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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5 of the best day trips from Hobart

(Credit: Samuel Shelley)

    Rachel Lay Rachel Lay
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    Hobart has quietly become our coolest capital, but the real wonder lies just beyond the city limits.

    In the cool shade of Kunyani/ Mt Wellington, Hobart has earned a reputation. Home to culture-defining Dark MOFO, the city blends rugged, raw wilderness and rule-breaking galleries. But, step beyond the thrumming capital’s border and you’ll find a new perspective: historic towns, Jurassic-era cliffs and a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Fill your days with epicurean odysseys and wild scenery on the best day trips from Hobart.

    Where to stay

    Hobart stay with sleek style at Mövenpick hotel
    Elevate your Hobart stay with sleek style at Mövenpick.

    Behind every good road trip is the perfect home base. Somewhere central to review your camera roll, make the most of Hobart’s dining scene and relax before setting off again.

    For modern, Tasmanian-inspired design, book a stay at the Movenpick Hotel Hobart. Standing at the Salamanca Markets, look to the Hobart skyline, and the award-winning hotel will catch your eye. As the third-tallest building in the CBD, the views across the harbour toward Antarctica are totally unique from your room. Here, end each day at the daily free chocolate hour (plus a free Movenpick ice cream for the little ones).

    For a more budget-conscious option, head to the picture book, sandstone buildings of Macquarie Street. Nestled along the buzzing, historic streetscape, you’ll find Tasmania’s biggest hotel: the Ibis Styles. Return home each day to defrost in one of the hotel’s two saunas. Make use of the proximity to MONA, or take an easy stroll to the candy-coloured cottages of Battery Point between your adventures.

    1. Bruny Island

    Bruny Island Neck is an isthmus of land connecting north and south Bruny Island.
    Begin your adventure with a climb and a view. (Credit: Elise Weaver)

    Craggy cliffs and tropical-hued, white sand beaches signal your arrival to Bruny Island/ Lunawanna-Alonnah.

    Start your day trip at the island’s most iconic spot, the Neck Game Reserve. Scale the Trunganini steps to gaze out over the teensy stretch of land that juts through the sea connecting the two ends of the island.

    Catch a rare glimpse of the white-furred wallabies that call Bruny Island home at Adventure Bay. Then, for ocean-fresh oysters, pull into the drive-thru window at Get Shucked. Sample Bruny Island cheese at the cellar door before catching the ferry home with an esky full of local produce.

    2. Mount Wellington

    Mount Wellington Summit tasmania
    Climb through alpine forest to the summit. (Credit: Samuel Shelley)

    At 1271 metres, Mount Wellington watches protectively over Hobart. Follow the winding road to climb through alpine forest and tufts of snow to reach the summit. Gaze down over Hobart and out to sea, or over your shoulder to the southwestern wilderness.

    Reset your adrenaline with a mountain bike ride back down. Or, make like the locals and head into the mountain on foot. Try the hike to the Jurassic-period Organ Pipes, which slips under the mountain’s magnificent dolerite cliffs (perfect for families thanks to the trail’s minimal incline).

    For a view of Mount Wellington itself, hike nearby Cathedral Rock.

    2. Port Arthur

    Port Arthur tasmania
    Wander through convict-built grounds and gardens. (Credit: Alastair Bett)

    Constructed entirely by convicts, the manicured gardens and penal buildings of Port Arthur offer a day trip that practically hums with history.

    The rugged, seagirt location was chosen for its difficult escape conditions. Now, you can cruise the coast below the towering, jagged cliffs of the Tasman National Park or wander the sloping fields of fragrant lavender.

    Tickets to Port Arthur include a walking tour and harbour cruise. See the Isle of the Dead where 1000 men are buried in marked and unmarked graves. And Point Puer, Britain’s first prison for children.

    3. Launceston

    Duck Reach Power Station Bridge Cataract Gorge launceston
    Walk the sunlit paths of Cataract Gorge. (Credit: Nick H Visuals)

    You’ll find Launceston at the confluence of three rivers after an easy 2.5-hour drive from Hobart. Launceston is a patchwork of old and new. Here, heritage streetscapes meet modern architecture.

    Visit Cataract Gorge, the green, sun-dappled heart of the town and sacred meeting point for Tasmania’s indigenous communities. Pull up at roadside produce stalls that dot the Tamar Valley, or dine out. Launceston is, after all, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

    Should the local wine scene persuade you, simply extend your time in Launceston at Peppers Silo (but definitely at least stop by the onsite restaurant, Grain of the Silo, for a farm fresh menu) or Mercure Launceston before heading back to Hobart.

    4. Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

    woman with wombat at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
    Snap a cuddle-worthy encounter. (Credit: Tourism Australia)

    Take a 35-minute drive from your hotel and you’ll find Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. This social enterprise is run by a team of extremely passionate Tasmanians with a mission to look after critically endangered species who have found sanctuary here after facing extinction on the mainland.

    Choose to wander the sanctuary at your own pace or join a guided tour (free with your ticket) to come face to face with Tassie’s most iconic species. Tasmanian Devils, wombats and echidnas are part of the free tour. You can book up close encounters with your favourite animals, too.

    5. Richmond Village & Coal River Valley

    Richmond is a picture-perfect town in the Coal River Valley wine region, offering a glimpse into early colonial life, one of the best day trips from Hobart.
    Trace the river through history and wine country. (Credit: Alastair Bett)

    Richmond is a town that belongs in a snow globe. Fifty colonial-era, Georgian buildings have been painstakingly restored and turned into cafes, cosy restaurants and galleries. Visit Richmond Gaol, said to be the home of a prisoner so vile he inspired Charles Dickens to pen Oliver Twist’s Fagin.

    Then, follow the Coal River as it flows past grassy, duckling-dotted knolls and under the iconic Richmond Bridge, the oldest bridge in Australia. From the crest of the bridge, see the oldest Catholic Church in Australia. The river crawls past many cellar doors, perfect for a day of wine tasting.