Now the massive fuss about that Olympics thing has started to die down, you might have a chance of hearing about some things to see in this incredible country aside from underage bendy kids in naff leotards.

So what are some must-sees for the autumn? I’m a big theatre fan, and on 8asians blog I found a recommendation for a fascinating ‘Chinese theatrical extravaganza’, Zen Shaolin, held in the mountains of the Hunan Province, ‘celebrating China’s rich history, beautiful natural settings, traditional art and music, and even religious roots’ - sounds pretty good.

For something a bit more urban, forget Beijing and explore culinary Hong Kong. Karen Hamilton has an incredible set of Flickr photos from the city, mainly focused on the food and restaurants to be found in the city, and also recorded the highlights on her blog.

On a practical note, I also found this really handy forum thread which is packed with tips such as how to cross a Chinese intersection, finding Muslim food in Shenzhen, and booking for the Forbidden City.

It seems that STA Travel are thinking alone the same lines. Our sometime informant, Tom, has alerted me that they currently have a load of deals for flights and tours around China (including a package where you can learn to be a travel photographer - intriguing…) Let us know if you’re booking any of them and would like to blog about the country behind the cliches.

Gallivanting students George and Claire are camper vanning around Australia - and their drive to Adelaide and Melbourne sounds like a scary road movie!

After a Groovy Grape wine tour, sampling the likes of Jacobs Creek with some kangaroo steaks to soak up the booze, the girls promptly get stuck in a massive storm on the way to the coastal town of Robe:

our petrol gauge was on emergency low. million miles from anywhere, no towns in sight, no cars, no people, no light for miles and miles, was like somethng out of a horror movie… finally came to a petrol station, which was a huge sigh of relief except for the wierdo in a orange boiler suit!! horror movie!

Surviving unscathed to enjoy Blue Lake, the Grampians mountain range, Ballarat, and the Sovereign Hill olden-days re-enactment town, the girls then unbelievably get stuck again on the Great Ocean Road. You’ve got to admire their cool in a crisis:

So what did me and Claire do, we got in the van and ate chocolate laughing at our drama and traumatic situation. We put bright pink legwarmers on and tied our hair up, after all digging wheels with a spoon is hard work.

Thankfully, the girls were rescued by some grumpy Aussies, and went on to see koalas at both Wilsons Prom and Healesville Sanctuary, not to mention making time for another wine tasting at Domain Chandon. Now happily arrived in Melbourne, they have a final piece of advice for STA travellers in Oz:

STA Explorer George has finally arrived in Oz (despite nearly being detained thanks to a mouldy apple in the bottom of her travel buddy Claire’s bag) and has posted an update about their first week exploring around Adelaide.

The girls go into great detail about the hostels they stay at, as well as the tours they take. They particularly loved the ‘absolutely wicked amazing tour’ around Kangaroo Island, where they got to cuddle a joey called Millie, chill with the sealions in Sea Bay, sandboard at Little Sahare, spot baby penguins at night in Vivonne Bay and hike in Flinders Chase National Park (it makes me feel knackered just writing this!)

However, they do have a reminder that our summer is their winter:

Australia is not hot, it is not all sun and bright skies. Adelaide is cold and dreary …We have our hats our A$10 fleaces, gloves and wet soggy uggs boots - which are NOT cool here, aussies wear uggs as slippers so we do get some looks sent our way…

But they take refuge in wine, toasted marshmallows and layering, not to mention the occasional nice meal. The girls may be hardy adventurers, but they don’t believe in backpacker snobbery:

George asked some of the guys on the tour ‘are there any nice restaurants around the Adelaide Festival Centre?’ much to the shock of all the others, their response was ‘backpackers don’t eat in restaurants, but we can tell you where to buy cheap food!’ haha, we never asked again! Yes ok, we are splashing out but dam it we’ve worked hard for this all year so deserve to!! nice restaurant for lunch and dinner, why not?!!

Ask them questions, give them suggestions, and generally enjoy more of their Aussie adventures here.

Over in Lonely Planet forums, Nick is ‘planning on going to India from Bangkok and traveling up into Nepal’ and has asked other wanderers on the web for their advice so he can make the most of his time oop north in India:

what would be the best city to fly into (cheapest) in order to then travel my way up into Nepal. The train system would be the best way of doing this right? and what places would be a must to see in India. I have been there 3 times before as a kid (i am now 18) and i would like to spend most time up north as i enjoy the cooler climate and the whole “hill station” vibe. so any advice on towns to see, places to visit and just general advice for a trip across india. i hear its a tuff gig.

Go and read the advice of the other members on the board and lend your own. For our part, STA Travel kindly lent the services of one of their Sheffield staff and an old hand at Indian travel, Simon Rocchi, to give some insider insights into the best way to make the most of such a trip… (more…)

Now, I could make a whole load of vaguely sexual puns involving flexible travel, but I think we’re all just beyond that, right? Hmm. Well, if you like your travel itinerary to be more bendy than a yoga-practicing air hostess with a taste for the mile high club (sorry), you might want to check out some of the word of mouth about STA Travel’s flexible offerings on the net.

Cath Collings gives STA Travel a big thumbs up on her blog about her upcoming Russian trip:

That’s the word I’d use to describe STA…flexible! We booked our flights to Russia for the four of us through the STA website cos that was the cheapest we found and also it’s easy to search for flights that go to one place and come back from another which is a nightmare on some websites.

Whilst Tim Thompson of Vapour Trails has also found them good for round-world planning:

The great thing about the RTW ticket I’ve got (and thanks again to the team at STA Travel for this - and no I’m not on commission :>) is that I can very easily change the flights on the ticket and get straight home from most major airports in Asia.

Anyone else had a particularly good or bad experience with booking flexible flights? Are you a big fan of flex or do you prefer a comforting bit of pre-booked structure? Send me your links, you loose-limbed lovelies.

So. Imagine, just for one blissful moment, that you’re a young lass planning to travel The Great Ocean Road from Adelaide to Melbourne for 4 days with your best mate. Do you: a) take a Greyhound bus, which is cheap but public and unglamorous; b) hire a jeep in Adelaide, that you have to somehow magically return to Adelaide at the end of the trip; OR c) go all out to arrange a hippy-happy, free-loving, fast-living retro stylie campervan?

Exactly: no contest. Planning for her imminent Oz adventure, George has been through sweat and tears to secure her dream set of wheels, so it’s well worth reading her blog post if you fancy a road trip down under yourself. Thanks to the patient research of her knight in shining armour, Adam at STA Travel Piccadilly, George rejoices that:

we now have our very own love-wagon complete with a beer fridge, microwave, air con, power steering, gas stove and double bed, with a kids single on the top. Our very own set of wheels, total Independence, freedom, flexibility to hit the road and do it like real Sheilas!

For full costs, comparisons and panic-striken drama, read more here.

Darren Cronian’s Travel Rants blog is always worth a read, and this week’s a particularly good time to visit as he hosts a ’smarter travel tips’ festival showcasing the cream of travel advice from bloggers. Darren set up Travel Rants in 2005:

after a frustrating experience booking a holiday in the high street and have since written articles covering a wide range of issues and topics affecting travel consumers…My aim is to make Travel Rants into a popular destination for travel consumers, where they can receive advice, ask questions and join in discussions and leave comments

… a sentiment we wholeheartedly applaud. So head over to the blog for this week’s blogger fiesta, which has so far featured air travel tips, advice to help backpackers travel smarter, hints for how to perfectly capture your holiday memories, and plenty more.