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About Matt Long
06 July 2011 8:08 PM | No CommentsWho am I? I am a typical Gen-X professional who has a passion for all things travel. My site brings a unique perspective that is hard to find online. I am not a backpacker, nor am I living off of a trust fund. I am...
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Five Reasons to Stop Dreaming and Travel Now
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So What’s Reykjavik Really Like?
28 February 2012 11:55 PM | 12 Comments -
Top Five Travel iPad Apps
06 January 2011 11:55 PM | 24 Comments -
Vatican City Scavi Tour
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Don’t Be a Touron
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As Seen In:
South Pacific/Hawaii Archive
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My Five Favorite Adventure Travel Experiences in New Zealand
Posted on May 13, 2012 | 13 CommentsIf the gods of adventure travel had their own Mt. Olympus, it would be found somewhere in New Zealand. The Kiwis have long taken pride in their ability to outdo the rest of the world when it comes to flinging themselves from various heights and... -
Fiji in Four Words
Posted on April 23, 2012 | 5 CommentsThe South Pacific is near the top of my travel wish list and I’m determined to visit someday soon. Until then, I will have to live vicariously through those who have traveled before me, like the travel writer and social media expert Angie Orth. Today... -
Looking For Paradise and Pining For The Southern Cross
Posted on March 26, 2012 | 1 CommentIt probably won’t come as a complete shock that I have always, for as long as I can remember, had a fierce sense of wanderlust. As a young child and well into adulthood, I absorbed anything and everything about foreign cultures and far-flung locales. Instead... -
What’s So Great about Melbourne?
Posted on February 12, 2012 | 10 CommentsEveryone said I would love it. This advice didn’t just come from friends and online contacts, Melbourne was named the world’s most livable city in the 2011 Global Livability Survey. That’s a hell of a statement to make and I was curious what could propel... -
Five Surprisingly Romantic Cities
Posted on February 5, 2012 | 19 CommentsSome cities you expect to be romantic; Paris has made billions of dollars on that premise alone. Other cities surprise you though with their ability to charm and to help create those special romantic moments between you and your loved one. Here are some of... -
Australia Travel Tips
Posted on January 10, 2012 | 5 CommentsAustralia Travel Tips Australia is a huge country that offers something for everyone, beaches, cities, deserts and everything in between. To get the most out of the vast continent/country would take years, and even then you’d be missing something. For the casual traveler though,... -
Four Reasons to Visit Lanai in 2012
Posted on January 9, 2012 | 2 Comments1. Luxury – With two of the three hotels on the island belonging to Four Seasons, luxury is no doubt part of the agenda on Lanai. But it’s a different kind of luxury, a more homey, enjoyable Lanai luxury that’s really hard to find. Yes,... -
Perfect Evening in St. Kilda
Posted on January 9, 2012 | 2 CommentsAfter spending almost a week in the dusty Outback, the last thing I thought I would have wanted was a return to nature. But there I was, sitting at the desk in our spacious room at the InterContinental Rialto thumbing through the guide book trying... -
Travel Itinerary – 48 Hours in Melbourne
Posted on January 8, 2012 | 7 CommentsMelbourne Travel Tips Melbourne was the final stop in our brief tour of Australia and one that proved to be a highlight of the journey. Without exaggeration, Melbourne is one of the best cities I have visited anywhere in the world, and weeks could... -
Travel Tips and Driving Itinerary for Australia’s Red Centre
Posted on January 4, 2012 | 7 CommentsThere’s just something about Australia and the Northern Territory in particular that captures the imagination of people around the world. Maybe its the natural beauty or the famously rugged environment, but it’s hard not to feel drawn to one of the most remote spots on... -
How to See the Best of Alice Springs in 24 Hours
Posted on January 3, 2012 | 4 CommentsAlice Springs Travel Tips Many people know Alice Springs, Australia as the gateway to the Red Centre. From Alice thousands of travelers launch exhaustive tours of Kings Canyon, Glen Helen and of course Uluru, otherwise known as Ayers Rock. Many people just pass through... -
