Destination: Byron Bay Australia

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I'm so excited to introduce you to my first foreign travel correspondent Rebecca author of the Global Glutton. A native Australian, Rebecca is a globe trotter in its truest sense. She's well on her way to filling her passport by age 29. I asked her to write about one of her favorite places in the world. She chose someplace close to home -- Byron Bay -- Australia's easternmost town. Known for it's surf culture, alternative philosophies and hedonistic indulgences, Bryon is the perfect place to kick back and relax.

Speaking of pleasure, Rebecca loves to eat. When she's not traveling or eating, she's thinking about her next "drool-worthy" meal. A girl after my own heart.

Here she is.

{Mmm, finger licking good!}

Let's get to know her first…

Q: Dogs or cats? Dogs, especially small fluffy ones.

Q: Tea or coffee? Coffee every time.

Q: Cooking or baking? Definitely cooking – I don't usually follow recipes, which often leads to baking disasters.

Q: Beach or mountains? Beach, beach, beach.

Q: Favorite city? New York.

Q: Funniest travel experience? Ah, there are so many! I think one of the funniest experiences would have to be riding a local bus in Vietnam – people brought all kinds of things onto the very full bus, including chickens and freshly painted car bumpers. 

Q: Last supper? Garlic, chili and prawn linguine at the Pacific Hotel in Yamba. Yamba is a small little coastal town in Northern New South Wales, Australia. Our family always goes there for holidays, and although it's not the best meal in the world it certainly makes me the happiest.

Tell us more...

BMH: Where have your travels taken you?
GG: I've travelled all over the place, from Africa, South America, Europe, the States and South East Asia. I also lived in Tokyo for 7 wonderful and wacky months. That's why I decided to start my blog, so I could share all these amazing experiences with the world. 
BMH: Who do you travel with?
GG: Whoever will come! I've travelled with boyfriends before, my best friend, my sister, my family and even travelled with a group of 17 people to a music festival in Japan (which was a lot of organizing, but soooo much fun).
BMH: Please share a few travel tips.
GG: Sure. 1) Be flexible with your itinerary and schedule a few days in each city just to wander the streets – you always have the best experiences when you discover it yourself rather than read about it in a guide book. 2) Take advantage of new technology. Don't bother using guidebooks when you can jump on blogs or trip advisor for more-up-to-date information and definitely don't lug around photocopies of all your documents when you can email copies to yourself and keep your itinerary with great apps like TripIt.

BMH: If I were to do it again, I would… 

GG: No matter what trip I've been on, I always think if I were to do it again, I would go for longer. I never want to come home! Even when I was really little, my Mum would say I used to cry every time our holidays were finished because I didn't want to go home.

On Byron Bay...

Even though I travel a lot, I love coming home to Australia. The beaches here are some of the best in the world, and nothing else quite compares to the feeling of freedom you get from being outdoors in Oz.  A place that will always have a special spot in my heart is Byron Bay. We used to spend lots of time there as kids and, as we got older, I ended up spending even more time there with friends.

My two favorite meals in Byron are either Fish Tacos or these beautiful falafel wraps. You can get either of them to take away and sit on the beach while eating your lunch. Top Shop Cafe is one of my favorite places for take away. You also can't pass up a beer at the Beach Hotel, which overlooks Byron's main beach.

{Top Shop Cafe, Byron Bay}

{breakfast burger with bacon, has brown, eggs and relish}

There are lots of great Australian designer shops in Byron, like Mimco (an Australian jewelry, shoe and handbag company – www.mimco.com ) and small boutiques that stock Sass & Bide (www.sassandbide.com) and One Teaspoon (www.oneteaspoon.com).

My favourite thing to do in Byron is eat a BBQ breakfast at Wategos Beach, and spend the day lazing about on the sand, throwing a ball around and watching my boyfriend surf.

{Rebecca in her "togs"…}

{and boyfriend hanging out at the beach}

{beach in Northern New South Wales}

{sunset at Emerald Beach south of Byron -- so beautiful}

Thanks for stopping by Rebecca! I hope you'll come back again soon to tell us about one of your latest travel adventures. Be sure to check out Rebecca's blog for more about her travels, food and great recipes.

I don't know about you, but I'm sold. Adding Byron Bay to my bucket list for sure.

{images: Rebecca Ogg}