Age: 35

Occupation: Social Media Marketer – Go Future Media

Favourite travel destination?: Really hard to pick, my last trip was Sri Lanka so that’s the top of my list at the moment. An easy place to travel in with awesome people, food, weather, Ayurvedic spa treatments and also really cheap.

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: In India I was staying in a camp where the meals would be cooked up by a team of women in massive pots to feed loads of people. Each of the pots would have a different curry or dahl – they were the tastiest meals I ever ate.

Best kiss?: My last kiss is always my best kiss.

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: I had a driving adventure through Switzerland, part of Italy, France and into and across Spain, which was one of the best trips I have done so far. I was always freaked out driving through the tunnels but the car train (Furka Tunnel) through the mountain in Switzerland was very cool.

Where is the best/weirdest/worst place you’ve ever stayed?: I have stayed in a few weird places like a room made out of salt in Bolivia and I have been fortunate enough to stay is some pretty awesome luxury places like Conrad Bali Nusa Dua and Montelucia Resort and Spa Arizona.

What has been the big  ‘wow’ moment of your travelling life?: Visiting Easter Island was a life long dream come true.

What is your number one travel tip?: If you can only go for a short amount of time, it’s still better than not going at all.

I made it to the top of Lion’s Rock in Sri Lanka

Occupation: Assistant Director of Public Relations for Anantara Resorts and Spas

Favourite travel destination?: Laos

Worst travel experience?: Getting drugged on a train from Madrid to Algeciras and still managing to stay wake for the entire 12 hour journey (it’s a very long story …)

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: Street stall food in the main square  of Marrakesh.

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: The best, scariest and funniest (all in one) experience was a three day mahout training course learning to ‘drive’ an elephant in the Golden Triangle.

Where is the best/weirdest/worst place you’ve ever stayed?: The worst places are dossing on numerous friends old sofas all around the world.

What has been the big ‘wow’ moment of your travelling life?: There’s been so many – Dancing in the streets with the locals in Myanmar during Thingyan (New Year);  seeing Angkor Wat in Cambodia at dawn; counting down the millennium in Galway, Ireland;  spotting rare pygmy elephants in Borneo; climbing The Lion Rock in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka; white water rafting in Laos … the list is endless …

What is your number one travel tip?: Smile and enjoy!

Analee at Everest Base Camp

Age: 38

Occupation: Editor, Fitness First magazine.

Favourite travel destination?: Vietnam.

Worst travel experience?: I think every experience is valuable even if it’s not enjoyable at the time.

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: The street-fare in Vietnam (pho/noodle soup, rice paper rolls).

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: The old route 66 in the US – driving from the east coast to the west. Even to this day I still have no idea how I got to my destination successfully and safely.

What has been the big  ‘wow’ moment of your travelling life?: Actually getting to Everest Base Camp.

What is your number one travel tip?: Trust your instincts.

Angela Saurine in front of moai statues on Easter Island in the lead up to a total solar eclipse in 2010.

Age:  34

Occupation: National travel reporter, News Ltd and Escape.com.au   

Favourite travel destination?: Laos. I loved floating down the Mekong watching life along the river, visiting villages, watching monks piggyback each other in Luang Prabang and trekking or cycling to turquoise waterfalls, lagoons and amazing limestone caves.

Worst travel experience?: Getting severe food poisoning on my last day in Croatia when I had to catch a ferry, bus and plane.

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: I recently ate at the two Michelin star restaurant The Ledbury in Notting Hill, London. It was the epitome of what a five-star restaurant should be. Every course was a work of art.

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: Driving in any of the islands in the South Pacific is always pretty scary. My driver was eventually fined for overtaking on double white lines and I could only think: “But he’s been doing that all week”.

Where is the best/weirdest/worst place you’ve ever stayed?: After sailing in Turkey I stayed at a hostel at Olympus. I was dying for a hot shower after four days and I turned the shower on and it was just a drip. I ended up curled up on the bed in the foetal position.

What has been the big  ‘wow’ moment of your travelling life?: Flying over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter. I sat in the front seat and when we dipped down into it I couldn’t believe how big it was – ten times bigger than what I thought. The pilot turned and glanced sideways at me at that moment, like he never got sick of seeing people’s reaction at that moment.

What is your number one travel tip?: Always take an inflatable neck pillow, ear plugs and a quality eye mask on a plane and get some saline nasal spray to prevent illness.

