International Traveller March 2020 - May 2020

With recent talk of the world reaching a point of no return in the fight against global warming, we here at Australian Traveller Media have reached our own tipping point. After the summer bushfires here in Australia and with talk of international cities being choked by badly behaved tourists, we have decided that we need to look at the way we communicate with you, our readers, about travel. This issue marks our move forward into a more conscious and responsible way of looking at travel. It is not a one-off ‘Green Issue’, because this is a problem that is going to take a lot more than token gestures to make a dent in. Rather, we have recalibrated our whole focus in the knowledge that the now-everyday act of getting on…

WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER A SAFARI WITHOUT THE BIG FIVE Almost every safari experience in South Africa begins with a list of the dangerous animals you might see. But there’s actually a few surprising things that might convince you to go in another direction... SEE ‘DESTINATIONS’ FOR OUR SOUTH AFRICA GUIDE 8 AMAZING STREET FOODS NOT TO MISS IN MEXICO CITY Eat where the locals eat in the sprawling capital of Mexico City, with this guide to tracking down its veritable smorgasbord of antojitos (street snacks). SEE ‘DESTINATIONS’ FOR OUR MEXICO GUIDE THE WORLD’S TOP ECOFRIENDLY RESORTS Discover eco-friendly digs designed to inspire low-impact travel, such as The Inn at Kulaniapa Falls, one of the top sustainable resorts on the Hawaiian Islands. SEE OUR NEW ‘CONSCIOUS TRAVELLER’ HUB FOR MORE…

Finnish Lapland is a vast landscape largely untramelled by humans (there are plenty of reindeer footprints, however; they outnumber the people). This, the largest and northernmost region of the super-sustainable Nordic country of Finland, is blanketed by thick snow during the long winter months, producing quizzical frigid sculptures known as snow monsters. Created when the plentiful pine and spruce trees become coated in snow, bending the branches into blobbish shapes reminiscent of the scariest of cartoon ghouls, they are at their most ethereal when the winter sun sets for the last time and the skies turn pink as the final rays disappear for weeks on end. Check out the #snowmonsters hashtag on Instagram to catch the (snow) drift.…

Arctic Bath, Swedish Lapland Designed to freeze into the Lule River during winter, and float atop it during summer, Sweden’s Arctic Bath spa hotel is the epitome of treading lightly, with its central over-water bath-house structure resembling a giant bird’s nest, complemented by a small collection of water and land-based cabins. Sustainable materials have been used throughout the cabins, which are elevated from the ground and linked by walkways to ensure they don’t have a heavy impact on the landscape. Not surprisingly, the focus here is on health and wellness. arcticbath.se PALIHOTEL SAN FRANCISCO The chic boutique brand Palisociety has rolled out another of its considered properties, this time in the heart of San Francisco. Retrofitted into a charming 19th-century building just steps from Union Square, the 82 rooms are…

WHERE TO EAT L’OCA D’ORO: Italian-inspired L’Oca d’Oro (left) celebrates family, community and sustainability. Located in the Mueller District, the eatery’s farm-to-table philosophy extends to handmade pasta, cheese, salumi, bread, vinegars and liqueurs. locadoroaustin.com OLAMAIE: Executive chef Michael Fojtasek’s Olamaie is the product of a foodie-fuelled road trip through America’s South, with locally sourced, sustainable produce presented in a fine-dining setting. olamaieaustin.com SWIFT’S ATTIC: Swift’s Attic chef de cuisine David Wakefield sources hormone- and antibiotic-free meat, as well as organic farm-fresh produce for its farm-to-table menu. The restaurant also gives back to local charities. swiftsattic.com TRUE FOOD KITCHEN : Dr Andrew Weil’s wellness-focused restaurant taps into seasonal bounty from organic farms. Here, proceeds from select menu items support causes like the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that advocates for the…

Why is it that Switzerland is laboriously wheeled out to compare land sizes? It must be tiresome for the Swiss. Perhaps it all started with someone trying to describe the vastness of Kakadu, the largest national park in Australia, a wilderness you could easily get lost in without a guide. A guide would also come with the necessary 4WD to take you to the many natural swimming pools, waterfalls, and ancient Indigenous art sites detailed across these pages. And they’d tell you which pools are safe to put a foot in, this being home to the largest reptiles on the planet. It is the natural wonders like these that have made Kakadu a World Heritage site you have to visit at least once and, at 20,000 square kilometres in size,…