Travel

Whale Watching Fun for Everyone

Is Whale Watching on the Bucket List?

Take a Tour in Hervey Bay

Whales are such majestic creatures that it comes as no surprise that it is a popular tourist destination. Whale migration is the best time to watch the whales, which happens in winter. Hervey Bay extends a warm welcome during the cold winter months. Whales are able to make use of the warm waters to calve and teach the young whales throughout their early life.

The best times to welcome whales to the Queensland coast is from July through November. Whale watching tours are so certain that their tourists will be able to watch the whales as they come into Hervey Bay that most will offer a money-back guarantee if no whales are seen.

One of the most exciting parts of the tours is when people get a chance to go out into the water, on surfboards, kayaks, and even inflatable boats. These tours are able to not just for admiring such a magnificent creature, they are a way to bring attention to whale welfare, and to marine conservation.

What Will Visitors Experience?

There are a number of whale-watching tours that each have their own unique flavour. Some are able to take their visitors out to the whales on the water, while others enjoy the amazing views as well as the experience of whale-watching. It’s always an amazing adventure to see the whales up close and personal. This isn’t just a nature documentary on television, it takes visitors right next to the whales. The amazing encounters with these whales will be a subject for one of the memories of a lifetime.

Whatever trip tourists decide to take, it’s imperative to make sure to bring a camera for stills and videos! These memories will have envious friends and family gushing with amazement at the wonderful experiences going on whale watching Hervey Bay for the day, so make sure to miss nothing. The expert tour guides in Hervey Bay will make every moment exciting and memorable.

It also helps to know a few facts about whales:
  • An adult humpback whale can weigh up to five times what an elephant does.
  • Each whale song is different – they are not just born with the right songs in their head. Their own family teaches their own brand of whale song.
  • Whales are very intelligent. They are in the top five smartest animals on the planet.
  • Whales play a huge role in the food chain. Just imagine what would happen to the oceans if there were no whales to eat the 2500 kilograms of krill and plankton every day. The oceans would be quickly overrun by these tiny animals.
  • Whales live to be approximately 70 years old.
  • Whales swim at anywhere from 5 to 15 kilometres per hour.
  • Whales live in family groups, just like humans do.
  • Humpback whales don’t actually have teeth. They have what are called “baleen plates” that are used to eat the krill and plankton that are their only diet.
  • And one more amazing fact – whale poop, yes, poop, plays a great part in offsetting carbon in the environment.

Why Choose Hervey Bay?

Though the whales travel all along the Queensland coast, the humpbacks actually stop to rest for a while, giving tourists a little more time to catch them while out on a tour. This is also a great place for the mother humpbacks to teach their calves how to survive in the wild.

It’s a chance to not just “see” the whales. With the whales stopping to rest and relax, it gives tourists a chance to get close to the whales. Some even swim right up to the tour boat, to watch the tourists as they are being watched. The playfulness of humpbacks is well known, so make sure to take advantage of every moment on the water. Enjoy checking off this wonderful adventure from that bucket list!

Travel Jewels: What type to purchase

Cubic Zirconia Earrings Buying Guide

Cubic zirconia jewellery is quite in these days. From classy looking bangles to beautiful rings and earrings, the variety is endless and there are just so many designs to choose from. However, there are certain things which need to be kept in mind. Just like you buy a stone and notice its cut, colour, clarity and carat. Below is a little detail as in how you should evaluate the cubic zirconia jewellery before buying it.

  • The best cubic zirconia jewellery has a great deal of clarity. In fact the facets of a cubic zirconia earrings are is quite visible. Just make sure that when you purchase the earrings, the stones have clarity and no cloudiness.
  • Cubic zirconia are basically colourless and have a D rating just like a diamond. However, the zirconia can be dyed a variety of colours.
  • The coloured zirconia are available in the market. Pink ice, a lovely coral shade of pink I quite popular choice in earrings and rings. Lavender and yellow are quite popular color options as well. These look great when set in the right metal frame.
  • Cubic zirconia are available in a variety of shapes and cuts. These can be found in princess, oval, round and marquise. The designers make sure that each stone is cut in such a way to bring out its beauty and brilliance.
  • Cubic zirconia are weighed in terms of carat. However the zirconia are somewhat heavier to diamonds. You can get a large carat stone in a budget.

When you are about to purchase a jewellery made up of cubic zirconia, make sure the store has a return policy which is fair and easy to understand. In case you dot like what you have bought, there should always be a return policy.

Choosing the right cubic zirconia earrings

The pair of earrings that you choose would depend upon the following

  • If you are looking for earrings for every day wear, choose smaller pieces which are light weight so that you don’t have to compromise on comfort.
  • Choose a design which is minimalistic for a classy yet elegant everyday look.
  • On the other hand if it’s a special occasion you are choosing earrings for, you can even go for lager stones and statement pieces. The beauty of a statement piece is its uniqueness and design. It catches attention. Plus tear drop cubic zirconia earrings are like a brilliant flash of lightning and can bring out the best in any person who chooses to war them. Pair these classy pieces with a plain fitted clothes for an extra glamorous look.

However, when you buy cubic zirconia jewellery you have to make sure you maintain it properly. If not cared for, it can become cloudy and dirty. Also the quality of the stone would also play a part on how long can it look good for. The better the quality the better would be its longevity.

Whale Watching

History shows that whale watching in Hervey Bay started way back in September 1987. A fisherman who owned a charter fishing boat noticed that the passengers on board became more interested in watching whales than fishing. However, whales of all sorts could be seen coming from Hervey Bay during their migration especially during winter seasons since 1770. That’s really long ago.

