WEXAS travel blog

Makepeace Island, the luxury villa property built on the Noosa River in Queensland by Richard Branson, is set to become a "fully fledged boutique hotel"....

Phipps has lived all his life in Tasmania. Discover more about his life by the lake in this serene three-minute video. It's beautifully shot and very inspiring....

It's 60 years since Ian Fleming published his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, and introduced the world to James Bond, the gun-toting, globetrotting British secret agent....

Melbourne's food and wine scene is constantly evolving with new cafés, bars and restaurants opening in the city and its surrounding precincts on a weekly basis. Old dining stalwarts continu...

Western Australia is home to more than 12,000 species of wildflowers, more than the rest of Australia combined, which are in bloom for around six months of the year....

The Munda Biddi trail, the world's longest most continuous off-road cycling track, is now officially open....

Explorer and WEXAS Honorary president Colonel John Blashford-Snell will be hosting an illustrated lecture at the Royal Geographical Society in London on 28 March to celebrate the 200th anniversary of ...

This week, for the first time, Cuba’s capital will host the World Congress on Art Deco, which runs from 14-21 March 2013....

El Questro Wilderness Park, located in WA's spectacular Kimberley region, will re-open at the end of March. Re-emerging after the annual wet season, El Questro Homestead will be the first accommod...

Western Australia's sunny capital Perth is experiencing something of a boom lately. Here's a round-up of the city's latest bar, café and restaurant openings....

The 2013 Pinctada Cable Beach Polo will feature the inaugural Kimberley Challenge as one of the showcase matches of its tournament. The Kimberley Challenge will see young Indigenous stockmen team up w...

This year Melbourne takes its passion for coffee to new heights with two world-class events and the continuing emergence of new cafes and roasters across the city....

Perth Airport's new domestic terminal will open tomorrow. The $120 million domestic terminal is the first new terminal to be constructed at Perth Airport in 26 years and will support the growth of...

The Malta Jazz Festival has been raising the bar for jazz in Malta for almost 25 years....

The finest Australian cuisine in an unsurpassed setting is precisely what guests will experience at the 'Best of Australia at qualia' Great Barrier Feast event from 12-14 July 2013....

The Kingdom of Jordan will be showcasing its natural beauty and desert wildlife this week with the launch of the new BBC wildlife documentary, Wild Arabia. The three-part documentary begins on Februar...

Each year, artists from around the world gather in Jukkasjärvi, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, for the art project that has become known as ICEHOTEL and the worlds' first and largest hote...

Maps help us understand and navigate the world. For centuries, maps have become better, more refined, and more precise - there are no blind spots anymore....

A new Jetstar service to Ayers Rock Airport will commence from 04 June. Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia welcomed the arrival, which coincides with last year's $30 million transformation at th...

The black and white chequered flag was nowhere to be seen recently when a Formula One Grand Prix two-seater took on one the world's most scenic drives - the stunning Great Ocean Road in Victoria....

This incredible gigapixel image of the Khumbu glacier was captured by David Breashears during the spring of 2012, from the Pumori viewpoint near Mount Everest....

Perth's Richardson Hotel has been voted as one of the top 25 hotels in Australia in TripAdvisor's 2013 Travellers Choice Awards. Based on reviews submitted by TripAdvisors millions of contribu...

A new boutique wine festival for the Swan Valley will take place over the Labour Day long weekend on Sunday 03 March. The Valley & Vines festival will see wine lovers choose from six participating...

As Margaret River's reputation for fine food and wine continues to grow, so does its quality offerings. Two new venues have opened on the main street of the popular town - Sails Too and Pentimento...

The British Guild of Travel Writers, in conjunction with Traveller magazine has launched its annual competition for new travel writers; write a winning travel story bringing a destination to life thr...

Robin Hanbury-Tenison, the "greatest explorer of the last twenty years" (Sunday Times) - and WEXAS Honorary President - is also one of the founders of Survival International. As such, he has been a ti...

The first authorative guide to Australia's best beaches has been produced by two veterans of the marine conservation movement....

China now has the biggest high speed trains network in the world. With the news that China has now opened the world's longest high speed train line - linking Beijing to Guangzhou and Hong Kong - w...

An exhibition of rare works by Papunya Tula artists is to open at the Art Gallery of NSW on 13 December 2012....

Qatar Airways will increase its Doha-Perth service from three times a week to daily starting this Sunday 02 December....

Bookings for British Airways' new route to Seoul, which starts this Sunday 02 December, have been boosted by the Gangnam Style YouTube hit, which has helped put the city ‘on the map for UK t...

From today easyJet introduces allocated seating on all flights after a trial in April with nearly two million passengers....

