I found this article on the SMH travel page...totally blew my mind.

Aussies the world's second-biggest spending travellers.

Aussies in Jerusalem

Australians are among the biggest-spending travellers in the world, second only to Saudi Arabians.

Aussies are forking out an average of $3962 on each overseas trip, well above the world average of $2300, according to Visa's latest Global Travel Intentions Study.

Saudi Arabians spend a whopping $6414 while the Chinese are third on the list of big spenders on $3679.

Despite the dip in the Australian dollar, it seems Aussies are hell-bent on spending even more in future.

Advertisement

The study predicts Australians will increase their travel budgets by 9 per cent, to $4331, on their next trip.

VisitBritain has revealed that Aussies are the top international shoppers in Britain, flocking to stores such as Harrods and Selfridges.

According to VisitBritain, Australians spent $1.5 billion in Britain last year, most of it on clothes.

''Australians are no longer going just for traditional sightseeing, they are going there to shop,'' VisitBritain marketing manager Mark Haynes said.

Paul McGrath, managing director of Creative Holidays, said that despite the fall of the dollar, Australians are showing no sign of changing their ''have passport, will travel'' mentality.

''Value is key for Australians when travelling so we find when our dollar drops they still travel en masse but seek out the best bang for their buck,'' he said. ''This might mean staying closer to home and travelling to Bali or the Pacific Islands or looking into three and four-star properties instead of five-star.''

Colin Bowman, executive general manager of marketing at Flight Centre - which has just announced that the group's net profit has risen by 23 per cent to $246 million in the year to June - said Australians' penchant for travel is not slowing.

''The Australian dollar may have dipped but it is the continuing cheap airfares that are encouraging Australians to travel,'' he said.

"The weakened dollar may affect end-destination spending, but it is not stopping us from going overseas,'' Mr Bowman said. "We have just launched our earlybird Europe deals for next year (including Sydney to London with a night in Hong Kong $1821, Melbourne to London $1799), so there are some very good fares out there."

He said Aussies are also resilient travellers and continue to go despite natural disasters such as Iceland's volcanic ash cloud and terrorist threats around the world.

"We have seen over many years that Australians love to travel. We like to explore and experience different things.''

The love of holidaying means that Australians put travel ahead of any other motivation for saving, according to research released earlier this year by the St George-Melbourne Institute.

The institute reported that nearly 60 per cent of Australians nominated holidays and travel as a key motivation for saving money, ahead of a deposit for a house, renovating, retirement, education, repaying debts, buying a new car or an expensive item for the house.

Visa's Global Intentions Study also found that part of the reason for Australians' high spend is that we like to go on long-haul trips to "expensive tourist destinations such as the USA and UK".

The study found that 98 per cent of Australians have travelled for leisure in the past two years.

The study polled almost 13,000 people in 25 countries.

TOP FIVE SPENDERS

1. Saudi Arabia $6414

2. Australia $3962

3. China $3679

4. Brazil $2844

5. South Africa $2779

Figures based on average spend per person per trip.

Source: Visa

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/aussies-the-worlds-secondbiggest-spending-travellers-20130831-2sxe1.html

It Begins - The Mary Jones Experience 2013!

Welcome To Wales

Well - Its finally September and I am here now in Cardiff, Wales with the group. After 9 months of planning, praying and mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety. We are here now in Wales!

Out of Australia there has never been an organised guided group "Mary Jones Experience". This is the first time ever. I feel like a pioneer! (Maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration)

Part of my group

Its great that 22 of us from all around Australia will be traveling around the UK, visiting towns and cities. Immersing ourselves in the history, culture and spirituality of the region. The travellers themselves are a good bunch. Some are old friends, others meeting for the first time. All of us though, like minded and one as a group.

1. We are all as one thanks to our salvation in Jesus and our strong belief in Christianity
2. We are inspired by the story of Mary Jones and are here to experience 'the walk'
3. We are all supporters of the Bible Society, through fundraising, volunteering and even employment!

Thats a big stone @ Avebury

So over the next 12 days follow me Michael Fattal on behalf of PlanetBlueTours as I post up photos and blog about the “Mary Jones Experience”.

Seriously I have the best job in the world. :)

Mary Jones and her Bible

For those who don’t know what all this Mary Jones stuff is about heres a brief explanation about Mary.

“Mary Jones, a 15-year-old Welsh girl walked 26 miles in the late 1700s from Llanfihangel-y-Pennant to Bala in search of a Bible. She saved up for 6 years so she could afford one. By doing so Mary helped inspire the founding of Bible Society which gave birth to a worldwide Bible movement. “

Such an inspiring true story. On the “Mary Jones Experience” we will be re-tracing Mary’s journey through the welsh country side. Many of the travellers have been training to do this walk!

There is a lot more though - over the next few posts I will tell you about the fundraising aspect of the tour and let you in on something amazing.

Enough from me for now.

Keep following the blog - check out the photos on facebook and you can also follow me on twitter.

Your Fearless Leader - Michael Fattal

Back To Blogging

The humble PlanetBlueTours blog is making a come back!

I am excited once again to share a bit more about our guided group tours, offer some travel tips, share some great travel photos and much much more. 

Lunch at the Tel Aviv Markets

Here's what you can expect over the coming two months

• Lots of photos and videos from my adventures across the world on the different guided group tours that PlanetBlueTours operates.
• Highlighting some of the past guided group tours that I personally have travelled on. Like our Turkey, Greece and Israel guided group tour with MECO Australia in 2012. Our Israel, Jordan and Egypt  guided group tour with Pastor Mike Kwok in 2013. Expect some awesome travel photos and videos of Israel, Turkey, Greece, Jordan and Egypt!
• I will be bringing some live updates on my current guided group tour through out Wales and England - the Mary Jones Experience in partnership with the Bible Society Australia and the UK
• Finally based on some of the feed back on our ‘travel tips’ I will continue to post up more regular travel tips!

So stay tuned for some more posts! 

Your Fearless leader - Michael Fattal :) (from London, Uk)

PlanetBlueTours Top 10 airplane tips.

This week I was inundated by literarily 2 whole emails asking, “Michael what are your top 10 airplane tips”. So on my recent flight to Beijing, China with my brother Joshua and I -  we deliberated and came up with our top ten airplane tips.

Watch or Read - get the best of both.