The R numbers were down, borders were open and I had 2 weeks of expiring holiday to take from work. Having agonised over my self imposed “you should only travel if…” list, I took the plunge, booked a fully refundable flight to Europe and commenced an incredibly anxious month of waiting. Since I flew on…
My two cents: Covid and when to return to travelling
When Covid hit, I was initially quite circumspect, I thought it would be over soon enough and in the meantime I had work to do, a family business to help out and a good place to live. Fast forward 5 months and I’ve found it so much harder than I expected. Yes, it’s been the…
What is there to do in Sofia, Bulgaria?
This question haunted me in the days leading up to my trip at the end of January; colleagues’ initial interest in my upcoming holiday morphed into vague confusion as it emerged that I wasn’t really sure what Bulgaria’s capitol had to offer, but was going anyway. Having now spent six days exploring Sofia I can…
To 2020!
So here we are then. A new decade is underway and for me it has started out okay. I hosted a few old friends last night and drank a few too many proseccos but don’t feel too bad (except for sleeping in til 1.30pm!). I’m feeling optimistic for the year ahead, but cautiously so. Gone…
Ten things I did in 2019 that scared the crap out of me
Tis the season for Instagram to be dominated by people summing up their wonderful adventures, best of year collections and sharing their gift hauls. Which is lovely and photogenic but not always very realistic. For me, 2019 has been a year of incredible moments in a sea of monotonous shittiness. I have cried more than…
Future solo plans: India & Nepal!
I’ve really made my peace with travelling alone this year, and most of my favourite moments have been solitary ones. That’s not to say that I haven’t loved being with friends, but there’s something about being able to make my own decisions, and forming opinions without input from anyone else that I find truly refreshing….
Venice needs you… to be a better tourist
Five things I did to be a more responsible tourist in Venice
The many faces of Los Angeles
I flew into LAX because it was the cheapest way to see the West Coast, and planned to drive out almost immediately. My expectations weren’t especially high, but as I was there, it seemed stupid not spend a day, see the sights in one of the most famous cities on earth! The weather was what…
Venice… finally!
The Venice of my teen imagination had been taken over by what everyone else who had been there had told me about it. It wasn’t magical, it was crowded, smelly, tourist-y and inauthentic.
Snapshot: Solo, scared, in Gothenburg, Sweden
January 2016 – it took me 25 years to do it, but I got there. I stopped waiting for the right time to go somewhere, gave up on getting a group together, plumped for a random new city and booked a flight. I was going to Gothenburg, Sweden, alone. It was fine. *I* was fine….
Postcards to Myself 