Four Australian properties have been selected in the prestigious Fodor's 100 Hotel Awards 2012 - Southern Ocean Lodge, Saffire Freycinet, Kewarra Beach Resort and Spa and Kingsford Homestead....

We recently held an exclusive champagne reception as part of the 'Australia by WEXAS Travel' event - supported by Conde Nast Traveller, Tourism Australia and Qantas - at The Village, Westfield...

The Canada Tourism Commission has released a new promotional video made up entirely of user submitted clips....

Canada's climate has long been thought unsuited for the growing of quality grapes. Today, we all know this is untrue: the Okanagan Valley and the Niagara Region have been thriving for many years n...

Hobbits, Dwarves and Wizards will take flight as Air New Zealand launches its latest on board safety video, 'An Unexpected Briefing', today. The safety video is inspired by the upcoming fantas...

Great Walks of Australia (GWOA) has launched this week, profiling Australia as one of the world's most attractive walking destinations. The inspiring collection of destination-based walks across t...

How to make the perfect Ceviche: Ceviche London London's Ceviche restaurant, from restaurateur Martin Morales and chef Alejandro Bello, has been ten years in the making, and after a series of pop-...

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Spicers Peak Lodge restaurant, ‘The Peak', has won the title of ‘Brisbane Restaurant of the Year' 2012 Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence....

Ministers from Peru's government have announced the first Birding Rally Challenge in the country, with the purpose of positioning Peru as a worldwide birdwatching destination....

This spectacular leopard kill was recently caught on camera in South Africa. The leopard on the left lies in wait for a surprised herd of impala that come rushing in from the left....

Victoria's Great Ocean Road is one of the world's most scenic self drives and Australian's are this week celebrating the route's 80th anniversary....

Tasmania's Taste Festival will return from 28 December 2012-03 January 2013 with the theme ‘Locavores', embracing producing and eating locally....

Sydney has been named as the third best gastronomic destination in the world, after Tokyo and San Sebastian in northern Spain, by a panel of travel writers and food critics for UK consumer group Which...

Peru's gastronomic renaissance is encapsulated by the Mistura food festival in Lima, a 10-day foodie extravaganza that runs from 7-17 September this year....

Mixing a warm sense of tradition with contemporary Swedish design, Gothenburg lights the way to Christmas. From 16 November, walk the unique 3km 'Lane of Light' through the city, beginning at ...

Time Out Sydney has released a list of Sydney's top 10 rooftop bars as spring approaches....

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week is one of Australia's favourite yachting events and a firm fixture on the international sailing calendar....

Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine has released its 2013 restaurant awards list....

In September the age-old Icelandic tradition of the annual sheep and horse round-up, or Rettir, takes place, marked with a national holiday....

Jason Dufner, currently ranked number nine in the world, and Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters Champion, are the first international golfing stars to be announced for the Perth International Golf Cha...

Tourism New Zealand has unveiled its new 100% Middle Earth campaign to tie into the soon-to-be-released Hobbit series of films....

A number of dive operators in Tropical North Queensland offer travellers the opporuntunity to take part in shark feeds at Osprey Reef, 140 kilometres off the Great Barrier Reef itself....

The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) offers an opportunity to experience the beauty and diversity of Indigenous cultures. Held over three days annually in August, CIAF is an unparalleled celebration ...

A visual journey through Iceland...

James Bond Skyfall trailer released...

Russia's Artem Silchenko has won the first ever Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series stop in Portugal....

National Geographic has named Byron Bay as one of the ‘World's Best 20 Surf Towns', especially for families....

Qatar Airways launched flights to Perth on July 03 , with a new Doha-Perth service operating three-times weekly and connecting Western Australia to an international network of more than 110 destinatio...

Far North Queensland eco lodge Silky Oaks Lodge has launched their high-end Billabong Suites, marking the completion of a major refurbishment....

Continuing the boom in Peruvian cooking in the UK and hot on the heels of Ceviche in Soho, comes Lima London, which opens today, 11 July, in Fitzrovia, suggesting the trend is set to last and confirmi...

Tourism Thailand has just launched its first mobile travel app, now available in the App Store and Android Market. If you are a savvy traveller who loves to have all the latest information and offers ...

The Barbican marks the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, from 1962's Dr No to this year's Skyfall, with a unique exhibition showcasing the inside story of the design and style of t...

The Hunter is a powerful psychological drama that tells the story of Martin (Willem Dafoe)....

Friday 6 July sees the release of the film 7 Days in Havana, a contemporary snapshot of Cuba's capital comprising 7 chapters directed by 7 separate filmmakers....

Anse Chastanet luxury resort in St Lucia has recently announced a series of events that are sure to please Britain's 3 million "Twitchers"....

No.1 Traveller is to open a new airport lounge at Birmingham International Airport this autumn. The group's latest lounge will feature all the usual No.1 touches, imcluding complimentary hot ...

