I have big news! This little family is becoming three! On 26 January 2018, Steve and I are expecting a baby! As readers of this blog will know, it’s taken a while to get here – 18 months in fact – but patience paid off and after months of hospital appointments, scans and uncertainty, we … Read more
I know many of you read this blog for the travel tips, so perhaps you’ll want to skip this one, but I know I love bloggers’ posts that give an update on their life lately. It’s like a getting a little letter from one of my friends. So I thought it’s about time I write … Read more
[Update: this post was published in 2017, so some things are quite different now. For example, I’m a full-time blogger now, which is something I said I didn’t want in this post! I’m keeping the post live as it’s fun to see how I was feeling five years into blogging. I’ll try and write an … Read more
Steve’s beard is made of ice again. And we’re staring at the sky. There’s a smudge upon the horizon, but is that just a cloud? And smudges aren’t what we’re after. We’re hoping for a show. In Iceland, it showed its face, but only in shades of grey. Please fire up tonight. I lay back … Read more
In France, there’s a saying for a time when you “have your head in the handlebars” focused on your career and building a settled life. It’s a time that lacks moments to stop, look around and think about the track you’re on. Five years ago, with my head firmly in those handlebars, I finally took … Read more
Sometimes you forget to get in touch with someone for so long, that by the time you get round to it, you feel so embarrassed that it’s difficult to know where to start. That’s how I feel now. Over the past few months, I’ve sat down to write an update post at least three or … Read more
I moved here at 19, exhilarated and starry eyed after a year travelling the world by myself. While friends headed out across the width and breadth of England, for me it had always been London. I grew up just a 30-minute train ride from the city in a suburban Surrey town. We’d save our money … Read more
I’ve been a mega fan of Lonely Planet since I took my first solo trip abroad more than 14 years ago. I can remember pouring over the books as I planned my trip around the world. They came to symbolise adventure, and I still get a thrill every time I buy one now. We used one … Read more
There’s a classic trajectory for anyone who tries to mix a life of working plus travelling. It goes a little like this: 1. This is amazing! I can work while I’m travelling. I’m living the dream! My future is made of laptops and cocktails by the pool. 2. Dammit. To make this happen, I need … Read more
My aunt doesn’t read this blog but she knows everything that I write on it because her best friend Diane calls her and reads each post verbatim. Diane has been this blog’s biggest supporter from as soon as I started it in 2012. She leaves comments telling me how wonderful she thinks it is, and … Read more