As buzzwords go, “hack” is one of the 21^st century”s most overplayed. You’re promised life hacks, style hacks, home hacks, hacks at work, and hacks to help your iPhone battery hold a charge. Your eyes are glazing over just from reading “hack” six times in a row (er, make that seven).

But if there’s once instance of the word you shouldn’t ignore, it’s this: travel hacking. The world’s most successful travel hackers are jetsetting on the cheap, booking big trips on small budgets and crossing country after country off their bucket lists. They’re travel ninjas without the nunchucks (but only because they’re impossible to get through security).

Hardcore travel hackers dedicate their lives to accruing miles, earning rewards points, and chasing elite status. They’ll happily spend hours scanning the fine print for loop holes and looking for the latest credit card to add to their collection. Crazy? Maybe, but you don’t have to walk the fine line between smart travel and insane obsession to get the benefits.

Casual travellers have plenty of perks to earn from understanding the basics, so we’ve put together a total beginner’s guide to travel hacking. The world awaits.

What Is Travel Hacking?

Having your Tinder account hacked: bad. Travel hacking: one of the best things to happen to your bank account.

Unlike the first kind of hacking, this kind is entirely legal. Travel hacking means working within the rules set up by airlines, credit cards, and hotels – but learning to use them (some might say “exploit”) to your advantage. Frugal travellers can score free or discounted flights, lodging, transportation, and other essentials using these methods. See more of the world and spend less doing it – what’s not to love?

Although travel hacking sounds sexy and dangerous, like Neo navigating the Matrix, in actuality it’s simple to start booking more affordable flights. No red pill or blue pill needed.

Travel Hacking: Level One

If this is your first time exploring the vast world of travel hacking techniques, you’ll want to start with level one. Master the fundamentals before you move on to more glamorous methods.

Travel hacking in its most primitive form can be summed up in one word: flexibility. The more flexible you can be with your travel plans, the more money you stand to save. Dedicate time to fully researching your flight options, and keep everything recorded in a document or spreadsheet, before booking any tickets. Follow these steps to find the lowest fares:

Start With An Aggregator

Use a site like Kayak to determine your baseline. Kayak and other aggregator services search multiple websites simultaneously so you can view a variety of options in one glance. Once you have the results from your first search, cross check with other, more global aggregators. Skyscanner and Momondo are favourites amongst travel hackers.

Expand Your Search

One of the major perks of using aggregators is that they often allow you to conduct flexible searches. Kayak users can search 3 days before and after the dates they select, while Skyscanner can return results for an entire month. If you don’t need to travel on specific dates, this is one of the easiest ways to find your cheapest flight options.

You may also be able to search with flexible destinations. Both Kayak and Momondo allow you to search nearby airports just by checking a box. If you use a site that doesn’t have a similar feature, you can conduct the research manually. Look into multiple airports that serve the same city (like John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark for New York City), as well as alternative routes. If you’re willing to take an extra flight or a form of ground transportation, it may be cheaper to fly into a different city and then travel to your final destination.

The rule is always this: more flexible you are with your search, the more likely you are to find a killer deal.

Go To The Source

When you’ve identified your best option from aggregator sites, it’s time to confirm the price. Head to that airline’s website from your search engine – do not click through from the aggregator. Some airlines price tickets lower on their own websites than they do on aggregators to entice passengers to book directly.

For an advanced travel hacking trick, search the airline’s foreign website as well. The prices can be significantly different, or you may be able to take advantage of exchange rates. It’s sometimes possible to save money by booking in another currency.

Watch For Deals

Travel hacking isn’t for the lazy. As you can see, a thorough price comparison requires serious time investment and equally serious organisational skills. Critics may call it common sense shopping around, but few travellers put this kind of effort into a flight search on a regular basis.

Then again, even globetrotters who are serious about saving cash don’t always have time to sink into the search. An easier option is to use a service like Airfarewatchdog to keep an eye on lower fares. Set up alerts for your desired destinations and the site will send you an email whenever an affordable flight is available. You can also follow travel blogs that post deals, like The Points Guy, Upgraded Points and Secret Flying.

Take A Gamble On Glitch Fares

The final level one travel hacking technique is not for the faint of heart, but can result in major savings. Meet the error fare, an occasional glitch in the airline matrix that never lasts long and isn’t always honoured, but can be responsible for the cheapest flights of your life.

