LIFESTYLE
LIFESTYLE
AIRFLY PRO 2
Modern travel has achieved many things. Making airplane entertainment consoles Bluetooth-compatible apparently isn’t one of them.
That’s where the AirFly Pro 2 comes in; a tiny little gadget that quietly solves one of travel’s dumbest problems. Plug it into the headphone jack on a plane, gym machine, old-school stereo or even a rental car AUX port, pair your wireless headphones, and suddenly you’re free from tangled airline earbuds and cables draped across your lap.
The thing we like most about it though is how uncomplicated it is. No weird setup ritual. No tech meltdown at Gate 32. Just plug, pair and zone out to movies, playlists or podcasts like it’s 2026 and not 2004. It even lets two people connect at once, meaning couples can finally stop doing the awkward ‘one earbud each’ arrangement on long-haul flights.
Battery life clocks in at over 25 hours, which is long enough to survive even the new world's longest QANTAS 'Project Sunrise' 24 hour flight.
Honestly, once you travel with one, it becomes alarmingly difficult to go back.
FROM AU$89
ANTLER DISCOVERY COLLECTION
Some luggage is built for airport lounges. But Antler’s Discovery Collection feels like it was designed for the part of the trip where things get a little less predictable.
Think dusty road trips, ferry transfers, last-minute train platforms and the slightly chaotic art of repacking your bag on a hotel floor five minutes before checkout. Built from recycled, water-resistant materials, the Discovery range leans into adventure travel properly, with lightweight construction, compression straps and suitcase-style openings that make rummaging for socks in the dark far less chaotic.
The standout is probably the Discovery Wheeled Duffel, which rolls smoothly when your shoulders are over it, but still feels rugged enough for rougher terrain. Meanwhile the backpacks (available in 28L, 45L and 60L) hit that sweet spot of hiking functionality without looking like you’re ready to summit Mt Everest.
FROM AU$249
TASTE LIKE A LOCAL
You can learn a lot about a city through its landmarks. But if you really want to understand a place, start with what’s on its plate.
Taste Like A Local’s Cape Town food tours skip the tourist-trap version of the city and dives straight into the flavours, stories and neighbourhoods locals actually love. Over several delicious hours, guests taste everything from Cape Malay classics (make sure you try the samoosa) and fresh pastries to South African street food, all while hearing the layered history behind each stop.
What makes this tour work though isn’t just the food (although there is a lot of it). It’s that you’re being shown around by someone genuinely obsessed with their city. One minute you’re munching on biltong in the loft of an old undertakers, the next you’re learning how generations of migration shaped Cape Town’s food scene.
It’s the best food tour we’ve ever done, so bon appetit.
FROM AU$195
TINNED CANDLE
If your current mood is ‘I really want a European summer, but I can’t afford it’ (who can?!?), Tinned Candle might be the next best thing.
The cult-favourite candle brand has built an entire identity around bottling the feeling of long lunches, salty air and aperitivo hour somewhere on the Mediterranean coast. Hand-poured into playful sardine-style tins, these candles manage to feel nostalgic, stylish and faintly ridiculous, which is probably why people are so obsessed with them. Us included.
The scents lean heavily into escapism. Think citrus groves on the Amalfi Coast, tiny Greek tavernas, sun-warmed herbs and beach clubs in the South of France. Light one during a Melbourne winter and suddenly your apartment feels at least 37 per cent more European (hell yeah).
They also double as surprisingly good gifts for the family member who already owns ‘nice olive oil’ and says things like “I’m really into hosting now.”
FROM AU$34.95
JETLAG NOODLES
Most of us eat instant noodles at 2am after a big night out, but these noodles feel more like damage control for your hectic travel schedule.
Created specifically for travellers, these surprisingly clever cups are packed with ingredients aimed at helping your body deal with the chaos of long-haul flights, weird time zones and those failed airport sleep attempts. Think adaptogens, electrolytes, vitamins and functional ingredients hidden inside something that still tastes like actual comfort food.
The concept is simple: different noodle blends for different moments of the journey. Some are designed to help you focus and recharge after landing, others lean into rest and recovery when your internal clock has completely given up trying to understand what country you’re in.
They’re lightweight, travel-friendly and significantly more appealing than inhaling overpriced airport snacks between gates. Plus, the branding is slick enough that pulling one out of your carry-on almost makes you look organised. Almost.
FROM AU$8
JIM GREEN FOOTWEAR
When I set out to hike across Slovenia, I needed a boot that could handle mountain trails, cobblestone villages, fancy dinners, and long days on my feet.
The Jim Green African Ranger delivered in every category.
Originally designed for African game rangers who spend their lives in the field, these fully customizable boots strike a rare balance between rugged utility and everyday style.
Built from full-grain leather they're made to last for years, not seasons. A steel shank provides support on uneven terrain, while the ultra-quiet tread keeps you moving silently through the backcountry.
Available with optional steel-toe protection, they're equally at home on a job site, a hiking trail, or a city street. Few pieces of gear earn a permanent place in my travel kit. These did.
FROM AU$268
SECRET MARVELS OF THE WORLD BY LONELY PLANET
If you've ticked off the bucket list, it's time to make a new one.
Everyone knows about the Eiffel Tower. Fewer people know about the Japanese island where cats rule the streets, the Australian golf course without a single blade of grass or the Danish forest where the trees sing. Frankly, that's our kind of travel.
Secret Marvels of the World by Lonely Planet rounds up 385 of the planet's strangest, quirkiest and most overlooked places, proving that the best stories never really come from the places already plastered across Instagram. Expect ghost towns, mysterious spiritual sites, wonderfully weird museums and enough bizarre natural phenomena to have you plotting your next detour before you've finished the first chapter.
Whether you're hunting down unusual adventures or simply looking for inspiration that goes well beyond the guidebook classics, this is the coffee table book that'll have you adding wildly obscure destinations to your bucket list.
FROM AU$44.99
get in the know Some Chinese 'longevity noodles' are served as a single unbroken strand because cutting them is thought to shorten your life.
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