Time for something different for Episode 160 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast: you can listen in on my diary! I've just spent a week in Cairns, Queensland, and after many requests to do this, I actually recorded a podcast diary on my trip. Well, most days - it was a very busy trip!
The first part of my trip saw me explore Cairns, the Nerada Tea plantation and taking the Skyrail to Kuranda on my own - all lots of fun and I especially enjoyed the chance to be a solo traveller for just a couple of days again. That's a rare pleasure for me at this phase in life.
For the second half of my trip, a hundred and fifty or so of my friends joined me!! In fact I was attending the annual convention of the Australian Society of Travel Writers, so I got to visit Fitzroy Island with a small group of them, and then spend two days together talking and celebrating all things travel writing, travel PR and travel influencing. It's such a fun event and also really got my mind ticking over with a billion new ideas for the podcast.
Links:
Some of the travel I did on this trip was sponsored or subsidised and I'm very grateful for the chance! Of course: my views are always my own.

Nerada Tea plantation - see where your tea grows! You can eat a mighty good meal there and see their resident tree kangaroos - https://www.neradatea.com.au
Kuranda Skyrail - a fabulous way to get up into the rainforest - https://www.skyrail.com.au
Fitzroy Island off Cairns - a place I've promised my son I'll take him to in the near future - https://www.fitzroyisland.com 
Riley, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort - a hotel that even I approve of! - https://www.crystalbrookcollection.com/riley
Tropical North Queensland - more things to do in this fabulous part of the world - https://www.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au

 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.