Comments on: A Guide To Wearing Men’s Bracelets (Tastefully) & The Bes

Business Class Passenger Livid After Being Served ‘Credit Card’ Sized Steak

A business class passenger has left a searing rebuke of the size of the steak he was served while flying at the pointy end of a Korean Air flight. He also said he, and other passengers, were not offered blankets or alcohol during the flight.

A Korean man has blasted Korean Air for the size of his steak on a recent flight from Hawaii to Korea. He took to the online social community Naver Cafe, likening it to the size of a credit card, and suggesting he wasn’t alone in his surprise.

According to SBS News, “dissatisfaction erupted everywhere.” Outlets like 9Honey and The Korea Times also reported on the complaint. SBS News says that the man said that when people ordered Ramen after receiving the small steak, those who ordered it a little late did not end up receiving it.

Some Naver Cafe users backed him up, with remarks like: “I have no conscience for giving me a meal like that for 6 million won [AU $7,200]”.

“I was more surprised at the 6.48 million won flight price than the in-flight meal. I’m giving up on overseas travel this year!”

Despite being critical of the size of his meal, the man allegedly complemented Korean Air’s business class flight attendants, saying: “The service of the flight attendants was still the best.”

Other gripes include food rationing (grapes being handed out one-by-one!) and the cheese being sliced very thinly.

COVID-19 (and the bordure closures and quarantine policies that have come with it) is allegedly to blame for the airline’s supply issues. Some passengers reportedly expressed concerns that this “low quality service will become the norm.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this fear expressed by business class passengers. In 2020 a man went viral for criticising the lack of champagne on his Singapore Airlines flight.

He called it “daylight robbery” and said the airline should be ashamed of itself for charging so much and offering so little, suggesting the airline should be charging 30% less for his flight.

Australian travellers were also a bit bemused when they were served instant noodles on a Virgin Australia business class flight, also during the pandemic. This was a sage that sparked broader concerns over the so-called Americanisation of business class.

Let’s hope things get back to normal soon.

NBA Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo Biopic Now Streaming

Disney has released an exclusive biopic called Rise, which details NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family’s life story.

Rise follows the true story of how basketball legend and two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers – Thanasis and Kosta – first decided to pursue careers in the NBA, and is now available to stream on Disney Plus.

To help tempt you to watch, Disney has shared a first look at Rise, which shows a young Giannis, played by Uche Agada, and his brother Thanasis, played by Ral Agada, getting taunted and laughed at because they share a pair of Nike Air Force 1 sneakers.

The bullies are presumably laughing at the boys’ poorness – the Antetokounmpo family wouldn’t have been able to afford a pair of sneakers for each brother which is why they share the one pair. Giannis and Thanasis rise (pun intended) above the jeers and instead focus on playing the best game they can; an attitude that clearly got them the impressive careers they now have.

Giannis and Thanasis along with their younger brother Kosta were the first trio of siblings to win an NBA championship. Kosta won a title in 2020 with the Lakers and Giannis and Thanasis won the title in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Rise will not only follow how the Antetokounmpo brothers all became professional basketball players, but it will also illustrate the struggles and hardship the entire Antetokounmpo family faced after emigrating from Nigeria to Greece. Giannas, AKA the Greek Freak, executively produced Rise and said,

“I am thrilled and honoured that Disney+ is bringing my family’s story to people all over the world. My hope is that it will inspire those in similar circumstances to keep the faith, stay true to their goals and not to give up on striving for a better life.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Rise is streaming exclusively on Disney+ as of the 24th of June.

Steph Curry Celebrates NBA Finals Victory With ‘Classy’ New Cartier Watch

Steph Curry isn’t just a prodigious basketball talent – he’s also got exceptionally good taste in watches, as his most recent horological pickup demonstrates.

Last week, Curry’s Golden State waltzed to victory over the Boston Celtics in the 6th game of the 2022 NBA Finals, with a final score of 103-90 – securing the Warriors’ 8th championship and their 4th championship in 8 years.⁠

Curry was instrumental in the Dubs’ win. The 34-year-old point guard led all players in scoring with 187 total points over the series, accounting for 29.7% of Golden State’s 629 total points scored in the Finals. Pretty impressive.

