Helloworld Travel Drysdale

11/08/2026

All passengers on the APT cruiseship, the Mekong Serenity, are invited to broaden their knowledge with experiences both sombre & delightful, from understanding history & the pain of war to tasting new & tantalising local flavours. All good times must come to an end… & while I feel quite enlightened about this region, it was never too hectic: the relaxing pace allowed time for questions & answers, immersion & reflection. The cruise staff were beautiful souls, attentive & very proud to work for APT. It’s been a pleasure - experience it yourself! Ask us about booking a 2027-2028 itinerary to the Mekong or elsewhere. Get a few friends together or travel alone & meet new friends. You’ll love it!

07/08/2026

Still on the Mekong Serenity, APT flagship of river cruising in Indochina, I’m amazed at how wide this river is. Traffic on the river increased once we crossed the Vietnam border. While we call it ‘the Mekong’, throughout Vietnam it is known as the Nine Dragons river: the shapes created as the river spreads out into a nine-arm delta before reaching the sea. Mighty predators used to inhabit the river: crocodiles & river-monsters, but were scared off by the big eyes painted on all the commercial & fishing boats.

Meanwhile, we swam safely in the APT pool as we glided past the fishfarms & dredgers, stopping to visit more villages and on one excursion in Phnom Penh, a signature highlight, we were privileged to be blessed by the monks at a Buddhist temple….

04/08/2026

Let me introduce to you the APT rivership, the Mekong Serenity! After the excursions in Siem Reap, the drive to reach the point of embarkation is past plantations of cassava, tapioca, cashews & rubber trees, all lush & green. Board the Serenity to carry you downstream on the longest river in SouthEast Asia… Flowing from Tibet through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam, the wide Mekong sustains the livelihoods of thousands of farmers & fishermen. Settle into your cabin and discover more of Cambodia at a leisurely pace. After a light lunch, take tuktuks to an island village to visit a local stilt house & chat with the owners about their marriage, their produce & the importance of the local fortune-teller.

We stayed in a deluxe twin suite, and the level 3 Bayon and Angkor suites feature a bath, extra storage & living space, & butler service. Wherever your cabin, enjoy the included meals, beverages & selection of daily excursions…

30/07/2026

Cambodia: Rounding out my 3-day stay in Siem Reap…
In-between the temple visits (6 over 2 days) I took a little cruise on the river flowing towards the enormous Tonle Sap Lake, lined with houseboats and dotted with wiry fishermen, who continued to secure their catches during a sudden monsoonal shower. I meandered through markets where I tried some of the local snacks - snails, crickets, silkworms, crabs, beans, and then durian: “smells like hell, tastes like heaven” 😋. Later I wandered the famous Pub Street area and treated myself to a head & shoulders massage, and got a 7-day tattoo (which lasted 4 days). Finally, I visited the APOPO Centre which raises awareness and funds for the continuous training and employment of Tanzanian ‘hero rats’ which detect landmines all over Cambodia 🐀

29/07/2026

Discover Cambodia - more 🙂
Bayon is the Temple of smiling faces. Ta Prohm is the temple King J7 dedicated to his mum and was made contemporarily famous by the movie Tomb Raider, due to the spong & strangler fig trees seemingly taking over the site… The day after the temple’s completion, he started construction of a new temple dedicated to his dad: Preah Khan. The temples have amazing detail - all carved in situ by incredible artists. Then we visited Banteay Srei, built by a teacher, not a king…. We’re talking 900-1000A.D. Stunning.
Stay tuned for more discoveries!

28/07/2026

Discover a new destination: Cambodia!

I’ve just spent the weekend exploring the ancient Angkor temples. I was never a star history student but Cambodia’s history is fascinating. Led by local Intrepid Travel guide Dee, I climbed from the underworld to a temporary state of Heaven in Angkor Wat, Dee taught me about the development of Siem Reap & the three attempts at establishing a capital city, the Thai invasion, the yo-yoing conflict and subsequent co-existence of Hinduism & Buddhism, the loss of land to its neighbours, & the Communist dictatorship of the Pol Pot regime. The temples themselves are stunning, in various stages of repair.

Angkor Wat was constructed using massive blocks of sandstone hewn from the nearest mountain range & floated on rafts 60km downstream to the existing site, where it was carved with exquisite artisanship to tell stories of deities & demons & descriptions of life activities of the common people.

More to come… Treacey

06/07/2026

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is due to be implemented toward the end of 2026. Once implemented, travellers visiting any of the 30 participating European countries visa-free will need to get an ETIAS travel authorisation. The ETIAS is different to the European Entry/Exit System (EES).
Dual citizens of participating European countries or Ireland will not be eligible for an ETIAS travel authorisation. If you’re a dual citizen, once the system is implemented you will not be able to enter any participating countries using your Australian passport. You will have to enter using the passport from your other country of citizenship.
If you don’t have a passport from your other country of citizenship, apply for one soon. Application wait times in some countries can be very long.
For more information, visit: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/en/etias See less

04/06/2026

24/05/2026

Zero plans? Zero problem. 🌈 Let’s hit the beach, find a beautiful café, and grab a sunset cocktail. Get ready for the ultimate getaway—the heartbeat of Bali is waiting for you in Seminyak! 🌺
Pop in to our store for first hand knowledge of this wonderful destination

19/05/2026

SRI LANKA - MARCH 2027 - Calling for Expressions of Interest - let us know if you'd like to join our group tour ... Travel from Drysdale, escorted by Treacey from our store, with the option of taking an independent extension to the Maldives ... More details coming soon - hold your place with a refundable $100 deposit.