Tour Australia with the Ashes

The Commonwealth Bank Ashes Series is coming to Australia between November 2013 and January 2014. With tests in six different cities, touring with the Ashes offers the traveller a fantastic way to explore the country while enjoying prime sporting action. Here’s your guide to adventure with details of the schedule, the cities and places to stay..

Brisbane
November brings cricket action to Brisbane which is an excellent time to make the most of the city’s main attractions: Southbank Parklands with its incredible man-made beach, numerous walking and biking tracks, and access to the beautiful islands of Moreton Bay.. VIP Backpackers has plenty of central accommodation that isn’t too far from The Gabba, Brisbane’s hallowed cricket grounds. We also have an array of tours on offer including river cruises, abseiling, bike hire and more.
Dates: Thursday 21 – 25 November 2013 Australia V England; The Gabba, Brisbane
Accommodation | Tours

Pic: australia.com

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World Cup cricket review

While the World Cup is well underway now, there’s still time to check out the action.

We certainly hope you’ve checked out our newsletter with all the details of the cities where VIP Backpackers can help you with your World Cup assault.

If you haven’t seen it yet here are some snippets from one of the Indian and Sri Lankan host cities where there is still some action to be held.

Mumbai train station. Pic: Joanne Lane, http://www.visitedplanet.com

Mumbai, India
Mumbai is home to Bollywood and that alone is probably reason to visit for all the glitz and glamour of the studios! We all know it as India’s entertainment capital but it’s also something of an economic powerhouse and this has attracted huge numbers of migrants from all over India making it the second most populous city in the world. It hums, creaks, churns and froths but it’s also a city that gets under your skin. The potpouri of cultures makes for interesting eating and markets, there are some wonderful architectural features such as the main railway station and plenty of swish bars and restaurants.

And despite the population density the city only allows the polluting rickshaws in some suburbs while public transport is 88 percent of passenger traffic and taxis and rickshaws must run on compressed natural gas. It also has some good natural features such as its coastal location, various rivers and lakes, and deep harbour.

World Cup 2011 gets underway

Cricket match in Brisbane, Queensland. Pic: Joanne Lane, http://www.visitedplanet.com

The World Cup cricket tournament got underway on 19 February and that means three months of matches for cricket mad fans around the world.

Nationals of India, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Canada, Australia, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, Ireland and England who have teams in the contest will be glued to television sets, radios or at the stadiums themselves over the coming weeks to follow the action.

Action takes place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh this year and many of the cities where matches are hosted are part of our network.

Given we know many of you in our VIP Backpackers network are some of those fans we’ve dedicated the March edition of our newsletter to the World Cup so stay tuned for previews of the locations and consider heading over there if you can. Click here to view the newsletter.

The final is not until 2 April so you’ve still got plenty of time to make it. And as we detail in the  newsletter the biggest cost to you attending the World Cup is the airfare as accommodation and ticket prices are minimal once you are there. There are plenty of budget options for getting to these places though, so check out the venues listed at the Cricket World Cup website and then airlines like Air Asia or Tiger Airways and join the passion and fervour in these cricket-mad nations!

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Hope you’re enjoying the VIP Backpacker’s Travel Blog. There’ll be an update added every other Friday, so keep tuning in to keep your travel dreams alive! If there are any travel topics you want covered feel free to contact me, Jo, at blog@vipbackpackers.com

What’s all the fuss about “The Ashes”?

Action at The Gabba, http://www.visitedplanet.com

On my way to VIP Backpackers in Brisbane this morning I drove through Wooloongabba which was a big mistake – a jam of cars, police, buses and people everywhere. And they were not just ordinary people but oddly dressed people with yellow wigs, huge sombrero hats, yellow shirts or hats, Aussie flags, white zinc and board shorts.

Yep it was the Gabba precinct, Brisbane’s hallowed cricket stadium. So what else could it be but a cricket match? And not just any ordinary cricket match, but the Ashes itself. A lot of my friends went to the opening day yesterday so it has been all the talk in Brisbane of late, on the radio, on the telly, in the streets… cricket fever has hit this country hard! And probably in England too, in fact there quite a few red English shirts in the crowd too, dotted between the yellow and green. And the Barmy Army is here too – England’s patriotic cricket fan base.