Captain Cook who was one of the early captains sailed near Hervey Bay in 1770’s marveled by the sight of whales rising at the surface of the ocean. What happens in Hervey Bay?

Hervey Bay Activities

Nowadays both local and foreign visitors enjoy whale watching the whole day. May be your close friends and neighbors are enjoying more than you during their holidays by visiting Hervey Bay. You should not be left behind, this holiday pays the bay a visit and you will get a real adventure.

Currently, more than 20 commercial touring vessels take more than 80,000 visitors around every season of whale watching. The most amazing thing of late is the socialisation of Humpback whales with the touring vessels. They swim around the vessel giving the passengers on board such a clear view and you can take a snap for purposes of memories.

As a matter of fact, you are likely to see 40 whales rising above the water surface at once. That’s really beautiful to be captured in a photo. The lake-like serene condition at Hervey bay gives the bay such a good nature that makes the visitors enjoy the weather.

Why Visit Hervey Bay?

You may know that Hervey Bay has actually been named as the World’s Whale Watching Capital. It is the place where the Humpback Whales stop when they are having their southern migration along the eastern coast of Australia. Marine Park in the Hervey bay has become the only prime watching area of the whales.

The Best time to visit Hervey Bay is from August to October when the Humpback whales are migrating, resting, playing and nurturing their calves. When these whales enter the bay, they stop migrating and they relax.

The females concentrate on feeding, training their calves how to swim for the remaining journey of about 5000 km and showing them how they should survive. All this is done in the shallow waters of the bay. The new born calves continue growing stronger in the shelter of clear water that is safe from any predator.

Humpback Whales

This is the most common species of whale that you will see in Hervey Bay. They belong to the same class with blue whales and fin whale. The common feature with this whale is the presence of dorsal fins on their back and the ventral on its lower side.

These whales display their breaching and tail flapping to the visitors providing such a thrilling sight for many. What should you know about these whales?

  • They are 5th largest animal on earth weighing 45,000kgs and 15meters long
  • They are the most acrobatic whales with a variety of rolling, leaping movements.
  • They produce vocals or whale songs
  • Adult whales are seen 20-30 times after every 5 minutes.
  • They travel in groups of 3000 when migrating.

This should at least move you to see this mammal with your own eyes and see their gymnastic. Hervey Bay is the place to go.

Accommodation costs so little

My main habit is always to sleep at home via Couchsurfing (click to read the article on the subject and find out more).

So yes I hear some moan in the bottom , it is true that we do not enjoy total comfort, but on the other hand we earn much more! In addition to free accommodation and sometimes free food, Couchsurfing offers truly unforgettable experiences like this one . And then it often happened to me that my host was busy all day (as at the time of writing) and enjoying the house all by myself.
And if you travel, is it to meet and see something other than what you have around you every day?
This means is ideal for those who embark on a world tour like those who have been bouncing for a while already!

Of course I do not use Couchsurfing everywhere! 
For example in Asia accommodation costs so little and meetings are so easy that I prefer to sleep at the hotel or in an inn.
The youth hostels , as I often say on this blog, are great places for budget travelers, with rather comfortable dorms, a lively atmosphere and an instant social life.

However, if you are tired of all this hustle and bustle, hotels in Asian countries (and some other countries in South America) are almost the same price! In India I even remember that a hotel room cost me 3 euros in some places against 6 euros in some hostels.
That said, at this price did not hope to find a staff who will be with you little care, there is a good chance that you put your luggage all alone in your room! 
Speaking of room, they will usually be clean, but not impeccable either. You may sometimes have a faulty faucet, a couple of dead mosquitoes crushed against a wall or a missing tile on the floor.
But again, you will have a private room, a bed to empty your head and a shower and toilet that you will not have to share with a dozen other people, all for a price equivalent or even less to that of travelers in an inn.

You will understand, there is always a sacrifice in comfort to be able to travel less expensive , if you are ready to do it here you will make big savings!

What does it mean to live and travel relatively well?

The more I think about it, the more I realize that what is “relatively good” for me can be absolutely miserable for someone else, or even the opposite, may seem luxurious.
That’s why I wanted to clarify with you the words “traveling relatively well” by revealing here how I use and manage my budget. I will at the same time share some tips to help you travel cheaperand therefore longer.

Patagonian tentBecause yes, when I proclaim loudly like a 21st century Jesus that traveling is not a question of money and I spend an average of 400 euros per month on my travels, does that mean that:
I sleep in the street?
Under a tent ?
That I only eat in a bowl of rice?
That I move from one place to another stop to save my money?

It’s easy to be totally excited about traveling around the world knowing that you will spend only 10 euros a day, but it would become less attractive if the budget involved getting access to a shower only once a week, sleeping in places infested with rats and begging for food!

So how do I use these 400 euros per month during my travels?

First of all, be aware that I would never have promoted spending little money on my travels if my budget involved sleeping in the street while pounding the floor. And although it is true that I have spent a night under the stars on a beach in the Gulf of Thailand, it was a purely personal choice (by the way a bad choice because it was quite horrible be attacked by a horde of flies in the morning!).

But it’s a fact, I travel while paying attention to my budget. My goal is to travel cheaper around the world and therefore spend the least possible, but with a minimum of comfort.
Yes, like everyone else, I need some comfort on the road, although I can opt for accom- modation and never eat in luxury restaurants. It is neither a desire nor my interest to travel around the world in poverty.
To give a better idea of ​​what is really traveling with less than 400 euros per month, let me explain the distribution of my budget in the most common expenses.