Michelle's Permanently Itchy Feet

26/06/2022

I’ve been putting this off for weeks, but now that the 11th hour is here, I’m announcing that because of the effects of the pandemic on my business and consequently on me, personally, I’ve made the sad decision to cease trading, with this Thursday June 30th being my last day of operation.

Thank you to all of my family, friends and clients who’ve trusted me, travelled with me and/or supported me on this roller coaster adventure. It’s certainly been a hell of a ride but I feel the universe is telling me that it’s time to get off.

So long, Farewell, auf Wiedersehen, and Goodbye ❤️

06/04/2021

The long awaited Trans-Tasman bubble has finally been given the nod and we are sooo ready to go. Flights re-commence on Monday 19th April, with no need to quarantine on arrival in either country. Who wants in?

03/04/2021

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter!

24/03/2021

You don't have to wait for international borders to open to keep ticking things off your bucket list. OK, so you won't be seeing the Northern Lights anytime soon, but you CAN witness the equally breathtaking Southern Lights (Aurora Australis)...LIVE!! There are a few seats left on 1 day flights departing from Brisbane (14th May) and Perth (8th May), and quite a few more on 1 day flights departing from Melbourne (15 June) and Sydney (15 May), but they ARE selling fast. No passports required and no need to quarantine on return. Contact me for more details on this Once in a Lifetime treat! 🇦🇺

30/09/2020

Well, it's been a long slog requesting, receiving and processing refunds for my clients, and, sadly, it's far from over. I received this message today from a group of families that were supposed to have spent the last couple of weeks travelling in Europe...

25/09/2020

Just going to leave this here...

24/09/2020

I'm more of a night owl than an early riser, but I've still managed to witness a fair few epic sunrises in my time, including the divine Mt Sinai. A little closer to home is this stunner at Borobudur in Indonesia. My daughter, India, visited the temple on school trip last year (yep, back when travel was a thing), but when I asked her if they'd been there in time for sunrise, she simply replied: "Do you really think they were going to be able to get 28 teenagers out of bed in time for that?!" 🌅😍🇲🇨

23/09/2020

Yes, I know it's been a while, but given the current situation of my beloved industry, my motivation now isn't the same as what it was when Covid first reared its ugly head. But I'm working on that by running a series of posts, which is essentially stuff to look forward to . No. 1 - Two of my all time loves... Paris & Reading. Feel free to add your own Bucket List inspiration as comments.

14/06/2020

With the focus on domestic travel for the next wee while, I ordered in some brochures for inspiration. In all my years in the travel industry, I don't think I've EVER seen a brochure cover as cute as this one 😍 Seriously, I just want to pack my bags🧳 If you've got a quokka selfie, please post it in comments. No prizes, just loads of cuteness 🇦🇺😎

04/06/2020

If you’re anything like me, you’ve seen a fair bit of the outside world but very little of what the merry old land of Oz has to offer, maybe because we assume that those offerings will still be here for us when we’ve exhausted ourselves of overseas travel? Yet we’re super lucky to live in a stunning and incredibly diverse country, and there won’t ever be a better time to explore our own backyard. Now that travel restrictions are starting to ease, let’s But where to first?

28/05/2020

Missing my itchy footed friends

26/05/2020

Fresh out of another Zoom Webinar - Tahiti Looks Nice 😎

15/05/2020

So I finished up my week in NZ with a virtual visit to Marlborough this afternoon, world renowned for it stunning scenery and superb wines. Click to see why you should go

Marlborough is about world famous Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s largest winegrowing region, it’s about fresh seafood sought by the world’s finest chefs....

13/05/2020

My jigsaw of stunning Lake Wanaka, NZ. Click the image then the "Refresh" icon to start. I've set it to 50 pieces which should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. But you can click on "Play As" to increase the number of pieces if you want to make it harder. Easier on a laptop but not impossible on a phone. Have fun!

Free online jigsaw puzzle game

13/05/2020

Preparing for the Bubble 😎

12/05/2020

Dear New Zealand,

I can't wait for the Trans-Tasman Bubble to be a thing!

11/05/2020

We're eagerly awaiting the creation of the Trans-Tasman bubble, so this week's focus is all about New Zealand which, after Europe, was my most popular destination for bookings last year 😍 🇳🇿

We asked our personal travel managers to describe New Zealand using just one word. This is what they said about the Land of the Long White Cloud.

07/05/2020

After yesterday's introduction to WA, Tourism WA have just sent me these stunning pics as further enticement. I'm already planning my trip, what about you?

06/05/2020

Like everyone, I'm hoping that our state borders will open up before too long, so I've been brushing up on destinations that are closer to home. Here's a video of where I've been today...

New Perth and WA highlights. ATE 2019.

30/04/2020

You might recognise today's jigsaw pic from my Permanently Itchy Feet Competition #2. When I originally posted it, my Mum commented on how it would make a great jigsaw, and so I looked into making that happen. Click the "Refresh" icon to start. I've set it to 50 pieces which should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. But you can click on "Play As" to increase the number of pieces if you want to make it harder. I changed this one to 300 pieces and it took me over 3 hours (but you can pause it if you haven't got time to complete it all in the one hit). Obviously it's easier to do on a laptop but not impossible on a phone. Have fun!

Free online jigsaw puzzle game

30/04/2020

Here's the first of my puzzles for you to enjoy :) Click the "Refresh" icon to start. I've set it to 50 pieces which should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. But you can click on "Play As" to increase the number of pieces if you want to make it harder. And you can pause it if you haven't got time to complete it all in the one hit. Obviously easier to do on a laptop but not impossible on a phone. Have fun!