Occupation: Writer

Andrea in Paris

Favourite travel destination?: New York

Worst travel experience?: Sitting next to an enormous cage fighter on a 14-hour flight, he’’d taken some sleeping tablets and kept twitching and in the process, hitting me.

Best meal you’’ve ever had while travelling?: Chilli crabs in Singapore, hairy crabs in Shanghai, anything with dulce de leche in Buenos Aires.

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: Scariest was going down a cliff face in a bus on the island of Patmos in Greece last year, each gravelly turn could have been our last.

Where is the best/weirdest/worst place you’’ve ever stayed?: I slept with a ghost in the old worker’s quarters of a hotel in New Orleans once, I lasted one night only.

What has been the big ‘‘wow’’ moment of your travelling life?: Watching friends get married at Sun Studios (where Elvis recorded) in Memphis was pretty cool, and I can never get enough of Joshua Tree and Palm Springs. Oh and visiting Myanmar (Burma) was a highlight.

What is your number one travel tip?: For the long-haul; leggings, slip-on flats and Xanax.

Name: Alan G Wilcock

Alan Wilcock, international man of mystery

Age: 49

Occupation: National Sales Manager in the airline industry

Favourite travel destination?: New York City – never ever fails to excite the imagination; a new experience by just walking two blocks!

Worst travel experience?: Being deported from Bermuda.

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: A little restaurant in the hills over looking the city of Grenada in Southern Spain – superb! I couldn’t tell you what we ate (not sure I wanted to know) but it was sublime.

Best kiss?: Latin lovers that promise the earth and kiss like their life depends on it. For that moment, there  is no one else in the world but you (and four hours later, they ask you for money! Ha!)

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: On scooters around Bermuda – scary and funny – falling off and great views (prior to being deported, that is)

Where is the best/weirdest/worst place you’ve ever stayed?: Best place – Four Seasons Bali (runner-up – Mal Maison in Edinburgh, Scotland); Weirdest/worst – ex-brothel in Amsterdam (strange vibe).

What has been the big  ‘wow’ moment of your travelling life?: Queenstown, New Zealand – WOW.

What is your number one travel tip?: Pack lightly with clothes that can take you from day to night and, if possible, only take carry on.

The definition of cute

Name: Stephanie Ling

Age: 42

Occupation: Mum of 2, wife of 1, sister of 2, daughter of 2 which includes helping them run their lock/hardware company

Favourite travel destination?: I love to be by the ocean under the sun, somehow being on either a white or grey sandy beach soothes and calms my body and soul and puts me in a merry mood whether Im in Phuket, Southern France or Africa.

Worst travel experience?: I don’t think there is really any worst travel experience because they all end up with good memories somehow when its over! It’s only during the moment that you endure it makes it worse or the worst!

Best tips for beating jetlag?: Either you stay out all day or you stay in and sleep sleep sleep!

What is the one thing you don’t leave home without?: Aroma oils and my perfume, the smell is essential!

Do you stay in touch with people while you’re travelling? If so, what is the best way to do this?: Yes but minimal, the purpose of travelling is to get away and enjoy where you are so I don’t bother too much to stay in touch with the world. If so it’s only via sms unless its work related then I email via blackberry or call if it’s urgent.

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: I love food and enjoy food from different places so it’s hard to judge what is good instead of what is not authentic. I hate to find myself in a touristy restaurant when the locals twist the flavor of their dish to cater to a foreign palate.

Best kiss?: N/A … My husband will be reading this! LOL

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: Visited Vietnam about 18 years ago, there was no highways in between cities, just narrow windy bumpy roads filled with bikes, cars and people, people just drive randomly so you would see corpse on the floor covered by a piece of white sheet, white sheets everywhere, people just hit and run as if part of life, it was scary!

The moment – what has been the big WOW moment of your travelling life?: Doing safari in Tanzania on our honeymoon and seeing two lions right next to our car. I felt I was filming National Geographic LIVE.

Climbing atop to one of the temples in Ankor Wat to catch the sunrise, it was stunning!

What is your number one travel tip?: Travel Light! Must travel light!

Occupation: Artist, musician and filmmaker

Favourite travel destination?: Planet earth, because there’s so much to see here. Its sounds clichéd but each place we have toured through we have found true beauty in. The variety and dynamic of experience and interaction varies so much. It’s like singling out the myriad of colours in a magnificent oil painting. From Delhi to New York, Sydney to Heidelberg, Paris to Tokyo.