On occasion (and maybe more often than you think), an airline accidentally prices a fare extremely low. Act fast if you spot one. Savvy travellers rush to snatch up the dirt-cheap tix before they disappear, which happens as soon as the airline realises its mistake. Fortunately, the airlines often honour fares booked during the glitch as a gesture of good will. It doesn’t happen 100% of the time, so be prepared to have your ticket cancelled, but serious travel hackers are willing to take the risk.

The post A Beginner's Guide To Travel Hacking: Level One appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Let’s face it, work is no man’s friend. The torturous act of sacrificing eight hours of your life (or more) a day can often take its toll on your body. This is especially true when arriving at the very bane of your toil – the dreaded 3 p.m. slump. Arnold Schwarzenegger once said something profound along the lines of: “Put the cookie down!”

#1 Drop The Mouse & Step Away From The Screen

You heard right. Eye strain is a real thing and as simple as it may sound, most people who complain of the 3 p.m. slump completely ignore it. Tiredness stems from strained eyes so keep a good distance from your screen (arm’s length), remember to blink regularly and always have eye droplets ready.

#2 Avoid White Bread & Sugar

You know the drill. High sugar treats such as lollies, chocolates and soft drinks can raise your energy levels rapidly and then make you crash as your blood-sugar level regulates. The result is you’ll feel even more tired and letharfgic than when you started. Go for healthier options and if you need sugar, try natural coconut water or juice instead.

#3 Smaller Food Portions For A Slower Burn

It may be hard iof your work involves being on the move but if possible, try to break up your meals into smaller portions over the day’s duration. Three to four hours between small meals is all you’ll need to fight the mid-afternoon restlessness when the body’s glucose and energy levels naturally subside. Within the small meals, be sure to have a controlled portion of carbohydrates in there to provide energy without making you gain weight.

#4 Use Your Damn Legs

Legs are often the most neglected parts of the human body when sitting down on a chair for hours on end. Use them wisely to change your working environment in order to keep the brain ticking over. This works especially well if your office is open planned. If not, hit up the local cafe, the park or even the meeting room. The combination of blood circulation and a different environment should help you power through the rest of the day.

#5 Talk & Chew Gum (Not At The Same Time)

Chewing sugar-free gum can get your brain firing again as the motion gets blood flowing throughout your head. It’s a quick, easy and not too troublesome a task when you’re seriously under the pump. Be sure to avoid the bubble gum variety though as this stuff is packed full of sugar. When you’re done chewing, pop by to a colleague to say hi. the simple act of conversing can get the endorphins going and give other parts of it a much needed break.

The post 5 Simple Ways To Get Over The Dreaded 3 p.m. Slump appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

There’s no shortage of breathtaking Italian beauties in this world but one name has long stood synonymous with the notion of pure aesthetic form. This name is Alfa Romeo, an esteemed carmaker which came to fruition way back to 1910.

Just like its fashion constituents, Alfa Romeo hails from the stylish city of Milan. Its name stands for ‘Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili’, meaning Anonymous Lombard Automobile Factory in the English tongue.

There’s more to Alfa Romeo than just a quirky back story though. As soon as the brand was conceived, it found itself in racing categories across Europe from 1911. This would cement the Italian car maker as one of the most legendary names in car making and racing circles to date.

From the road to Formula One to touring cars to rally, these are the seven Alfa Romeo automobiles that defined an illustrious brand backed by passion and flair.

#1 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Mille Miglia

Ralph Lauren owns one so you know it’s cool. Billed as one of the finest cars to ever roll out of Alfa Romeo, the 8C2900s were made for both the road and track. The car boasted a supercharged 2.9-litre in-line eight engine which pushes out 180hp sent through a four-speed gearbox.

#2 1964 Alfa Romeo TZ

Bearing the hallmarks of a seasoned rally racer, the TZ was Alfa Romeo’s go-to GT car during the 60s. For very good reasons too, with the TZ’s 1.6-litre inline four engine setting the standard for pace during its time whilst the dramatic sloping rear roofline ensured it scored points in the beauty contest as well.

#3 1967 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale Continuation

With only 18 examples ever produced, the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale Continuation is considered one of the most beautiful Alfa Romeos ever. The car’s curvaceous design was penned by Franco Scaglione during the the 1960s in order to launch the Alfa name back into the highly regarded endurance racing circles. The street legal version pictured was advanced for its time, being made entirely of an alluminium body wrapped around an alluminium tubular chassis.

