Oluwatoyin Tobi's Travel Blog

A vast country like Australia attracts millions of people every year. Some come for the business purpose while some visit the country only to explore the exotic beaches and places that it has to offer. Many people who fill Australia visa application form basically want to see, experience and sink into its magnificent views and diverse culture. From Queensland to Western Australia, Tasmania to the Northern Territory, you can always come face to face with panoramic views that are always on display. Although this is only a slice of what this country actually has to offer, our list comprises one of the few places which are unarguably the most 10 beautiful views in Australia: DEVILS MARBLES – Located in Karlu Karlu/ Devil Marbles Conservation Reserve, these large granite boulders are gravity defying rock formations that are shaped by weather and erosion. Mysteriously balanced on top of each other, some of them are even been slip into two halves by natural forces. The site h...

Passengers travelling in the Indian Railways towards Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are in for a relief. Reportedly, the southern arm of the Indian Railways, starting from today, has kick-started its all new, direct weekly express train service to and from Mysuru and Renigunta. The train number 11065 Mysuru – Renigunta weekly express began from Friday, June 1, 2018, and train number 11066 Renigunta – Mysuru weekly express train service will start from Saturday, June 2, 2018. Both the trains will have 1 AC 2-tier coach, 3 AC 30-tier coaches, 3 general class coaches, 8 sleeper class coaches and 2 luggage-cum-brake van coaches. Every Friday, train number 11065 Mysuru – Renigunta weekly express train will depart from Mysuru at 10:55 PM. The train will reach Renigunta the following day at 08:25 AM. The train will halt enroute at Mandya at 11:33 PM, KSR Bengaluru City at 1:20 AM, Bangalore Cantonment at 1:35 AM, Jolarpettai at 4:23 AM and Katpadi at 5:33 AM. Photo by...

It’s part of the Thimble Islands chain in Long Island Sound   Privacy, sea views and a little bit of adventure are some of the hallmarks of the newly listed home on the private Potato Island.   Part of the Thimble Islands off the shore of Connecticut in the Long Island Sound, the private island was put up for sale earlier this month for $4.9 million. John Campbell of Christie’s International Real Estate has the listing. The island gets its name from a group of boulders, dubbed "the potatoes," that were near the shore. Three of these boulders were appropriated to fill in the island. The summer estate, which is accessible from April 1 to Nov. 1, has its own deep-water dock and a mooring for a sailboat just 50 yards from the island. It’s about a five-minute boat ride from the harbor in the village of Stony Creek, Connecticut, part of the bigger town of Branford, and about a 90-minute commute to Manhattan. "It really feels like a get...

Credit: ThinkStock Photos Planning a foreign vacay can be a stressful task even for the most seasoned travellers. You need to scout for the cheapest flight deals, book accommodation way ahead of the planned date, plan the itinerary and the logistics. But the most difficult bit of planning a trip is looking into visa requisite. We say, you can avoid visa hassles by making some smart choices when it comes to the travel destination. Go ahead and check out the countries that allow tourists to enter their boundaries without a visa. Fiji Credit: ThinkStock Photos Fiji is an island of high fame and striking beauty having no parallel. It is home to the heavenly beaches , top-of-the-line spas , exemplary adventure sports, mind-blowing food and a melange of cultures. What makes it worth to be added to your bucket list is the four-month-long visitor permit on arrival. Be sure you have the return travel tickets, proof of stay, bank statements for the last three months and a...

Credit: ThinkStock Photos Zimbabwe has eased its visa process and will be offering visa on arrival to 28 other countries including India, Mexico, Ethiopia, Panama, Romania and Armenia among others. The ease in the process will result in less processing time than earlier, and hassles to go the embassy are now a history. For travelling to Zimbabwe, you just need to have proper travelling documents from now on. Read More: South Africa, celebrity travel and Bollywood go hand in hand! The country’s Vice President, Rtd. Gen. Constantino Chiwenga recently said that government is aiming to move away from the trend in most African countries, where almost two-thirds of the world’s population must obtain visas before entering. Even Rwanda’s progressive visa regime has allowed the open border policy, which allows visitors from across the globe and would be issued visas on arrival. As a part of improving its relations with India and inviting more tourists to Zimbabwe, the mov...