Also impressive was the luxury timepiece he treated himself to after the win. During the Warriors’ victory parade in San Francisco on Monday, Curry was spotted wearing a new Cartier Santos de Cartier (ref. WSSAA0048) while carrying this season’s trophy. Nice stuff.

The Santos de Cartier is one of the most iconic watches of all time – indeed, it holds the title of the world’s first-ever wristwatch. First developed in 1904 for the enterprising Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, the Santos has remained in production ever since and continues to be one of the most versatile and stylish luxury watches money can buy.

Curry’s Cartier is a new 2022 model that retails for US$7,800 and features a two-tone stainless steel and blue PVD case; a blue dial and a unique grooved bezel. He’s mounted it on a rubber strap that contains steel ‘rivets’; a homage to the Santos’ integrated bracelet design.

It’s a particularly savvy choice. Classy yet sporty, understated yet distinctive… It’s also a nice nod to the Warriors’ team colour, royal blue.

It’s not the only Santos Curry owns, either. He’s previously been seen rocking a yellow gold skeletonised Santos de Cartier while in more formal attire. Check out that watch – as well as the watches of some of the NBA’s other biggest stars – below.

This Genius Travel Hack Will Help You Travel The World For Free

Getting accommodation for free sounds almost too good to be true… But it’s not, if you’re an animal lover who’s willing to pet-sit, that is.

Travelling, while wonderful, has always been expensive. Thanks to COVID, however, prices have never been higher, especially for airfares – with economy flights currently going for ‘business class prices’.

But an Australian woman has come up with a clever side hustle that makes travelling much more affordable. Madolline Gourley, a 32-year-old from Brisbane, has managed to save about $28,000 in travel expenses by cat-sitting when she travels.

Over the last four years, Madolline has received free lodging in about 50 homes across Australia and the US in exchange for spending thirty minutes a day feeding and cuddling the homeowner’s pet cats.

Using various apps – like TrustedHousesitters, MindMyHouse, HouseCarers, Aussie House Sitters and House Sitters America – Madolline is connected with various people needing a cat-sitter and then offers to look after their pets in exchange for a room rather than cash.

Cat-sit on your next trip away to save money on accommodation expenses. Image Credit: Madolline Gourley

Madolline revealed to CNBC Make It that on her most recent trip she stayed in a one-bedroom apartment located in Chelsea, New York City, for free. In comparison, a one-bedroom apartment in Chelsea goes for roughly $400 a night on Airbnb.

If you’re thinking of trying out Madolline’s side hustle, you’ll have to make sure your profile stands out as Madolline says the pet-sitting and house-sitting industries have recently become much more competitive.

“In the past few years, a lot of digital nomads have been utilizing house-sitting sites because sits can last up to six months or a year. I know someone who was looking to get their home looked after in Miami and received 40 applications. A couple of years ago, she might have been lucky to get 10.”
Madolline Gourley

Madolline also advises that if you’re a cat or dog or any other kind of pet owner, you should definitely put that experience on your profile, as you’re more likely to be chosen to house/pet-sit that way. She also said to try and pet-sit locally first to rack up some positive reviews before applying for overseas sits.

So, if you’re happy to forgo the hotel experience while travelling and are an animal lover, perhaps you should consider pet-sitting the next time you go away; free lodging does mean more spending money…

Couple this cool hack with a few other money-saving (or making) schemes and you could find yourself travelling the world for free – or at least without getting into more debt. Now, all you have to figure out is how to get from place to place for free and you’re all set to go indefinitely…

Coffee Pods Are Actually Pretty Damn Eco-Friendly

As it turns out, coffee pods (which produce pretty delicious coffee) aren’t that bad for the environment after all…

Everyone, from your mother to your best friend to the man who lives next door, loves a good cup of coffee. Australians in particular, have an insane ‘coffee culture’ that’s almost cult-like.

But your daily treat of hot caffeinated bean juice is detrimental to the environment. The growing of coffee beans takes a lot of energy and has led to high deforestation rates; not to mention the large number of disposable coffee cups that end up in landfill every year.

The most sustainable and environmentally friendly way to drink a good old cup of joe is by making instant coffee at home. But as any true coffee-lover knows, instant coffee sucks. It tastes nowhere near as good as ‘real’ coffee.