#4 1970 Alfa Romeo Montreal

This particular beauty began life as a concept for a Motreal Expo and even made it as a production car. Under the heavily vented bonnet was a throaty V8 which complemented the car’s muscular lines perfectly.

#5 1972 Alfa Romeo Trans-Am 1750 GTV

Back when Trans-Am was at the pinnacle of motorsport during the seventies, two manufacturers battled it out in the sub-2.0-litre class. Nissan was one, the other was Alfa Rome’s beefed up 1750 GTV. The wild machine was powered by a 1.8-litre four0cylinder which pumped out 130hp.

#6 1966 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider

A classic roadster always has a place in the list of coolest cars. The Duetto was Alfa’s homage to open top driving, presence and exuberance on the road. Smooth body lines accentuated the sleek Italian styling of the Duetto whilst a 1.6-litre engine ensured that lightness would keep the car nimble for the twisty parts.

#7 1968 Alfa Romeo Bertone Carabo

Arguably one of the most radical designs in the Alfa Romeo history books is the Bertone Carabo. As a concept car, the Bertone was based on the Alfa Type 33 Stradale chassis. That’s where the similarities would end though with car designer Marcello Gandini penning the striking wedge shaped lines that would eventually open the floodgates to modern supercar styling. The car is powered by a 2.0-litre V8 engine.

#8 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C

The Italian marque’s Lotus fighter is an exercise in a purist’s driving car. There’s no power steering, it’s lightweight, mid-engined and darn noisy in the best possible way. Not that you’d mind the 237hp 1.7-litre turbo singing away behind your head.  A true future classic in the making.

The post Best Alfa Romeo Cars Of All Time appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Pop quiz hotshot: It’s a dreary Friday night and your friends have nowhere to go for dinner (because guys don’t plan ahead, obviously). What do you do? Well in this instance, you follow that succulent smell of barbecue straight to Ribs & Burgers for a hearty hit of succulent grilled meats.

With an extensive number of eateries littered across Sydney, you’ll be hard-pressed not to stumble across one whether you’re in town or out in the suburbs.

RELATED: Steak Out Sydney: 8 Best Places To Get Your Meat On

As we discovered at a recent rib degustation for Ribs & Burgers, it’s not just convenience that brings the crowds through the doors. Their menu serves up some of the most succulent ribs of the beef, pork and lamb variety which can take up to eight hours to cook. The beef and lamb is prepared in a dry rub whilst the pork is prepared in a wet sauce in order to specifically enhance each meat’s flavour the way they were intended.

Paired with intricately blended sauces such as a 40-year-old secret lemon and herb basting and lathered in their thick signature BBQ sauce, the result is tender cuts of meat that melt in your mouth every single time. If you’re a chicken fan, you’ll also be glad to hear that Ribs & Burgers haven’t neglected you with a 24-hour marinating process designated to all their poultry dishes.

Given the amount of food that we were able to sample, it’s good to know that it’s a guilt free pleasure when eating at this particular destination. All of their meats are grass fed and hormone-free whilst the ribs and burgers themselves are hand prepared before they hit the heat. Think of it like artisans running your local hamburger shop and you’re almost there – if it weren’t for the cool vintage fit out which takes after a classic butcher shop and bistro diner.

One other little fact that sets Ribs & Burgers apart from the run of the mill grill eatery is of course the range of craft beers to go with your meal. Little Creatures, James Squire, White Rabbit and Pipsqueak are just some of the more unique beverages amongst established favourites like Corona and Heineken.

Overall the meat and beer paring provided a unique dining experience to what would normally be a straight forward affair. Now we just have to find some friends.

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There’s still so much we don’t know about our universe. Why are black holes so terrifying? Can we live on Mars? And most importantly, are we alone in the universe? Well, according to a new study published in Nature, we might not be after all.

A star about 40 lightyears from Earth, known as TRAPPIST-1 or an ‘ultracool dwarf’ for it’s low temperatures, is orbited by 3 planets that may be the most temperate and Earth-like ones ever discovered outside of our own solar system.

The research, conducted by investigators from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Liège in Belgium and elsewhere involved extensive observations of stars with a 60-centimetre telescope to find exoplanets. When located, TRAPPIST-1 indicated the existence of at least 3 planets, all of them about the diameter of Earth and all of them orbiting at a distance where water (the ingredient for life) could exist in liquid form.

