Archives
So, you want to travel but you’re not about to quit your job with a bag on your back and go exploring. If you can do this, all respect to you, but for me, I’m not ready to do something so daring. A consequence of this is only having a limited block of annual leave allowance each year; a positive is that when I do get a week away, I can afford… Read More
Scared of going it alone but sick of waiting for your friends to commit? Worried about your safety when travelling another part of the world? Don’t worry, I hear you. I was like you once, so I totally get it, but if you’ve read my “Tale of a Solo Travel Virgin” post, you’ll see how taking a Contiki tour genuinely changed my life, and without doing it, I wouldn’t have had certain… Read More
1. Where your priorities should lie It’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of expectation and judgement. We’re fed this lie that success and happiness is directly linked to how we look, what we own, how smart we are, when really this isn’t what life is like at all. For example, whilst travelling in Thailand, I felt comfortable enough to go outside without make-up on for the first time since I… Read More
Paris, France. It’s considered the city of love, and a popular choice for those travelling Europe – and for good reason. While some areas naturally dingy or dirty (it is a major city, after all), this is a city of intricate architecture, a fascinating history, and a touch of class that many other places seem to lack. First-timers to this city will naturally gravitate towards landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and… Read More
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 wares as they man their stalls, the stock ranging from woodwork to textiles to toys to jewellery… Read More
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 down the carriages the moment we set off, dancing around each other down the incredibly narrow aisles… Read More
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 turn out to be the dullest drag of a journey imaginable. If you’re heading for a relaxing… Read More
This book is heartfelt and all-round inspiring – and everyone, especially young adults, should give it a read. I could just end my review here and just say “read it,” but as a professional journalist, that just wouldn’t feel right. Basically, the book follows one woman’s ambitious but rewarding quest to meet with a stranger over coffee once a week for a whole year. It could be someone she finds online, a… Read More
06/06/17 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 people. The most fascinating thing is hearing everyone’s story, as you’re travelling alongside people from all… Read More
05/06/17 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 the city before I’d even touched down. Flying over Margaret Island I could just make out… Read More
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 sitting on the rocks by the ocean, taking everything in, and that’s when I knew I had… Read More
