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For our final post, we have a short video we made giving a summary of our travels and our most valued locations and tips.  We hope you've all enjoyed reading our blog, and hopefully found a new location you'd like to travel to in future! - Aasad, Alex and Jade 

A solution to Corruption? - Social Enterprise  The Social Enterprise model differs from a traditional charity model, as the recipients are paying a fair price for the good or service. As long as the customers continue to purchase the good, there is proof that the product is needed. The main benefit of this model compared to charity, is the sustainability and long-term impact. Charity donations are largely affected by the current economic conditions in the donor country, and as such, donation levels can vary drastically. In periods of strong economic prosperity, charities receive large donations that can be distributed to the developing nations in need. The problem arises when these funds are reduced. The services and goods that were being relied upon stop arriving from the charities and as a result, many individuals and families are placed in a precariously isolated situation. From a broad perspective, and from the arguments above, my team and I truly belie

A solution to Corruption? - Social Enterprise Please forgive the clickbait title, as there is no easy way to solve corruption. This trait has been ingrained in human society since the dawn of time, and no new business model can fix this. Yet this new relatively new business model, social enterprise, does have merit in contributing aid in areas particularly stricken with corruption. The company I worked with in Malawi, Project Everest, is dedicated to creating socially beneficial goods and services for the people who need them. By creating socially beneficial goods and services, in comparison to monetary and other forms of aid, there is no chance for corrupt government bodies and officials to act as a middleman in the distribution process. By providing sustainable and socially beneficial business straight to the consumers in need. The inherent problem with the charity model will be explored in the next blog post, as for a special treat, this topic deserves a more in depth a

Social Injustice - Malawi There are a variety of reasons to visit Malawi, but there are also a variety of reasons not to. The social-injustice present in this small economy creates a great deal of social problems. Government corruption is a large portion of this social-injustice. The number of late model Mercedes-Benz vehicles throughout Blantyre, the city I spent most of my time in, was unattractively contrasted with the disturbing figure of average income in Malawi. The latest figures state that the average yearly income in Malawi per person is $608.31 AUD, but has been declining since 2014. Government corruption in Malawi creates a large divide between the population, and often furthers a distinct race segregation. In Malawi, the wealthy class is predominately of Indian heritage, whereas the mass populace is of African heritage. Throughout the 5 weeks I spent in this welcoming, yet troubled population, I witnessed no dislike between these two parties, yet the distinction i

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and is one of the most vibrant cities in western Europe. Its a holiday destination that blends traditional heritage and modernism perfectly. Barrio alto is known for its nightlife. The place is full of live music, small pubs and countless bars. The place will look like a massive party on weekends. The beaches of Lisbon are something which should be on your check list. The city encompasses Seven hills which will provide many look out points. These lookout points will give people views of the city from different angles. These view points will be at many places in the city near streets, atop steep hills and more people visiting should explore the city as much as possible. A.S

Venice is one of those cities that people dream about visiting for years, as it's like no other on earth. The one thing that I noticed when I was there, was how in awe all the tourists were. Everyones walking around, looking up and down, taking in ever sight. There was no one rushing to get to a certain destination on time, everyone was very relaxed. It's for this reason, I feel that Venice is a nice location to either start or end a trip. The main attraction are the canals, especially the Grand Canal, and the Gondola rides, which weave in and out of the main canal.  The Grand Canal Venice also holds some incredible architecture and churches; including Doge's Palace and Saint Mark's Basilica, which are also incredibly rich in history. Another attraction not to forget is the incredible food. It's easy to forget that Venice is part of Italy, as it seems that it's a whole different world!  Doge's Palace Although I am very fortunate to have visited

Dubai is one of the most visited cities in the world and is the most populated city in the united Arab Emirates. The Burj Khalifa is a sky scraper that has heights reaching 160 meters and has an observation deck for people wishing to see the city in the desert. The Burj Al Arab is one of the finest hotels Dubai has to offer. The Dubai mall will change your standards on what is the size a big mall. The mall is a large expansive luxury complex which will take some time to going through when visited. There are many more things Dubai has to offer as it is visited by tourists all year long. A.S

As you can probably tell by now, I'm all about getting the best overall views of cities, and New York is no exception. In fact, it's probably the city that started it all!  Now I know that travelling can be very expensive, and you have to make cuts and sacrifices; so my number 1 tip for that in NY is if you're going to go to the top of either the Empire State building or the Rockefeller Centre, pick the Rockefeller Centre. Why? Well it allows you to get the Empire State building in your pictures, and although the Rockefeller Centre is one of my favourite buildings in New York, it's not the most aesthetic view.  View from the Top of the Rockefeller Centre Another top tip, it to try and venture out of the city, go over to Brooklyn and explore a more relaxed aspect of the state, and will also allow you to look back onto the city skyline. Brooklyn Bridge Another way of getting a similar vantage point is by taking a boat cruise around the island. This will al