Free online jigsaw puzzle game

28/04/2020

28/04/2020

True to my promise, I've updated my profile pic to one of India spending some quality time with Christ the Redeemer in Rio. This scored 12 points in the voting, just nudging out her Anastasia in Moscow pic which scored 10 points.

26/04/2020

So you might have realised that India was relegated from top spot to a bit further down the list, but all in good fun. India is my daughter and she was with her dad all last week, so 100% worked out the attractions without any help from me (although undoubtedly helped by my other daughter Madeleine). It’s quite possible that India’s feet are even itchier than mine, but at only 17, she hasn’t had time to visit all of the attractions featured. That didn’t stop her from getting creative, however :D Have a look at her efforts below. My favourites are her dressed as Anastasia in Moscow and sitting on Christ’s elbow in Rio, both of which nearly made me spit my coffee. Vote for your fave by the end of tomorrow: (y) = 1 point

26/04/2020

So that’s a wrap for the 3rd ItchyFeet competition and the clear winner is Ciara on a whopping 130 points 🏆. Andy was in 2nd place on 105 points, closely followed by Jo B who came home with a big finish and ended the comp on 100 points. Then follows Melissa, Jo L, and Jennifer all on 95 points, Miss Sonya on 90, Tracy on 82.5, India, Caz and Paul on 80, Maree oon 77.5, Cindy on 70, Kev on 57.5, Jessica on 55, and Paula on 47.5
Now for the answers... Starting in the top left corner and moving clockwise, we have the Statue of Liberty in New York City 🇺🇸, the Sydney Opera House in Sydney (yes, really 😊) 🇦🇺, St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow 🇷🇺, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷, the Astronomical Clock in Prague 🇨🇿, Park Guell in Barcelona 🇪🇸, and finally Gardens by the Bay in Singapore 🇸🇬.
Thanks everyone for playing. I’ll post your pics in each city under the originals. And I'll be putting up some jigsaws over the next couple of days to keep you amused, before kicking off comp # 4 towards the end of the week 😎

24/04/2020

Well I'd like to believe that yesterday's post made people work hard for their points. I think some might still be mulling it over, but they've now only got until tomorrow to send in their answers. Special mention to Jennifer who sent in a cracker of a photo, pretty much bang on where the posted pic was taken 👏👏👏 Going in to the final round, India on 115 pts has nudged out Ciara on 110 to take top spot. But don't worry, Ciara, there is a twist that will be revealed tomorrow. Andy is in 3rd place on 90 points, followed by Melissa in 85, then Caz, Jennifer, Jo B and Miss Sonya all on 80. Then we have Jo L on 75 , Paul on 70, Maree on 67.5, Tracy on 62.5, Cindy on 60, Kev on 57.5, and Jessica & Paula on 45 points. And now for the final attraction in the competition... You get a) 5 points if you can tell me what the attraction is b) 5 points if you can tell me the city in which the attraction is located and c) 5 points if you can post a pic of yourself in that city. It doesn't have to be at the same location but YOU must be in it, however if you CAN post a photo of yourself at the attraction featured, you get a BONUS 5 points. MESSAGE ME your answers so as not to give them away to others. You can guess as many times as you like, but only your first answers will be added to your score. Answers will be given and winner announced on TOMORROW, so if you missed any days you only have today to get your answers to me. Have fun and good luck 😎

24/04/2020

23/04/2020

Ok, so I knew that yesterday's was going to be pretty easy, hopefully today's will get you thinking for a bit longer. Today's leaderboard still sees Ciara and India at the top, now on 95 points although Ciara does have the edge for reasons that will become clear at the end of the comp. Previous winners, Melissa and Andy share 2nd spot on 75 points, closely followed by Caz, Jo B and Miss Sonya all on 70. Then we have Jo L on 65 , Paul and Maree on 60, Kev on 57.5, Tracy on 52.5, Jennifer & Cindy on 50, and Jessica & Paula on 45 points, with pics still to come, Moving on to the penultimate attraction... You get a) 5 points if you can tell me what the attraction is b) 5 points if you can tell me the city in which the attraction is located and c) 5 points if you can post a pic of yourself in that city. It doesn't have to be at the same location but YOU must be in it, however if you CAN post a photo of yourself at the attraction featured, you get a BONUS 5 points. MESSAGE ME your answers so as not to give them away to others. You can guess as many times as you like, but only your first answers will be added to your score. Answers will be given and winner announced on Sunday, so if you missed any days you can still have a go. Have fun and good luck 😎

23/04/2020

So another 100% success rate with correct answers for yesterday's attraction - obviously I've not made them hard enough 🤔 Today's leaderboard sees Ciara re-join India at the top on 75 points, with an old pic taken in the city of Day 3's attraction. Melissa is in 2nd place on 65 points, closely followed by Andy on 62.5 and Caz on 60. Then we have Jo L and Miss Sonya on 55 points and Jennifer, Jo B, Paul and Maree on 50. Kev's next on 47.5, with Tracy on 42.5, Cindy on 40, and Jessica & Paula on 35 points, with pics still to come, Moving on to Day 5, which I'm thinking is another easy one. You get a) 5 points if you can tell me what the attraction is b) 5 points if you can tell me the city in which the attraction is located and c) 5 points if you can post a pic of yourself in that city. It doesn't have to be at the same location but YOU must be in it, however if you CAN post a photo of yourself at the attraction featured, you get a BONUS 5 points. MESSAGE ME your answers so as not to give them away to others. You can guess as many times as you like, but only your first answers will be added to your score. Answers will be given and winner announced on Sunday, so if you missed any days you can still have a go. Have fun and good luck 😎