The Last Post of 2011 Travel Bests and Worsts I Will Ever Write
Posted on January 2, 2012 | 8 CommentsI know what you’re thinking, yet another “Best of 2011″ post? I realize that I did a whole series on the topic as did every mainstream paper, magazine, TV show and of course blogger. That being said, I was tagged by a fellow travel blogger... -
New Zealand Travel Tips
Posted on January 1, 2012 | 7 CommentsNew Zealand Travel Tips New Zealand is one of my favorite travel destinations, and with good reason. Simply said, it has something for everyone, from world class museums to the best adventure travel in the world. To truly know and explore New Zealand would... -
How to Explore Queenstown in a Day – Adventure Capital of New Zealand
Posted on December 31, 2011 | 1 CommentQueenstown in a Day The final stop on my whirlwind trip through New Zealand was a visit to one of the most popular destinations in the country, Queenstown. In the winter millions flock to this small mountain town for the ski slopes and in... -
2011 Favorite Travel Destination of the Year
Posted on December 29, 2011 | 6 CommentsThis was a tough one. Last year after careful thought I chose Israel as my favorite destination of the year, and for a while I thought the Middle East would get top honors again this year with Jordan. But the more I thought and reflected,... -
2011 Favorite Travel Person of the Year
Posted on December 26, 2011 | 10 CommentsLast year I did a series of posts highlighting my favorite travel experiences, destinations, foods and people for the previous year and I decided to once again perform this bit of forced reflection. Rather than just serve as a gratuitous way to recognize people and... -
Hairy Coos, Baby Animals and Amazing Views on Churchill Island
Posted on December 13, 2011 | 4 CommentsThe Scottish highland cow greeted us with its giant horns and fuzzy bangs as we navigated the dirt road leading to Churchill Island. We very well could have been in Scotland, except it was far too sunny and there wasn’t a sign of a distillery... -
Four Thoughts on Australia
Posted on December 7, 2011 | 22 CommentsIn August we traveled to Australia as a result of a Twitter contest I won through the Northern Territory. We decided to extend the trip into a vacation and spent almost two weeks exploring as much of Australia as we could. Given the grotesque size... -
Reflecting on Family and History at Pearl Harbor
Posted on December 6, 2011 | 4 CommentsNot all business trips are great, but the year I had a conference in Honolulu was like winning the lottery of work travel. Not surprisingly, I managed to add some time to the trip after my work was done in order to truly enjoy my... -
New Zealand – Trying to Define an Obsession
Posted on December 4, 2011 | 9 CommentsI’m an impressionable person, especially when it comes to travel. It doesn’t take a lot to inspire me to travel, to build that sorrowful nagging feeling of wanderlust deep within my soul. A feature in a movie, a mention in a book, even a well... -
42 Things I Love About Australia’s Northern Territory
Posted on November 23, 2011 | 5 CommentsI originally was going to write about the 42 things I love about Australia, but even in list form the country is just too big. The more I thought about my time in Australia, the more I realized that many of my favorite activities, as... -
On Parade with the Penguins of Phillip Island
Posted on November 21, 2011 | 5 CommentsThere are certain words and phrases that should never be repeated in the context of a travel post. Hidden gem, unique treasure, and charming all come to mind. Cute is another one most experts say to avoid, yet I find myself at a loss to... -
Kissed by a Koala at Healesville Sanctuary
Posted on November 15, 2011 | 4 CommentsI never expected to be kissed by a koala, yet there I was being gingerly kissed by Australia’s fuzzy mascot. The koala in question was at the Healesville Sanctuary, a short drive from Melbourne and home to one of the best animal experiences in the... -
Exploring the Hidden Secrets of Melbourne With the Best Tour in Town
Posted on November 10, 2011 | 7 CommentsI received a lot of suggestions from the expert concierge at the InterContinental Melbourne. In an experiment, I decided to use the hotel’s famous concierge service to help plan our time in Melbourne to see if they could do a better job than I could.... -
