Australia & NZ Holidays

Welcome to the About Seniors travel in Australia and New Zealand page. No matter what your state, we have it all covered with Campervan Holidays, Skiing tips and trips and also if you just want to drive around, our Hit the Road page gives you all the great day trip ideas around Australia. Travel is about having fun and we hope to give you some great touring options around the continent – and in neighbouring NZ. Whether you are coaching or motoring, enjoy the many suggestions on offer.

$1 Campervan Rental

If you have ever dreamed of travelling in a campervan to visit family or friends, or just wanted to explore Australia, $1 campervan relocations make it incredibly affordable.

Centrelink on the road

If you’re running away from home for a length of time, make sure you understand any implications your trip will have on your pension entitlements.

---

Winter Blues? Need a break?

Joanna Johnson
Realholidays.com.au editor

As the days get shorter, the mornings darker and the winds chillier, many of us react to the change of season just as animals would – we eat and sleep more and get moodier! This change of behaviour is commonly referred to as seasonal depression or the ‘winter blues’. And it’s a pretty common ailment it seems. Almost half (46%) of the respondents in a recent survey* said they suffered from some type of winter blues – a rather depressing figure indeed!
The darkest months of the year are when you’ll notice the symptoms:
· Overeating – craving carbohydrates and then getting angry about your weight
· Sleep problems – never seem to be able to get enough or feel refreshed
· Depression and misery
· Impaired social interaction and cognitive ability
· Lethargy – everything is an effort
· Physical symptoms – joint pain and lowered resistance to infection
A more severe version of ‘the blues’ is the condition known as SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder. This disorder can affect anyone of any age, anywhere, although single people living in areas where there are very long, cold, dark winters are particularly prone to SAD (such as northern Europe). Though less common than for people in the northern hemisphere, it is estimated that 1 in 300 Australians suffer from SAD.
The issue stems from lack of bright sunlight in autumn/winter. Melatonin and serotonin are the reason – in short, light makes a difference to our moods. Our brain and body know when to go to bed, when to get up and we feel better if there is light throughout the day to get on with our normal routines.
So how do we stop being SAD and get happy again?
Treatment can be as simple as ensuring you are in bright light every day. You may choose to sit in a room in front of a light but you’ll need to do this for at least 30 minutes each day and make sure the light is of sufficient brightness to alleviate the symptoms (it needs to be about 5 times brighter than a well-lit office). You could read or watch TV but you have to be certain to get the light into your eyes. (You can read more about light therapy here.)
Or if that sounds too much like hard work, why not take a holiday and go to a brightly lit climate?! It may be skiing (snow glare can be blinding!) or somewhere sunny and hot. Whatever you choose, just make sure you don’t spend a whole lot of time indoors, at the cinema or going caving!
It’s no coincidence that holidays make us happy. Apart from the break in routine (and the cocktail umbrellas in your drink!), it appears that the sunlight and snow is actually beneficial to your nervous system and create a sense of wellbeing.
Prof. Timothy Sharp, aka Dr Happy, has this to say of achieving happiness in the winter months:
Achieving happiness requires nothing more than practising a few simple disciplines on a regular basis.  For example, some of the things we know are helpful include taking a break, resting up, including variety in your life and getting outside into fresh air, nature and sunlight.  Putting all this together, therefore, there’s no doubt that you can go a long way to avoiding the winter blues by taking a holiday and/or heading north to where there’s more sun!

So whether it is a resort in Queensland or an apartment in Northern Territory, heading to sunnier and brighter climates can be great for turning that frown upside down in the winter months. Check out some of these great destination ideas for your winter escape:
· Peregian Beach
· Port Douglas
· Sunshine Coast
· Coolangatta
Of course, most of us wouldn’t say no to someone else footing the bill for our holidays, so why not tell us in 50 words or less why you want to WIN $1,000 towards a winter escape. Enter here

* survey was conducted on realholidays.com.au between 27 April and 13 May 2009, 1003 respondents

---

Never too old

Looking to travel on a budget, in a group or just wanting to try something different?  Youth Hostels Australia are available to all, not just the young!

YHA have something to offer everyone, regardless of age and with hostels in every state of Australia, you’re sure to find somewhere that suits.  For those of you not so keen mixing with the younger crowd that usually frequent youth hostels, why not a get a group of friends together, YHA cater for group bookings of 10 or more and some hostels can even provide meals, or take your grandchildren on a trip. With a family membership costing from $42, it’s a great excuse to spend some more time with them.  .

Once you have your membership, the world really is your oyster, with access to over 4000 youth hostels across the globe, there will be no stopping you. For more information on what YHA has to offer, click here.