I'm sure many of you are already aware of all the incredible museums, and Churches in Paris, so for this post, I want to show you some different angles on this classic city.  Going up the Eiffel Tower, although gives an incredible view of Paris, you're missing one landmark in your photos, the Eiffel Tower itself. This is where I suggest viewing Paris from Tour Montparnasse. This 210m office building features an 360 Observation deck on the 56th floor, where you get the most spectacular view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower (other than the top of the Arc de Triomphe) The view from Tour Montparnasse Although this tourist destination does not feature a view of Paris, The Palace of Versailles has more of a natural beauty with it's vast gardens and large lake. Although it still features the famous French 18th century architecture. Besides roaming the house and gardens, you are able to have a picnic and also hire boats to have a paddle on the lake, while looking back onto th

London is another city that is rich with culture and history. Around every corner there is a structural masterpiece, whether new or old, they all make up the iconic skyline of London. Starting out where the Queen resides,  Buckingham Palace is always on the top of the to do list while in London, although it is beautiful to just admire, it's also worth taking a look at the Changing of the Guards timetable  and try to get a bit of a show in too!   Of course another favourite is the London Eye, which gives you probably one of the best views of London. You're able to look left and see the city which has been built up with business buildings and The Shard, and to the right, it's more historic with Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.  Finally, London also has some great shopping destinations, such as Oxford St, Carnaby St and Covent Garden, where you're able to walk the streets, see some architecture all while window shopping.  - Jade 

Price Guide Understanding what the general price for a product in Malawi is extremely important, as generally, a pale skin complexion will increase the offered price by double sometimes triple from the normal price. This unfortunate trait occurs from when the few tourist that do visit Malawi posses a lack of understanding of the haggling culture. Similarly, tourists often believe that it is mean to the shop merchant to try and lower the price and so they pay the extremely inflated 'tourist' price, which merely reinforces the behavior. This approach has many detrimental affects on the livelihoods of the people of Malawi. By offering a short term increase in wealth/income, the tourist is distorting the self-sufficiency of the Malawian people, creating an unhealthy dependency on foreign aid. This topic can be debated or explored in such a brief manner, further reading and research is encouraged to fully explore the predicament tourists are often placed in when travelli

As many of you would know, there is more to Greece than just the main island with their capital, Athens. Greece is known for it's islands and there are 227 inhabited islands to choose and explore from.  Although the main island does feature the famous Parthenon, which is visible from many different locations around the city, as well as a number of other historical landmarks which have stood the test of time.  The Greek Islands boast many natural and man-made features, from the beautiful architecture, to the crystal clear water. The most popular islands include Santorini, Mykonos and Ios. Other than roaming the islands, there are plenty of activities, such as boat trips, quad biking and visiting some historical landmarks.  Santorini There is definitely a lot to see and do in Greece, so I'd suggest packing some good walking shoes (unless you're travelling by donkey!) Donkeys in Santorini 

Tourism in Malawi As you may have gathered by now, Malawi is certainly not a regular tourist destination. Therefore, the 'activities' for visitors to the country are limited. Arguably one of the most beautiful regions of the country is at Lake Malawi. An enormous in land lake that is hared between various African nations, but in Malawi, it is appropriately named lake Malawi. Although swimming is unfortunately not an option at this attraction, there are numerous short cruises you can embark on for a reasonable fair. Below you can see a photo on the shore of the lake with a book in hand (apologies for the portrait orientation). Along with relaxing by the lake side, Malawi is home to a large game reserve for the more adventurous. I went to the Majete national park for a weekend saw an array of animals. Including a generously endowed elephant. Another popular tourist attraction in Malawi is climbing the tallest mountain, Mount Mulanje. The climb is difficult and lon

Let's start out with the timing of driving to Vegas vs. flying to Vegas.  Driving takes approximately 4 hours (give or take, also depending on the route)  The flight is 1 hour and 15 minutes (+ the hour you have to be at the airport before hand) The flight time also doesn't include the time to get to the airport or to get to the hotel once landing, so let's say it takes about 3 hours at best. That's only an hour shorter than driving. Now this also doesn't take into consideration any inconveniences such as loosing luggage, the flight being delayed (or cancelled all together), or sitting behind a screaming child the whole time.  In addition to this, the drive itself is quite peaceful as you're surrounded by mountains and open plains as soon as you leave the city. There are also many places to stop along the way that have some notable landmarks, such as the worlds largest Thermometer, Route 66 and Death Valley (if you want to venture out a little fu