Travel Spotlight – Lake Rotorua
Posted on November 7, 2011 | No CommentsLake Rotorua Located in the heart of New Zealand’s North Island, the Rotorua region is one of the country’s oldest tourist destinations, all because of some smelly water. The geothermal activity has made the lake area a spa destination for as long as there... -
Luxury Within Reach on the Tropical Island of Lanai
Posted on November 2, 2011 | 1 CommentHawaii is a place of dreams and expectations. Most people have a mental image of Hawaii whenever the destination comes up in conversation, and for the most part these conceptions are proven true. There is one place though that lives up to the notions of... -
Discovering the Real Importance of Uluru with the Anangu Tour
Posted on November 1, 2011 | 4 CommentsSammy didn’t say much, well not that I could understand at least. His voice was soft and the words all seemed to blend into each other in a unique blend of Pitjantjatjara and pidgin English. Luckily the interpreter seemed to have no problem understanding Sammy... -
Tracking the History of the Ghan Train in Alice Springs
Posted on October 31, 2011 | 1 Comment“Well, there’s the Old Timers Museum, School of the Air, and the Old Ghan Museum isn’t too far away,” our cab driver kindly suggested as we drove to pick up our campervan and begin our exploration of Australia’s Outback. Another travel hiccup had occurred, and... -
Bilbies and Bettongs – The Alice Springs Desert Park Nocturnal Experience
Posted on October 23, 2011 | 1 CommentWe weren’t supposed to spend the night in Alice Springs. My Grand Plan for the Outback in Australia clearly had us picking up the Britz campervan and driving to Glen Helen for a night of “roughing it.” The day before though we learned that there... -
42 Things I Love About New Zealand
Posted on October 19, 2011 | 9 CommentsShocking beauty of the snow-capped Southern Alps Hobbits lurking around every corner Championship golf overlooking Hawke’s Bay at Cape Kidnappers Greeting a Maori warrior, forehead to forehead Biting into a massive Big Al burger at the one and only Fergburger in Queenstown The dubious yet... -
Embracing the Corny in Australia – Sounds of Silence Dinner Experience
Posted on October 17, 2011 | No CommentsI usually stay away from what I perceive to be over-touristy experiences, but the Sounds of Silence dinner at Uluru intrigued me. A trip to Uluru, or Ayers Rock, tends to be fairly scripted. The resort experience is like a cruise ship in the desert... -
Flying Through Queenstown – ZipTrek Ecotours Experience
Posted on October 5, 2011 | No CommentsThere wasn’t much that I liked about Queenstown, to be perfectly honest. It was swarming with people, everything was focused on the winter activities and the town looked like any ski resort town found around the world. That being said, there was one experience that... -
Kings Canyon Death March, er, Hike
Posted on October 4, 2011 | 3 CommentsI have a confession. I have never been on a forced march, made to do hard labor in a Federal penitentiary or been indentured to a life of servitude. And yet, all of these feelings came to the forefront as we began the Kings Canyon... -
Finding the Best Hotel For Your Visit to Uluru
Posted on October 3, 2011 | No CommentsEven though I enjoyed every moment of exploring the Northern Territory’s Red Centre, the real star of course was Uluru (Ayer’s Rock). If you travel to Uluru, you will necessarily be a guest of the Voyages Ayers Rock Resort, namely because they’re the only game... -
Travel Mystery – Why Australia Will Never Have Burger King
Posted on October 2, 2011 | 18 Commentsphoto credit: Sweet One I love bizarre societal quirks. Little details that many may miss and travel guides never address. I was confronted with one such oddity on a recent trip to Australia. I noticed a lot of restaurants that looked like Burger King, they... -
Queenstown, You Let Me Down
Posted on September 29, 2011 | 17 CommentsI wanted to like Queenstown. Everyone said I would like Queenstown. There didn’t seem to be a reason not to like Queenstown. That’s why I was confused as I sat in the Queenstown airport departing for home after a week in New Zealand. I was... -
Travel Itinerary – 48 Hours in Sydney
