Another all-Australian bloggers round-up this Wednesday, with advice from the ever-practical Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Travel on safe travel for solo women travellers; a report from Carolyn from   Holidays to Europe on her recent cycling tour in a different part of Austria from us; and tips on transferring from Orly airport to various train stations in Paris from A House in France, written by an Aussie couple living in the south of France. Enjoy!

Travelling safely – A guide for solo woman travellers

by Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a First Class trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

One of my lovely readers, Linda, recently contacted me about hotels in Paris that would be safe for her as a solo traveller.  Now, most of the time I travel in Europe I also travel alone.  It therefore got me thinking about the things I do to make sure I keep myself safe when I’m travelling solo.  Travelling safely is an important travel skill to master, so here are my top tips for safe and confident solo travel:

1.  Pack light

I know, I say this all the time, but packing light is travelling safe.  If you pack lightly you have less stuff to worry about.  On the train, it is easier to keep track of your luggage. Read more

Scenery, sunshine and saddle bags: My Austrian Lakes cycling tour

by Carolyn from Holidays to Europe, an Australian based business passionate about sharing their European travel expertise and helping travellers to experience the holiday in Europe they have always dreamed of

There are some countries that hold a special place in a traveller’s heart and to me, Austria is one of those places. So what better way to get a closer look at a part of Austria I hadn’t visited before than on a cycling tour? I spent nine fantastic days in July doing just that, discovering some wonderful scenery and an appreciation for ‘slow travel’ along the way.

After comparing a few different itineraries offered by various companies I selected the 9 day Austrian Lakes Hike and Bike tour sold through UTracks in Australia. One of the big sellers for me was the fact that this tour spends two nights at Hallstatt, a town I had long wanted to visit. As the itinerary featured both walking days and cycling days, it also gave me the opportunity to have a ‘rest’ day on the walking days should I decide to. Read more

Paris-Orly train transfer tips

by A House in France – 2 Aussies living part-time in France who share their experiences

We had always flown in and out of Paris from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport until recently.

Our regional train down to our house in central France departs from Gare d’Austerlitz, and on one of our many jaunts through that train station we noticed that there were signs indicating the way to catch a train to Orly airport.

So when we found some cheap flights departing from Orly we thought it would be a good chance to check it out and compare it with the ease of getting to and from CDG. Read more