Blog

Factory Tour: Inside India’s Most Expensive Tea

14 October, 2017
1 Comments

A Tour of Makaibari Tea Estate in Darjeeling As I wander the quiet streets of Darjeeling on the Himalayan foothills of India, a cool breeze whips through the surrounding greenery. I am on my way to Makaibari Tea Estate, known as the first tea

07 October, 2017
6 Comments

Alternative Routes: 4 Lesser-known Versions of Famous Treks When it comes to famous treks most people are quick to mention the Inca Trail, Everest Base Camp or Kilimanjaro. All three are amazing, but they are all super popular too. So how can

23 September, 2017
0 Comments

Where to Volunteer in Bali Have you ever had that feeling traveling/living abroad where you feel completely lost and like you have no purpose? I have many times. I used to fix it by visiting a bar most afternoons at happy hour. Now I’ve

15 September, 2017
0 Comments

Holi in the holiest place in India; Varanasi Holi brings a lot of thoughts to mind – mainly of colour being splashed around in a happy array. Maybe you think of whole Indian families engaging in a coloured dye war on the streets with their

10 September, 2017
30 Comments

An essay about my love and hate for India India… There’s something unequivocally special about this country. Nobody would be able to put a finger on just one thing. It would be many bright, busy, bold and beautiful little things that make

07 September, 2017
0 Comments

How to get the most out of your travels When you are traveling you definitely want things to be easier, but sometimes we overlook the simple things that could make our journeys that little bit easier. I have made many mistakes on my travels and

02 September, 2017
6 Comments

5 Water-based Adventures in the Philippines The Philippines is a water-lovers paradise and tourists flock here every year to try something new. With thousands of islands scattered over 300, 000 kilometres, marine parks, rainforests and lakes,

12 August, 2017
2 Comments

Our Beautiful 5 Days Trekking the Larapinta Trail Trekking the Larapinta Trail was possibly one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Five full days of just my girlfriend and I, our backpacks and the Central Australian desert.

29 July, 2017
8 Comments

Reasons why I hate being a woman #3,728 Squatting is always interesting, isn’t it? It’s like gambling just without the fun… And with added public nudity. You just never know what the end result will be but you always stay

23 July, 2017
5 Comments

Ultimate Guide: Planning the Larapinta Trail on the Cheap This is a list of budget tips to do the Larapinta Trail on the cheap, plus some commonly asked questions with budget-minded answers. Anyone can do a tour, but if you want to push yourself

15 July, 2017
17 Comments

The Most Dangerous Biking Roads in the World I love cheap travel, especially when it comes to cycling. I’ve cycled a lot and come to the conclusion that no road that’s entirely safe. While every road holds some potential danger, others can be

09 July, 2017
20 Comments

COLLABORATION: Best Beaches in Australia Did you know that even if you visited a different beach in Australia every day it would take over 29 years to see them all? Most people just don’t have that kind of time! Instead I decided to make

The case of the missing toenail, a travel story - Castaway with Crystal

30 June, 2017
13 Comments

How does one even lose an entire toenail??? Pushkar is famous for being a predominantly Hindu town, frowning upon any meat or alcohol. The whole of India is quite conservative when it comes to women’s clothing, and this is very apparent in

10 June, 2017
18 Comments

Brilliant Timelapse Photography from VIVID 2017 Festival Vivid 2017 was the biggest and most vibrant winter yet! During Vivid Light Sydney CBD transforms into a wonderland of ‘light art’ with sculptures, innovative light

27 May, 2017
16 Comments

Mexico Road Trip: Driving in Mexico The air was hot and thick and the sun beat down. My hangover hung on top of me like toxic air as I lay on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I was on Isla Mujeres in the Yucatan and it was the day

21 May, 2017
14 Comments

What do empty Coke bottles and being locked out of my room naked have in common? Hot and tired, back aching from the long walk, I slide my heavy backpack up to the counter of the ‘hostel’ I’d booked. I began to tell them I had a booking, and

