For anyone travelling with young kids, the thought of a plane trip — particularly an international one — can induce heart palpitations. The very idea of enduring a public meltdown in a cramped space 30,000 feet above the ground, while other passengers ‘humpf’ and deliver pointed stares, is enough to send any parent into a state of sleep-deprived anxiety.

It’s this fearful and common scenario that led Jane Tara — a mother of four, author and passionate traveller — to write Around the World in 80 Ways, a cool little guidebook for surviving and (gasp) even enjoying long trips with petit travellers.

Funny and very down to earth, it includes 80 easy, lightweight ways to keep kids entertained and educated about travel, including games, trivia and activities. Of course, your kids may well prefer to kick the seat in front, scream like crazed banshees or throw their toys around the cabin like missiles. But if there’s one book that could potentially distract them, this is the one.

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It’s a grey, rainy day here in Sydney and with nothing particularly inspiring on the brunch menu, I’m dreaming about a recent breakfast I had at La Lucciola in Bali. Situated right on the beachfront, this vast, open-air, thatched restaurant always seems to score rave reviews from tourists, and is refreshingly and romantically basic, with tiled floors and comfy wicker chairs.

If you’re up early, La Lucciola does a killer breakfast – with strong coffee, salmon scrambled eggs, ricotta hotcakes, and a sensational tropical fruit plate with yoghurt pannacotta. It’s also hard to go past their tasty selection of homemade granitas – which definitely take the edge off the steamy tropical weather. And at night, one can only imagine the candlelit, romantic ambience that’s sure to induce more than a few marriage proposals.

By day, Buenos Aires is awash with super stylish, well-heeled porteños going about their daily business: shopping, chatting on their cells, or tucking into scrumptious steaks bigger than their designer handbags. After dark, in fact, way after dark, as is the Argentine way, you’ll find a fair few of the city’s beautiful people head to a gorgeous and dimly lit wine bar in the stylish barrio of Recoleta. With its funky interior and decadent wine list, you’ll never find yourself short of a tipple — or a pleasant view — at Gran Bar Danzon.

If you’re stuck for choice, the manager and sommelier Damian Alonso will happily recommend a beverage to tickle your fancy, and if the mood takes you, there’s also a dining area where chef, Martin Arrieta, serves up delectable dishes like salmon ceviche with celery sorbet, lamb carpaccio with truffles and parmesan icecream, and crispy duck confit with mashed carrots, spicy blueberries and salted pistachios. Being in Buenos Aires, dinner at Gran Bar Danzon won’t really kick off until at least 10pm — so if this delicious menu doesn’t lead to you ordering more dishes than you can possibly handle, hunger definitely will!

Cafe Bali is considered somewhat of an institution in Seminyak, Bali. With mismatched furniture and an open, relaxed vibe, it’s the perfect place to while away the hours – reading, writing or just hanging with some rather beautiful people.

While it’s not air-conditioned, it’s open and breezy, with French, colonial-style furnishings, a cute lap pool, and some amazingly artistic lighting installations by a local designer. While the food isn’t anything out of this world, the menu is full of fresh, reliable staples like salads, steak, and pasta. They also do a great selection of fruit juices, and if you’re brave enough to try a tuna carpaccio in Indonesia, theirs is apparently a winner.

Head up a long, nondescript drive towards Seminyak’s shabby coastline, and you’ll find the incredibly cool and distinctly un-shabby Potato Head Beach Club, the newest and sharpest place to hang out in Bali. Opened in December 2010, the building is an art installation in itself, with walls made of industrial concrete and adorned with hundreds of rustic, mismatched window shutters.

Once inside the almost bunker-like exterior, the vibe is warm and funky, with vintage furniture, cool retro lighting, and staff who go completely out of their way to make sure you’re fed and watered. By day, Potato Head is super family-friendly, with a beachside infinity pool, great bar menu and vast grassy area. And you can only imagine the chaotic parties that kick off after dark, thanks to an expansive bar, resident DJs and whopping sound system. Plus, if you’re not feeling suitably attired on your arrival, Potato Head also has its own on-site boutique, where you can pick up some cool clothes and accessories on your way through.

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There’s something very ‘Sydney’ about Seminyak. If it weren’t for the tropical heat, delightful scent of incense, cluttered temples and constant drum of scooters, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were shopping in Paddington, hanging out in Bondi, or dining in Surry Hills. And when it comes to the very Sydney habit of heading out for Sunday brunch, you can’t go past Seminyak’s Grocer and Grind.

Situated alongside a fresh produce deli, this hip cafe serves up a mean breakfast and also offers fantastic lunchtime salads, sandwiches, and Panini. They also blend their own coffee, and claim to have the best on the island. After you’re done with breakfast, you can shop for some organic goodies next door. And with wireless internet available all day long, it’s a very easy and cool place to while away the hours.

It doesn’t get more rockstar than a private beach club at the foot of a soaring limestone cliff: with white sand, turquoise water, a masseuse at the ready, and your own cable car to lift you back up the cliff afterwards.

