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.

Japanese trains are charmingly predictable: they're always on time; they're always clean; they're always safe.

Fast trains, slow bars: The 11 things from overseas I miss the most

During these times of lockdowns and travel bans, I miss specific things. I miss specific places.

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American celebrity chef, TV host and author Anthony Bourdain has inspired a whole generation of travellers and food ...

Podcast: The weird and wonderful things that inspire us to see the world

Travel doesn’t happen by chance. The best experiences take place because we’ve been inspired to do them.

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It's a rambling beast of a property, with what real estate agents would describe as a 'leafy outlook'.

Trapped with my in-laws, here's my 'hotel review' of their home

If your current house was a hotel, how many stars out of five would you give it? Here's my review of my self-isolation accommodation.

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A microwave TV dinner can offer you all the joys of dining on a plane in the comfort of your own home.

Eight ways to bring the horrors of travel to your own home

Missing travel? From terrible food to wearing the same clothes for three days, here's how to bring it back in the comfort of your own home.

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Travel has the power to shrink the physical world while expanding your own.

I need to travel. Somewhere. Anywhere. And I'm sure I'm not alone

Somewhere. Anywhere. I need to move. I need to go. I need to see something different, see somewhere different, feel the joy and the fear and the amazement of stepping into a new world.

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We've all had those moments when travelling where we decide that, when we get home, we're going to simplify our lives.

Has being trapped at home given you an epiphany? It won't last

We'll re-emerge into the normal world in six or 12 months with new and better ideas about the way the world should be work. Won't we?

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The current situation has us dreaming of the days when overtourism was a thing.

Twenty things you never thought you'd miss about travelling

When you find yourself pining for an $8 coffee in the airport departure lounge, you know something has gone seriously wrong.

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Being marooned at a tourist hotspot is no holiday.

Think it would be fun to be stranded in paradise? Think again

It's not a time to enjoy, it's a time to survive.

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Hayravank monastery on the shores of lake Sevan, Armenia.

Let's start again: How to plan your 2021 travels now

Shake off the 2020 blues with a fresh plan to visit a new destination in 2021.

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Images of Australians flocking to Bondi Beach despite the risk of coronavirus shocked people around the world.

Australia is a nanny state, because we behave like children

We can't have nice things because we can't be trusted with them. We can't be given the freedom to act responsibly and in society's best interests because we won't actually do it.