These random acts of kindness will transform your travel experience

Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
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This Random Acts of Kindness Day, plan one of these acts for your next holiday and make the world a better place.

On Random Acts of Kindness Day the message is clear: do something today (and every day) that will make someone’s world just a little bit better. And what better time to spread positivity than when you’re on holidays around the country, living your best life?

If you need a little inspiration to provide a ray of sunshine, try one (or all) of these acts of kindness.

1. Pay it forward

There are plenty of easy ways to pay it forward on your holiday, both to locals and to other travellers. Go out for a nice breakfast (as if we need to encourage you) and buy a coffee, or a meal, for the person in line behind you. If your accommodation doesn’t have a laundry and you visit a laundromat for a quick clothes wash, leave a few extra coins around for someone else to use on their wash. If you’re on a road trip, leave a gift voucher for petrol at the petrol pump with a sign for the next car that drives up to use it. You get it, if you can, give it to someone who might not be able to.

person holiding coffe and croissant in cafe
Buy someone else a coffee when you grab brekkie. (Image: Thai Liang Lim)

2. Give compliments

When we receive genuine compliments from strangers, that aren’t overstepping or about another human’s body, it has the ability to completely turn a bad day around. Tell someone you love their style, or they parked really well, or maybe they have a delightfully contagious laugh. whatever it is, just make it positive and true.

graffiti wall with sign saying just be nice
Just be nice.

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3. Share positive feedback

On holiday, we encounter even more customer service professionals than in regular life. As a former customer service worker myself, I can promise you that those professionals have heard just about every complaint there is, but people just really don’t go out of their way to share positive feedback. Time to change that fact. If you get great service at your hotel, a restaurant, while doing a little vacay-shopping – whatever it is, take an extra five minutes to tell them, or their manager or name them in a positive online review.

two cafe workers serving coffee
If someone makes you the best coffee ever, tell them. (Image: Crew)

4. Say ‘hi’ to a stranger

The best thing about being on holiday is all those social walls coming down. I know that I’m definitely about 30 times more open to conversations with strangers the second I leave my home city. Harness that carefree attitude and say hello to a stranger. Who knows, that chat might be their only one for the day.

5. Practice self-kindness

Perhaps the easiest person to show kindness to (in theory), is yourself. And, if you happen to be on holiday, the best time to lean into treating yourself. Book an experience you really love today, whether it be a massage or a long hike. Maybe try writing a gratitude list as well, to really lift your mood. Trust me, they’re easy to do on holidays.

man on hike in australia
Treat yourself to Australia’s incredible views. (Image: Chris Fuller)

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6. Clean up

What better way to give back to the place you chose for your getaway than picking up a few pieces of rubbish and putting them in the bin where they belong? This is especially amazing when you’re in a protected beach or camping area.

aerial view of people on white sand beach
Love the beach you’re holidaying on? Take a piece of rubbish away with you. (Image: Niklas Ohlrogge)

7. Leave a big tip

Tipping culture might be growing in Australia, but it’s definitely not common or expected. So maybe give someone an extra treat today whether they served you coffee or cleaned your hotel room.

8. Put your phone away

Speaking of self-kindness, have you ever had a day away from technology? As someone who is very plugged in, I can assure you it’s an incredible feeling. If you can’t put your phone away for the whole day (and if you can’t on holiday, then when can you?), then be sure to put it down when spending time with your fellow travellers and give them your full attention.

friends eating burgers around a table
Do your loved ones the kindness of putting down your phone. (Image: Dan Gold)
Kassia Byrnes
Kassia Byrnes is the Native Content Editor for Australian Traveller and International Traveller. She's come a long way since writing in her diary about family trips to Grandma's. After graduating a BA of Communication from University of Technology Sydney, she has been writing about her travels (and more) professionally for over 10 years for titles like AWOL, News.com.au, Pedestrian.TV, Body + Soul and Punkee. She's addicted to travel but has a terrible sense of direction, so you can usually find her getting lost somewhere new around the world. Luckily, she loves to explore and have new adventures – whether that’s exploring the backstreets, bungee jumping off a bridge or hiking for days. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @probably_kassia.
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Exploding supernovas & gold fever: discover the past at this outback Qld town

    Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
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    Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.

    While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.

    Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.

    Getting there

    car driving along Capricorn Way in queensland
    Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)

    You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.

    Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.

    Best accommodation in Clermont

    Theresa CreekDam in clermont
    Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.

    Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.

    To stay closer to town, opt for a central hotel to base yourself between exploring and fossicking, like Smart Stayzzz Inn and Clermont Country Motor Inn .

    Things to do in Clermont

    three people on a tour with Golden Prospecting
    Join a tour with Golden Prospecting.

    One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters , Four Mile , Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings . To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting . They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.

    Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum . Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.

    The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.

    Bush Heli Services flying over clermont queensland
    See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.

    Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services . Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.

    Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs . The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.

    Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont

    meal at Commercial Hotel
    Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.

    Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.

    Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.

    For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.

    Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.

    Discover more of The Mackay Isaac region, and start planning your trip at mackayisaac.com.