I just flew into Europe and realised I've forgotten how to travel
It's amazing how much you forget about the travel experience in two years.
Traveller's globetrotting backpacker, Ben Groundwater, finds the good, the bad and the ugly in the world’s best destinations. Ben is a columnist, blogger, feature writer, and host of Traveller's podcast Flight of Fancy, who has visited more than 80 countries during his 12 years in the industry. Ben was named travel writer of the year by the Australian Society of Travel Writers in 2014 and 2015.
It's amazing how much you forget about the travel experience in two years.
This is a traditional and historic country, but it's also ultra-modern and edgy, and a pop-culture juggernaut.
What is truly impossible to argue, however, is that pasta all'amatriciana is absolutely delicious.
Pretty soon you might be able to overhear a conversation that's not about COVID-19.
This is food of the people, a dish that is cheap and simple and eaten with relish.
Same-same, but different. That's our two countries, our two cultures. Next time you're travelling in New Zealand, keep an eye out for these quirks.
Tassie was the butt of jokes when I grew up – it wasn't somewhere you'd be jealous of. But now, I'm jealous of Tasmania.
Let us take you to one of the most misunderstood and yet incredible places that the world has to offer: the Middle East.
This cherished staple is the perfect example of something that's greater than the sum of its parts.
I can't bring myself to laugh at Russians in distress, even if those jokes are just a coping mechanism, a way to try to make the horrors of war somehow more acceptable.
Tikka masala is now widely considered one of the UK's national dishes, up there with fish and chips and bangers and mash.
The only certainty now is that we will be travelling differently and perhaps more appreciatively than ever before.
Here's something amazing to think about: you're only getting to see half of the world.
You have to travel to the source to get the good stuff when it comes to food, right? Wrong.
For backpackers and other budget travellers: what is left in Australia post-lockdown and border closure? Is there anywhere to stay? Is there anything to do?
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