Category: Travel Diary
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City Explorations
28/07/19 We woke up yesterday after a very restful night to an included buffet breakfast, with a wonderful variety of fruits, breads, meats, cheeses and all the salad you could ever want. One night in and I could already recommend the Soho Hotel for it’s good vibes, stellar service and its location close to the…
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Back to Budapest
27/07/19 I’ve come full circle to where my grown up travelling all started. I’m back in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. After a long journey of cancelled trains due to the unusual heat hitting England this week (seriously though, as pathetic as we are as a nation, climate change is definitely a real thing) and…
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Whirlwind Stockholm
We’ve passed through Sweden a few times on this trip, but Stockholm is the first destination we’ve actually stopped at. It’s also the last leg of my adventure. Sad times indeed! Arriving in Sweden’s capital stuffed full of sweets because that’s apparently what Swedes do on Saturdays, so, culture!, we headed out for last night…
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Norway – A Nature Lover’s Paradise
Oh God, no, I don’t dare, can I do it? “Just do it!” And, with that I’m in, in and accomplished… Since departing Oslo on Wednesday, I’ve spent the last few days exploring more of Norway, and more specifically its vast countryside. It involved a hell of a lot of driving but this was thankfully…
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Oslo
Driving across Sweden, and following a typical Swedish lunch of meatballs in none other than IKEA, we finally arrived in Norway’s capital, Oslo. Despite being exhausted, I took the opportunity to explore our stop off before checking in – Vigeland Sculpture Park, a park in the city that’s home to hundreds of statues created by…
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Wonderful Copenhagen
Looking back on Saturday, we fitted a lot in considering we were still in Germany in the morning. It was pretty much the same procedure as the beginning of any Contiki tour – talking to lots of new people and remembering none of their names, as after a drive and ferry crossing we were dropped…
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The Road to Berlin
I don’t know why I still always get that lurching sickness feeling when heading off to a new country; you’d think I’d be used to it by now. But even so, getting on the train on Thursday morning I couldn’t help but wonder, what am I doing? What if something goes wrong? Am I ready…
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A day and a half in Barcelona
18/03/19 I’m not going to lie. Arriving in Barcelona yesterday I was shattered, shattered and sweating like mad. Before booking this trip, I had a full on itinerary of things I could do, and yet today all I wanted to do was chill out. After checking in and freshening up, I headed out for some…
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Valencia and Fallas Festivities
17/03/19 Snap, snap, crackle, bang, BANG. This is the sound of Valencia this weekend. As poppers pop and fireworks ignite down random side alleys, the smell of smoke sails through the air and crowds of people shuffle along like sardines, taking it all in whilst sipping on beers and mojitos. Live bands pop up seemingly…
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The Airport
15/03/19 People say that travel is about the journey, rather than the destination, and in a way I get that after the eventful morning I’ve had. As I sit writing this, I am passing the time on the metro from the airport to my hostel in Valencia, finally able to relax at least a little…
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Flight of the Gibbon and my time in Chiang Mai
I try not to let out a scream as I shoot over the Thai jungle, the wind rushing through the ends of my hair as I focus on when I need to raise my feet for landing. Flight of the Gibbon is a ziplining course you can take whilst visiting the city, consisting of a…
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Chiang Mai and the Night Market
My Contiki group have gone for a cooking class I didn’t want to be a part of, so instead I’ve just visited the beautiful madness that is the Chiang Mai weekend night market. The heat intensifies as you step into the vacuum of people shuffling along with tiny steps, the salespeople sitting and handcrafting their…
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Chasing Waterfalls to Chiang Mai
Erawan Falls was first on our list for today. It’s just a shame so many of us were feeling so hungover from our crazy night out at a funky little bar in Kanchanaburi. The falls are beautiful, but unless you want to climb all the way to the top level, you don’t need too long…
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The Elephant Sanctuary and Bridge Over River Kwai
Finally it was the day everyone had been waiting for, the day of the visit to the elephant sanctuary. After a relaxing morning on the river rafts, we took off to meet these wonderful creatures, and it did live up to expectation. A local guide repeated the words “no worry” over and over, until I’m…
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The Jungle Rafts – My night in the middle of nowhere
Driving down the winding rural track, my anticipation was building. I was about to spend the night stranded on a river with no electricity – No lights, no plug sockets, no nothing. Even the walls and roofs weren’t solid, meaning we truly would get to be at one with nature. It’s so peaceful out here…
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Wat Arun and the Kao San Road Scavenger Hunt
Yesterday I had my first real introduction to Bangkok, taking a relaxing klong (canal) tour and visiting Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn. This place is incredible, the intricacies impressively grand and yet rough and messy at the same time. The stone is a chalky white, sculpted into a large tower with…
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Journey to Bangkok
I haven’t slept yet, and while not much has happened, so much has happened. I did it; I made it to Thailand, despite having an injured foot and a broken suitcase. The first thing that really struck me when leaving the airport was the politeness and hospitality of the Thai people. I saw the man…
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Tranquility
26/07/2018 When my alarm sounded this morning, I cursed myself. Why had I thought this was a good idea? When my travel companion Rachel had suggested it I was all ears, but that didn’t make getting up in the middle of the night for the second day in a row any easier. And then, after…
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Making the most of things
25/07/2018 The idea of a holiday is usually a rather thrilling one, but when you arrive and it’s nothing like you expected, you can start to wonder what you were thinking, or how you’ve been misled. Taking a break from my usual hectic travel style, I booked a few nights to chill out in Alcudia,…
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What happens in Amsterdam…