But if you’re wanting to help the planet by being a tad more eco-friendly, never fear, as you don’t necessarily have to cut out good quality coffee. According to WIRED, using pods/capsules is the second most sustainable way to make and drink coffee.

After instant coffee, coffee pods are the most sustainable way to make and drink coffee… Image Credit: Nespresso

Alf Hill, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Bath, explained that despite the huge amounts of waste coffee pods produce, (most people throw them in the bin once used) they actually aren’t that bad for the environment. This is because the growing of coffee beans is the highest contributor in the coffee industry to unsustainability and coffee pods don’t use many beans at all when compared to other coffee-making methods.

“The impact, such as greenhouse gas emissions [and] water and fertiliser use, mostly occurs where the coffee is grown. Capsules tend to need less coffee input to make a single drink and so their overall impact can be lower even though we see more waste when we throw them away.”
Alf Hill

Plus, many companies are trying to make or already offer recyclable coffee pods to cut down landfill waste. For instance, Nestle’s Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee pods are completely recyclable as are Nespresso’s.

Although Nespresso pods, need to be returned to the store to be recycled. This is due to a silicon lining (which is not acceptable for regular recycling bins) that all Nespresso pods possess. Therefore, the pods require a tailored recycling process which is completed at Nespresso’s own factory.

So, if you’re a coffee-lover who wants to be greener but can’t stand the taste of instant coffee, get your fix with a coffee machine that uses pods. Because even the snobbiest coffee drinker would admit that coffee pods produce quality coffee; even Michelin-starred restaurants have started making their coffee with pods…

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What Is Cryptocurrency, How Does It Work & Which Crypto Should You Buy?

Cryptocurrency and the blockchain technology it’s built on can be really difficult to understand.

It’s cloaked in over-complicated technical jargon and surrounded by a cult-like following of investors that endorse cryptocurrency as the future of the financial world.

Meanwhile, there are hordes of financial experts on the other side of the fence that denounce crypto as nothing but overhyped digital nonsense.

So, to properly understand cryptocurrency we need to ask some basic questions:

What is cryptocurrency?
How does it work?
Which cryptocurrency should you buy?

This comprehensive, jargon-free guide will help you cut through the noise surrounding cryptocurrency and give you a detailed analysis of all the core themes — so that you can make the best, informed decisions about whether or not investing in Bitcoin, Ethereum or any of the other cryptocurrencies is the right choice for you.

What Is Cryptocurrency?

If you run a quick google search asking for the definition of: “cryptocurrency” — this is what comes up:

“A digital currency in which transactions are verified and records are maintained by a decentralized system using cryptography, rather than by a centralized authority.”

Not overly helpful…

Much More Simply:

A cryptocurrency is a code-based digital asset that sits on top of a network of computers that are distributed throughout the world.
This is called decentralization.
This decentralized structure allows them to exist outside the control of governments and central authorities like banks. Decentralization ultimately means that cryptocurrencies do not originate from one location, nor is there a governing body that can make decisions about who can access it.
The complex computing systems that power cryptocurrency and make them incredibly secure are called blockchains.
Blockchains record, verify and store all the transactions that occur on its system. They are also called distributed ledgers. A ledger is simply a record of transactions. All traditional banks record transactions when you buy and sell stuff, it’s just that a cryptocurrency’s ledger is public (therefore transparent) and is split up and stored throughout a network of computers around the world.

Unlike paper & digital money, which are the regular dollars that populate your wallet and the numbers on the screen of your bank account, cryptocurrency is almost impossible to counterfeit because blockchains are extremely difficult to hack or change.

How Does Cryptocurrency Work?

To understand how a cryptocurrency works, you have to understand the basics of blockchain. The blockchain technology that cryptocurrencies are built on is the fundamental property that gives cryptocurrencies real value as assets.

Whether or not a cryptocurrency has a sufficiently decentralized, robust, and efficient blockchain will determine the future success of that cryptocurrency.

Here’s how blockchain works, explained in the most straightforward way possible:

A blockchain is a database shared across a network of computers.
Users record their transactions on this database.
Once a record has been added to that network it’s practically impossible to alter.
To guarantee that no one has come in and changed any of the entries in the database, the network makes constant checks to make sure that all of the records are the same.