07 May, 2017
16 Comments

Guide to Mexico City: Things to do, best places to eat and stay and how to get around MEXICO CITY Mexico City is the multicultural melting pot of Mexico. Some of the strongest Mexican culture can be found in this bustling, sinking city. It’s

30 April, 2017
28 Comments

Oaxaca Guide: Oaxaca City, San Jose del Pacifico, Puerto Escondido and Mazunte/Zipolite STATE OF OAXACA Oaxaca is a magical place. Not as many tourists get here as it’s not so much on the main tourist path. But boasting some of the

22 April, 2017
12 Comments

These are your first steps to become an expat So, you’ve concluded your home country just isn’t for you and you’re going to throw the towel in and move abroad. Don’t worry, I do this every few years or so. You’ve decided where you want to go and

15 April, 2017
10 Comments

Sydney is just THAT awesome! Sky-high bridges, bronze beaches, massive mountain ranges, endless blue ocean; you cannot deny that Sydney truly has it all. No wonder it is one of the most exotic tourist destinations in the world, with more than 8

08 April, 2017
12 Comments

[Photos] The beauty of San Cristobal San Cristobal, nestled in the lush mountains of Chiapas, is easily one of the prettiest places I stayed in Mexico. The narrow cobblestone streets and brightly coloured buildings made a bountiful canvas for

02 April, 2017
16 Comments

Chiapas Guide: San Cristobal, Tuxtla and Palenque CHIAPAS The multi-cultural and lush state of Chiapas is home to 12 of the 62 indigenous groups officially recognised by the Mexican government. From the beautiful ruins of Palenque, the bright

19 March, 2017
23 Comments

The Yucatan Peninsula: Cancun, Isla Holbox and Playa Del Carmen THE YUCATAN The Yucatan is like a huge playground for water-related activities. Everyone here can find something they will love. In this area of Mexico you can see baby turtles

11 March, 2017
16 Comments

Peters Abandoned Ice Cream Factory in Taree poses for some Creepy Photographs I drive through Taree, bored, as there isn’t much to do in my hometown. My sisters and dog in the car, we cruise past an abandoned building. I pull over and vocalise

25 February, 2017
13 Comments

Best Budget Guide to Medellin, Colombia Medellin has always been a destination that made my heart beat a bit faster. I’m not ashamed of admitting that all those books and stories I’ve read about the ill-famed cocaine kingpin Pablo

18 February, 2017
24 Comments

The Best Guide for doing Isla Mujeres, Mexico to the Max, on the Cheap Whenever I think back to my time on Isla Mujeres, I’ll get a little teary smile on my face. It was some of my best times travelling, and since I got stuck there for months I

04 February, 2017
15 Comments

A Collaboration: Random Acts of Kindness from a Stranger With everything that’s going on in politics right now, I felt compelled to try to remember the good things in the world. The little things that help you remember what a beautiful

28 January, 2017
13 Comments

Best Guide for Travelling to Bora Bora Island French Polynesia has been blessed with a jewel. Well, Bora Bora is actually known as the Pearl of the Pacific and is doubtlessly one of the most breathtaking locations of our planet. It’s a popular

22 January, 2017
19 Comments

Free things to do in Sydney that only the locals know about Want to get off-the-beaten-path in Sydney? Sick of being just another person in a busy crowd taking photos of the Opera House? Well, I have the blog post for you! Here’s a collation of

15 January, 2017
24 Comments

Guide to Seeing Turtle Liberations and Egg Laying in Mexico Put yo’ hand up if you’ve seen baby turtles hatch!? It’s on so many people’s bucket list but is a really hard one to pull off. Turtles only lay in certain seasons on certain

08 January, 2017
20 Comments

My List of 100 Things to Achieve in 2017 A couple of my friends and I decided to do a list of things we want to do in 2017. It’s kind of like a bucket list but it can include things you’ve done before and want to do again. The

