UPDATED 31/10/2021

Hello, I’m Danae.

Thanks for visiting my weird and wonderful travel blog Trip Over, which features

WHAT THE..?! Travel Reviews.

This blog isn’t one of those picture-perfect dream travel blogs

in the vast ocean of picture-perfect dream travel blogs.

Uh uh.

Mine is different. Funny different. Strange different.

And I hope it brightens your day.

Get ready for my dance to welcome you, followed by a magic carpet ride of

posts about places you could visit,

great travel info, and the strange things we’ve experienced along the way…

By the way, this travel blog uses Australian English spelling since I’m from the City of Bayside, Melbourne.

In this welcome post you’ll find out:

• 5 reasons why travel is good for you
• Danae’s Trip Over travel blog goal for you
• what sparked WHAT THE..?! Travel Reviews

• whether you think Danae’s weird
• about Trip Over travel blog site links
• some of Danae’s Japan and Greece hotel travel reviews
• WHAT THE..?! at Hilton Osaka, Japan
• WHAT THE..?! at Satan’s Bazaar, Preveza Greece
• some of Danae’s Australian hotel travel reviews
• how to subscribe to Trip Over travel blog posts (free)

 

5 reasons why travel is good for you

1. Passion

Do you love to travel? Or do you lurve to travel?

Since you’re visiting a travel blog, you probably lurve to travel like me.

Lurve of travelling is a romantic sort of love, isn’t it? We get butterflies from the moment we ponder the possibility of getting away.The wings of desire flutter, the butterflies go crazy with the fantasy, and then we fall head over heels in lurve when we decide that YES, we’re going on a holiday! Whoo hoo!

Yes, travelling packs a passionate punch which opens our hearts to the joys and wonders of life, helping to keep us young and optimistic. The passion that travel ignites in us turns us on, emotionally, mentally and physically.

2. Energy

Travelling fills us with energy, even while we’re just planning the trip, packing our clothes, and heading off for our next adventure. When we arrive at our destination we truly feel the powerful and uplifting effects of travel because it reawakens us to spontaneity, serendipity, and absorbing the present in a heightened state.

3. New stimuli

We’re out of our comfort zone and we stop acting on auto pilot (pardon the travel pun) because we need to process our new surroundings quickly and there is so much new stimuli. We even take a renewed interest in strangers and little details grab our attention.

Travelling allows us to live in a world parallel to our everyday one and learn how other people and societies approach life. You get paradigm shifts when you travel.

4. Builds character

Not only that, travelling builds our character and strengthens our spirit. We’re often faced with unfamiliar situations and must make out-of-the-ordinary decisions about what to do, where to go, and how to get the most out of our day.

5. Substance

Some people might feel that travelling isn’t worth the cost, effort, or risk, but after you travel you realise that the experience stays deep inside you, adds extra substance to your life’s story, and has helped you to reflect and grow.

You know the intrinsic value of new travel adventures and that’s why I’m excited to connect with you through this our shared lurve of travel through this travel blog.

 

Danae’s Trip Over travel blog goal for you

To give you a unique, fresh travel blog that will WOW! you and give you a grin while delivering:

• unusual and useful content including tips
• personal trip recommendations
• access to lots of great travel-related products and deals, and
• the WILD CARD called WHAT THE..?! Travel Reviews.

These travel reviews include the weird encounters and improbably incidents that my husband Jim and I have experienced by chance while on holidays. I like to call them WHAT THE..?!s .

What sparked WHAT THE..?! Travel Reviews?

SPARK 1) The WHAT THE..?! TV segment on the Rove Live show about weird stuff that viewers sent in to him, such as strange community signs, ads, and a slice of bread that came out of the loaf with a very happy face.

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SPARK 2) The Marvel Comics WHAT THE..?! series which parodied  the Marvel Universe and was billed as “The Marvel mag of mirth and mayhem”.

Similarly, the WHAT THE..?! encounters that my husband Jim and I have experienced on our trips have parodied (what I consider to be) “normal” events, invoking mirth and mayhem.

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CUT OUT THE GLARE THIS TRIP AND LOOK COOL TOO…

These would suit Jim. Actually, all sunnies suit Jim. They just do… 

Ray-Ban THE GENERAL RB 3561 COPPER/GREEN SHADED men’s sunglasses

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SPARK 3) Our little getaway to Hobart Tasmania in early January 2018, which was the catalyst for WHAT THE..?! Travel Reviews. The trip was rife with WHAT THE..?! moments.

Upon reflection, I realised that the tingling thread of WHAT THE..?! was also running through our past few trips to Darwin, Vanuatu, and Greece.