On tour through India in 2009 we stayed at a place called Mt Abu. This photo was taken of a large bull who came up to say hi while I was pondering. His tongue felt like a warm, wet sock covered in lawn bindies! 'Abu' according to a legend, stands for the son of Himalaya, the powerful serpent who rescued Nandi, the sacred bull of Lord Shiva, from a chasm. Mount Abu has been home to many sages and saints. I played an Indian blues instrument for a guru on top of the mountain who then invited me for meditation and prayer with him in his cave temple. Live Love, Ew

Worst travel experience?: One of the most gut-whirling ‘oh NO’ experiences we had was arriving to our accommodation near Venice Beach in LA to discover our computer bag was missing. We had just flown in from Canada to LAX and had a one hour shuttle ride to the family home we were staying at. Eating pizza and relaxing I went to grab the laptop that wasn’t there and so began the search and frantic re-tracing of steps. We realized ALL our hard drives, USB’s and memory cards were in that one bag too, everything electronic, all our travel photos and movies! After many phone calls to lost and found and plenty of pacing, we were told to expect that the bag of computers had been taken and I was trying to understand the concept of moving on, let it go. Exhausted, by about 1am we decided to sleep and head back to the airport in the morning.

Arriving at the airport at 7am, I felt like a sniffer dog and scoured everywhere we had been. I found the airline service desk and explained what had happened. He said if it was left outside it would be dealt with by LA City Council not the airport. We felt crushed. He then said he would have a quick check out back. I leant over the counter and saw a black bag – yep it was ours! All there, all good! We had left the bag on the airport trolley outside while packing the taxi and it was amazing that in such a busy place it was safely returned.  So keep the faith in good deeds and don’t put all important computer gear, photos, etc in the one place while in transit.

Best tips for beating jetlag?: Sync your sleep pattern a little to your destination before you leave, then just enjoy yourself and don’t worry about it. I try not to think about what time it is back home for a few days and just keep busy. Depending on your travel plans, sometimes it works in your favour to not adjust so you can be awake all night long and sleep all day at your destination.

What is the one thing you don’t leave home without?: My phone

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: The variety and quality of cuisine has been so varied everywhere though I found Germany was consistently good all the way round and an enjoyable eating experience. I don’t eat much red meat but that didn’t matter at all. In Australia I performed on Dunk Island where every lunch and dinner was prepared by world class Chefs. Then there is India where my favorite dish is palak mutter (traditional blended spinach with green peas – tastes better than it may sound! ) -  oh and in Paris I got up to seven croissants per day … food glorious food!

Best kiss?: My girlfriend every morning and in many different places … around the world I mean.

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: Driving through many beautiful countries offers many great memories and really instills the ‘oneness’ of us as humans on a wonderful planet. One particular drive that was quite exhilarating was driving from Toronto to Montreal, then up through to Chicoutimi in Quebec. The start was sunny, gradually turning to rain, then sleet, then into snow, then into a snow storm. We couldn’t see the road or skyline and the wind was howling like a thousand wolves. I filmed some of the trip up and you can check it out here.

What has been the big WOW moment of your travelling life?: Arriving in New York on sunrise, I was really affected in a great way. A giant orange sun behind an amazing silhouetted skyline, then grabbing coffee and breakfast on Lexington Ave. The twin church towers in Cologne really had me in visual awe and so did the Ellora Ajanta caves and shrines in India – ancient temples carved mostly by hand from stone.

What is your number one travel tip?: Let go of the concept of time and really embrace the concept of living.

Eli Wolfe is a National Youth Ambassador who is currently touring Australia on a ‘Speak Lovingly’ Tour that promotes respectful relationships. Check him – and his tour dates – out here.

Occupation: Group General Manager Wholesale, The Jetset Travelworld Group

Favourite travel destination?: I have many favourites depending on my mood and how long since I was last there. One of my favourites, which I try to get to every year with my family, is Hawaii – its  fantastic! Easy to get to and affordable, it’s got everything – great shopping, eating, swimming, diving, surfing and walking. The weather is always warm and if it does get wet there is still plenty to do.

Standing at the Top of the Rock in NYC - one of the best views of one of the best cities in the world.

