Five great reasons not to miss the Postcards from Bangalow Writing & Gourmet Experience

There are only a couple of places left for the Postcards from Bangalow Writing & Gourmet Experience. Held over the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June in the beautiful village of Bangalow, this unique writing event will awaken your creativity and indulge your senses.

If haven't already gotten your ticket to winter's hottest event, here are five great reasons why you won’t want to miss out:

1. You'll discover a true hinterland haven
Hidden in the lush, green hills of the Northern Rivers, Bangalow is a writer’s and foodie's delight. Just minutes from Byron Bay, this inviting hinterland village is where rural wholesomeness meets big city sophistication with CWA stalls and old-fashioned hardware and bric-a-brac stores rubbing shoulders with chic boutiques, cool cafes and gorgeous galleries.

2. You'll receive expert advice
Hosted by Bangalow-based writer Kim Wildman, this three-day retreat will take participants on a travel writing journey through the sights, sounds, scents and flavours of Bangalow. A seasoned travel writer with more than 15 guidebooks and 200 feature articles to her credit, Kim has spent the last 10 years continent hopping for the likes of Lonely Planet and Bradt Travel Guides and was recently voted one of Tripbase’s 100 Favourite Travel Writers in the World.

3. You'll sample delicious local produce
With food as well as writing a main focus of the weekend, tastebuds will be tantalised with many of the region's best restaurants and producers highlighted on the menu for the event. Participants will enjoy gourmet meals at three atmospheric local restaurants including Bangalow Dining Rooms, Fishheads @ Bangalow and the Harvest Cafe and will meet local producers on a half-day Foodscape hinterland tour and a guided visit of the Bangalow Farmers' Market.

4. You'll mix with the region's best writers, authors and providores
The program features a prominent line-up of local writers, authors, foodies, providores and identities including co-owner of Foodscape Tours, Karen Hirst, author of Boys' Home to Broadway, Kevin Palmer, publisher of Sample magazine, Remy Tancred, and TV presenter and author, Scott McGregor, who'll help me unearth the best of the region through a series of workshops, dinners and tours.

5. You might even get published
If a weekend of writing, reflecting and enjoying the tastes and flavours of Bangalow isn't enticement enough, Sample magazine - the epicurean bible of the Northern Rivers - has offered to publish the best travel article written over the weekend in the travel section of the spring edition of the magazine. So not only will you experience what it takes to be a travel writer, you might even get published.

All participants too will go into the draw for a three-day pass to the Bangalow Music Festival. So grab your pen and paper, bring your appetite and get ready for a fun weekend of good writing, good food and good company.

The three day event costs $450 per person and includes the three restaurant meals, tours and workshops. Accommodation can be arranged in a variety of local venues in and around the village. Places are strictly limited. Contact me on 0400 887 991 or kim[at]wildwriting[dot]com[dot]au to make a booking. For more information visit Kim's website.

Ten ways to stay safe in a big city

Travelling to a big city can be exciting. They're large, chaotic, and always buzzing. Yet it can also be quite daunting, as big cities are often a hives for would-be thieves and robbers. But simply by taking a few precautions you can make your trip easier. In a recent article for MSN NZ's Travel Bite I shared my 10 top tips for how to travel safely in a big city. Here's what I recommended:

Look the part
No matter whether you're travelling to a big city or a small country town, the number-one rule of travel is: don't dress like a tourist. Wearing shorts, carrying a backpack and slinging a camera around your neck will quickly mark you as a tourist and make you more vulnerable to petty thieves and con-artists. Blend in. Dress like a local and don't wear expensive jewellery.

Lose the valuables
The second golden rule of travel is: don't carry anything you can't bear to lose. Leave your valuables locked up safely in your hotel room and only carry as much money as you need for the day. If you have to take a camera, don't carry it around in a professional looking camera bag. And whatever you do, don't pull out your mobile phone or any other fancy gadgetry in plain view on the street. Slip into a quiet doorway, shop or cafe.

Be alert
One of the great joys of travel is thrill of discovering new and amazing sites and places. But no matter how awestruck you are by your discoveries, you need to stay tuned in to what's going on around you. Be on the lookout for pickpockets in crowded public places such as squares, markets and parks and watch your valuables when travelling on trains, buses and subways.

Stay on track
When walking around a strange new city, stick to the main trafficked streets and routes. Avoid taking shortcuts through deserted parks and vacant lots or down unlit passages. At night, don't even think of walking home, no matter how close you are to your accommodation. Take a taxi; it's a safer bet.

Money matters
Only use ATMs during bank hours and use one inside a bank or in a shopping centre rather than on the street. Also, when carrying money on your person, make sure you split it up. Keep some of it in your socks or shoes, some in a wallet or purse and some in a money belt under your clothing with some smaller notes in your outer pockets ready as "mug money" to hand over to thieves. That way, if anything does happen, you'll at least have enough money to get back to the hotel.

