The Amalfi Coast is a little hard and expensive to get to but its totally worth it. 7 of my friends and I descended on Praiano for 5 days. It was my 30th birthday so our itinerary included as much as possible. Most of my friends arrived in Salerno around the same time and took a hired van to Praiano, which is midway between Positano (the more popular town on the coast) and Amalfi. The cost was about $150 and took about an hour and a half. Because of cost, we stayed in Praiano at Maresca Hotel which was about $230/night. The cost included breakfast every morning. A number of hotels included board (3 meals a day) or half board (breakfast and lunch or dinner). Food on the coast like most of Italy included pasta and pizza but the coast offered more seafood options. Once on the coast, it's fairly easy to get around. Italy is very protective of their taxis and as such there are no rode sharing options. Taxi rates are fixed and flat based on beginning and end locations and somewhat expensive. It's cheaper and more efficient to take the buses which travel regularly between the cities of the coast and cost between 1 and 5 euro depending on where you are going. Regarding activities, wine tours on the coast cost about €120 pp, chartering of a boat for the day to Capri cost about €800, and the limoncello factory tour in Praiaino cost €5 pp. 2 things worth doing while on the coast are hiking the path of the gods (free and totally worth it. The view are amazing and the hike is worth it; avoid the stairs down if you can at Nocelle, it takes forever and is murder on the knees... not sure how else to get down though) and get a pair of sandals made at Artigianato Rallo in Positano (you can designed it yourself or chose a design off the wall; Sandals run around €65 to €80 and if you are lucky and they arent too busy, they will make them in front of you! It was such an amazing experience). All in all the views alone are worth it! Everything else is an added bonus!!

My trip to Australia included 3 days in Sydney and 3 days in Clifton Beach (about 25 mins north of Cairns). Both cities had very different vibes. Sydney had a big city feels, much like New York or LA with lots to do including sight seeing, clubs, outdoor festivals (there was an afro beats festival and convo de mayo festival during our visit) and natural landmarks. I felt very much at home. The USD is stronger than the AUD which made my money stretch farther (which ultimately lead to me spending more it!). I along with a friend stayed in airbnbs while in Australia, because they worked out cheaper for our lenghty stay (we also spent 3 days in new zealand). One of the things I enjoyed about Sydney was ur ability to be in the hustle and bustle of a city one minute and lounging on a beach the next. Another is that there is something for everyone... if you're an adrenaline junkie, you can climb the harbor bridge, if you're artsy, there's the opera house and tones of museums, if you're into nature, there are parks all over the city, and the blue mountains just a couple hours outside the city and if you're a beach bum like me, you can soak up the sun on Bondi (which is also the place to catch a wave).

There's a ton to do in Auckland depending on what you're interested in. Auckland can be the jumping off place for a number of things in New Zealand including the glow worm caves, Hobbiton, the Bay of Islands, you name it, u can get to it in a couple hours from Auckland. I spent 3 days in Auckland and wanted to minimize my travel time and decided tour the city one day (via a hop-on hop-off bus), and a wine tour on Waiheke Island (a must!!!). We used Waiheke Island Wine Tours https://www.waihekeislandwinetours.co.nz (great experience) and had lunch on the island at Casita Miro (the food, wine, views and vibe from this place alone made the trip to the island worth it). We stayed in an airbnb near Queens Wharf (https://abnb.me/yG8iQ3ihvW - a little dated but on the same wharf as the Hilton for half the price and twice the space) which is packed with bars and restaurants which made for a good time. Since it was getting cold when I visited (early May), the crowds of summer were gone which made things less hectic and more enjoyable. The NZD is weaker than the USD (about 70 cents usd to 1 nzd which made things a little more affordable!