whether Watson's ...Outback Australia: Where are the Americans?
Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:30AM:
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Close to 300,000 people from outside of Australia visit the Northern Territory every year. And if I noticed anything about those tourists while I was there it's that the vast majority do not speak English. That is by no means a judgmental statement. I enjoyed ...Crazy dust storm covers Sydney in red haze
Sep 23rd, 2009 at 3:30PM: Residents and tourists in Sydney, Australia, might be feeling as though they been transported to Mars, and in fact, a glance around at the city covered in red dust against a red-orange sky does bring to mind images of what a colony on the red planet would look like. Despite its other-worldly appearance, the haze that converged on Sydney yesterday is earth-bound, composed of red dust from the ...Flags of the world, made out of food
Sep 15th, 2009 at 9:30AM: The topic of national identity comes up frequently when we travel, particularly when it comes to displaying our home country's flag. As it turns out, the debate surrounding flags is even more "consuming" than we first thought, especially when the flags happen to be made out of food. In honor of this October's upcoming Sydney International Food Festival, the event's organizers have arranged to have ...The World's ten happiest cities
Sep 5th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Disney World has been labeled "the Happiest Place on Earth", but one look at the tired parents, screaming kids, and extremely long lines will tell you that is just marketing spin. Ever wonder where the actual happiest place on Earth is? Then wonder no more, because Forbes, in conjunction with market researcher GfK Custom Research North America, has put together a list of the ten happiest cities on ...Gadlinks for Monday 8.17.09
Aug 17th, 2009 at 6:00PM: Another week of summer has come and gone, and we're just hanging on to those last few certain days of warmth before fall kicks in! Last week we had some great travel reads, and this week will likely be no different. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow to catch our normal Gadlinks, for today's links are in keeping with the "scenic" theme we have going here on Gadling today. Check these out for ...Dumb Dutch duo flies 4000 miles in the wrong direction, to the wrong Sydney
Aug 10th, 2009 at 5:30PM: Every year, at least one idiot makes the news by proving their total lack of basic geography knowledge. Such is the story of Dutchman Johannes Rutten and his grandson. Mr. Rutten had booked tickets for his dream trip from Amsterdam to Sydney, Australia. After an 8 hour flight on Air Canada, he made his stopover in Halifax, for the final leg to Sydney. By now, 99.99% of readers will most likely ...Backpacker rescued after 12 days in the Australian wild
Jul 16th, 2009 at 8:00AM: 19 year-old backpacker Jamie Neale, who has been missing in the mountains of eastern Australia for the past 12 days, has been found alive and is said to be in good condition, although he is recovering from exhaustion and dehydration in a local hospital. He was discovered on a trail near Katoomba, the same town that he set out from nearly two weeks ago. The young Brit was on holiday in Australia ...4320 minutes in LA: V Australia challenges Aussies to weekend in Los Angeles
Jul 8th, 2009 at 2:30PM: Now that the Sydney - Los Angeles route is well populated with flights and good prices, Aussies and Americans alike can mull the concept of long weekends overseas. Much like New Yorkers jaunt to Paris or London for a weekend of shopping and hedonism, jetsetters can now cross the pacific for an action packed weekend between surf towns. As part of the launch initiative, V Australia is kicking off a ...Virgin Blue calls musician terrorist
Jun 17th, 2009 at 5:00PM: It wasn't until Steve Lucas actually got on the plane that he had a problem. His bullet-studded guitar strap – empty shells, of course – made it through the various points in the Sydney airport's security gauntlet. Consequently, all his luggage was removed from the Virgin Blue flight.
Three times, the musician of 30 years was called to the front of the plane to sign a statement ...Airline complains about fees?!
May 28th, 2009 at 1:30PM: Like all airlines, Qantas is looking to cut costs. And, it saw an opportunity by forming partnerships with some of Australia's airports. If all were to go according to plan, Qantas could make a dent in its annual airport costs of $544 million (AU$700 million). While some airports are willing to play ball, others (like Sydney and Brisbane) aren't ... leaving an airline to complain about fees, for a ...Qantas cuts first class service, only you can bring it back
May 25th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Does two make it a trend? Along with British Airways, Qantas will get rid of some first class seating. While BA is doing it on new flights, Qantas is starting with three of its long-haul routes, because demand for the expensive seats is falling.
If you're rich and have plans to fly from Sydney to Buenos Aires, Sydney to San Francisco or Melbourne to Hong Kong to London will be affected. This ...Jetstar misses bedtime, fined
May 7th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Australian low-cost carrier Jetstar has been fined nearly AU$150,000 (US$112,000) for the "wanton and deliberate" breach of Sydney Airport's curfew. From 11pm to 6am, takeoffs and landings are prohibited – except when permission is granted. So, imagine the anguish caused when Jetstar flight JQ37's wheels went up at 11:28pm!
It gets worse.
The flight had been delayed for seven hours, ...Pay to play in Aussie airport parking lots
Apr 10th, 2009 at 4:30PM: For the past decade, Australians have griped about the escalating cost of short-term airport parking. Accusations of monopoly pricing were leveled, and a year ago, the government got involved, having the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) keep an eye on parking lot fees at the country's five largest airports. The results are amazing. Airports pull in 11 percent of their revenue ...Watch a ship burn at Vivid Sydney
Apr 10th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Vivid Sydney is the largest international music and light festival in the Southern Hemisphere (at least according to the press release they sent me). It starts May 26 and runs through June 14, so you still have time to book your tickets. If Jetstar fits into your travel plans, just make sure you fit into a Jetstar seat ... "The inaugural year of Vivid Sydney is an exciting milestone in the ...Nimbin: Australia's Answer to Woodstock
Mar 23rd, 2009 at 2:30PM:
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Sydney, Australia visiting my good friend Sarah. Rather than hang around in Sydney, we elected to road trip up to Byron Bay. Byron is a great little beach town in the northern portion of New South Wales and we had a great trip. But that's a post for another day. Because, while we were in Byron Bay, we took a side trip to Nimbin. Everyone in Sydney had told us ...Man bludgeoned to death in motorcycle gang war at Sydney airport
Mar 22nd, 2009 at 1:30PM: In a scene right out of a gangster movie, 2 motorcycle gangs started beating each other with poles and other heavy items at Sydney airport killing one gang member. Police believe that when one gang exited their plane, they were "greeted" by members of a rival gang, who began to beat them with the metal poles that are used to keep passengers in line at the check in desk. Onlookers describe ...Nine wonders in 26 days
Feb 25th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Planning ahead has never paid off quite so much. If you're thinking about a big trip for the fall, kick around Abercrombie & Kent's "Nine Wonders of the World" excursion. A private jet will cart you to the most impressive destinations our planet has to offer over 26 days, and you just won't want to come back to reality. The experience kicks off on October 19 at the Four Seasons Hotel Miami, ...The Air New Zealand Pink Party Plane is back for 2009!
Feb 9th, 2009 at 2:30PM: Air New Zealand is once again flying their pink party plane for the 2009 Sydney Mardi Gras. We've covered the party plane before, but it is clearly a success, as they keep bringing it back for more fun! Tickets for the flight start at $978, and include the flight from San Francisco to Auckland, and a 3 1/2 hour party flight from Auckland to Sydney. The party flight includes cocktails, canapes, ...
