Countries Visited
Together
Years travelling
Together
Years in the
Travel industry
kilometres of
road trip travel
Oh hey… thanks for stopping by.
We don’t really like talking about ourselves that much, but we do love talking about travel. However, just this once we will tell you a bit more about who we are and what we do.
We are Dean and Pauline, and Reasons to Visit is about the way we choose to travel now that we are a part of the “over 50s” and “empty nester” crowds. We prefer to explore the World outside of the big cities and top tourist spots and do it by road trip wherever and whenever possible.
Even though our daughter still lives at home she is capable of looking after herself (usually). We’ve done a lot of travelling through the years as a family and covered most of the usual tourist destinations, but now it’s time to rediscover what it means to be a travel couple.
The good news is that travel is cheaper again now that we don’t pay for 3 adults and we can finally get back to doing the things we love without having to make sure Junior is amused enough to still give us some semblance of a rewarding vacation.
And we definitely don’t believe that at our age it’s time to put away the passports!
Where we’ve been…
Our most written about destinations
Mexico
Our home away from home. It may be a hard slog to get to Mexico from Australia, but we have been at least six times, including an epic 5000km, 3-month road trip from Queretaro to Cancun.
Mexico has everything we could ever want in a travel destination; friendly people, delicious food, colourful small towns, deep and diverse history, and a culture that makes you want to be involved.
Vietnam
One of the hottest travel destinations at the moment and, after recently spending a month seeing what it has to offer, we totally understand what all the fuss is about.
From the polite and friendly locals to the stunning scenery, and the cheap, delicious food to the history and culture, we found Vietnam to have something to offer every traveller, and everything is at a price that won’t break the bank.
USA
We have had a few adventures in what is widely regarded as the home of road tripping, seen some jaw-dropping scenery in the National Parks, eaten some stupidly oversized meals, done the obligatory theme park days and loved it.
And we have no hesitation in saying that even though the big cities get most of the attention as huge tourist drawcards, we prefer small-town America any day.
Our other destinations
Argentina
The first country we visited in South America, and it is a great place to start. We have only been to Buenos Aires so far but it has an interesting history, a chill vibe, and some of the best steaks we have ever eaten. We will hopefully return one day.
Australia
Our home country which we have travelled extensively. From short visits to cities like Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, to road trips the length of the east coast, driving around Tasmania, and recently our first-ever campervan road trip.
Austria
When it comes to stunning scenery this country does OK. We had a Christmas in Austria, what an experience. Unfortunately, our White Christmas didn’t happen because it was one of the hottest Winters on record and there was no snow to be found.
Bali – Indonesia
Not our favourite destination by far but once you find a place away from the bogan Aussie tourists and the pushy Javanese stall operators, it is still possible to find parts of the island that retain the original charm that much of Bali has lost.
Belgium
One of the highlights of our Europe Christmas road trip has to be Bruges, with its quaint town square strung with Christmas lights, market stalls and the best chocolate we have ever tasted. Belgium is another place we would be more than happy to revisit if we get the chance.
Bolivia
We only had a few days to wander the streets of La Paz but what a unique few days they turned out to be. With unusual experiences like walking through the Witch’s Market and the lunar-type landscape of Valle de la Luna, plus the magnificent views from the cable cars.
Chile
With Chile being the departure point at the end of our South America trip we had some time to explore the streets of Santiago, enjoying the markets, the food, and the galleries. We also took a highly recommended day trip to the street-art covered Valparaiso which made the stay even better.
Czech Republic
Prague is one of our favourite big cities of the world and definitely beautiful and historic, but the little hamlet of Cesky Krumlov stole our hearts during of our Europe Christmas Road trip. Easily one of the 10 most magical towns we have ever been to and we dream of returning.
England
Pauline grew up in Liverpool and so it should come as no surprise to learn we have been there a few times. London, like Paris, is a city that doesn’t live up to the hype for us, but a road trip around Cornwall more than made up for it.
