Sydney Items

STA Travel is offering free working holiday visas

Tourism Australia has now revealed the 23 candidates shortlisted for one of the six ‘Best Jobs in the World’. However, if you missed out on one of these, you can still enjoy a working holiday down under as STA Travel is now offering free Working Holiday Visas for a limited period, as well as savings on travel around Australia.

Best places to celebrate St Patrick’s Day

Although an Irish festival, St Patrick’s Day parades and celebrations seem to have been adopted throughout the entire world. Whether you’re backpacking across the United States, a gap year working holiday in Australia or simply travelling around Europe - here are the best places to celebrate St Paddy’s Day.

Best places to celebrate Chinese New Year

Next month on February 10, millions across Asia will be celebrating the Chinese New Year of the black water snake. The Chinese New Year is the biggest festival in the Chinese calendar, but is also celebrated in many other countries across the world. In Chinese tradition the year of the snake is said to bring steady progress and an astute awareness to details, while people born in the year of the snake are thought to be wise and enigmatic. Here are the best places to celebrate the Chinese New Year across the world.

Sydney named Australia’s favourite city

The harbour side capital took the title at The Australian Traveller Readers' Choice Awards, beating last year's winner, Melbourne, by just a single vote.

Why Australia is perfect for a gap year

If you're planning a gap year, Australia is an absolute must to include somewhere on your itinerary, whether it's for a relatively short visit or a stay of several months. Find out why with our guide to what makes the country so perfect for a year out.

Speed dating with ... Sydney

Not sure where you want to go on your gap year, why not spend five minutes speed dating with Australia’s most famous city – Sydney, getting to know a bit more about her.

YHA wins at Australian Tourism Awards

Two YHA hostels have scooped the top awards for backpacker accommodation at the 2012 Quantas Australian Tourism Awards.

Interview with a backpacker

MaptheGap.co.uk chats with Andrew Turner about his gap year experience backpacking and working around Australia.

Top five places to celebrate New Year’s around the world

It’s coming up to that time of the year again - saying goodbye to one year and welcoming in the next with style. If you’re travelling this year, then why not take this opportunity to head to some of the world’s best spots to celebrate? Here is our list of the top five places to celebrate New Year's Eve.

Sydney's Manly Scenic Walkway - when the city meets nature

When on a gap year, it is great to come across a destination that offers the convenience and facilities of a city, with the stunning views and quiet of a national park. If this sounds perfect, your first port of call should be booking air travel to Sydney.

Working holidays in Australia

Australia attracts over 600,000 visitors from the UK per year and is a popular country to work and travel in during a gap year.

Feature: The great Australian East Coast backpacking trip

Think of backpacking and what comes to mind? Many people would say the vast land of Australia first of all as it embodies this fun filled travel experience perfectly. Some would even go further to suggest the country was made for backpackers!

Feature: Gap year ideas for visitors to Australasia

Always high on the list of gap year destinations are the fabulous countries of Australia and New Zealand. They offer the first time traveller new sights and experiences but with the benefits of being English speaking! Australia is a vast country, and while New Zealand is a lot smaller, can be quite rural in parts

Pick your perfect Mardi Gras party town

A Mardi Gras international guide has been put together by a top travel firm. HotelsCombined.com have named their best places to let your hair down during the 2011 Mardi Gras season. New Orleans, Louisiana, tops the online list.

HI survey finds the world's best hostels

Hostelling International has discovered that the world's best hostels can be found in Thailand, the USA, and Australia, after a survey of 77,000 guests picked the most friendly and comfortable places to stay.

Get the in-depth guide to Australia in 2011

If you're heading down under for an antipodean gap year adventure, then be sure to pick up a copy of the Cox & Kings brochure to get inspired itineraries and great road trip ideas all across Australia.

Gap year stop offs from as little as £29 per night

If you're yearning to escape the wintery conditions and have your eye on a sun-soaked gap year, then Octopus Travel can help save on accommodation costs, with cheap rooms in southern hemisphere hotspots.

Discover more than just kangaroos in Australia

The Australian countryside is real animal-lovers' paradise, with so many species that it is officially classified as one of only 12 megadiverse countries in the world. For this reason, YHA Australia has rounded up the best flora and fauna to seen on your gap year.

On the road again: Australian road trips

Lonely Planet has teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to produce the ultimate guide to taking an Australian road trip, which includes full itineraries for exploring the outback on four wheels.

Triple win for Queenstown at Backpacker awards

New Zealand got one over on their Australian neighbours at this year's Golden Backpacker Awards, with venues in Queenstown taking the top prizes for best adventure, accommodation and nightlife.

Avoid the graduate jobs scrap with an Australian gap year

With graduate unemployment in the UK set to hit 25 per cent, a year out in Australia could be the perfect way to kick-start your career.

Gap year students are 'more motivated'

Students who take a year out to travel are more likely to be highly motivated than their counterparts who stayed in education after finishing school, according to research published in Education Week. The study was carried out by University of Sydney researcher Andrew J. Martin for the Journal of Educational Psychology and analysed more than 2,800 high school and college students in Australia.