We’ve experienced strange situations, occurrences, human behaviour and bits of info at relatively normal holiday travel destinations.

The WHAT THE..?!s have caught us completely by surprise and have left lasting impressions. Sometimes they’re blatant, sometimes more obscure, but they always appear out of nowhere.

I adore WHAT THE..?!s. That’s why this travel blog features WHAT THE..?! Travel Reviews. I’m compelled to share this weird stuff with you along with some great offbeat, handy travel info, great travel ideas and travel-related products and deals.

Are my WHAT THE..?!s weird? Or is it just me?

Is Danae weird?

Donning the MACq 01 Hotel robe while Jim is asleep. The robe has an old-style map of Hobart hinterland in the hood.

You can buy a robe from MACq 01 Storytelling Hotel for $130AUD.

They’re very large, long and heavy – great for Winter – and have a touch of Assassins Creed and Cobra about them.

 

Trip Over travel blog site links

There are images and  BOLD AQUA LINKS in this travel blog which I guarantee will only take you to trustworthy sites such as:

• Jet Radar (flights)
• Amazon Australia
• Hotellook, (compare hotels worldwide)
• Get Your Guide (worldwide activities)
• Economy Bookings (worldwide rental cars)
• BikesBooking.com (worldwide motorbike, scooters, bicycles rental)

in the event that you like what you see and wish to explore/view information. Links lead to e.g. photos, prices, descriptions, and/or reviews.

 

Some hotels that we’ve stayed in while in Japan

Minato, Tokyo, Japan 2017 – Clean, modern, very friendly staff. Language barrier not an issue.

Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan 2017 – Top location near the Ikebukuro Station. Comfortable, clean, roomy, and enjoyable.

Osaka, Japan 2017 – Small room, inexpensive, nothing amazing, but that’s what was we were looking for. Very good value.

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WHAT THE..?! at Hilton Osaka, Japan

We ordered a roast duck dish at 5-star Hilton Osaka that was on the menu for around $130AUD. However, when the waiter wheeled the trolley over we were surprised to find that there was only a selection of duck skin pieces perched on those take-away pink prawn crackers! Where was the duck?

They replied that this was the duck.

Needless to say, we returned the dish and pointed out that the menu said duck, not duck skin, which implied that the dish consisted of the meat of the duck. We also mentioned that prawn crackers are usually complimentary.

We requested a replacement lobster dish for the same price and the restaurant kindly obliged.  And I’m happy to report that the dish was delicious and price appropriate.

Jim recommends staying at the Hilton in any foreign country when you need to rely on English-speaking staff since Hilton is a US hospitality company.

Some hotels that we’ve stayed in while in Greece

Dioni Boutique Hotel, Preveza, Greece 2016 (Far west mainland. From Preveza you can drive through the underwater tunnel called The Aktio to get to the incredibly beautiful island of Lefkada).

I can’t say enough good things about Dioni Boutique Hotel. It was perfect for us. Jim kept congratulating me on my choice of accommodation, considering the amazing staff, gorgeous hotel, ATM within 10m, walking distance to the waterfront, taverns, shops, cafes, Satan’s Bazaar, and the foreshore further up. Buffet breakfasts on the rooftop with views.  My only quibble was the noise from the dogs that lived on a neighbouring property, but there are quieter rooms available on the other side.

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WHAT THE..?! at Satan’s Bazaar, Preveza Greece     

In Greece we’ve also loved staying at:

• NJV Athens Plaza – awesome central location, connecting rooms, great service.
• Porto Galini, Lefkada – everything about this place will take your breath away. Opulent set up and amazing views.
• Epirus Palace, Ioannina – classy, gourmet buffet breakfast, busy, trendy

Some Australian hotels that we’ve stayed in – 

Bondi Junction, New South Wales, Australia 2015 – Classy, clean, luxurious, spacious apartment. Central location. So much on offer within a short walk. We loved it and had fun at the cook-your-own authentic Korean BBQ restaurant around the corner.

Daylesford, Victoria, Australia 2015 – The room was affordable, modest, clean, and comfortable. Lovely surrounding area and great location, just a block’s walk to the town’s main street.

Eden, New South Wales, Australia 2015 – We really enjoyed our stay as a family at this motel. The room was large, in great condition, and comfortable for everyone. We had a room upstairs with an ocean view from our window. Friendly, family environment. Top location within walking distance to main streets, incl. pubs, restaurants etc. If you’d like to see the actual room we stayed in, find the photo of the room with the red door.

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