Fiji
When you combine some island hopping and a memorable family holiday on the Coral Coast with our daughter when she was quite young, you get the makings of a great vacation. Not to forget the friendliest people on Earth and incredible scenery.
France
Paris is nice, but we don’t get why people rate it so highly. The real gems of France were found during our two road trips which took us from Nice, along the south coast before heading north to Mont St Michel and on to Paris, and then the Alsace wine region.
Germany
We had an unforgettable month-long Christmas Market road trip which mainly focused on Germany and that is something everyone should experience at least once. What’s not to love when you combine Medieval towns with comfort food?
Hong Kong
A popular layover stop for Aussies heading to Europe and also a place we have visited as a standalone destination. Good cheap food and an almost overwhelmingly huge street market scene.
Italy
We had a few weeks in Italy and loved almost every part of our stay. Florence remains one of the most amazing cities we have visited but, as we find with most major cities, Rome did not live up to the hype.
Luxembourg
Some may say this shouldn’t even count as it was little more than a rest stop as we drove between Belgium and Germany. But hey, at least we saw some of the countryside and didn’t just visit the airport!
Malaysia
Our favourite Asian food destination and a great place to mix beach resort relaxing stays, great natural wildlife experiences, relatively cheap prices, and culture. It still rates as one of our two favourites in Asia.
Netherlands
Amsterdam may be a popular tourist destination but gloomy weather throughout our visit did nothing to push it high on our list of favourites. The windmills at Kinderdijk made for a nice day trip though and much of the country is great for a road trip.
New Zealand
This was Dean’s first overseas trip when he was 12, but more recently we had two weeks driving through some of the world’s most spectacular scenery on an iconic South Island road trip. We are planning a return trip in the near future.
Peru
WOW! From stays in the Peruvian Amazon lodges to standing at the edge of the bucket-list Machu Picchu, from the strange experience of walking on a floating island at Lake Titicaca to watching a street parade in the fantastic town that is Cusco.
Singapore
Singapore is a popular layover when travelling between Australia and Europe and it is also a lovely, albeit expensive, place to explore for a few days. The mix of cultures makes Singapore one of the great foodie destinations in Asia.
Thailand
We have experienced political riots in Bangkok, world-class snorkelling near the islands around Phuket, and one of our favourite Asian towns is Chiang Mai (although it seems to be much more touristy now than it was when we visited.)
Vanuatu
A popular family vacation spot for Aussies due to its location. We left Vanuatu with great memories of people, the culture, standing on the edge of the active volcano Mt Yasur, learning about tribal traditions, and plenty of snorkelling.
Wales
One of the most spectacular road trips we have driven. Wales is packed with gorgeous scenery, cute little towns like Betws-y-Coed, and unbelievable historic castle ruins. All things that go a long way towards making our perfect getaway.
What travel means to us
With over 40,000 kilometres of road trips spread across more than a dozen countries, we consider ourselves seasoned veterans of this travel style, and we love to share this passion with you.
But just because we love to road trip doesn’t mean we aren’t open to something different like small group tours, using local buses and trains, or basing ourselves in a single location and spending a few days or even a week or more just checking out the local area.
And once we arrive, our favourite way to experience these places is to slip on some comfy walking shoes and wander through the main streets and backroads, getting a feel for the true nature and local culture offered by each town.
You won’t find any guides on surviving on $5 a day here, and only the rare mention of anything 5-star (only when we stumble upon a massive bargain). It’s not that we don’t like luxury, we just want to spend our limited travel budget on amazing experiences and getting value for money.
Value for money travel doesn’t mean only doing things if they are cheap, it means getting the most from the overall experience. We would rather stay in a decent but cheap hotel room and then splurge on a helicopter landing and hike on a glacier, than blow the budget by staying in a fancy resort and only getting as close as seeing the same glacier from our gold-plated, goose-down pillowed, four post, king sized bed.
