Sun, sea and sieges...one hell of a week in Sydney

When I arrived in Sydney, the torrential rain across my first two days really put me off. On my last day, the Lindt cafe siege held the city in a grip of fear for a gut-wrenching 16 hours. Bomb scares, the fact that I had been in Martin Place the evening before watching Christmas carols and relentless rain - honestly, I was desperate to flee back to the relative safety of Melbourne.

In retrospect: 5 ways I'd travel differently

This is very much a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin post. You live, you learn: here are five things I would have done differently re: my travels if I could wind the clock back to April. 

25 things to do before turning 25

I turn 25 in March. Twenty-five. Holy shit, that sounds old. Given that 17 was always the age that sounded the 'coolest' to me when I was younger and that I felt over-the-hill when my 22nd birthday swung around, I dread to think where this leaves me now. If I followed in my mum's footsteps, I'd be getting married in two years and hoofing out baby number one shortly afterwards. Slightly terrifying prospect, this growing up business.

Marriage aside, and babies VERY firmly aside, here are 25 things to do before reaching the quarter of a century milestone. This list is a combination of personal experiences, achievements and aspirations - I definitely haven't ticked off everything! Have you?

A Pom Down Under: First stop, Melbourne

I know, I know... I've been on the other side of the world for three whole weeks now and still no blog. What the heck has she been doing with herself, you may ask? The answers lie within...

17 places STILL on my travel wish list - are they on yours too?

It was a proud moment when I suddenly realised last week that I've been to six continents in the past eight months. Six! South America, tick. North America, check. Europe, yup. Africa, Asia and Australasia, boom. For an express tour around the world I've done pretty well, and I've racked up heaps of experiences and happy memories along the way that, rather than satisfying and placating the wanderlust I've been nurturing since April, have only served to intensify my desire to see more of the world.