I love to stay in the action of Waikiki as there is always something to do. Its easy to spend 10 days there visiting the factory outlets, last time I was there at Waikele I picked up two Zegna suits for a total of USD 600.00 i.e. USD 300 each.

A visit to Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri is a must see – there is so much history it’s like stepping back in time.

If you are in the Islands for Aloha Friday, the custom is to wear a Hawaiian shirt which is the perfect outfit for the Beach Bar’s such as Duke’s on the beachfront which comes alive on a Saturday night with outdoor live music. If you go to Duke’s, be sure to book well in advance so that you get a table on the Lanai (Hawaiian for Balcony) and you can watch the sunset whilst having a Mai Tai. If you look carefully in the water in Waikiki, you can see turtles swimming within inches of unsuspecting tourists in the afternoons.

Staying in Waikiki you never know who you will come across, last time I was there Justin Bieber was on the sun lounge behind us at the Royal Hawaiian.

There are heaps of places to eat in Waikiki catering for all budgets from Local Hawaiian Plate lunches to full silver service Gourmet experiences. I work off any excess by doing a three-hour round trip walk a couple times a week from the hotel to the top of the famous Diamond Head Volcano. If you do it, remember to bring the USD 1 entrance fee and plenty of water.

At the top you may meet a tour guide Mich who will sell you a tour of the Island and its rainforests. He also takes you to all the areas used for the scenes of Magnum and Lost etc., He is up there three mornings a week and takes the tours himself on the alternate days, well worth doing for something a bit different.

Take a drive to the famous North Shore and see the big surf at Sunset Beach around November and December.  This is an awesome experience and there are some great places to see Turtles on the beach and eat at local surf café’s.

But these are only some of the things you can do on Oahu, there is much to offer on the other Islands as well and this is all before you just take time out to lay on the beach.

It’s a great family destination with plenty of flights to get there and well-priced packages.

Worst travel experience?: I was in Africa with my wife Caroline when our next flight on ‘Zimbabwe Express’ was cancelled as the airline went broke. We ended up hitching a ride with some Bush Pilots we heard talking at the bar the night before about the various ‘close shaves’ they had had in their careers.  We thought it was funny at the time but when we were in their aircraft the next day it was a more serious matter and somewhat religious experience.

On the flipside, having lost my wallet in Sydney, I arrived in Auckland at midnight with only my passport and $3 Fiji dollars. When a lady across the aisle on the plane heard of my plight, she leant over the aisle totally unsolicited and gave me NZD$200 cash and her card, saying you need this more than me and send her a cheque when I had some money, and would you believe it she was the CEO of a major bank in NZ. My worst and best travel experiences!

Best tips for beating jetlag?: I always try to move into the time zone I am going to. If I am travelling on a flight that arrives in the morning, I will try to sleep on the leg prior to landing at my destination. If I don’t, I will stay up all that day with plenty of coffee until night and that way I am fine the next day.  Another way is to upgrade to Premium Economy or Business Class.

What is the one thing you don’t leave home without (apart from your passport and ticket)?: My credit cards – they give great comfort!

Do you stay in touch with people while you’re travelling?: I email from my iPad in free Wi-Fi hotspots.

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: Venice, in Italy of course!

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: A taxi through the streets of Rome – any taxi, any time. You get to do things that you never thought were possible (make sure you have reliable travel insurance)

What is your number one travel tip?: Always keep your passport safe and book with an agent so if anything goes wrong you are one call away from help.

If you are desperate for a trip away, check out Daily Escapes, an awesome new site for travel deals. The current offers end today so get in quick, yo!

Age: 29

Occupation: CEO/Founder of Buuna

Favourite travel destination?: Outside of Australia, it would have to be the USA.  Because the US and US culture is often taken for granted by the rest of the world, people often forget what a big country the US is, how much culture and history they’ve developed over the last three hundred years, and how much diversity and variety they have in that one single country.  Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, LA, Las Vegas, Huston, Miami, Chicago, Boston and New York – all these cities have distinct and different characteristics to the point they would be individual countries if you looked at them by culture and architecture rather than by national borders.  I also love going the US and seeing where things we take for granted comes from – things like fast food, the internet, or blockbuster movies, and seeing how they have influenced our way of life back here in Australia.

And that’s not even taking into account the countryside and nature – geographically it’s a huge country, and the US has everything from pacific islands to frozen tundra to forests to desert to mountains, so if you want to get out there and explore, there’s always something to see.  The people are also in general very service orientated and friendly towards travellers, so you can always be sure that you’ll get food with a smile and feel welcome no matter where you go.

