Touch wood, but I've never actually been robbed while travelling.

Jim Eagles reflects on his journey to one of New Zealand's most isolated outposts, the Chatham Islands.

Airport security precautions are a fact of life these days, but Jim Eagles wonders whether some of the checks haven't become a bit much.

If you're one of those sad people who put a dampener on their own holidays by feeling guilty at the damage done to the planet when they fly overseas, here's something that should ease your conscience.

The latest Lonely Planet guide to New Zealand came out the other day with the usual flutter of controversy over descriptions of the Bay of Islands as over-hyped, Hamilton as dull and Kiwis as eager-to-please.

If you're moving back from Australia to New Zealand - going against the tide - you're better off not being a dog.

It's a shame the path around Devonport's North Head isn't quite complete, writes Jim Eagles.

Next time you're passing through Christchurch International Airport during the hours of darkness keep an eye out for the control tower.

I've had a bit to do with beauty queens over the years.

Over the years I've spent a fair bit of time hanging round the world's airports between flights.

The recession hasn't clipped the wings of Kiwi travellers, writes Jim Eagles.

I can't help wondering why countries like Uzbekistan, which want to attract more tourists, persist in making arrival unwelcoming.

Five years on I still get a lump in my throat when I think about visiting the Khmer Rouge's main torture centre in Phnom Penh.

New technology at Auckland Airport means the CEO of Customs gets automatic texts if queues are too long.

The biggest challenge Jim Eagles faces in trying to travel light is the need to take lots of books. Can an eReader help?

Well, so much for my precautions against catching colds when you fly.

I know it's asking for trouble to even mention this but despite travelling fairly regularly I've never had much trouble with lost luggage.

It's easy to feel a bit cynical when airlines and aircraft manufacturers proclaim the dawning of a new age for passengers.

There's no room for complacency with your belongings while flying. Theft can happen anywhere.

On the whole I tend to regard a hotel as somewhere to sleep, wash, change clothes and recharge the batteries in between exploring the world outside.

It is amazing that - despite how thoroughly the airlines reckon they filter the air - almost invariably after a long flight I end up with a dose of flu.

Once upon a time it seemed to me the Department of Conservation's basic aim was to lock up the vast areas under its control and throw away the key.

It may be put on solely for tourists, but a yak polo match in Mongolia is a heap of fun, writes Jim Eagles.

In less than a month I'm due to head down the ancient trade route that carried silk from China to Europe, along the way passing through Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan.

The old spirit of New Zealand ingenuity, of being able to build anything from a Large Hadron Collider to a small vacuum cleaner with No.8 fencing wire, lives on in the imaginative Kiwi traveller.

Just down the Seabird Coast from where I have a bach is a long stretch of beach alongside which runs a well-worn vehicle track.

The cost of travel basics like accommodation and flights may have gone up a bit over the past few months as the global economy stabilises, but they're still incredibly good value, writes Jim Eagles.

Clearly there's something about train travel that exercises a particular charm over New Zealanders, writes Jim Eagles.