Here’s what an everyday transaction looks like on a blockchain:

Step One

A transaction or trade is made between two parties and the record of this is stored inside a block.
The record lists the details of the transaction and contains a signature from each party.

Step Two

The record is added to the network and checked by other computers.
The computers in the network, called ‘nodes’, check the details of the trade to make sure that it is valid.

Step Three

The records that the network accepts as valid are then added to a block.
Each block contains a unique code called a hash code (which is visualised as the added # in the diagram below). Each block also contains the hash code of the previous block in the chain.
The block is then added to the blockchain. These new hash codes connect the blocks together in a specific order.

Hash Codes

A hash code is created by a mathematical function that takes digital information and generates a string of letters and numbers from it.

Let’s take a closer look at two important characteristics of hash codes:

First, no matter what the size of the original file, a hash function will always generate a code of the same length. For example, a tweet that I make on Twitter is much shorter than the Bible, but they would both have hash codes of the same length.

Secondly, and most importantly — any change to the original input will generate a new hash. So, if someone decided to delete a single letter from anyone of the Bible’s 783,137 words, it would show up, because the new hash code would change entirely.

Hash Codes Keep Blockchain Secure

As we’ve just learned: a changed hash code breaks the chain.
The next block in the chain still has the old hash, so to restore the functionality of the chain a hacker would have to alter that one too. And the next one, and the next one, and so on.
Recalculating all those hashes would take an enormous amount of computing power. Like evil genius supercomputer level power.

Even if you were capable of taking over the Frontier supercomputer in the US and wield its awesome 8.7 million cores of processing power, it’s still pretty much impossible to successfully attack a sufficiently decentralized blockchain.

The 2 Types of Blockchain: Explained

Now that we’ve gotten the real nitty gritty of blockchain out of the way, let’s take a look at the two main models of blockchain that cryptocurrencies can use:

Proof of Work: This is used by Bitcoin & Ethereum.
Proof of Stake: This is used by Cardano & Binance Coin.

In simple terms, Proof of Work and Proof of Stake are two different ways that you can mine cryptocurrencies.

Proof of Work

This model that requires computers to solve extremely complex cryptographic problems in order to generate new cryptocurrency and validate the transactions on the blockchain. This is what people are referring to when they use the term “mining”, because the computers are quite literally doing lots of work to create new cryptocurrency, the same way that physical labour is used to dig minerals out of the ground.

The upside of this model is that it guarantees an extremely secure blockchain network, constantly validated and secured by massive amounts of raw computing power. In order to hack a Proof of Work system the hacker would have to have a computer or more aptly, thousands of computers that are more powerful than 51% of the total network. This makes Proof of Work incredibly secure.

The downside to this, is that it requires dizzying amounts of computing power to mine new crypto and validate the transactions on the network. To put this in perspective, Bitcoin mining currently uses the same amount of energy as Argentina…

Proof of Stake

The Proof of Stake model, in very simple terms, only requires computers to validate new blocks rather than actually “mining” them, although the term mining is still used when talking about Proof of Stake. This stakeholder validation method is a good deal faster and uses substantially less energy. It is one of the largest and most obvious differentiators that you should consider when looking at a cryptocurrency.

If you’re mining a Proof of Stake cryptocurrency, the system temporarily takes a sizeable chunk of your cryptocurrency for a few seconds and uses that as a form of insurance whilst validating and recording transactions. If you were a malicious hacker seeking to alter the blockchain, your cryptocurrency would be immediately taken from you and it would disappear back into the network as a consequence. This heavily incentivizes users to make sure they’re doing the right thing, or they’re guaranteed to lose a massive chunk of their holdings.

To ensure long term security on the blockchain, an algorithm randomly selects which nodes and stakeholders can become validators for each block so that participants are unable to intentionally utilise large sums of the given cryptocurrency to sabotage the blockchain.

The same way a Proof of Work system requires the hacker to have control of more than 51% of the total computational power of the blockchain, a Proof of Stake system can only be hacked if the stakeholder holds more than 51% of the entire supply of coins on the network. The randomized algorithmic selection process mentioned before, ensures that 51% of the total sum of coins will never be used in the staking process.