Worst travel experience?: Travelling to Seattle alone, on a cold and wet winter weekend.  For this trip, I chose not to stay in a hostel, and as a result, I didn’t meet any people to travel with.  I ended up being cold, lonely and bored all weekend, even though Seattle was a fascinating city with beautiful sights to see.  I learnt that traveling isn’t about the places you go to, it’s about who you visit these places with, and that if you don’t hang out with fun people, then travelling can be a miserable and lonely experience.  It’s one of the reason I started Buuna – to connect travellers so that everyone can have a great time together.

Best tips for beating jetlag?: Upon arrival, eat at proper times and sleep according to your new timezone.  There’s no easy way around it…you just have to rough it out the first night to force your body into the new timezone.

What is the one thing you don’t leave home without?: That’s easy – my iPhone.  iPhones are amazing these days – it’s not just a phone anymore, it’s a fully functional computer in your pocket.  iPhones can easily handle all my travel communication needs, from email to Facebook to old fashioned phone calls, and also GPS and map capabilities so I never get lost.  There’s music and games if you get bored on a long train ride or bus trip, and having constant access to the internet is always useful if you need to translate a foreign language or if you want to read up on the history of an attraction or historical site.  And because it’s all integrated in one device, it allows me to manage and keep track of my trip itineraries, photos, contacts, and share them with my old and new friends on social networks as I am travelling. It’s pretty much the Swiss army knife of modern day travelling.

Do you stay in touch with people while you’re travelling? If so, what is the best way to do this?: Facebook and email.  Postcards are too slow, and phones may not be convenient if there’s a significant time difference.  People sometimes say to me “but what if you don’t have internet access” – well, you always have internet access these days, since almost all countries have affordable prepaid 3G cards you can buy from the airport.  If you don’t have one then free wifi is fairly abundant no matter where you go anyway – at worst you might have to go to a MacDonalds or a café for free internet access, but I can’t say I’ve ever been caught out in the last few years where I’ve been unable to stay in touch with my friends via social networks or email while travelling.

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: Hida beef at Takayama, Japan.  Hida beef is one of the breeds of wagyu in Japan, and it’s simply the best meat I’ve eaten all my life.  Wagyu beef is often overrated and not all that special when you order it in western countries like Australia and the US (sometimes it’s just steak with a bit of fat on it), and it’s not until you’ve tried true Japanese wagyu you see how special it is.  The meat is so tender it simply melts in your mouth, and goes well with anything – sukiyaki, bbq, in a bun – when I think about it, I am tempted to move to Takayama just so I can eat Hida beef all day.

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: Driving down Waimea Canyon drive, down from the top of the mountain to the beach in Kauai, Hawaii.  You start at the top of the mountain, which is one of the wettest places in the world, where you are surrounded rainforest, foggy and drizzling with rain. As you drive down the narrow mountain road, you pass thorough the side of Waimea Canyon – ‘the Grand Canyon of the Pacific’, where you watch the side of the road drop sharply down 900 metres into the bottom of the canyon, opposing distant canyon walls of red, grey and green.  Finally, as you approach the bottom of the hill, the rain gradually fades away, the sun suddenly appears, and you see the beach right there in front of you – with a rainbow at the finishing line.  It’s the most beautiful drive I’ve seen in my travels.

What has been the big WOW moment of your travelling life? What has taken your breath away?: Arriving in New York for the first time, coming out of the subway and into Times Square, and being shocked and awed by the size, majesty and of the place.  You can’t really understand what the term ‘concrete jungle’ really means until you’re there in person yourself!  And it’s not just about the architecture and city itself either – the place is full of people of all shapes and sizes, of every culture in the world, going places – both literally and figuratively.  It really is the modern version of Rome, where all the roads of the modern world meet.

What is your number one travel tip?: Don’t be afraid of looking like a tourist. Too many people are too self-conscious to behave like tourists, deliberately avoiding ‘tourist traps’ and avoiding touristy activities (such as climbing the Statue of Liberty, trying famous local foods at touristy restaurants) because it’s not cool.   Sure, you should definitely visit some local favorites and hole in the wall places, but tourist traps and popular destinations are popular for a reason – see them for yourself to see what the fuss is all about before condemning them!