by Guest contributor | Mar 6, 2014 | Asia-Pacific, Travel blogger destinations
If there’s one thing you can rely on in Melbourne, it’s that every day there’s something new to experience. New cafes, bars, restaurants, events and pop-ups are well, popping up, quicker than most can keep track, leaving many visitors and locals paralysed with choice when the weekend rolls around.
Whether you’re relishing in a hotel Melbourne CBD or just keen to play tourist in your own backyard, here are a few ideas on how to have a quintessential Melbourne experience without waiting in line for the latest hot spot.
Venues such as The Astor Theatre in St Kilda (pictured above) still offer a memorable cinema experience, often with the option of dressing up and singing along, for typically under $20.
While the films might not always be the latest Hollywood blockbusters, they’re the classic cinema and gems from childhood you’re certain to have a soft spot for.
With new places to drink and dine opening and closing every week, why not grab a table somewhere that’s proved itself consistently over the years.
Travel tip: Stay in a fab Melbourne CBD hotel
Get amongst the action, whether you’re visiting or simply seeking a staycation.
We enjoy the super convenient and lovely hotel Melbourne CBD stay with Ibis/Accor, click to find out more.
The Italian on 101 Collins Street in the city (pictured) also offers a classic Melbourne dining experience that’s been ‘hatted’ by The Age’s Good Food Guide for five years running.
It’s tucked away and offers couples an ideal pre-theatre date night dining spot as a variety of the best theatres are all an easy stroll away.
Those seeking something a little bit different should consider a Melbourne coffee tour. As a place with a reputation for having world-class baristas, why not enjoy one of the things this city does best?
While there are a variety of tour providers to choose from, typically these are walking tours roughly around 2-3km in distance and let participants experience not just great coffee, but also some of the unique architecture, laneways and street art that endears the city to so many.
As an added plus, they usually run in small groups, so if you’re keen to meet new people, it’s a great way to do it.
And while you’re on foot, the Royal Botanic Gardens offers an absolutely vibrant Aboriginal Heritage Walk. This is one of the more popular tours through the Gardens for good reason, as it provides both an informative as well as serene way to appreciate the spot as well as its traditional owners. Tours are run by an indigenous guide and include a smoking ceremony, guided walk and talk about traditional uses for food, medicine and many other surprising bits of information we often take for granted among the hustle and bustle of daily life.
In a city where there is always something new to do, it’s easy to overlook some of the classic experiences that have consistently impressed visitors and locals alike. Remember, it’s not always about the next best thing.
Want to go and need a tip on a hotel in Melbourne’s CBD? Check rates here.
About the author
Gwen O’Toole is an accomplished writer focussing on travel, events management and food and wine. She also published a fiction novel while spending the past eight years as a magazine editor and travelling the globe before launching The Ideas Library, a creative services and event management company. She is regularly featured in a variety of travel and leisure publications and blogs.
by Guest contributor | Mar 3, 2014 | Travel Live Learn in the media, Traveller tales and interviews
Welcome to step two of a six part series on how to prepare for the book writing process. If you missed the first article in this series: Step One – How to Begin the Book Writing Process, here’s the link.
Before you can write a book that will be embraced, you must first understand your reader. Keep in mind that there are many ways to gather this information. Some future authors initiate casual conversations, do online research, join topic appropriate groups or create surveys. I suggest all authors start in the bookstore. It’s a great place to begin the journey from where you are now to bestselling author status. While at the bookstore take notice of the huge sections are dedicated to the popular topics.
The following questions are important to first ask yourself and then ask people who might be the market for your book.
Who’s going to read your book?
The first and most important thing is to think about the audience. What interests them? What are their challenges, what excites them and motivates them to do, be and have more? Are they intent on losing weight, having a great relationship, reaching a higher level of success, being able to afford that new car or paying for their kid’s sports season?
Know what interests them
Maybe your audience is other business owners. If so, this should be even easier. What are they interested in? Are they focused on increasing revenue, decreasing costs, gaining the competitive edge, or is it some new industry or legislative change that has them alarmed?
What challenges are they facing?
Keeping an eye on what your readers are experiencing is always a good idea. Often writers find a niche and stay within it so they can focus on a particular market. They easily understand the reader, their challenges and their daily life. This allows the author to offer insightful solutions and increase their own credibility. Finding a niche and sticking with it can lead to “expert” status. Apart from writing, this elevated status could open doors to speaking, training and consulting.
What excites them?
Understanding their hopes, dreams and desires is just as important as knowing the reader’s challenges. By getting a picture of what they are striving for, the writer can shed light on how they might get it. People are frequently too close to their situation to see a clear path to what they want. While they struggle, an outsider’s viewpoint can steer them in the right direction. A knowledgeable writer, with insights into an audience, will be in a unique position to impact individuals, and the group, while standing out as a leader.