Because of Proof of Stake’s less computing intensive model, it requires nearly 99% less energy than a Proof of Work system. It also means that smaller, individual stakeholders have a much higher potential to earn more crypto without possessing computer farms the size of small countries. This makes a Proof of Stake model more enticing to smaller holders.

It’s still early on in the development phase for Proof of Stake, so there is bound to be some security concerns surround the staking model, however it is quickly becoming the preferred option among professional investors and cryptocurrency pundits alike.

Best Crypto To Buy

Now you have a good grasp of what cryptocurrency is and how you actually buy it, it’s time to start finding the best crypto coins to invest in. With so many to choose from, it can be a literal minefield, even for the most experienced investor.

This is why each month, we bring you three of the best crypto coins to buy as chosen by our experts. Essentially, make sure it’s a page you have bookmarked.

Best Crypto To Buy

How To Avoid Tax On Cryptocurrency?

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has made it clear that you need to declare tax on crypto in Australia if you make a profit from selling it.

The official information says, “Bitcoin is neither money nor a foreign currency, and the supply of bitcoin is not a financial supply for goods and services tax (GST) purposes. Bitcoin is, however, an asset for capital gains tax (CGT) purposes.”

Essentially, if you’re making a profit from Bitcoin, even though it’s not recognised as ‘money’ you still need to pay tax on any capital gains, much like selling shares or property.

However, there are strategic ways of spending your crypto that could help you to avoid paying taxes come the end of the tax year. To find out how make sure to check out our full guide to crypto tax in Australia.

Crypto Tax

Crypto Wallets

If you own cryptocurrency, no matter if it’s a large amount or a small amount, then you need a crypto wallet to store it. Although, technically, a crypto wallet doesn’t store your crypto but instead, stores the unique address where your cryptocurrency assets can be found on its respective blockchain.

Check out our complete guide to the best crypto wallets in Australia to learn more about them and find out which crypto wallet is best for you.

Best Crypto Wallets

Crypto Staking

Crypto staking can be likened to putting your money into a high-interest savings account. Essentially, in return for locking up your crypto coins – which helps keep a certain blockchain running – you can earn rewards that, for the most part, are a lot higher than the interest rate offered by banks.

If you want to understand what crypto staking is and learn how much money you can make from staking your crypto, then be sure to check out our full in-depth guide.

Crypto Staking

Crypto Cards

Thanks to the sheer popularity of cryptocurrency, the world’s major banks have sat up and taken notice and started producing crypto cards in the form of debit, credit and prepaid cards.

These cards allow you to spend your crypto coins by converting your owned coins into fiat currency whenever you use them at a card payment terminal.

Check out our full guide to the best crypto cards available right now, which explains the key differences between the different types and gives you a detailed rundown of what each crypto card offers.

Best Crypto Card

The post What Is Cryptocurrency, How Does It Work & Which Crypto Should You Buy? appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Where To Stream Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released in Australian cinemas on the 5th of May and – following some rave reviews and a long theatrical run – is now available to stream at home. Here’s everything you need to know about the film, including where to watch it.

Where To Watch

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness can now be streamed on Disney Plus. The movie was released on the streaming service on Wednesday 22nd June 2022.

Trailer

The Cast & Crew

Of course, Benedict Cumberbatch reprises his role as the titular character Doctor Stephen Strange. Also reprising their roles from previous MCU films are Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Making their MCU debut is Xochitl Gomez, who will play America Chavez, AKA Miss America, who in the Marvel comics possesses superhuman strength, durability and speed. In the comics, America also has the ability to fly and open portals in reality that allow her and others to travel through the multiverse.

Also making their MCU debut is Sir Patrick Stewart. When the first trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released, fans were quick to theorise that a mysterious figure who was only shown briefly from behind was Stewart. Now we know indeed it was Stewart, reprising his role as Professor Charles Xavier, which he played in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films (also based on the Marvel comics but not a part of the MCU).

The Plot

The film follows the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home where Dr Strange cast a dangerous spell that opened up the Multiverse, as well as the events of the MCU series, Loki where Sylvie also opened up the Multiverse by killing He Who Remains.