29/04/2018 Plans to hang out by the canals were derailed yesterday thanks to unfortunate bad weather. Almost as soon as we’d taken the above photo, the heavens opened, forcing us to surrender to it. I am naturally used to rain and cloud, but it wasn’t what I really wanted to see on the continent. Still,…
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Amsterdam and Kings Day madness
28/04/2018 On Thursday, I set off with a bunch of strangers on the long road trip over to Amsterdam. As suspected, my nerves were for nothing and the meeting people aspect went fine. However, basically, everything else went a little wrong, though we all still tried to make the best of it. In the end…
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Contiki Take Two: London Bound
25/04/2018 Getting on the train this afternoon, everything suddenly became very real. Having enjoyed my first Contiki adventure so much, I didn’t think I’d have so much to think about on the three hour train journey I was about to embark. A British train journey is often a very familiar experience. People wander up and…
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Farewell my Dear Ireland
Our visit may have been fleeting, but Dublin truly is a beautiful city. We started our last night out Livin’ on a Prayer as we sipped on two for one Woo Woo cocktails at Fitzsimons Bar. Next we had to pay a visit to the Temple Bar, seeing as the entire area we’ve been staying…
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A Day in Dublin
I can now officially say from experience, a night out in Dublin is phenomenal. The Temple Bar area is busy and expensive (an average of €8ish for a drink) but as long as its a one off and not daily life it is well worth it. You don’t even have to dress up. Last night…
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My First Trip Abroad of the Year
4 years ago today I was on my way to Paris from London. Now, it’s Manchester to Dublin. Work was a slow one yesterday, hours spent staring at the clock, five minutes in real time feeling like a whole hour. Finally, my friend Rachel and I met at the train station, ready for what would…
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So Many Butterflies
25/08/17 Last day and we stayed local, opting to explore some of the forest areas around Strontian. After a hearty breakfast of pancakes and jam, we set out to the nearby Ariundle Oakwood Nature Reserve. Aside from getting caught in a heavy shower on the most exposed part of the walk, it was a glorious…
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OMG! Actual People Live in Scotland
24/08/17 Today was a wet one, so we opted for something a little different. We’ve passed by the nearby town of Fort William plenty of times on our travels, but never actually stopped. This was our first destination. There’s not much there, and there are more picturesque locations too, but if you’re looking to stock…
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Picnic at the Point
Today’s title sounds a little like it could be an Animal Ark book or something, but it’s rather apt. We had another slow morning, deciding to embrace the unusually good weather and travel down the coast to the most Westerly point of the UK at Ardnamurchan. Which brought us on an adventure down what felt…
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When Five Become Three
Today saw us embracing an early start so my brother and his girlfriend could catch the train home. We took in the views along the way, despite the lashing rain, and shortly after they had departed, leaving us with the rest of the day to fill. We took a drive back through Glencoe, stopping off…
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Coastal Exploration
Today we travelled in the opposite direction to anywhere we’d yet visited, heading further West across the country. Our first stop was a gorgeous stretch of beach that was so silent, virtually abandoned. It was a bit of a trek down narrow, winding roads, but it was well worth it. Ardtoe Beach is unbelievably picturesque,…
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Up the Mountain and Into the Woods
Today, there was no sign of rain, the perfect opportunity to take on the task of exploring the Nevis mountain range. While you can’t climb up to Ben Nevis itself, you can take a cable car up one of its neighbouring peaks, and it is one hell of a trek – though well worth it.…
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Heading Up North
Today we had a nice slow morning, a refreshing change from our usual hectic lifestyles. After a hearty breakfast and another long chat, we finally departed Edinburgh and hit the road for our cottage in the highlands. Despite taking up a good chunk of our day, the cross-country drive was a spectacle in itself. We…
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Edinburgh – A Flying Visit
It’s only been a few months but it feels like forever since I went to Croatia, so, naturally, I’m psyched to have left Grimsby behind again for a new adventure up in Scotland. Yesterday we took a long drive up the east coast of the UK, stopping in the small town of Alnwick on the…
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The Winding Road to Split
Yesterday saw us packing up our bags once again, and this time heading through the gorgeous countryside to the city of Split in Croatia. Along the way, we had a short stop at a small town called Trogir, to get the opportunity to see another part of Croatia. It’s a small place and there isn’t…
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Zadar Here We Come!
Yesterday morning we got up bright and early to see a little bit more of the lakes, before having to board the bus once again in pursuit of our next destination, Zadar, a coastal city which is very Roman influenced. What’s more, the sun was actually finally out! The city itself is kind of small…
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Visiting The Lakes
Today we finally reached Croatia, our first stop being the most incredible national park, covered in lakes and waterfalls, like something straight out of a dream. Seriously, this is a must if you’re visiting Croatia. It took me back to days spent in Cornwall in years gone by – only this was definitely more impressive!…
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En Route to Ljublijana
Today was my first day meeting my new travel companions, a prospect that even still, a whole day in, is kind of daunting. I forced myself to approach some of my companions or I feared I’d be stuck completely on my own for the entire trip, and thankfully there do seem to be some nice…
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Welcome to Budapest
I planned a day in Budapest before moving on down to Slovenia for the first real leg of my journey, and honestly, this city is just as beautiful as I expected. I arrived yesterday evening around 7pm, and lucky me had a window seat on the plane so I got a great aerial view of…
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Embarking on a New Adventure
04/06/17 2017 is going to be “my year.” …And I actually mean it this time. When I visited Lanzarote in 2016, it really helped to put my life into perspective. I’d been fed up with the lack of progression and excitement for a while, but this was my true turning point. I just loved…
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