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Melbourne Car Rental

Off to Tassie for a couple of overnighters…..

Just a quick update to let you know we fly out tonight to our beloved Tasmania.

It has been a day of packing and trying to not exceed Jetstar’s baggage limits.  We have dehydrated a few meals but will do most of the shopping in Launceston tomorrow before we head up to Cradle Mountain.

The plan is for a couple of nights around Cradle for New Year, maybe at Scott Kilvett and then Lake Ball.

Then, back into civilisation and down to Lake St Clair and into Pine Valley.

We have hired a car and will end up at Hobart for…

Vegetarian hiking recipes

We love it when readers  share information and new ideas. Sonja contacted us recently about Food to Go and asked how many vegetarian recipes there were in the eBook. She is heads off on many multiday trips in Australia and was looking for some new  ideas.

There is a vegetarian backpacking food section in Food to Go but it is not massive. We sent Sonja a copy to check it out i.e. if she was not happy, she did not have to pay for it.

The upshot of these communications was we did a swap, Sonja received…

Cheap Car Rental Melbourne: The Best Tool for Enjoying Melbourne

Melbourne Car RentalWhen you’re visiting a place like Melbourne that’s got so much to offer in terms of fashion, food, culture and many other things, you need cheap car rentals.  First of all, you need something that you can use to get around to experience the whole place.  Another thing is that you need it to be cost effective so that you can go around spending money on other things that matters.  Yes, it’s the food, the culture, the fashion, everything in Melbourne that deserves top dollar.

Given a few days, three days at the most to spend in Melbourne, cheap car rental Melbourne will cut your traveling time to a fraction where you don’t have to wait around for the right bus to get somewhere and you also don’t have to share your ride with strangers.  It’s true that you can see a lot of Melbourne in a group tour but then, that would be a different experience altogether considering that you have other people to share it with and it might not even be your family.  When you’re going on a trip, alone or with someone, it’s more fun when it’s just you and the people you want to be with riding on the vehicle.

There might be something that you wanted to try out while you’re in Melbourne and this might cost you a hefty sum of money.  If it’s dining in a fancy and popular restaurant for example, you need to put some funds into that to ensure that you can enjoy your time there.  When your car rental is taking a big part of your budget, you might have to forgo this experience. With cheap car rental however, you can do anything and possibly everything you want in Melbourne because you some money to spend coming from your transportation savings.  Indeed, cheap car rental is a great tool to enjoy your time in Melbourne.

Te Araroa foot trail – “because it was not there” – New Zealand

We have never set foot on New Zealand soil. We’ve  just never been able to make the time to tramp any of the wonderful trails that are available. It is something we need to fix in the future.

Rick from Best Hikes  just brought a new trail, planned to be officially opened later this year, to our attention.  It is well worth a look if you have some free time and a desire to walk a very long, tough track.

Te Araroa Trail map New ZealandStretching from Cape Reinga in the North of New Zealand to Bluff in the South,  the Te…

Great Ocean Walk guiding

Phew,

Frank here. It has been a busy few weeks around the Our Hiking Blog household. Over the last four weeks I have led a seven, three and four day trip along the Great Ocean Walk in Victoria, Australia for Raw Travel. Today I am doing the preparation for my next 7 day trip commencing tomorrow.

It has been a fascinating experience. Having grown up in the region and explored many areas of the Great Ocean Walk for 40 years I have still been surprised by it’s magnificence.

This is a very different form of walking to what we are used to doing, i.e. it…

Practical Tips in Looking for Cheap Car rental

cheap car rental

Are you planning to use a cheap car rental for your family trip? To save you from the hustle and stress of travelling in another country, careful planning is the key. Part of the planning involves saving on transportation expense. This is where car rental plays a big part. With cars for rent, you can have the liberty and flexibility when you’re roaming around and out of town while you are on a trip or a vacation in a foreign country.

In some parts of the world and in famous tourist destinations car rental is one of the practical ways to get around. There are certain considerations that you have to check before availing of cars for rent. You may have a hard time figuring out where to get the best deal or what company provides insurance that you badly need in your trip. How can you save money, how can you avail the best services and what company provides safe and secured cars are just few of the questions you needed to consider.

If you decided that a cheap car rental will be your means of transportation, then imagine cautiously about what type of car you will require. Know who and what to bring along with you on the trip. Are you travelling with your children or do you carry a lot of baggages- you may want a larger vehicle if that’s the case. On the other hand, if you are just searching for car rentals to keep additional savings on rental rates and gas, perhaps you want to avail the smallest available model.

Availing of cheap car rentals doesn’t only speak of size. Size of the vehicle is not the only consideration. You may be an environmental advocate who wishes to use eco-friendly cars. If that’s the case, you can check cars that promote environmental friendliness. Additionally, if you cannot drive a stick shift, then make sure to get a car with automatic transmission. In majority of countries, manual transmission is the usual type of vehicle used, thus, makes sure to read the details of the cheap car rental carefully before booking.

Exped Synmat 7 UL (S) Sleeping Mat review

We were recently in the market for new sleeping mats.

For a few years we have been happily using Thermarest Prolite 4′s – the 3/4 length ones.

The main issue with these is, on a trip into cold climates, our legs were getting a bit cold and the insulation between the ground and our bodies was really only 2.5. cm (1″). They were  loyal companions for several years but it was time to upgrade.

Sue did a lot or research (in conjunction with her mate Anne - Overland Track March 2011) and came up with…