Fortunately, Karma Kandara Resort admits lowly day trippers (for a modest fee) to their Nammos Beach Club, so you don’t have to fork out for a night in the plush accommodation to check it out. With its distinctly Mediterranean air, Nammos was voted the best beach in Bali by Hello Bali Magazine in December 2008 — and it’s not hard to see why. If the view doesn’t impress, a swim in the crystal clear water, stint on the sun lounges and some fresh seafood in the restaurant afterwards will definitely tip you over the edge. So to speak.

There’s something nicely eclectic about sitting in an opulent Balinese restaurant, sipping French wine, and eating Southeast Asian inspired food courtesy of a renowned Australian chef. While such a combination could potentially risk being a little confused, this is one instance where the fusion definitely works.

If you’ve joined the hordes of Aussie tourists in Bali’s uber-westernised town of Seminyak, chances are you’ve been to Sarong, which was established in 2008 and is regarded as one of the best places to eat on the island. Head chef, Will Meyrick, is ex-Longrain and Jimmy Liks — and it shows. As well as having an equally hip ambience, there’s the same incredible cocktail list, and the same trusted staples, like pork hock and betel leaves. You’ll be left salivating over beautiful dishes like seared scallops with green nam jihm and ajwaini fish tikka. And if you have any room afterwards (which is pretty unlikely), the desserts are similarly magnificent. While you may well leave Sarong with a robust case of Bali belly, it will definitely be of the indulgent couldn’t- possibly-fit-another-thing-in kind.

When having a child dampens your travel plans — seemingly forever — it’s relieving to know that there’s a genuine slice of France just around the corner. Since opening in 2008, the French-inspired Bronte Road Bistro has scored rave reviews – and it’s easy to see why. Their formula is simple: an elegant and straightforward menu, killer wine list, and friendly, down-to-earth service. And unlike so many other new restaurants in Sydney’s Eastern beaches, they attract crowds without relying on vintage furniture, mismatched crockery or meagre, tapas-inspired dishes.

Instead, Head Chef Dave Pegrum — formerly of Tetsuya’s and Forbes and Burton — has designed a menu with delectable bistro staples like chicken liver parfait, seared scallops, and steak frites with cafe Paris butter. Throw in an impressive selection of wine by the glass, and a sommelier who remembers your wine taste after just a few visits, and you’ve got a superb restaurant that ticks all the boxes. To quote Aussie food reviewer Simon Thompson, Bronte Road Bistro is the ‘local you’ve always wanted close by’.

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It’s 7:30am, and as per usual, there’s already there’s a queue forming outside Iggy’s Bread on a quiet suburban street in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Actually, the only time you won’t see a line of hungry customers salivating in front of their hole-in-the-wall bakery is when there’s a hastily scribbled ‘sold out’ sign pasted on the door.

Iggy’s started in Massachusetts in 1994, and they’ve since taken their bakery model all over the world. And despite their laid-back appearance, Iggy’s are doing a roaring trade. As well as attracting droves to their bakery doors, they also supply some of Sydney’s top restaurants and cafes — many of which proudly specify their association with the Iggy’s brand. Although they’re well known for their sourdough, their French-style ficelle and bagels are also some of the finest artisan breads you’ll find around. So in case you’re wondering, yes, the queue is definitely worth it.

When it comes to great food memories, I find this one hard to beat. Argentina is a long way to go for a sensational meal, but if you happen to be travelling through South America any time soon, make sure you pay Almacen Del Sur a visit. This gourmet ‘delicatessen’ is located at the foot of the Andes in Maipu near Mendoza — Argentina’s wine region.

As well as making a whole range of yummy preserves which are exported all over the world, they also have a beautifully restored 19th century farmhouse and a ‘cave gourmet’, where you can kick back and enjoy a spectacular degustation. Of course, being Argentina, it’s heavy on the carne. So visit on an empty stomach, and don’t even think about cycling through the wineries afterwards.

I was lucky enough to attend the recent launch of the new Australia and New Zealand Guidebook by Mr & Mrs Smith. And let me tell you, if luxe travel is your thing, this is the book. Travel guide publishers have copped a bit of flack recently — especially after Thomas Kohnstamm wrote his hedonistic, “tell all” book Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?, in which he alleged that most of the content he wrote for Lonely Planet’s Brazilian guidebook was either fudged, or written in a drug-induced stupor. However, with Mr & Mrs Smith, Kohnstamm’s version of travel writing couldn’t be further from the truth.

For a start, Mr & Mrs Smith limit their guidebooks to a small collection of carefully selected luxury/boutique hotels and resorts — in specific regions around the world. They research each hotel and destination exhaustively and employ a veritable army of high profile ‘tastemakers’ (including Aussie names like Sigrid Thornton, Deborah Hutton, Christine Mansfield and David Grant) who write honestly about their experiences. Plus, every hotel is always reviewed by a trusted member of the Mr & Mrs Smith travel team, so you know you’re getting balanced advice. Oh, and most importantly, the editorial team have fabulous taste. Their selections will make you drool. Clearly I was impressed.

Spending a huge amount of money is easy when you’re without a mortgage, kids or a full time job. To ease my financial guilt, I recently put together this list of fifty fun, bizarre and slightly mad ways in which I managed to blow $50K over the years — buying myself nothing but amazing memories and the odd persistent stomach bug.

