We live for travel and are usually in the joyously rewarding business of sending people out into the world. But while we all remain grounded for now, our team at Jigsaw Travel is finding joy in bringing the world to you.
Welcome to our second instalment of JT’s ‘Travel From Home’ Toolkit, where we share our tricks for staying connected to our dreams and exploring the wonders of the world, all from the safety of home and comfort of our couches.
This week we’re heading to Thailand for a cooking class, taking in an immersive Japanese art installation and road-tripping through the States in a Thunderbird convertible.
Speaking of road-trips, in anticipation of our interstate borders reopening in the next couple of months, we asked our expert advisors to nominate their favourite luxury road trip destinations in Victoria, NSW and South Australia.
Happy travels! #TFH
JIGSAW'S TRAVEL FROM HOME TOOLKIT - ROAD TRIP EDITION
FOOD: Take your taste buds to Thailand
A holiday to the ‘Land of Smiles’ isn’t complete without enrolling in a Thai Cooking Class. Thai native and professionally trained chef, Pailin ‘Pai’ Chongchitnant shares easy-to-follow video tutorials on her YouTube channel, Hot Thai Kitchen. Learn delicious authentic cuisine, gain insights into Thai food culture and even pick up some local lingo as you whip up a feast following Pai’s step-by-step instructions. Our tip: Pai’s Green Curry recipe will transport you straight to the beach-front restaurants of Koh Samui.
VIRTUAL ART: Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror Room
In response to global closures, the art world has gone virtual with talks, tours and events from the world’s best galleries and museums all available online. One that we found truly special is this 14-minute video from LA’s Broad Museum of revolutionary Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama’s immersive Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away. While you may not get the full out-of-body sensory experience offered by the real installation of lights and mirrors, it is still incredibly stunning. Best watched in the dark, the video is accompanied by a score from composer Geneva Skeen, featuring celebrated musicians and sound artists from Los Angeles and beyond
MOVIE: The Ultimate Road Trip Escape - Thelma & Louise
SHARE: Create a photobook and share your travel memories with us
With nowhere to go and not much to do, now is the ideal time to escape into past adventures and reminisce on old travels. Why not get all those beautiful images off your phones and laptops and turn them into a beautiful, personalised photobook? Memories are best kept alive through sharing, so we will be creating an online gallery of our favourite travel images and memories from our clients and sharing these on our Jigsaw blog and social media. To be featured, please email your images and holiday memories to: reservations@jigsawtravel.com.au
Jigsaw Travel Advisors' Road Trip Tips
We asked our expert Travel Advisors for their top Australian road trip destinations and where they are dreaming of heading as soon as interstate borders are open again.
SA – The Louise Ideal for foodies and oenophiles
Situated in the heart of Barossa wine country, The Louise offers absolute luxury – contemporary design, spacious suites and a picturesque natural vineyard landscape. The Louise offers two of the Barossa’s best restaurant experiences – inspired regional dining at Appellation, and three75 bar + kitchen for comfort food and cocktails. Both menus celebrate the local region and seasonal produce from the kitchen garden. During your stay, connect with the magic of the Barossa through a range of signature experiences including breakfast with the kangaroos, exclusive winery tours, hot air ballooning, cycling through bush trails amongst native flowers and hands on pasta making classes.
NSW – Spicers Sangoma Retreat, Blue Mountains (right and main pic) Tranquil bush luxury ideal for nature lovers.
Just one hour from Sydney, Spicers Sangoma Retreat provides a peaceful and luxurious escape in nature. Immersed in the natural bush land of NSW’s Blue Mountains, a stay at this all-inclusive retreat offers the chance to connect with the land and experience the wonder of nature in a sustainable way. All gourmet meals and beverages are included as well as a premium mini-bar replenished daily. A range of special experiences and tours are available to enhance your stay including Rainforest Eco Hikes, Rock Climbing, abseiling and canyoning, and private yoga.
VIC – Jackalope Hotel Ideal for art & design lovers
Prepare to be wowed by the sleek design and vineyard vistas of this luxury boutique hotel on the Mornington Peninsula. . The 45 luxury suites, or ‘lairs’ as they are known, boast loft ceilings, expansive terraces overlooking the vines, a double-sided indoor/outdoor fireplace, king size beds, complimentary mini bar and on-demand movies, rain showers, and deep-soak black stone bath tubs. The property is home to two restaurants – an elegant fine diner, Doot Doot Doot and a more relaxed winery restaurant, Rare Hare. Another hotel highlight is the 30-metre infinity pool lapping over the surrounding vines.
As a member of Virtuoso, Jackalope offers various exclusive amenities when booked via a Virtuoso member agency (such as Jigsaw Travel) that can’t be accessed by booking direct, online or via Expedia.
Jackalope Virtuoso Amenities:
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Complimentary full breakfast for two guests per bedroom daily
- $100 USD equivalent Resort/Hotel credit to be utilized during stay
- Complimentary use of hotel car service, within 15 km radius
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
And while you’re on the road, make sure you stop off, stock up and discover hidden gems at some of Australia’s beautiful country towns. There is a range of awesome online initiatives to help you discover the best of regional Australia and make the most of your road trip:
Empty Esky: This great resource was launched in response to the summer bushfire devastation and encourages road trippers to leave home with no supplies, highlighting where all manner of delicious things can be picked up and popped in your esky on your travels. Everything is covered from the best bakeries, regional wineries, breweries, fresh fruit and veg, to where to pick up delicious homemade, country-style jams and relishes.
Road Trip For Good: The ultimate road trip planning tool, rounding up the best places to eat, drink, shop along with the best of what to see and do. The guide is focused on helping you plan your trip around supporting bushfire affected towns and communities.
Spend With Them: This Instagram initiative started by Turia Pitt, again focuses on supporting regional businesses impacted by bush fire. You’ll find info on local boutiques, wineries, gin distilleries, eateries and more. @spendwiththem