There a couple of hitches though. Two of the three planets complete a single orbit once every 1.5 and 2.4 days, respectively, which is much faster than Earth’s 365-day orbit. This makes the planets closer to TRAPPIST-1 than we are to the sun. While we would flame up being that close to the sun, these planets are comfortably close as TRAPPIST-1 isn’t as hot.

Before we all get excited about new space adventures, or perhaps the existence of aliens, spacecrafts won’t be visiting TRAPPIST-1 any time soon. Even though the planet is only 40 light years from Earth, it’s still far beyond the reach of our probes.

The discovery of TRAPPIST-1, however, means that telescopes around the world can study other planets in great detail and look for biosignatures of methane, oxygen, CO2 and more, and see if they could one day bear human life.

The post The 3 New Planets Most Likely Inhabited By Aliens appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

With so many fancy new hipster hotspots and Instagram-worthy eateries popping up around Australia, you’d think it would be hard to narrow them all down to a solid top 100. However, for the second year in a row, AFR along with an Australia-wide panel of Good Food Guide editors, reviewers and industry experts have done the ‘hard work’ and tantalised their tastebuds in even the farthest reaches of Australia to break down the very best.

From Neil Perry’s signature Asian-Australian favourites at Rockpool, to iconic dining at Bennelong and newcomers like Hobart’s bearded hipster hideout Franklin and Chippendale’s Ester all made the top 10 best Australian restaurants of 2016. Despite being mostly Sydney-based, the list includes a couple of curveballs from other cultural hubs.

The post Here’s What The Best Australian Restaurants Of 2016 Are Plating Up appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The Met Gala – held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – is dubbed the Superbowl of fashion. It’s the style event. It’s also the one night of the year where celebrities can get dressed up, shoulder-rub and talk movie roles or their latest platinum-selling album, without the pressure of taking home the Oscar or Emmy.

But there’s still the stress of how to dress: who wore which designer, and more importantly, who wore it better?

Like all good parties, there’s a theme. This year’s Met Gala was called Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology. Which meant the most famous humans in the world got to play around with machinery. How functional.

Aside from a masked Will.i.am, who obviously took style cues from Daft Punk (and Zorro, judging by his wide-brim hat) and Kanye‘s beaded bomber jacket over ripped jeans (and crazy contacts?), most men stuck to the black or a navy tux with crisp white shirt and patent leather shoes.

The suit winners? Idris Elba, Alexander Skarsgard and Colin Farrell for their glove-fit take on the tux with just the right trimmings. Special mention goes out to Rami Malek (for his seventies blue suit), Jaden Smith’s kimono-cool blazer and Wiz Khalifa and Jared Leto, for making us want to dig out our white two-piece from the nineties. And sport a cane.

But it was Zayn Malik who meshed the machine-theme and suit brilliantly. Turning himself into a a real-life superhero, the former 1-Der arrived decked out in a black Versace suit, with metal-armour plates jutting down his arms.

The post 2016 Met Gala: Best Dressed Men (& Weirdest…. Yes, Kanye) appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

How often do you find a bathtub, in a bedroom, in a study? These gems don’t come along that often. Hence the virtual step inside a converted Italian barn on your Monday evening.

Located in Bomparto, Italy, a comune in the Province of Modena, this old country barn was recovered by Archiplan Studio following the damaging effects of an earthquake? The result. One hell of a bachelor pad, or ultimate countryside getaway.

The post This Converted Italian Barn Is The Ultimate Escape appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Strap on the machete, avoid the piranha-infested waters, and keep an eye out for poison blow darts. It’s time for a trek deep into the world’s best rainforests and jungles.

These gems of the natural world are filled with exotic plants and unusual creatures that have lured adventure-seekers for generations. With the rise of the modern eco-tourism industry, a visit to one no longer means hacking your way through tangled vines and clouds of mosquitos (unless you want it to).

The vast Brazilian Amazon is the planet’s most famous span of rainforest. It’s home to an estimated 390 billion individual trees and one in ten known species, making it the largest collection of living plants and animals in the world. Worth a visit? Absolutely, but it’s not the only forest in the game.

Lesser known, but equally lush, jungles can be found in Asia, Australia, Africa, and North America. You’ll find 10 of the best below to kickstart your trip planning. Try to be more Tarzan and less George of the Jungle.