18 December, 2016
14 Comments

Waterfall Canyoning in Da Lat, an Adventurous Day! Da Lat surprised us from the minute we stepped off the bus. This quaint French-influenced town had so much to offer. Nestled in amongst the rainforest adorned mountains, it’s a place many

11 December, 2016
15 Comments

To Mexico, with Love… It’s happening again, I can’t stop this painful love. Every time I think it’s going well, I fuck it up again. It’s been an entire relationship of unhappiness and I can’t understand how it got to this and why I can’t

27 November, 2016
16 Comments

6 Ridiculously Cheap (or Free) Things to do in Mazunte, Mexico Mazunte is known as the sleepy beach town near surfer-lovers Puerto Escondito. It’s common for backpackers to party and surf it up in Puerto and then head to Mazunte for some much

The best cenotes near Tulum - Castaway with Crystal

20 November, 2016
18 Comments

The Very Best Cenotes in Tulum and Playa Del Carmen Cenotes are created when the limestone ground cover of underground river systems collapse in, creating an entry point. There are over 4,000 known cenotes in the Riviera Maya region and so far,

13 November, 2016
11 Comments

Hobbiton: A photo series of the most adorable movie set ever! Hobbiton is a place to visit even if you aren’t a Lord of the Rings fan. I was fascinated by seeing the movie set because I am in the industry, but TBH anyone and everyone would

05 November, 2016
12 Comments

Why visit New Zealand during the spring off-season: September, October and November? If you think it’s only worth going to New Zealand during the summer or winter, think again. Spring is one of the most beautiful times to see the country,

31 October, 2016
12 Comments

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Oaxaca; a day to remember loved ones who have passed I heard it said we die two times. The first is that final breath and when nobody speaks our names aloud we die a second death – Lift souls on the

22 October, 2016
12 Comments

30 of my Favorite Adventurers for my 30th Birthday It’s my birthday today and I wanted to do something special on my blog! And I couldn’t think of anything betterl than thanking each and every adventurer that has inspired me,

15 October, 2016
24 Comments

Budget Guide for a 3 week Road Trip on the North Island New Zealand is the most breathtaking and beautiful country I’ve ever had the pleasure to visit. Bursting with colour and vibrance, New Zealand’s aura is lush and green. But with beauty

09 October, 2016
16 Comments

Awesome Free Things to do in New Zealand on the North Island Northland 1. Check out Cape Reinga lighthouse ‘Te Rerenga Wairua’ in Māori language means the leaping-off place of spirits. There’s a tree here known to be where spirits

01 October, 2016
9 Comments

Beautiful Photography of the Geo-Thermal Activity in the most Volcanic Town in New Zealand Rotorua is a geo-thermal wonderland. Encased by volcanoes, hot springs and explosive geysers and set amongst some of the most beautiful landscape in New

17 September, 2016
13 Comments

Dear Trashy Tourists, Recently I went for a hike around the picturesque Royal National Park, just outside of Sydney and just as I was beginning the hike I saw a pile of coffee cups and cans dumped on the ground next to the entry. Seriously…?

10 September, 2016
12 Comments

10 seriously culturally insensitive tourists Since I’ve been working in the News, I keep hearing about all these seriously dumb things tourists are doing while they’re travelling. Something about being overseas seems to lower peoples

03 September, 2016
12 Comments

5 Bloggers Tell me their Ultimate Tips for Green Travel The more we travel, the more we feel in touch with the Earth. Eco-travel is a subject close to my heart and many a travel blogger feel the same. So if you’re in the market for some

27 August, 2016
14 Comments

Beautiful Burnt out Cars in the Northern Territory Everyone has a weird thing that they secretly like… For me it’s abandoned and graffitied things. I find a simple beauty in burnt out cars; the way the windows shatter into tiny