If you’re not an avid MCU fan who’s seen every entry multiple times, you should definitely (at least) watch Doctor Strange, Wandavision, Loki, What If…? and Spider-Man: No Way Home before you watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, otherwise most of the plot (which we won’t spoil) won’t make much sense.

What The Critics & Reviews Say

Obviously, our opinion here at DMARGE is going to be the most important, so be sure to check out our full Doctor Strange 2 review. Put simply, however, we think it’s one of the best Marvel movies to date.

Official reviews for the movie are also positive, and it currently holds a 74% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The general consensus states, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness labours under the weight of the sprawling MCU, but Sam Raimi’s distinctive direction casts an entertaining spell.”

Release Date Australia

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released in Australian cinemas on the 5th of May 2022.

The Best Way To See NSW’s South Coast Is In A Van

I recently travelled around the South Coast and Sapphire Coast of NSW in a 2013 Toyota Coaster. It made me realise that there’s no better way to see this part of Australia.

When everyone asks “is that van yours?” you know you’ve done something right. Unfortunately for me, the van I did my latest trip in wasn’t mine. Still: I’m used to roadtripping in a Subaru Forester with a busted catalytic converter and the most botched SUV bed build you’re ever likely to see, so I was grateful for whatever days of van life were on offer (I travelled as a guest of Camplify).

Anything could be better than my Subie. But I also assumed a fancy Airbnb or luxury hotel were the best ways to travel – if you can afford it. But at the risk of sounding like an old RV codger, now I realise that the sense of freedom you get in a van is unparalleled. Now, I already knew this, from the car. But couple it with the luxury (relative to a 2006 Subie) that you get in a big old van, and I really appreciated it.

Appreciation evident… Image Credit: James Booth/DMARGE

That’s not to say it was without its challenges. This in mind: here are my observations from my first time travelling the NSW South Coast (and Sapphire Coast) by van – and why I think it’s the best way to do it. As for why you should go in the first place, there are the sting rays in Bendalong, the incredible phosphorescence of the sand in and around Jervis Bay, and the iconic white sands of Hyams beach, just for starters.

There is also amazing seafood, great surf, cool national parks and bushwalks, waterfalls, fishing and much more. But enough of that – here’s why the best way to see it all is, in my opinion, a van.

Travelling in a van is relatively cheap

Compared to staying in a hotel or an Airbnb, staying in a van is cheap. Not only do you (if you have a van that’s kitted out right) have the ability to cook all your own meals, but you also don’t have to pay for accommodation (unless you are staying in a campsite or caravan park, in which case you have to pay a little, but still not too much, compared to a hotel). That’s more money in the bank for driving around (read: seeing more places), eating out (if you’re a bit of a foodie) and coffee (some things you just don’t skimp on, right?).

The electrical system can take some figuring out

If you’re not used to van life (whether that’s because you refuse to slum it in a vehicle and always stick to hotels or whether that’s because you are used to a more primitive car set up with no lighting, like me) the electrical set up of a van can take a little getting used to. Unlike in a hotel, you should probably try to avoid using more than one energy-intensive device at a time, and you should be ok.

Travelling in a van makes for the best breakfast views

Cooking up a storm… Image Credit: James Booth/DMARGE

And lunch, and dinner, for that matter… No matter how cool the restaurants are on offer at a particular destination, usually, you can find a better lookout spot (and then eat there) with your van. Oh and you also get to beat the crowds, often parking up the night before somewhere you know will be a cool place to be the next morning.

The south coast is practically made for a van

It’s not like South Australia or Cape York where you need a 4WD, and it’s not a city like Sydney or Melbourne, where you might find yourself wishing for a car. The south coast is full of incredible beaches, coves, carparks, national parks and campsites, the vast majority of which are accessible by van.

By staying in a van, you get more ‘special’ moments than you do in a hotel

Sunset at Congo Beach. Image Credit: @tasfiel

You get more of the 1 percenters. What do I mean by that? Take this example. When we were in Bermagui, we saw seals twice. The first time was just upon arrival, half an hour before the sun set, and the second time was in the morning before we left. Had we been staying in a hotel or an Airbnb, which would have required us to drive to the Bermagui Blue Pools (where the seals were hanging out), we probably would only have bothered to check them out once.