The reader needs to be present at every stage of the writing process. Keeping in touch with them mentally, will keep you on the right track towards delivering a book that is well received and valuable.
You won’t want to miss the next part of this series, Step Three – Starting the Book Marketing Process.
Did you read part one on how to begin your book?
About the author
Speaker, author, TV host of Focus Forward, Lauri Flaquer has extensive entrepreneurial and media experience. As founder of Saltar Solutions, she guides her clientele of international business owners to excel as entrepreneurs. Formally in TV production at NBC, CNBC and Bloomberg LP, Lauri produces/ hosts Focus Forward, a show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs soar! Lauri has been the publicist and marketing director for several best-selling book campaigns. To learn more about marketing contact Lauri or Tweet her, @SaltarSolutions.
Are you in the process of writing a book, or have you just finished one? We’d love it if you left a comment below, or found us on Facebook or Twitter. And if you think others would find this series useful, go ahead and share :-)
by Guest contributor | Feb 25, 2014 | Career and mindset
I can almost guarantee the majority of you reading this would agree with the question posed. We are repeatedly conditioned to believe that having doubt means ‘don’t’. Be it from early childhood or adulthood, social media or those around us, we learn that experiencing feelings of doubt means the decision we are about to make must mean something’s wrong.
As a life and wellness coach, I encounter many layers of doubt and the uncertainly that holds us back and have learned that doubt is often mistaken as ‘gut feelings/intuition’. However, when broken down we can also refer to doubt as fear, fear of making the wrong decision.
I frequently encounter three types of fears that we meet throughout life; they are ‘What If?’, ‘Rock the Boat’ and ‘It’s Time to Go’ fears.
‘What If’ fears typically sound like ‘What if I’m not good enough?’ ‘What if I’m doing something that isn’t worth it in the long run?’ or the reoccurring question ‘What if I’m feeling like this because he/she isn’t the one?’ These fears are future based and generally focus on something that is unknown to the individual and are rather illogical. Most individuals will come across these fears during their lives, however the more self-examining a person typically is, the more ‘What If’ fears are present.
‘Rock the Boat’ fears exist when we don’t want to do something in trepidation of the consequence. These are things like not telling someone they’ve hurt your feelings or disappointed you when they consistently cancel plans or make a casual comment that you’ve taken personally. You may let it slide because you’re nervous they’ll end the friendship or because it’s easier to keep the peace. Or maybe you’ve not stood up to your boss when they set an unrealistic expectation out of fear you’ll be labeled undedicated or uncooperative. Maybe you’ve not told your significant other how hurt you felt over an action or remark they made in fear of not wanting to start an argument.
By not wanting to ‘Rock the Boat’ these fears ultimately make an individual say ‘No’ to what they want in favour of pleasing others.
Lastly, ‘It’s Time to Go’ fears are red flags and don’t accompany an internal question as they’re immediate and logical. Red flag fears can be entering into or participating in something that goes against your core values or situations where your personal safety is at risk or in danger. These situations are your body’s ‘fight or flight mode’ and are easily identifiable.
Doubt/fear needn’t be controlling and can serve positive purpose, leading to many significant constructive transformations (personal and professional). Whenever fear based thoughts creep in I urge you to challenge them until you understand them, but also permit yourself to leave ‘Red Flag’ situations.
Remember, every doubt/fear allows you the opportunity to discover more about yourself and what it is you truly want which adds up to living a life of your creation!
About the author
Megan Luscombe is a professional life and wellness coach at Starting Today Coaching. Melbourne based, Megan assists her clients in making positive transformations in their personal life, relationships and careers. Follow her on Facebook.
We’d love to hear from you – if you have a question or comment, please drop us a line in the comments box below, or find us on FACEBOOK or TWITTER.
by Guest contributor | Feb 24, 2014 | Travel Live Learn in the media
Everybody’s doing it. You can’t look at social media, industry journals or a magazine that you don’t see authors using their new books as a means of getting attention. Don’t be jealous! With the help of this article, a topic and a computer, you can do the very same thing.
It’s important to first organize your thoughts around your book. In order to clarify your topic and focus your message, answer the following questions. The more deeply you dig into your motives, the better prepared you will be to take your book idea to the next level.
Book description
Write a short synopsis of the book, just a few paragraphs will do. If you have pages and pages of the description, you haven’t clarified your book enough. Keep writing, rereading and editing to get to the heart of the book.
Why are you writing this book?