    With Singapore being one of the most-visited destinations by Indians, there has been a huge surge in the Singapore visa requirements. While this fact might not be news to you, the easy process of applying for a visa would surely be. To start with, you do not need an entry visa to visit Singapore if you have an official or diplomatic passport! Add to it the fact that the entire process is online since Singapore High Commission does not accept individual walk-in applications.Getting Singapore tourist visa is not a difficult task at all. Let's run through the basics of getting the visa. The process of applying for a Singapore visa for Indians ― With the process of applying for a visa entirely online, you need to file for an e-visa and submit the application to an authorized visa agent. You can download the Singapore visa application form from the ICA website or obtain one from any of the authorized travel agents/any Singapore Overseas Missions. Yo...

The Malaysian Government has all your visa hassles resolved in one decision. Henceforth, just one e-visa will allow you to fly to Malaysia; it is also anticipated to get travellers access to Malaysia 's neighbouring countries including Singapore , South Thailand and Indonesia*. The e-visa for Indian tourists will have a validity of 15 days. In an attempt to encourage tourism in Malaysia, which sees hoards of Indian tourists visiting its shores every year, Malaysian PM Najib Razak, who is the first Malaysian Prime Minister to visit India , announced that his government will wave off the entire visa fee for Indians travelling to the country. At a recent joint press con in India with PM Narendra Modi, speaking on his master stroke to promote tourism, PM Razak said, “History binds us together. Indian languages, culture and food are popular in Malaysia. I'm a fan of Indian films, especially after visiting Chennai.” Moreover, the PM assured that the Malaysia...

    If you’ve set your heart on a trip to Malaysia but are not sure about the visa formalities for the same, here’s simplifying the process for you. The first step if you wish to get a Malaysia visa is to choose between a visa with reference and a visa without reference. One without reference is approved for social, tourist or business visit by the Consulate General of Malaysia. A visa with reference is approved if you’re seeking one for studying, working or social visit and need to stay for a longer period of time than allowed by a visa with reference. You must also apply for a Malaysia visa at least a month prior to your date of travel. Moreover, you need to submit a visa fee of INR 1000 as visa processing fee. That would be in addition to INR 335 (approx) charged by VFS as service fee and INR 2000 as VLN fee. One can also apply Malaysia visa online . Essential Malaysia visa information & required documents You need to have the following set of...

Credit: ThinkStock Photos Lured by Thailand, the land of white elephants and Buddha, a place that so often blurs the line between real and surreal? If yes, then you must be wondering about the easiest way to get a Thailand tourist visa. Unlike some other countries, Thailand has quite a relaxed visa policy and a simple process in place. If you've been looking for information regarding the visa process, here's the most comprehensive guide to know everything about Thailand visa requirements. Consider yourself lucky if you have an Official/Diplomatic/Service or Special Passport, since you do not need a visa for Thailand if your stay does not exceed a period of 30 and 90 days. You should ideally apply for a visa three months before you intended date of arrival in Thailand. The process of getting a Thailand visa for Indians Credit: ThinkStock Photos The first step while applying for a visa is to choose between a Tourist Visa, Transit Visa and a Non-Imm...

  If running away to a desert island and spending your days surrounded by books sounds like a dream, we may have found the job for you. Philip Blackwell, founder of Ultimate Library, is sending one lucky bookworm to the Maldives to manage a pop-up bookstore inside luxury resort Soneva Fushi . Sunny day at #sonevafushi . . . #discoversoneva #experiencesoneva #relaischateaux #gastronomylifestyle #michelinguidefood 📸 @benoit_dewitte A post shared by Soneva (@discoversoneva) on Jul 24, 2018 at 4:47am PDT “We want someone on the ground who is creative and inspiring and can maybe get more people to share the pleasure of reading, which is what people enjoy doing on holiday,” Blackwell told The Guardian . The store will carry books on topics about the local environment, as well as titles that may be of interest to the A-list celebrities, wealthy ...