Monteverde Cloud Forest | Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is one of the country’s most fascinating destinations. Monteverde supports more than one hundred mammal species, four hundred species of bird, thousands of different insects, and two-and-a-half thousand different plants. Its most notable resident is the resplendent quetzal, the brightly coloured bird that was considered divine by Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilisations. Other native creatures include howler monkeys, jaguars, ocelots, tapirs, and macaws.

Khao Sok National Park | Thailand

Khao Sok offers a welcome change of scenery from the beach resorts of Koh Samui and the intoxicated antics of the Full Moon Party. The national park is Thailand’s rainiest spot and, at 160 million years young, thought to be the oldest rainforest on Earth. Visitors come to hike, kayak, take Jeep safaris, and even ride elephants in hopes of seeing Khao Sok’s biggest draw: Rafflesia kerrii, one of the world’s biggest (and smelliest) flowers. The largest example recorded reached 112 cm in width.

Great Bear Rainforest | British Columbia, Canada

Canada isn’t a rainforest destination on most bucket lists, but it should be. British Columbia boasts the Great Bear Rainforest, a stretch of land along the Pacific Coast known for its towering spruce and red cedar trees. The forest’s animal inhabitants include kermode and grizzly bears, bald eagles, cougars, and wolves. Scattered across the Great Bear Rainforest are isolated First Nations villages and evidence, like totem poles, of their ancient ancestors.

Daintree Rainforest | Queensland, Australia

There’s little that doesn’t await in the Daintree Rainforest. Its diverse landscape includes gorges, waterfalls, mountains, dense forest, white sand beaches, and fringing reefs just offshore. Contained within that rare combination are 3% of the frog, reptile and marsupial species in Australia, 90% of Australia’s bat and butterfly species, and 7% of Australia’s bird species. Miraculously, all that diversity is contained in an area that makes up less than 1% of the country’s total landmass.

Manu National Park | Peru

Located at the meeting point of the Tropical Andes and the Amazon Basin in Southwestern Peru is Manu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The park is fairly inaccessible by road to this day, allowing its mosaic of ecological zones to remain shockingly pristine. One of the main attractions of the park are the clay licks, which are regularly visited by flocks of macaws. You may also catch a glimpse of giant otters, Brazilian tapirs, capuchins, and capybaras.

Danum Valley | Borneo, Malaysia

They say that over a hundred scientists are conducting research in the Danum Valley at any given time. It’s easy to see why. Before it became a conservation area, the forest had no human settlements whatsoever. Without interference from homo sapiens, the Danum Valley flourished. Today intrepid visitors can explore its many rope bridges in search of orangutans, rare pygmy elephants, and the photogenic Wallace’s flying frog.

Kokoda Track | Papua New Guinea

Though it was once the site of bloody battles in WWII, the Kokoda Track is peaceful and picturesque today. The a single-file foot trail runs 96 kilometres through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea. Hiking it is not for the faint of heart. Hot, humid days are coupled with cold nights, torrential rainfall, and the risk of endemic tropical diseases – but if you’re up for the gruelling trek, you’ll find yourself immersed in unspoilt jungle scenery that few will ever witness.

Tikal National Park | Guatemala

The largest ruins of the Mayan civilisation await in Tikal National Park. If they look familiar, it’s because George Lucas used the one-time Mayan capital as a shooting location for the original Star Wars film. You won’t see the Millennium Falcon there now, but you might lay eyes on spider monkeys, jaguars, gray foxes, toucans, and leafcutter ants. Take a predawn climb up one of the pyramids for an unforgettable sunrise.

Chitwan National Park | Nepal

Nepal’s first national park is also one of the country’s biggest draws. Meaning ‘Heart of the Jungle’, Chitwan protects 932 square kilometres of forest and grassland. Visitors come in droves to see leopards, wild elephants, sloth bears, and the park’s one-horned rhinos. The crowning achievement, however, is a sighting of the “king of the jungle” – the majestic Bengal tiger. Chitwan National Park is one of the best tiger habitats anywhere in the world.

Volcanoes National Park | Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park lives up to its name. It is home to five of the eight major volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains. More famously, the park is also home to the critically endangered mountain gorilla. A highlight of any stay includes tracking the breathtaking beasts, though encounters can never be guaranteed. In the event that you miss out, there are a variety of other primates (including the golden monkey), elephants, buffalo, and hyenas.

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