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For a seriously good summer holiday destination, it’s pretty hard to beat San Sebastian on Spain’s Atlantic coast. Set on a gorgeous piece of coastline in the heart of the Basque region, this buzzing seaside town certainly packs a punch. It’s got three divine beaches, hundreds of tapas bars (apparently more per square kilometre than any other city in the world), a vast selection of historical buildings and churches (if the urge to sightsee takes over), clubs, boutiques and countless festivals all year round. Plus, if you’re really into your tucker, the area surrounding San Sebastian is arguably the best in Spain for gastronomy – boasting several of the world’s finest Michelin-starred restaurants.

Seriously, is there anywhere in the world more glamorous than the French holiday town of Biarritz? I recently visited Biarritz for the second time, and this visit, was even more wowed by the endless array of buffed, leggy, chain-smoking Europeans — each of them dripping in jewellery, swanning about in their caftans, and sipping champagne like it was water.

Over the years, Biarritz has been a popular holiday destination for European and British royalty, and it became even more renowned when Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napolean III, built a decadent palace on the beachfront in 1854. The town is packed with fabulous bars, boutiques, cafes and restaurants — and if you’re not too intimidated by the locals, you can even paddle out for a wave – as the area is renowned for having one of Europe’s best surf breaks.

I didn’t think there were many cooler buildings in the world than the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain -until I stumbled on another of Frank Gehry’s architectural masterpieces in the unassuming village of Elciego. Deep in the heart of the Rioja wine region, the Marques de Riscal is a luxury hotel, and its contemporary style is certainly at odds with the historic, green surrounds. However, if you’re not prepared to fork out for a meal at the restaurant, or upwards of 600 euro a night to stay there, you can forget getting any closer. Unpaying guests aren’t allowed through the gates, and you’ll feel like a nosey neighbour trying to peer over the towering fence for a glimpse. Even still, it’s definitely worth a try.

Okay, so these days we have global warming, rising sea levels and terrorism to deal with. But you’ve really got to feel sorry for the hapless souls who lived in the seventeenth century, especially if they happened to live in the Basque village of Zuggaramurdi. In this picturesque and seemingly tranquil village, the infamous witch hunts of the Spanish Inquisition reached fever pitch — and it was in the town’s caves that hundreds of alleged “witches” were burnt in front of cheering crowds. Today, you can take a tour of the creepy caves, and in June every year, the locals hold a night-long party in the caves to celebrate the summer solstice. If you dare, you can even stay in a witch-themed auberge for the evening. Spooky stuff!

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When Barcelona’s ‘it crowd’ are hankering for some good tucker, I’m pretty sure they head straight to Cuines Santa-Caterina. And why wouldn’t they? Located inside the actual Mercat de Santa Catarina (a fresh produce market) this hip restaurant/bar serves up tasty cuisine from breaky right through to dinner. Ranked as one of Barcelona’s top places to eat and be seen, it’s got several open grills — and you can either sit at the bar, peering into the kitchen, or at large communal tables. Head there early for a tapas-style breakfast, or choose from three oddly grouped cuisines for lunch or dinner: Vegetarian/Sushi, Mediterranean and Asiatic. Thanks to the Scandinavian-inspired decor, you feel like you’re inside a giant warehouse, surrounded by giant shelves topped with boxes, wine, olive oil and vinegar. The prices are surprisingly reasonable, the staff are welcoming, and if you’re there for breakfast, you can hit the market with a full tummy afterwards.

Wow, is this what the end of the world looks like? Over the last few weeks, Sydney has been witnessing some seriously bizarre weather — and now this! Today, Sydneysiders woke to an apparently unprecedented phenomenon, as red-tinged clouds enveloped the entire city in a giant dust storm. Apparently the huge volume of dust was blown in by gale-force winds from the west overnight — leaving the Sydney CBD and most of the suburbs covered in a thick blanket of eerie red and orange smog. So if you’re in Sydney, pop your hayfever tablets and get the tissues ready people. it’s going to be a long, hazy, sneezy day! [photos by Kat Whitehead]

When you wake up on a Sunday morning with a slightly hazy head and a rumbling tummy, what do you need? A damn good brunch! And where can you find one? Well, if you happen to live around Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, I suggest you head straight to Ruby’s Diner, on Bronte Road in Waverley. Ruby’s is owned by a cool dude named Ed, who gained local notoriety at Jed’s Cafe in Bondi.

Despite never failing to serve up great tucker and coffee, the prices at this trendy little diner are as down to earth as the decor.

There’s no skimping on quality, and they’re committed to supporting local suppliers, and buying only the finest produce. This includes bread from Iggy’s in Bronte, and coffee from Single Origin in Surry Hills.

Though Ruby’s has recently opened for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, I tend to keep my visits to brunch-time – when I can kick back in the fresh air with the papers and a latte. My personal favourites are the poached eggs with baked ricotta, mushrooms and rocket, the porridge with rhubarb, honeyed pears and pistachio crumble, and (what has to be) Sydney’s very best croque monsieur.