The story behind the journey
Where did it all begin?
Tasmania Travel Tips started as a hobby Facebook page in the middle of 2023. The page grew exponentially and as of May 2024, we have about 21,000 members who are very active and happy to share their experiences with you.
How can I help?
I genuinely love travel, as well as escaping to remote places in Tasmania, I have been a tour host for several groups to Asia (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam).
My background has been in the travel industry for 24 years: I have worked for Air New Zealand, Tandem Travel, House of Travel, Innovative Travel and in the last 8 years have worked from home as a Mobile Travel advisor for NZ Travel Brokers.
I am also a proud Tassie Tourism Ambassador, having successfully completed the training provided by Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania (TICT)
Who is Vanessa, the founder of this creation?
I was born a remote location called Flinders Island, if you look at the map of Tasmania, Flinders island is location off the top north east corner; and if you don’t know anything about Flinders island, it is one of the hidden gems of Tasmania! My parents moved to Launceston when I was 2 years old, which is where I lived most of my life until I moved to New Zealand in 1999. I still live in Christchurch (married with 3 step-children, 7 cats and a dog), however I travel back and forth to Tasmania at least 4 times a year to spend time with my family and friends.
Tasmania is my passion for so many reasons, so I am blessed to be in the position to assist you with your travel planning. Who knows, you may just run into me somewhere along the road.
Why does Tasmania mean so much?
I am a very proud Pakana woman (Tasmanian Aboriginal), You will likely come across references to Pakana or Palawa which are used interchangeably, the distinction is that the people are from different language groups. Throughout lutruwita/Tasmania, there may also be reference to other Aboriginal meanings or language groups. Educating visitors is a growing need in our community and sharing our knowledge and culture is very important to us.
Being a nomad is my jam, local travel is just as much fun as international, I own a campervan in NZ and get out and about with my dog and husband whenever we can.