Are you considering a visit to Happy Buddha Retreat in the Blue Mountains of NSW? Here’s what I thought of it.

Name: Johanna Leggatt Age: 41 Current job?: Travel writer, journalist and copywriter. You can find me at www.johannaleggatt.com.au or on Twitter/Instagram @johannaleggatt Favourite travel destinations and why?: India. It’s one of those places you either love or hate, and I fell head over heels the minute I landed at Delhi. It’s so full of life, colour and humanity […]

‘The guy I’ve been seeing is a snorer. I’ve tried sleeping next to him twice and it’s been a disaster – how do you sleep next to a snorer? Is it okay to want to sleep separately even in the courting phase due to sleep being an absolutely essential (mental) health thing?’ Dearest Snorer Adorer, RUN AWAY […]

You’ve smashed sundowners in Seminyak and watched the waves in Uluwatu. You’ve had your hair grabbed at the creepy monkey temple in Ubud and you’ve chilled at Jimbaran with a sambal-and-seafood feast on the beach.  So where to next? Which Bali neighbourhood is on your wish list? Have you considered Canggu? Don’t be scared off by its proximity […]

I am going to tell you a secret. I have always been middle aged. While there are many ways to gauge your age – chronologically, with one of those Real Age questionnaires, or even with how old you feel when you go to a night club – there’s your own internal clock that ticks along until one […]

This year has been tough by any measure. The upside is that hard times teach you a lot about yourself and other people. The most important thing I’ve learnt is that if you focus on filling yourself up with peace, that peace will eventually overflow into other people’s lives. Same goes if you fill yourself up […]

Do you know about how crop rotation works? How farmers don’t plant the same crop in the same place year after year? Humans are the same. We can’t keep producing, producing, producing without a rest. We need inputs. If you were a garden, you would need to be weeded, composted, fertilised and replanted. You may […]

It’s about this time of year that mama needs a long lie down. But here’s the thing: I have a 20 month-old toddler who wakes up at dawn every single day. There is no holiday on earth that can get around that crushing fact. So how can you combine a family holiday where you get […]

If you have spoken to me recently, you have probably heard me banging on Camden’s answer to Quentin Blake. Meet Cathy Stait-Gardner – gifted artist, Buffy fan and all ’round hilarious woman. How long have you been an artist? An artist. It sounds so high-brow! I’m not sure how long Ive been an artist. I’ve […]

In keeping with my current Christmas gift-buying obsession, here’s my fail-proof guide to gifts for people you loathe: A leaf blower: You hate them. Soon, everyone else will too. A chutney gift pack: Has anyone ever used a Christmas chutney? This will live in their pantry and/or fridge and be moved from house to house, […]