What is your motivation behind this undertaking? This is another question that requires you to get specific. Many people don’t take the time to explore this question and end up with a book that doesn’t grab the reader or help the author reach their personal and professional goals.
Why are you the right person to write this book?
What experiences, education, unique viewpoint, or successes regarding the topic do you have to share? Why are you the right person to deliver this message or address this topic?
What are you specifically bringing to the reader that they don’t already have?
Are you helping people save time, money, or effort? Are you offering a new way to do something? Are you helping your reader solve a problem, meet a challenge or overcome a roadblock? Maybe you’re just entertaining the reader and that’s okay too.
What are your ideas for marketing your book?
Are there any obvious channels that you can think of, off the top of your head that would help you sell your book? If you have access to lots of people, are a member of a large group or know people who are it’s a good idea to start creating a list.
What are your wildest dreams as a result of this book?
Many people focus so much on the possible that they under estimate their book and themselves. Don’t start the book writing process with a compromise. Dream big and you may reach some pretty lofty goals.
Congratulations!
Now that you’re well on your way to solidifying your message and initial ideas for your book, you’ll want to stay tuned for Step Two – Understanding Your Reader.
About the author
Speaker, author, TV host of Focus Forward, Lauri Flaquer has extensive entrepreneurial and media experience. As founder of Saltar Solutions, she guides her clientele of international business owners to excel as entrepreneurs. Formally in TV production at NBC, CNBC and Bloomberg LP, Lauri produces/ hosts Focus Forward, a show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs soar! Lauri has been the publicist and marketing director for several best-selling book campaigns. To learn more about marketing contact Lauri or Tweet her, @SaltarSolutions.
Are you in the process of writing a book, or have you just finished one? We’d love it if you left a comment below, or found us on Facebook or Twitter. And if you think others would find this series useful, go ahead and share :-)
by Guest contributor | May 23, 2013 | North America, Travel blogger destinations
Gareth Anderson explores Mont Tremblant in Canada‘s summer, a fun winter sports playground, and ideal for a warmer-months tour through the land of the great redwoods. There’s plenty to keep even the most dedicated adrenaline junkie happy, and he shares insight with TravelLiveLearn.com …
Mont Tremblant is most often seen under a frosting of fresh powder nestled as it is in the Laurentian mountains of Quebec. But this mountain playground is even better bathed in summer sunshine. Check out the challenging mountain biking trails, improve your grade on the many outdoor rock climbing routes or put your best foot forward and set out on a hike. This is a great destination for active families who will be well placed to enjoy the mountain from one of the many accommodation options on offer across the town.
Climbing
Mont Tremblant National Park has a variety of European and North American style routes to try. If you are looking for a good introduction then the Tremblant Climbing School can teach you the basic techniques to get you started. Or if you are seeking something unique why not try the Diable Via Ferrate? These ‘via ferratas’ which translates as ‘iron roads’ are made up of steps, handles and beams hammered into the rock face. Climbers are clipped into a steel cable that runs the length of the route making it safe for all levels and ages. The view from 200 metres up is truly spectacular.
Biking and running
Biking fans won’t want to miss the Quebec and Canada Cup Mountain Bike Race. Over 1,000 bikers take on the mountain in this challenging downhill race each year. There are also cross country trail races that make the most of the many miles of mountain bike tracks in Mont Tremblant. Keen cyclists can also enjoy the excitement – or of course take part in – the Mont Tremblant Iron Man Competition. Competitors must swim 3.8 km across Lake Tremblant, cycle for 180 km and as if that’s wasn’t enough, run 42.2 km to reach the finish line at the Tremblant pedestrian village. You can get a taster of the Iron Man Competition by taking part or cheering on the athletes in the Mont Tremblant Triathlon. There are different levels to choose from, so match ambition to your course!
Water Sports
Mont Tremblant also offers great options for those who want to spend some time on the water, kayaking, canoeing, rafting and sailing are all readily available around the resort. Rafting down the white water of the Rouge River is about as exhilarating as it gets, but if you want a slightly more restrained experience, La Diable river or the hidden beaches of the lake are easily explored by kayak. On the lake itself sailing, water skiing and wakeboarding are available at all levels with tuition on hand for those looking to get started or to simply improve skills.
Hiking
In the winter months the trails are covered in snow and ski slopes dominate everyone’s attention. In summer the hiking map is revealed, allowing walking enthusiasts to enjoy over 12 trails of varying distances with stunning views of the surrounding countryside. For those who like to take the scenic route down, there is the option of taking the panoramic gondola – the perfect way to arrive back at base refreshed and ready for your next adventure.
We adore Canada and British Columbia and believe it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Take a look for yourself here on Flickr
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