Author Archives: Briar's Travel Beat

About Briar's Travel Beat

Briar Jensen is a Sydney-based freelance travel writer. In her blog, Briar's Travel Beat, she shares her travel experiences to inform, entertain and inspire.

Tragic White Island Eruption

Posted on December 10, 2019

It’s tragic to hear that New Zealand’s White Island, an active marine volcano, has erupted with little warning, killing at least five tourists, with more still missing. It’s devastating news and my heart goes out to all those involved. White … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, adventure travel, New Zealand | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

WOW List 2020 – Flight Centre’s Top 50 Travel Experiences

Posted on December 5, 2019

People love lists. I certainly do. I’m a serial list-writer, from daily ‘to do’ lists to a travel packing master list years in the making. The travel community loves lists too. Just look at rise of the ‘listicle’ or list … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel, Travel Lists | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Give A Crap on World Toilet Day 2019

Posted on November 19, 2019

As some of you know, I enjoy funny dunny signs. And as today is United Nations World Toilet Day I thought I’d share a few more. I recently came across these in Tropical North Queensland, Australia. I’m not sure if … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethical travel, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Graffiato – Taupo’s Street Art Festival 26-28 Oct 2019

Posted on October 9, 2019

Eleven artists, ten walls, three days. This is the formula for Graffiato, the Taupo Street Art Festival held over New Zealand’s long weekend from 26-28 October 2019.   The festival has been running for nine years with 125 murals created … Continue reading →

Posted in festivals, New Zealand, Taupo, Tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ethical and sustainable travel – let go of the guilt

Posted on September 26, 2019

Learning more about ethical and sustainable travel brings on bouts of guilt about past indiscretions, however unintentional. Riding in a timber seat on an elephant’s back in Thailand years ago springs to mind first. It was part of a hosted … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Ethical travel, Sustainability, Tourism, Travel | Tagged | 4 Comments

Kakadu Bird Week 2019

Posted on September 23, 2019

Like me, most visitors to Kakadu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory probably don’t come purely for the bird life. But it’s impossible not to be awed by the park’s proliferation of feathered friends, from a tiny, brightly-plumed azure kingfisher … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, adventure travel, Animals, Australia, bird watching, birds, Kakadu Bird Week, National Parks, Northern Territory | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

So you want to be a travel writer?

Posted on July 17, 2019

I love serendipity. As I was updating my talk ‘Introduction to Travel Writing’, which I give from time to time at libraries and writers’ groups, a blog post popped up in my emails from my colleague Lindy Alexander, at The … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , | 2 Comments