Hold on
Whether you are sitting at a street side cafe, at a bus stop, on a park bench or even inside a restaurant, never leave your handbag next to you, on a chair back or on the table. Always keep your bag on your lap or on the ground with a strap wrapped around your leg. In taxis, the best place to keep your valuables is on the floor between your legs.

Exude confidence
When travelling alone (or even with a group) act confident and adopt a no-nonsense attitude. Always look like you know where you're going — even if you don't! Try to avoid looking at maps while you're in the street. Study your route beforehand, or find one of those wallet-sized maps that you can discreetly refer to if necessary.

Watch your back
If you are being followed duck into a nearby shop and wait until the person has passed. If the person continues to linger around outside, don't be afraid to ask the storekeeper for help.

Stranger danger
No matter where you are staying, always lock the door to your room, even when you are in it. And never open your door to anyone you're not expecting and don't know. Use the peephole and call reception if you're in doubt.

Carry a personal safety device
Consider carrying a personal safety device or other noisemaker, and sound it loudly if you are accosted or feel threatened. Even a simple whistle may cause just enough of a distraction to give you a chance to escape an unpleasant situation.

What tips do you have for travelling safely in big cities?

Postcards from Cape Town Travel Writing Retreat

Learn the art of travel writing in the world's No.1 travel destination.

Times: 4pm Monday, 5 September to 12pm Friday, 9 September
$AUD 600 (R4,500) excluding accommodation **

Bold, brash and beautiful, Cape Town is one city that doesn't disappoint. From the cloud-blanketed top of Table Mountain and the craggy peaks of the 12 Apostles to the sun-soaked, sandy beaches of Camp's Bay and the rolling vineyards of Constantia to its vibrant mix of cultures and buzzing nightlife, South Africa's 'Mother City' is an electric, cosmopolitan city that has it all. Little wonder it was recently voted the No.1 Travel Destination in the World by TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards

Join veteran guidebook author, travel writer and some-time Capetonian Kim Wildman on a travel writing journey through the sights, sounds and scents of this sensational city. Based at the beautiful Dunkley House in the city's historic old quarter, you’ll spend five days learning the art of writing and selling travel stories while uncovering the heart and soul of Cape Town.

During the day you'll explore some of the city's most famous sights practising writing and researching skills learnt in workshops. Come the evenings, you'll enjoy the tastes and flavours of Cape Town's best restaurants along with the company and conversation of leading travel writers, photographers, authors and editors.

If a week of writing, reflecting and enjoying the sights and sounds of Cape Town isn't enticement enough, MSN NZ, the international media portal for the MSN Network in New Zealand, has offered to publish the three best travel articles written during the course of the week on their popular Travel Bite website. So not only will you experience what it takes to be a travel writer, you might even get published!

Included in the retreat: two restaurant dinners, a city centre walking tour, cable ride to Table Mountain (weather permitting), tour of Robben Island, and day trip to Cape Point taking in the beautiful seaside villages of Simon’s Town, St James and Kalk Bay as well as a wine tasting at Groot Constantia and a hamper lunch (inclusive of entry fees to Boulders Beach and Cape Point).

Not included in the retreat: accommodation, transport to/from B&B and restaurants, airport transfers, additional meals, alcohol and drinks, laundry, telephone, personal expenses, spending money, tips for guides, airfares, visas and travel insurance.

Participants can stay anywhere in the city. Any participants who choose to stay at Dunkley House will be offered a 10% discount on accommodation.

This fun and informative retreat is suitable for beginning writers upwards. Places are strictly limited, so contact Kim Wildman on kim[at]wildwriting[dot]com[dot]au to make a booking now.

**Prices subject to currency fluctuations

Postcards from Bangalow: The countdown is on

It's now just over a month until the first-ever Postcards from Bangalow Writing and Gourmet Experience kicks off. Tickets for this unique writing event to be held in the beautiful hinterland village of Bangalow on the Far North Coast of New South Wales from 10-13 June are selling fast. Don't miss out - the clock is ticking!

The three day writing retreat will take participants on a travel writing journey through the sights, sounds, scents and flavours of Bangalow. Joining me for the journey are a prominent line-up of local writers, authors, foodies and identities including co-owner of Foodscape Tours, Karen Hirst, author of Boys' Home to Broadway, Kevin Palmer, publisher of Sample magazine, Remy Tancred, and TV presenter and author, Scott McGregor, who'll help me unearth the best of the region through a series of workshops, dinners and tours.

With food as well as writing a main focus of the weekend, tastebuds will be tantalised with many of the region's best restaurants and producers highlighted on the menu for the event. Participants will enjoy gourmet meals at three atmospheric local restaurants including Bangalow Dining Rooms, Fishheads @ Bangalow and the Harvest Cafe and will meet local producers on a half-day Foodscape hinterland tour and a guided visit of the Bangalow Farmers' Market.

