Rachel Lees

Verified

Travel Writer and Editor, Freelance

Sydney

Travel, U.S. Regional

As seen in: The Independent (UK), TIME, Lonely Planet, New Zealand Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail, The Business Times (Singapore), The Advertiser (South Australia), Gold Coast Bulletin, The Mercury (Tasmania) and

Covers: Off-the-beaten-path destinations, wellness and adventure travel, First Nations culture, boutique and luxury hotels and resorts, experiential travel

Award-winning Australian travel writer with stories in @TIME, @thetimes, @lonelyplanet, @escape_au & more. Instagram: @lees_rachel Email: rachellees@outlook.com

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Articles

Canoe New Zealand’s Longest Navigable River

Jul 14, 2026 |

By Rachel Lees

| International Traveller

Canoe New Zealand’s longest navigable river and spend a night in a marae Credit: Visit Ruapehu This epic multi-day journey along the Whanganui River includes an overnight stay at a traditional Māori meeting ground. The Land of the Long White Cloud is renowned for its superlative natural beauty, so it’s little wonder there are 11 Great Walks of New Zealand. But one of those Great Walks isn’t a walk at all.

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Experience 4,000 years worth of history on this Victorian state park tour

May 26, 2026 |

By Rachel Lees

| Escape Australia

Before inspiring bush poets likes of Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, much of Central Victoria was, and still is, called Djandak, home to the Dja Dja Wurrung people (or Djaara). This article may contain links from our affiliate and advertising partners. We may receive payments when you click on links, buy through them or share this content. It’s rare you get to feel the weight of history in your hands. As I turn over a 4000-year-old greenstone axe head, a chill runs down my spine.

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5 of the best stays to boost social connection

Mar 21, 2026 |

By Rachel Lees

| BODY + soul

Travellers today are increasingly seeking connection with likeminded souls, and as a result, hotels are starting to offer an array of activities and experiences designed to bring people together. “All the lonely people, where do they belong?” sang The Beatles in 1966. Now, 60 years on, the world is in the grips of a global loneliness epidemic, and those lonely people? They’re all around us. If we’re honest, they are us.

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