Want to know my formula for the perfect travel day? It's not first class tickets + champagne = luxury. It's more like tiny spot + jaunty bright colors = coffee heaven. While visiting the Perth (Western Australia) suburb of Fremantle, coffee heaven was in full force. We had the good fortune to visit the tiniest of all tiny cafes, featuring the jauntiest of all jaunty colors (bright orange!) and it was heavenly indeed.

​My heart swooped the minute I walked through the door of the Leake St. Cafeteria - and so will yours! But first you have to find it. This is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it stop but read on and you'll see why I think a visit here is one of the best things to do in Fremantle. 

Let's chat travel and economics for a moment, shall we? On some prosaic, theoretical level, I understand why many a price tag in Australia comes with sticker shock. For one thing, the cost of taxes and tips are included in the price you pay. Furthermore, I appreciate that Australia is an island - a lot of things are imported here and that means that costs are passed along. And of course, Australia also has a very high standard of living. The elevated cost of everyday items reflects the fact that the country has a correspondingly high minimum wage. 

But you know what? All these sensible and logical explanations don't count for much when you're staring down $20 museum admissions and $50 bills for basic, boring lunches. Australia is an expensive travel destination. There's just no getting around it. And prices in Perth, the most isolated city not just in Australia but in fact the entire world, can sometimes feel like highway robbery. Rather appropriate, for a former penal colony settlement. 

With a tight budget and a week to spend in Perth, I was determined to make our money go the distance. These are the best frugal and free things to do in Perth, with a focus on the city center. (Don't you worry - I'll be working on a list of the best free things to do in Fremantle and other nearby communities soon!)

Situated in the Australian Capital Territory, Canberra is not only the capital city of Australia, but is also known as the ‘bush capital’. This ever-growing town is home to important landmarks such as Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial and the High Court of Australia. It is also home to hundreds of award-winning restaurants, bars and cafes, with world class wineries nearby, as well as some stunning natural landscapes. Add to this an excellent range of hotel and accommodation options and you have yourself the ingredients for the perfect holiday destination. There are lots of reasons to make Canberra your next long-weekend destination!

TurnipseedTravel debuted nearly six years ago (and does anyone else remember our very first green and grey template?). Nearly 18 months later, that debut became a fully fledged launch when Ryan and I took our readers along for the journey of a lifetime.

We cashed in all our points for what was technically a trip to Australia but instead embarked on an amazing round-the-world trip fueled entirely by Aeroplan.  See, we had learned about all the reward flight loopholes needed to "hack" our travel plans and create a mini round the world trip with Star Alliance partners. With stops in Europe, Asia, North America (and, of course, Australia), we had 9 flight segments on Star Alliance flights (and visited about 15 different locations) and paid about $300 each for taxes and fees. As you can tell from our nostalgic photos, thanks to Aeroplan, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

​Or so we thought.... 

You don't have to be an outdoorsy person to fall in love with baby rescued animals! Even the most nature averse person can't help but melt when confronted with a small and cuddly critter! Our recent visit to Australia provided us with the chance to meet some of the most unusual animals we'd ever seen and we were grateful for the opportunity  to see a different side of the country after spending so much time in Sydney. 

If you're looking for an amazing day trip from Sydney, you couldn't ask for a more beautiful destination than Manly Beach. We're talking gorgeous blue waters, endless white beaches, and amazing views - plus a great food scene! But I must confess, my first glimpse of Manly Beach was not an encouraging sight.

On the day of my visit, the high winds and rough waters were pretty intimidating. I bet they were heaven for the crowd of seasoned surfers but as someone who was there for a snorkeling experience, I have to say I was feeling pretty nervous. I was concerned about getting in over my head (literally and otherwise) but I put on a brave face and continued on down the path. For I wasn't in the Manly area for an ordinary visit. I was scheduled to meet up with Damien from EcoTreasures for a guided nature walk and snorkel session at nearby Shelly Beach.

Australian cuisine is varied, with influence taken from the immigrants who settled in Australia and introduced their produce to the country.  The city has a plentiful supply of restaurants for food lovers and you can eat for a reasonable price. Here are a few:

The Nook Caffe Restaurant

This restaurant comes highly recommended, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner. Choices for breakfast include gingerbread pancakes, Bircher muesli and bacon benedict. For lunch, the menu includes pan-fried fillet of Queensland Barramundi, smoked chicken salad and caramelized pork belly. If you’re visiting the restaurant in the evening, you’ll find a variety of cuisines available, including Spanish, Lebanese and Italian. The restaurant is located in the Jindalee suburb of Queensland. 

Can a seahorse look embarrassed? The surprising answer is yes! One of the first stops on our behind the scenes tour of Sydney's SEA LIFE Aquarium was the medical quarantine room. This unfortunate little patient seemed to hang his head with a touch of shame when we learned he was being treated for excess gas build up in his pouch. Poor fellow! While we felt sad for his predicament, we couldn't help but enjoy every stop on our behind the scenes tour. 

As a solo female backpacker in my early 20s on my first trip through Europe, hostels were an invaluable component of my budget travel strategy. I was studying in England and I would use learning breaks before my trip to read and re-read Let’s Go Europe’s hostel reviews. This was back in the dark ages, before there were online booking sites or many travel blogs, so I accepted Let’s Go’s information as the gospel truth. They never once steered me wrong and, despite having a minuscule budget, I always had a clean, safe, friendly place to stay.