Ben Groundwater

Ben Groundwater

Traveller's globetrotting backpacker, Ben Groundwater, finds the good, the bad and the ugly in the world’s best destinations. Ben is a columnist, blogger, feature writer, and host of Traveller's podcast Flight of Fancy, who has visited more than 80 countries during his 12 years in the industry. Ben was named travel writer of the year by the Australian Society of Travel Writers in 2014 and 2015.

Prices being inflated for tourists happens all over the world, and it's far more institutionalised than you might expect.

Why locals ripping off tourists is actually fair

It feels like you've been scammed. Like you've been cheated or robbed. The 'tourist price' sucks.

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Extravagant Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal.

Secluded beaches and Moorish castles in Portugal

A trip on foot reveals how mountain top Sintra and coastal resort Cascais link up.

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David Chang and Kate McKinnon try food in Phnom Penh.

Netflix's new foodie travel show tries to be Bourdain and fails

David Chang makes a fairly naked attempt at mimicking another more famous American chef's intrepid, excited style.

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English breakfast with fried egg, sausage, bacon, beans and toast on white background copy space iStock image for ...

The world's 15 best traditional breakfast foods

I love breakfast, particularly breakfast when I'm travelling. It's a chance to steer away from the formulaic Western style and get into something more interesting.

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The big problem with Tourism Australia's new campaign isn't the pun 'philausophy'.

Here's the real problem with Tourism Australia's new campaign

I'm not going to bag Tourism Australia's new marketing 'philausophy'. Except for one thing.

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This article contains a video

Seljalandfoss is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland.

Podcast: How to do expensive things on the cheap

Some travel experiences are notoriously expensive. Here's how you can do them on the cheap.

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Don't expect to make friends easily in other countries.

My Spanish neighbour hates me because I'm Australian

As a short-term tourist you can very easily ignore a place's shortcomings and convince yourself that you're in paradise, but as a long-term resident you have to face up to the inevitable faults.

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Looking inwards while travelling is nice, but it's more important to look outwards.

Why travellers need to forget about selfish 'mindfulness'

There seems to be a trend in certain circles towards introspection in travel, towards soul-searching, towards self-discovery as the ultimate goal.

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Ramen bars let you drink in the flavours and the customs of Japan in all their glory.

The surprising rules for ordering and eating ramen

Forget everything you think you know about vending machines.

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Piedmont Park on Lake Meer in Atlanta, Georgia, US.

The 10 great US states Australian tourists are missing

Go beyond the coasts' big cities and discover a new USA.

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Greater than a flat white: Ten places that do coffee better than Australia

Australia is not the only country to contribute something interesting: plenty of nations around the world have devised their own special versions of coffee.