Another thing you won’t find here are articles on travelling as a cruise tourist or as “old people on a luxury coach watching the world through a window”. No disrespect meant if that’s your thing but we want to be a lot more active and explore at our own pace. We like to describe it as “soft adventure”… no abseiling, bungy jumping, or cliff diving, but plenty of hiking, meeting locals, and truly experiencing different cultures.
Do everything you want to do while you still can
We have travelled as often as time and money allowed over the past 30+ years together and experienced several different travel styles. Small Group touring in South America, rail in Europe, and flying from city to city in Asia; and we have ticked off dozens of the top tourist bucket list items.
But now we realise that the best memories from all of that travel are those that happened away from tourist hubs. The small towns, local cultural experiences that are traditional and not just performances for the crowds, regional recipes that have not been altered to suit foreigners, and stunning scenery you will only witness when you get off the Highways.
We also know that while we still think we are in our 20s our bodies tend to disagree, and like to remind us at the most inopportune moments. With this in mind, we take every opportunity to travel that we can, and to go as far from home as we need to, because we realise that one day, long flights and lugging suitcases might be more trouble than it’s worth.
But who are we?
We are Dean and Pauline, an Aussie couple obsessed with getting the best value out of every travel dollar and every vacation day we can find. A little over 10 years ago we started a travel blog called La Vida Global, which was an obvious thing to do when it came to wanting to share our adventures with family and friends, and ultimately the world.
Married for over 30 years and travelling together almost from day one, we now have more than 25 countries stamped into our passports and have no intention of stopping there. Until recently we were family travellers, with our daughter Dana rounding out the group, until she decided we were slowing her down and cramping her style and now travels her own path around the world. Now it’s just the two of us, so it’s good that we like the same things… and each other!
In 2020 we felt it was time change our name for a fresh start. Plus Dean forgot to renew the La Vida Global name which meant our decision was sped up a little. And so we have become Reasons to Visit, and we now focus on helping people just like us…
Young at heart 50+ travellers who have seen plenty of the tourist hotspots and are now looking at something with a bit more authenticity. Sure we all like to see the most famous tourist sights in the world, they are usually popular for very good reason. But give us the choice of spending a few days in the big city or getting out and seeing the smaller towns and we will be asking where to rent a car before the words have finished coming out of your mouth.
We seek out places with character, usually filled with history or an old-world charm. We hunt for local food rather than eat at a worldwide fast food brand restaurant. And we love learning about the local people and watching them go about their day (but not in a creepy way). If there is an “Old Town” area to visit then you will probably find us there.
We are also people who search for spectacular scenery, we are particularly drawn to a good waterfall but we are in our element with anything from seascapes to sweeping plains and through to rugged mountains and unusual rock formations.
It may just be the way we see things but add a touch of snow and it makes everything even better. We don’t get to see snow very often so a snow-covered landscape to us is the bacon of landscape scenes, it makes them all seem better.
Hi friends… we are Dean and Pauline
Dean
The driving force behind Reasons to Visit. (see what I did there?) Photography, web design, marketing, vacation planning, road trip driving, humourous writing… these are all things I try with varying levels of success.
I have been in the travel industry since 2012 in various roles, retail travel agent, tour designer, tour director, wholesale reservation consultant and tour operations support.
Take me back to Mexico and I am in my happy place. But a road trip in the USA or Australia, or a chance to visit the old medieval towns of Europe will also keep me amused for weeks, or months.
Pauline
Chief Financial Officer of the Reasons to Visit lifestyle and the only thing standing between me and a life of permanent travel. Well, Pauline and the lack of an unlimited source of money.
Pauline has a very stressful government job in the Health industry so when she has time off she wants the maximum escape from work that she can possibly get her hands on.
Any destination is OK as long as there is a bit of time built in for relaxation and a healthy supply of “happy hour” priced cocktails. Make sure there is a beach, a waterfall, or a pool nearby and Pauline is good to go!
Contact us
Email : [email protected]