If a weekend of writing, reflecting and enjoying the tastes and flavours of Bangalow isn't enticement enough, Sample magazine - the epicurean bible of the Northern Rivers - has offered to publish the best travel article written over the weekend in the travel section of the spring edition of the magazine. All participants too will go into the draw for a three-day pass to the Bangalow Music Festival. So grab your pen and paper, bring your appetite and get ready for a fun weekend of good writing, good food and good company.

The three day event costs $450 per person and includes the three restaurant meals, tours and workshops. Accommodation can be arranged in a variety of local venues in and around the village. Places are strictly limited. Contact me on 0400 887 991 or kim[at]wildwriting[dot]com[dot]au to make a booking.

Top 10 Things to See & Do in Cape Town

News just in: My all time favourite travel destination – Cape Town, South Africa, of course – was just voted the No.1 Travel Destination in the World by TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards. To help celebrate, I thought I'd share an article I wrote on the Top 10 Things to See & Do in Cape Town for MSN NZ’s Travel Bite website:

Bold, brash and beautiful, Cape Town is one city that doesn't disappoint. With so many wonderful things to see and do, it's difficult to choose a top 10. But for first time visitors to South Africa's 'Mother City', here's what I'd suggest.

Table Mountain
Sometimes it's possible to sum up an entire city with a single attraction. In Cape Town, it's Table Mountain. Rising 3,562 ft/1,086m above sea level and dwarfing even the city's tallest skyscrapers, the imposing flat-topped stone behemoth is impossible to miss. For the best view, you can hike to the top or catch your breath in the vertiginous, rotating cable car as it whisks you up to the summit. Once there, you'll be rewarded with exquisite wrap-around panoramas – provided the peak isn’t shrouded in clouds, of course.

Robben Island
Few places are more evocative of South Africa's apartheid past than the once notorious prison on Robben Island. It is here where former president Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 long years along other prominent ANC members including current president Jacob Zuma. Now a world heritage site, a tour of the island is a must for anyone visiting Cape Town – you can peer into Mandela's old prison cell and hear firsthand accounts from former prisoners who now serve as guides.

V&A Waterfront
Set against the spectacular backdrop of Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront is touted as South Africa's most visited attraction. For serious shoppers the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre beckons with more than 400 retail outlets as well as some 70 restaurants, pubs and coffee shops to explore. While the adjoining Red Shed Craft Workshop is filled with an eclectic mix of handmade merchandise and art, and the Waterfront Craft Market offers a range of traditional handicrafts along with holistic lifestyle accessories.

Greenmarket Square
Over the years this cobble-stoned square in the centre of town has served as a slave market, vegetable market and even a parking. Today, Greenmarket Square is the city's most popular flea market with artisans from across the African continent converge to hawk everything from replica radios expertly constructed from wire to hand-painted fabrics and magnificent wood carvings.

District Six Museum
The humble District Six Museum commemorates one of the most startling apartheid-era events in Cape Town – the 1966 bulldozing and forced removal of residents from this once vibrant, multi-ethnic community after it was declared a "whites-only" area. Exhibits are mostly photographs and artefacts donated by former residents.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Located on the eastern side of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch is renowned for the beauty and diversity of its indigenous flora. The former estate of Cecil Rhodes, it includes a restaurant, gift shop, bookshop and garden centre. Sunset concerts are held on the lawn of the gardens every Sunday in December-March, and there's a craft market on the last Sunday of the month September-May.

Chapman's Peak Drive
Chapman's Peak Drive is one of the world's most awe-inspiring coastal drives. The 9km route with its 114 curves hugs the near-vertical face of its namesake peak as it skirts its way around the rocky Atlantic coastline from Hout Bay to Noordhoek. You can drive it either direction, but the reverse route from Noordhoek to Hout Bay is better with the best views afforded from the left side of the road.

Cape Point
It's a common misconception that Cape Point, a.k.a. the Cape of Good Hope, is the southernmost tip of Africa. That distinction belongs to Cape Agulhas, 150km southeast of Cape Town. Nevertheless, Cape Point, a narrow stretch of land 45 minutes south of town, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans collide, is spectacular. To get to the top, you hike 15 minutes uphill or take the five-minute ride on the funicular.

Boulders Beach
Just around the corner from the seaside village of Simons Town, Boulders offers the unforgettable experience of swimming with endangered penguins. The sheltered beach dotted with giant granite boulders, from which it takes its name, and its infamous colony of African Penguins is very popular, so be sure to get there early.

Two Oceans Aquarium
Africa's largest aquarium, Two Oceans is home to ragged-tooth sharks, large rays, turtles and about 300 species of fish. There’s a variety of exceptional exhibits including submarine kelp forests similar to those along South Africa's west coast, intertidal zones, and wave pools with native plants and bird life. Sharks inhabit the Predator Tank, and eels and other unusual creatures can be viewed in the Fangs display.

A win well deserved. Congratulations Cape Town!