Posted on September 28, 2011 | 4 CommentsOur first introduction to Australia came at the end of a fifteen hour flight to Sydney. Our Australian schedule was a busy one and we only had two days to spend exploring this great harbor town. I knew it wouldn’t be enough time, but I... -
Voting for the New Seven Wonders – A Case for Uluru
Posted on September 26, 2011 | 3 CommentsA couple of months ago I wrote about the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition that is currently underway. The effort follows on the heels of the New 7 Wonders project that, while somewhat flawed, was very successful. One can argue about having a voting... -
Desert Oasis – Kings Canyon Resort Experience
Posted on September 26, 2011 | 8 CommentsI’m not going to lie, getting to Kings Canyon from Alice Springs was a bit of an event. I guess I’m just a soft city mouse, but the two hours of driving on corrugated, teeth shattering dirt roads was a bit much. But that introduction... -
River Journey through Wanaka – Exploring the Misty Mountains of New Zealand
Posted on September 25, 2011 | 6 CommentsSue was right on time picking me up from the Edgewater Hotel and asked if I’d bundled up enough. I hadn’t planned well for New Zealand’s South Island. Intellectually I knew that it would be winter, but for some reason I never processed that this... -
Boat Tourism – Seeing the Other Side of a City
Posted on September 22, 2011 | 5 CommentsI love exploring new cities; finding hidden alleyways and cool shops are some of the best travel experiences anyone can have. One of the best ways to learn more about a city though is by leaving it, sort of. Exploring a city from the water... -
Part II – Off-Roading in Australia – My Campervan Road Trip Through the Red Centre
Posted on September 20, 2011 | 1 CommentContinued from yesterday Part II It wasn’t just the lack of paved roads that scared me, it was the uncertainty of the condition of the roads on which I knew we would have to drive for several hundred kilometers before we reaching the Kings Canyon... -
Off-Roading in Australia – My Campervan Road Trip Through the Red Centre
Posted on September 19, 2011 | 2 CommentsPart of the condition of my trip to Australia’s Red Centre was that we travel around in a Britz Campervan. The idea was to replicate the trip Andrew Evans, the world famous travel writer and digital nomad, took around the Northern Territory. Since I won... -
Weird New Zealand – Staying at the Hobbit Hotel
Posted on September 18, 2011 | 15 CommentsWeird Hobbit Hotel I’m in love with New Zealand, from the rolling verdant hills of the North Island to the soaring peaks of the Southern Alps, I love it all. But it’s not just the natural beauty that draws me in, it’s the unique,... -
Light, Shadow and Rock – The Changing Faces of Uluru
Posted on September 15, 2011 | 3 Comments -
Discovering the Sydney Opera House
Posted on September 13, 2011 | 8 CommentsMajor landmarks can be a letdown sometimes. Either they’re not as impressive as you thought or after a lifetime of dreaming about THE moment when you actually get to see the famous wonder, the reality is a bit of a letdown. With this in mind,... -
Finding Hidden Travel Secrets – The Med Market in Wanaka
Posted on September 12, 2011 | 2 CommentsWhere can you find the winners of both New Zealand’s best sausage and ice cream? Fancy restaurant, boutique hotel café? Nope, these and other world class foodstuffs call the unassuming Mediterranean Market in Wanaka their home. Originally the Mediterranean Market, or Med Market as locals... -
Five Ways Australia Surprised Me
Posted on September 11, 2011 | 23 CommentsBefore our trip to Australia, I thought I generally knew what to expect: koalas roaming the streets, free beer and lots of shrimps on the barbie. I was surprised though when confronted with the reality, but here are the things that surprised me the most.... -
Wanaka in a Day – Water, Wine and West Coast Flair
Posted on September 8, 2011 | 2 CommentsMy first introduction to Wanaka was at night after a long drive along State Highway 6 from Franz Josef. I actually made the drive much longer than it normally is, I just couldn’t resist stopping every few miles to observe some of the most breathtaking... -
Quirky Australia – The Great Ned Kelly Debate
Posted on September 8, 2011 | 4 CommentsA lot of things confused me about Australia. Paying $4 for a 20oz. Diet Coke, the nonchalant attitude towards the myriad poisonous things that can cause instant death just to name a couple. But what really threw me for a proverbial loop was the admiration...