21 August, 2016
19 Comments

Find a job in Australia: the ultimate backpackers guide I have collated all of this information by asking my many Couchsurfers and friends, as well as posting in Facebook groups and asking there. Also, I’ve used some of my own personal

06 August, 2016
16 Comments

Amazing Timelapse Photography from VIVID 2016 Every year I brave the bitter cold, rainy and windy weather to walk around Sydney Harbour for a couple of hours to check out VIVID festival. It’s easily one of my favourite free gigs that

31 July, 2016
26 Comments

A collection of epic photographs from the Northern Territory that will give you serious wanderlust The Northern Territory is flipping beautiful. There’s nowhere else on Earth like it. Bright red dirt, water snaking all over the lands,

24 July, 2016
25 Comments

Budget Itinerary; three weeks from Darwin to Uluru THE NORTHERN TERRITORY I never knew that dirt could be so magical! But, in the “red centre” it is exactly that. Starkly juxtaposed next to the soft greens of the shrubs and gumtrees, this

10 July, 2016
6 Comments

Barunga Festival: Music, Sport and Culture WATCH: A Day in the Barunga Festival, plus a trip to Bitter Springs and Katherine. The Brunga Festival has been around for over 30 years, bringing strong local culture to the wider Australian people.

02 July, 2016
14 Comments

Budget Guide for two weeks around Darwin, Litchfield, Kakadu and Katherine THE NORTHERN TERRITORY I’m going to go ahead an assume you’re interested in the NT for the adventure, the beautiful red dirt, nature, culture, hiking, maybe a bit of

25 June, 2016
0 Comments

Motorbiking Around Thailand for a Day During Yi Peng Chiang Mai is a hot tourist destination and one loved by backpackers and expats alike. With cheap food, motorbike hire and hostels, but great internet, Chiang Mai is deeply rooted on the

18 June, 2016
12 Comments

Trash the Dress: Crystal’s Take on an “Out There” Concept “‘Trash the dress’ is a style of wedding photography that contrasts elegant clothing with an environment in which it is out of place. It is generally

04 June, 2016
13 Comments

Watch a Day Island-Hopping and Camping on Deserted Islands in the Philippines The Philippines are a dream destination for many people, and lucky me got to travel it with one of the most fearless and awesome bloggers; Will from The Broke

29 May, 2016
15 Comments

Complete Suggested Itinerary for One Month in Cuba on a Budget From one end of the island to the other! Looking to travel Cuba on a budget? Need tips and advice on where to stay and what to do? Cuba is ridiculously cheap as long as you’re

15 May, 2016
13 Comments

Epic Photographs from VIVID Light, Music, Ideas Festival 2015 VIVID is one of my favourite festivals in Sydney, and it’s FREE. Every year in the miserable cold months, City of Sydney lights up with sound and movement. It brings everyone

01 May, 2016
15 Comments

A Sydney relic, captured days before it was closed and locked down Rozelle Tram Depot was one of those mysterious, abandoned places that everyone had heard about, but only a few had actually been. Considered by some as a waste of space and a sad

26 April, 2016
16 Comments

Video of a Day Being a Sydney Tourist in Fast-Forward Winter in Sydney can be boring sometimes, it’s definitely not as vibrant and exciting as the Summer months. But there are things to do. Check out what I did with one day in Sydney. If

24 April, 2016
17 Comments

A Guy Tries to Commit Suicide on my Train in Japan At some point in my travels I’d mentally noted that Japan was said to have an unusually high suicide rate amongst its citizens, especially men. Jumping in front of the bullet trains was so

21 April, 2016
23 Comments

Itinerary for 2 weeks in Japan Japan is definitely a place where you don’t have to travel too far to be able to experience their country to the full. We had just over 2 weeks so we travelled south of Tokyo (all the way to Beppu) but if you only

17 April, 2016
0 Comments

Should I go to Japan During Golden Week? Hard questions you may be asking before you book your ticket. I myself decided to head to Tokyo right in the middle of Golden Week, despite reading countless blogs telling me not to. I did this mostly