Staying in a van nearby to the pools, however (at Reflections Holiday Parks Bermagui), we were easily able to drop by twice. When you are staying in a van, you also tend to take that 5 minutes extra to luxuriate in something like a sunset or a sunrise, as you have nothing else to do, and nowhere to be (something we found at Congo Beach, on the final day of our trip).

By staying in a van you aren’t stuck to a particular itinerary

Another reason why a van is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to see the NSW south coast is that it gives you the ultimate freedom of movement. Though you’ll usually have a vague idea before you go about a general route you intend to follow, if a certain spot doesn’t meet your expectations, if you are in a van (rather than a hotel) you can stay for a shorter (or longer) period of time, depending on how you feel.

You are not reliant on beach showers

Warming up. Image Credit: James Booth/DMARGE

Showering in scenic spots is not something you have the option of doing in a normal car, and a novelty I found it hard to get over.

It’s a whole lot more comfortable than sleeping in your car

Golden hour. Image Credit: James Booth/DMARGE

As I discovered last year on a trip to the snow, sleeping in your car (especially with a 6’4″ friend) can be incredibly uncomfortable. Sleeping in the van, however, was a whole other (luxurious) ball game, with this particular Toyota Coaster, rented off Campify, being fitted out with a queen-sized mattress and black-out ‘stick on’ blinds. Ah, bliss.

Reverse parallel parking is a bit tricky

Especially if you don’t own the van, and so are not used to how it moves, parking a van can be quite a struggle, particularly in urban areas (fortunately, when you travel by van, more likely than not you will be escaping the city, so this won’t be too much of a problem). I had to park my Toyota Coaster, which is the size of a small bus, in the city, about 5 minutes after it was dropped off at my office. I ended up causing a queue of cars to wait for me, with the woman behind kindly getting out to help back me in as she could see I was struggling.

Itinerary Recommendations

Beyond the obvious must-see spots like Jervis Bay, Narooma and Hyams beach, we think Kilalea State Park, Clover Hill Trail, Bermagui Blue Pools and Gerringong Falls deserve a mention too. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg (we only spent two days in the van exploring, and I’ve only been a couple of times before).

DMARGE travelled as a guest of Naked Malt and Camplify. Naked Malt is also currently running a competition where you can win an awesome trip to one of three iconic locations around Australia, which you can learn more about here.

If you are interested in the van we stayed in (Casa The Coaster), you can find that here.

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Car Rental Company Now Letting Australians Hire Supercars

One of the worst parts about air travel is picking up your hire car at the other end. Thankfully, one car rental company has come up with a brilliant solution: supercars straight from the airport.

Earlier today, airport car rental mainstay Avis Australia, launched a new luxury high-end car rental brand, Avis Prestige, which lets Australian air travellers hire top-of-the-line supercars and luxury cars as soon as they touch down – as well as at Avis locations across the country.

Some of the high-end vehicles Aussies can hire through the service, which Avis has partnered with Prestige Rentals to offer, include the Bentley Continental GT, Ferrari 488 Lamborghini Huracan, McLaren 570S and Rolls-Royce Ghost – with Avis claiming “many more” dream cars will also be available.

“As a trusted brand in the car rental industry, we wanted to provide our customers with even greater choice, and access to some of the most desirable cars in Australia… Avis Prestige will make the luxury car market more accessible for customers and give them the opportunity to hire a special vehicle for major milestone celebrations or for an elevated weekend away,” explains Tom Mooney, Managing Director of Avis Australia.

The Bentley Continental GT. Image: Exhaust Notes Australia

While luxury and supercar hire companies aren’t anything new Down Under, being able to head straight to the Avis desk at the airport and pick up a Lambo or a Bentley instead of a Toyota Camry is a pretty tantalising prospect.

Avis Prestige will be available in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. You’ll need to be 25 years and above for prestige cars and 30 years and above for supercars – sorry crypto kids.

It’s cool to see Avis offer something like this – especially considering the tricky conditions the car rental industry has had to navigate both in Australia and abroad over the last two years during COVID. More on that here.

The real question is this: will a rental McLaren have enough boot space for all my luggage?

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