More than 100 masterpieces by iconic 20th century artists - including Henri Matisse, Marcel Duchamp and Jackson Pollock - will be on display at Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters, set to open ...

Archeologists in China have unearthed more than a hundred terracotta warriors that have been buried for centuries.    ...

WA's whale watching season has begun, with whales spotted recently in the South West town of Augusta....

Readers of Australia's Gourmet Traveller Magazine have voted Melbourne as the ‘Best Weekend Getaway' in the annual travel awards published in the June 2012 edition....

A giant iceberg has been caught on camera 'calving' near Argentina's Upsala Glacier, causing the iceberg to flip over itself....

Festivals provide a great opportunity to soak up local culture in your chosen destination. Here's our pick of some of the best coming up over the next few months....

Cruise the South Pacific with Paul Gauguin Cruises and you'll not only visit some of the most stunning islands in the South Seas on your floating, five-star hotel, but you'll also save money w...

Earlier this month British Airways re-launched a direct non-stop service between London Heathrow and San Diego in California. A group of WEXAS staff recently travelled to California as guests of ...

The world’s largest model airport has gone on display in the German city of Hamburg after seven years of construction and a cost of £3.1m...

One of our sister companies, Best Served, was featured in Sunday’s Observer Magazine....

BA has introduced a new seat reservation system, allowing customers previously unable to select a seat before check-in to pay to do so as soon as they book their flight....

WE ARE ALWAYS striving to increase the value of WEXAS membership and are delighted to announce two exciting enhancements to our benefits programme....

The study compares the average cost in various countries of nine essential holiday purchases, including a cup of tea, suncream, a postcard and stamp and a three-course evening meal....

In a survey of thousands of holidaymakers conducted by the website cruise.com, Cunard was voted the world’s best cruise line, beating off competition from Thomson Cruises, Ocean village and ro...

ON 01 OCTOBER 2009 the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) increased the ATOL Protection Contribution (APC) from £1.00 to £2.50 per passenger....

St Petersburg seldom looks more beautiful than when its 18th century buildings are blanketed in a layer of powdery snow....

It has been said that Patagonia, the vast, vague territory that encompasses 900,000 square kilometres of Chile and Argentina, is inhospitable from May to September – Antoine de Saint-Exup&eacu...

The skyview bar of Dubai’s, 7-star Burj al Arab hotel has just launched what it claims is the world’s most expensive cocktail: the 27321....

Forget Cuzco or Seville, La Antigua Guatemala is fast becoming the place to celebrate Holy Week, a Catholic commemoration of the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. It’s not until...

February/March Carnival celebrations take place throughout Brazil, but Rio remains hands down the carnival capital of the world. Five hundred thousand visitors arrive each year for a five day celeb...

The chaotic opening of Terminal 5 left travellers in despair. Since then, British Airways has launched an innovative campaign to persuade us that ‘Terminal 5 is working’....

Steve Colligan left Britain to unicycle from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to Kathmandu in Nepal, via Everest Base Camp....

The wexas travel foundation is into its second year of fundraising and is beginning to gain momentum. Our aim is to raise £22,000 for the charities we support....

British airways has launched a remote check-in service, allowing travelers ‘on the go’ to check in for flights wherever they may be, via their mobile handsets....

According to Which? Holiday magazine, passengers trying to claim back air passenger tax (apd) on unused flights are paying more in administration fees than they’re getting back in tax....

The rule of thumb for travel in 2009 is that it’s wise to book early, particularly for travel at peak times. ...

2009 is the bicentenary of the death of Joseph Haydn. Born the son of a wheelwright, he went on to become one of the greatest and certainly most popular composers of all time....

Every year in the summer months of July and August, more than 200,000 opera lovers throng to Lake Constance to enjoy musical theatre on the world’s largest floating outdoor stage....

If you’re partial to a spot of enotourism – or just fancy a good glass of wine – then head to the town of Logroño, the centre of Rioja wine production....

In the very early hours of 21 May, Sir Ranulph Fiennes (65), a WEXAS Honorary President, reached the summit of Mount Everest at his third time of asking....

Trains are much nicer than planes. Think about it. They’re less hassle (no excess baggage charges, checkin queues or long waits at baggage carousels). They’re greener. They go to city cent...

Kenya has slashed it s visa costs for UK nationals by 50% (from £35 to £18) and waived the fee completely for children under 16. The reduction will stand until the end of 2010 in an effo...

On 12 January 2009 new procedures came into effect requiring all nationals or citizens participating in the Visa Waiver Programme (which includes British citizens) who plan on travelling to the usa ...

We are delighted to announce that Vista – The Members’ Quarterly won ‘Best Newsletter’ at the prestigious MemCom Awards in January....