11 April, 2016
14 Comments

Musings over a single word that has meant something to me Creative… Creativity… I have a long history with this particular word. A love/hate relationship. From the moment I could pick up a pencil my mother told me I was creative and encouraged

28 March, 2016
1 Comments

Video of a Full Day Being a Tourist in Beppu ‘The Hot Spring City’ Beppu, down on the southernmost part of Japan, is a great destination for travellers wanting to get a really authentic feel for Japan while escaping the crowds. It

21 March, 2016
11 Comments

Video of a Full Day Being a Tourist in Kyoto Fast-Forwarded to 2.5 Minutes This video was put together three years ago after I visited Japan for the first time in 2013. I had always intended to do a segment on my blog called ‘A Day

17 March, 2016
11 Comments

Video of a Day Trekking around Baracoa with a GoPro on my Head Baracoa is on the far Eastern tip of Cuba and is one of the more difficult places to get to in Cuba. If you’re wondering wether it’s worth the long and difficult trip to

13 March, 2016
12 Comments

8 Significant Ways Yoga Changed my Life for the Better I’m just going to give a little shout out to Yoga here, since it’s given me so, very much. I used to be one of those people that wanted to be able to exercise, but just couldn’t push myself

12 March, 2016
7 Comments

The Great Barrier Reef: The Only Living Creature Visible from Space Recently Roxana from Travel n Escapes contacted me to ask if I’d like for her to do a guest post on my blog. I told her to send through her ideas and what we came up

07 March, 2016
14 Comments

What does surfing and two AK-47s have in common? In the quiet backpacker town of San Juan Del Sur in Nicaragua, Mad Mike was at war with the locals. He was one of those loud-mouth Americans who’d moved to Central America, threw a bunch of cash

29 February, 2016
12 Comments

How to Save Money and travel Cambodia on the Cheap Cambodia is already ridiculously cheap, and this is just one of the reasons why it’s such a great country to travel. The people are friendly and welcoming and there is a distinct lack of rules,

22 February, 2016
13 Comments

What happens when a postcard is lost for six years, and then finally hand delivered to its rightful owner? I write this hung over, with a pounding headache and a sore neck. But I am very excited to tell this story, for it is one with substance

09 February, 2016
17 Comments

The Scariest Motorbike Ride I’ve Ever Experienced Exhausted I alight the bus just outside of Sihanoukville. It had been an extremely long day after riding a van of death from Siem Reap on the opposite end of Cambodia. Tuk tuk drivers were

01 February, 2016
30 Comments

A Budget Guide for 2 Weeks in Cambodia Cambodia is very popular on the South East Asia trail, and with gorgeous local people, cheap food and hardly any rules, it’s an easy place to love. The Khmer people have been through hell and back during

25 January, 2016
11 Comments

Photoblog: Way of Life in Cambodia I found Cambodian people to be some of the kindest and consistently happy in the world, and I know that I’m not alone in this thought. The children play in the streets and everyone helps each other out.

18 January, 2016
11 Comments

16 crazy, beautiful, ‘off the beaten path’ personal experiences I had in Cambodia I travel extreme and on a budget; I endeavour to find the cheapest possible way to do anything. And travelling like this usually means I end up in sticky

11 January, 2016
13 Comments

A story about a time I was SURE I would die It was a hot, sticky day in Siem Reap, like every other day. The heat was beginning to get to me. I’d compared prices around the tourist offices and found a ticket for an “express” van that cost little

04 January, 2016
10 Comments

Mastering; ‘Not Being an Asshole’ (aka Green Traveller) and Why it’s Important This is a list of super-awesome environmental considerations I take into account every day on my quest to be a Green Traveller. Step outside into nature

29 December, 2015
13 Comments

Dear 2015, There are just a few important things to say, here. I just need to get them off my chest. You have been an integral part of my life for around a year now, but I want you gone… disappear! I’m out. Screw you. 2014 had started

