WHEN JENNIFER WOODS, 59, hits the open road on her Yamaha V-Star 1100 motorbike, she texts her adult daughter when she arrives at each agreed waypoint – a role reversal that comforts her youngest at home in Canberra. The evening before the... read more

“Sometimes swimming in the ocean is like a 10-round fight with the elements – that’s part of the attraction for us crazy people,” says Brian Cook, CEO of the Geelong Cats AFL football club. Australians have gone mad for... read more

Popular music harbours all sorts of durable fantasies for everyone from participants to hopefuls. There’s the dream of having a No 1 single, or that fantasy about carousing at a Grammy after-party with the Album of the Year award in hand.... read more

iPhone, iPad or BlackBerry? iPhone. Best travel destination in the past year? Luang Prabang, Laos. Most memorable meal overseas? Dar Yacout, Marrakech, Morocco. Top travel tip? Visit flea markets. Best airport? Sydney – excited to be... read more

The advantages of flying the premium class are promoted in seat size, bed comfort, gourmet dining and luxury products in a ferociously competitive market. But passengers willing and able to pay extra seem to have less tangible benefits in mind.... read more

For many parents, coaching junior sport often begins as a weekend show of support, a shared activity that hopefully fosters stronger family ties. Courses are taken, seminars attended, tactics discussed, skills honed and progress charted. In some... read more

Fishing in Australia is big business. In fact, it’s the nation’s No 1 leisure activity with five million recreational anglers fly fishing on remote sand flats, game fishing offshore or simply wetting a line off local public wharfs with... read more

In the movie Up in the Air, consummate business traveller Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney, offers advice on airport queues to Vera Farmiga’s character, Natalie Keener. Bingham: “Never get behind old people. Their bodies are... read more

As executives get younger, the idea of swapping a suit for a wetsuit and surfboard is a journey many are taking – particularly if they’re lucky enough to live close to a good break. Surfing is one of the hardest sports to learn as an... read more

If you believe the pundits, business travellers are likely to find themselves spending lots more time in Sao Paulo, Mumbai and Shanghai in the not-so-distant future. These are the corporate powerhouses for the emerging economies of the 21st... read more

Ocean views, championship golf course, award-winning dining – sounds like the perfect holiday. But wait, there’s more. Free wi-fi, world‑class spa treatments, vintage wine, concierge service... Welcome to what could be your next... read more

It's a fact of modern working life that thousands of business people spend a lot of time in the air – for some, even more than behind their desks. Many see long-haul travel as a glamorous perk of the job, a fitting reward for years of hard... read more

Over the past decade, the boom town that is modern Shanghai has become home to more five-star hotels than any other metropolis. When it comes to their executive or club floors, those high-level enclaves of privilege and prestige provide the... read more

Champion mare Black Caviar has spurred a new generation of racegoers and won her owners close to A$7 million in prize money so far. This type of success may be rare, but it demonstrates the potential for investment return – one reason some... read more

Asked about his favourite skiing experience, Mark Sedon says it was probably when he sailed to Antarctica on a 15m yacht, then skied down a glacier while watching whales swimming between the icebergs below. Yes, that would be it. For natural... read more

THE THRILL, THE SKILL, the fashion, the fun: Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival is an entertaining opportunity like no other in Australia. The five big race days offer distinctly different environments in which to connect with international... read more

  “Money and finance impact everyone’s lives,” says Kristin Aguilera, deputy director of the Museum of American Finance in Lower Manhattan. Aguilera’s museum was set up in the wake of the crash of 1987 and found an... read more

On 23 May 2010, Ray White residential sales contractor Stephen Bock reached the summit of Mount Everest. He describes it as “the best business development course I’ve ever done”. Overweight, unfit and unhappy, Bock spent a... read more

For many business class travellers, the airline lounge is the best part of the flying experience. A refuge of calm and comfort, the business class lounge is also one area where an airline can fly its flag and show off its style, personality and... read more

If you’re doing business in Europe, with meetings in London one day and Paris the next, there are two options. You could take a 45-minute taxi ride from the hotel to Heathrow airport, check in the requisite two hours before departure, board... read more

Whether it’s Cadel Evans winning the maillot jaune (yellow jersey) in last year’s Tour de France, or the endless array of gear to buy and upgrade, cycling in Australia is experiencing a surge in popularity that can only be good for the... read more

In Thailand, the spa retreat is elevated to an art form. Put it down to the culture, the long tradition of massage treatments or the Thai sense of aesthetics, but nowhere else does the soft-centred, silk-lined spa reach such a state of sighing... read more

Before it was settled in the middle of the 19th century, the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur (or KL as it’s known by locals and the business jet set) was little more than jungle and malarial swamp. In the intervening years, powered by... read more

Four hours before you board your flight to Hong Kong, an SMS message arrives to remind you of your check-in time. When you arrive at Chek Lap Kok international airport and switch on your phone you immediately receive a text message with the... read more

You haven’t run in Melbourne if you haven’t run The Tan Track – the picturesque gravel path around the Royal Botanical Gardens that sits just across the Yarra River in the heart of the city. It’s a pretty easy 3.8km loop,... read more