  According to the Central Bureau of Statistics of Israel , from January to June 2018 about 2.1 million tourist entries were recorded - an increase of 19 percent over the same period in 2017 (1.74 million) and 26 percent more than in 2016. The United States remains the largest source country for incoming tourists, with 470,200 tourist entries in 2018, 17% more than 2017. More Canadians than ever are also traveling to Israel with a 14% visitor increase in 2018 compared to 2017.   The signicant increase in tourism is a result of the Ministry of Tourism’s intensive marketing efforts and activities around the world. See below for some exciting new hotel openings, festivals, and museum exhibits that’s drawing tourists to Israel. New hotels: The Drisco – After a $35 million investment and more than a decade of intensive work led by architect and interior designer Mr. Ari Shaltiel , The Drisco hotel officially opened for reservations in June. The 42-room hote...

     People are more concerned about getting a good deal on a vacation than they are about any other discretionary purchase in their life, according to Google . If you've already started looking at flights and hotels for the upcoming holiday season, you probably know what they're talking about. Knowing whether or not that $452 round-trip flight from JFK to LAX for Thanksgiving is good or not is hard, but Google is hoping to offer a bit more insight with new features released Monday.   The first is an infographic that visualizes Thanksgiving flight prices between major airports, showing how average fares are likely to fluctuate in the months and weeks leading up to the holiday. So, for travel from New York City to Los Angeles from Nov. 19–25, Google found that average airfares trend upward 140–120 days ahead of departure (hitting a high of $490), then drop about 90 days before (hitting a low of $310), th...

    You might find it imperative to understand the fact that Maldives is a country which has several festivities all year round and visiting it within one of these is an ultimate way to boast your enjoyment. If you are not planning to opt for a resort then maybe it is not the best idea to visit during Ramazan. This month is when you really won’t get any food during the day. However the resorts would have their policies. Even if this is true, you could take a little compromise and arrive during the last few days of Ramazan as you shall experience the festivities of a lifetime after the last day of Ramazan colloquially known as ‘Fithuru Eid’  You might be lucky not to get drenched in food colour but then this is the only time of the year when the people of all kinds and ages get together and celebrate the auspicious occasion of Eid. You would get to see several shows organized by the schools which includes parades and concerts and even tournamen...

World’s First Underwater Yoga Experience at Hurawalhi Island, Maldives   Hurawalhi Maldives, one of the most prominent luxury hotel resorts in Maldives has decided to host the first ever underwater yoga worldwide. This is such that a good opportunity could be provided for the guests and to let them yield the health and benefits of Yoga in the richness of the underwater beauty of Maldives. Take part in the world’s first undersea yoga: Set in the Lhaviyani Atoll, notably one of the Maldives’ most bio-diverse areas, Hurawalhi Island Resort is setting new standards for an ‘outdoor’ practice and becoming one with nature. For the first time, Hurawalhi͛’s 5.8 restaurant – the world’s largest, all-glass undersea restaurant, will be converted in to a yoga studio like no other. Hurawalhi’s special underwater yoga experience will be led by Jessica Olie , fitness expert and author of #LetsStartYoga . The captivating views of tropical fish around you as yo...

As you might have already known, Maldives is one of the best tourist destinations counted upon the entire world. It has won commendable titles such as, “The sunny side of life” and “Paradise on Earth.”. Since this is so, Maldives has developed in an enthralling rate in the field of tourism. The industry of tourism has opened innumerable job opportunities for the young generation of Maldives. Nevertheless, it is a prime issue that only a minority of people are wholly aware how this excellent industry paved its way to the level it is now. This History of tourism in Maldives  however, is not at all a mystery. Hence, it is vital to make a short emphasis of this History of tourism in Maldives. Travel aficionado The Italian traveler George Corbin was the first to make his way to the South Asian Countries. He visited countries such as India and Sri Lanka as well. He found Maldives has a breathtaking collection of islands and he saw a potential in this archipela...

    The Maldives has long been associated with ambitious underwater ventures. Earlier this summer, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island announced plans to build what's said to be the world's first undersea residence that's partially submerged underwater. Coralarium - Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi And now there's another reason to take a dip: the world's first semi-submerged museum. Located in the Shaviyani Atoll, the underwater sculpture park and marine sanctuary -- dubbed the Coralarium -- is a collaboration between the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi and British artist and environmental activist Jason deCaires Taylor. "The Coralarium is a place of preservation, conservation and education. Together with the resort, we hope to raise awareness for the protection of Maldivian coral reefs," said Taylor said in a statement. "I want to see a better future for the ocean, for people to see it as a delicate place, worthy of our pr...