21 December, 2015
20 Comments

Beautiful HDR Photographs of the Angkor Temples Although Angkor Wat is the star of the show, there is still beauty and wonder to be found in the other temples. Ta Prohm, also known as Jungle Temple or Tomb Raider Temple, was one of my

21 December, 2015
12 Comments

Seriously awesome Photos of the Angkor Wat Temples This is a collection of my favourite photographs taken at Angkor Wat and surrounding temples during a two day stint in the complex. The temples in this region are awe-inspiring and absolutely

18 December, 2015
40 Comments

11 Thailand-Cambodia border scams and how to avoid them A relatively stress-free guide to survive being scammed at the Thai (Aranyaprathet) to Cambodia (Poipet) border cross The Thailand-Cambodia border cross at Poipet is possibly the most

23 November, 2015
9 Comments

Anyone who’s been to Cambodia will understand that there is something special about the children there. Their smiles are infectious, their friendly demeanour rubs off on you. A lot of the children learn English in school and revel at the

27 October, 2015
35 Comments

All the events leading up to us ending up on a deserted island with an ex-soviet soldier seemed perfectly normal at the time. When I think back on it now, however, I’m surprised by how easily Grace and I had accepted this man’s offer. A

12 October, 2015
15 Comments

A story about that time I caught a 20c bus in Cuba Cuban buses are pretty hectic. The driver lazily stops wherever the heck they like on a particular stretch of road and frenzied passengers must desperately run to the bus to try to get a seat.

06 September, 2015
17 Comments

Bali: How to Drive an Automatic Scooter After having the poop scared out of me from being doubled on the back of my boyfriends motorbike in high school, I vowed that those devil-machines just weren’t for me and was never going on one again. Then

24 August, 2015
13 Comments

Most people come to the Philippines for the amazing beaches and strong culture. But as in every country, beauty can be found in every corner, even the dingiest ones. One of my favourite things to do is uncover and find this beauty. And usually

21 July, 2015
24 Comments

Weird Street Food in the Philippines Deliciously slimy, fantastically gross. So sheltered we are to the delights that can arise eating the strangest of foods. When all of the animal is eaten, nothing is wasted, and you may find yourself

05 July, 2015
16 Comments

Tips and Tricks to get the most out of your Festival Experience Festival Realities So you spent all your money on the ticket and now you’ve got no dinero to party when the date rolls around. Need some unique tips on how to get the most out of

20 June, 2015
29 Comments

Scroll Down the Page and Watch Cuba Change Colours! Alluring, majestic Cuba. One of the most colourful and textured places to capture with a camera. Mess and madness in every corner, yet method to the madness. As you scroll through you will

20 May, 2015
10 Comments

WARNING: The following will make you want to go to Cuba, immediately Photographing Cuba was one of the easiest gigs I’ve ever had. This gorgeous country is like a well-trained model, effortlessly showing off her best bits… Only in a

02 May, 2015
24 Comments

Vibrant Photography from Night Markets in Indonesia Smells and sounds ignite your senses and the sight of all the different types of foods within arms reach creates excitement. The thick air hangs while people bustle about, the atmosphere rich

27 April, 2015
7 Comments

After the case beginning in 1980 when a small child disappeared from a campsite in Central Australia, the line, always said with a thick Australian accent, “A dingo ate my baby!” became somewhat of a worldwide joke. Years afterwards, and to this

25 June, 2013
1 Comments

Magnetic Island: An Australian Wonderland Magnetic Island is alive with Australian birds and animals. I have never been to a place with such a high concentration of tame wildlife in such a small area before. There were thousands of semi-tame

18 June, 2013
5 Comments

Fantastic Aerial Shots over Taree, Australia I had been pestering my family friend, Tez, for years to take me for a flight in his little passenger plane. He’s an aviation mechanic in Taree and owns a vintage Auster plane that is actually

Stumble

Shares 0

I'M VERY SOCIAL