Hi everyone, This post is to get your opinion on the blog we are running and any possible suggestions you may have in regard to the blog. We would appreciate if any readers would leave their feedbacks back in the comments or can send us an email as well. Likes and shares wouldn't hurt :). We will sone make more posts to the blog so stay tuned. We will be covering more areas of the world you'll want to know about. We also have a Twitter account active where we also make posts so follow us there to stay updated! Cheers -Asad

Nadi  The Fiji islands is north of Australia. It's capital is Suva which is on Viti levu and the tourist city is Nadi which is on Van levu. It has a population of one million. The people of Fiji are known for their friendliness, hospitality and their uniqueness hence they all "run on Fiji time". I went to Dolai suva national park where they had a naturally made water spring along with a water fall usually tourists aren't allowed but thanks to my friend we got a chance to vist the beautiful place, we had kasava and dalo the staple crops of fiji.  Suva city  I recommend that you try these restaurants when you are at Fiji Gokul(Suva),  Blooywood cafe, Tappo city(in cities), Kylin(Nadi), Mama city(Nadi), Asiana(Lautuka).            Maya Dhaba, Suva Fiji -Asad Shahani                                                                                                            

Why Malawi? As many of you have realised, Malawi is not the most traditional holiday destination. I will use this post to talk a little bit about the company I worked for and why we were situated in Malawi. The name of the company I worked for is called Project Everest. They are a social enterprise, which means they take aspects of a traditional business and charity model to create a sustainable business practice that provides much needed goods and services. Project Everest operates in multiple countries with Malawi being the newest addition to this suite. The business model relies upon University students to make up the largest portion of the labour, while offering an invaluable leadership and practical business experience. The reason why Project Everest chose to expand to Malawi was basically the fire need for assistance as well as the relative safety of the country. As mentioned in previous blog posts, Malawi is simultaneously ranked as the happiest yet poorest country i

I was very fortunate to visit Barcelona, Spain in early 2014. Barcelona has a very friendly environment overall as the city happens to host many tourists all year long. The beaches of Barcelona and the attractions along the beach cannot be missed. There are places near the beach where you can rent electric scooters at a reasonable price and explore the area surrounding.        The pubs and cafes along the beach are packed during summers. The city has persevered its look and many buildings cannot change their exterior. The Sagrada Familia is a building which has been under construction for the more than 120 years. The churches in Barcelona offer a rich experience at exploring its art and culture. The  Casa Batllo facade along with the Sagrada Familia is some of the works of the famous architect Gaudi. The La Rambla is a place which will be crowded throughout the day and is a good place to spend time in the city. There is a market on the road which offer

T he Malawian Culture From the very start, I knew Malawi would be completely different from any country I had visited in the past. Malawi is regarded as the poorest nation in Africa and as a result one of the poorest countries in the world. More than half the population lives below the poverty line. One often believes poverty and crime go hand-in-hand, yet Malawi is also regarded as 'The warm heart of Africa' and is ranked as the happiest country in Africa. These surprising statistics all boil down to one thing, which is the Malawian Culture. The people in this commonly overlooked country always greet you with the warmest smiles and their generosity is second to none. Throughout the weeks I spent in this country, I encountered on numerous occasion individuals or families living in absolute poverty willing to share what little food or water they possessed. When I first arrived in this beautiful country, everyone on my team approached everything with a respectful fea

I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to travel part of Europe and the US with my high school in 2013 as part of my creative arts subjects. The first stop we made on the way was to Berlin, Germany for 3 days and we managed to squeeze in quite a few activities in that time frame. 1. Berliner Dom Also referred to as as The Berlin Cathedral, this church was completed in 1905 and can be seen from many locations around the city. The grassed area in front is excellent for a summer picnic, while the rivers surrounding it can be used for a boat tour of the city. 2. Graffiti/ Street Art Tour Whether it's on the remains of the Berlin Wall, the sides of buildings or in abandoned industrial areas, Berlin is rich with street art, often in a graffiti style. It's easy to walk the streets and just stumble upon the art yourself, but if you'd prefer a more inclusive experience, there are many walking tours that offer a bit of history of the art and the area, along with a g

This blog is run by three people doing their undergraduate degrees in Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. All of us will try to provide our personal experiences and tips for places in the world we have lived in and traveled to. We will all introduce our selfs In this blog briefly and we'll then in our next blog will start with the stuff you'll want to read about food, places that are a must visit, and more. :) Hello everyone! I’m Jade and I’m currently in my second year of uni and am absolutely obsessed with travelling! It doesn’t have to be someone far away, it could just be an hour drive away. I’ve previously been to some states in the US including New York, California and Nevada; as well as some countries in Europe such as Germany, France and Greece. I look forward to sharing some of my tips and tricks to these locations (and more) and some of my favourite destinations!   Me (on the left) in Times Square Hi everyone my name is Asad and I am from Pakista