featured – the wandering darlings

Review- Fear At Avon Valley- Bristol’s Scariest Attraction this October

Want to get super scared this Halloween? Then get yourself down to Fear at Avon Valley as this is the scare park for you.

I am one of the biggest scaedy cats there ever was.. Or so I thought!

We had the opportunity to visit Fear at Avon Valley last week for their opening night and I can tell you that I’ve not jumped out of my skin so much in a long time. There were frights galore!

Fear at Avon Valley just outside of Bristol is a Scare Park. Scare Park’s have been gaining momentum across the UK and based on the screams and sqeuals we heard all night it seems as scary as they are people love them!

Celebrating their 5th birthday Fear at Avon Valley have got bigger, better and scarier than before. They have grown over the last 5 years and developed their mazes to further shock, scare and spook the living daylights out of its patrons. They have even travelled over to the U.S to get inspiration and ideas on how they can continue to up the anti and finds new ways to scare people. With 4 mazes, a live-action shooting range, 2-minute escape room challenge, a very scary clown name Frank overseeing the area, fairground rides, fire show, yummy food trucks, bars with some spooky cocktails and creepy characters wandering around (note chasing you!) it’s a great night out this October.

The 4 mazes (Phobia, Anarchy:Live, X4 and House of Clowns) all feature their own storylines as you make your way through them. Phobia is what it says on the tin. It covers most people’s phobias from claustrophobia to bugs. Anarchy: Live is the oldest maze and is reinvented every year. This year it’s a zombie film set gone wrong. House of Clowns is exactly what you think with some hella creepy clowns hiding in a cute little of ladies house, ready to do the creepiest laughing you ever did hear! X4 is military based and there has been an outbreak and you’ve got to escape.

They are an assault on all your senses with strong smells, strobe and disorientating lighting, twists and turns, people jumping out on you, clever use of darkness and making the silence even creepier than a clown evil laughing in your ears.

They are cleverly planned out and designed even the start of Phobia has you (and your partner) standing in a coffin in the dark for a good 10/15 seconds before someone screams at you and drags you into the maze. This was the first maze we did and it 100% set us up for a night with us on edge.

Out of the four mazes, my favourite was Anarchy: Live mainly as there were parts of this that I felt so lost in and literally like I wouldn’t find our way out. The fact that you also get chased out by an axe-wielding zombie was a nice touch.

We had a VIP ticket which meant we could jump the queues, had an unlimited entry into all attractions and a special bar area complete with popcorn and sweets. If anything the VIP is most worth it for being able to jump the queues and I would recommend on busier nights. This is worth its weight in gold. I can imagine queuing up hearing people squealing and screaming probably adds to the anticipation but it could also grow quite tiresome. It was £45 which is a jump up from the standard ticket at £17 but if you wanted to go into the mazes more than once and don’t like queuing then I would recommend it.

Would we do it again? Yes of course! It was a really fun night and whilst I’ll probably regret saying it – it was nice to been spooked leading up to Halloween. We were way braver than I thought.

There are only limited dates remaining with the final night of the event falling on Halloween so you want to get your tickets quick. To book and find out more click here.

Featured Image courtesy of Fear at Avon Valley. All other images our own.

Disclaimer:

Fear at Avon Valley kindly invited us to enjoy the VIP experience in exchange for an honest review and mentions on social media. We would of course only recommend places/attractions/products that we personally enjoyed. We had the best night and thoroughly recommend you go experience it for yourself. If you do then let us know what you think!

38 photos that will make you want to visit Iceland, like right now!

Iceland had long been on my bucket list and I can hand on heart say that it MASSIVELY over delivered on all my expectations. The varied landscapes, the people, that lava fields, the waterfalls, the geothermal activity, the ruggedness, the midnight sun, the black sand beaches and just the absolute magic of the place. It was seriously like visiting another world or a secret land that’s been lost in time.

It is the perfect destination for all types of travellers, from the adventurers to the road trippers, to the science and history lovers, to the luxury travellers. It has something for everyone and if you didn’t leave in awe then you need to get your eyes checked.

Iceland literally rose up from the ocean and is still forming. There is even an island which recently rose up that no one apart from scientist can visit. It’s a geological hotspot sitting on the cusp of two continents. Because of this, there are more volcanoes than anywhere else and earthquakes are a daily occurrence although not that you would notice. There are so many reminders of the intricate nature of the island with snow-capped volcanoes, glistening glaciers, towering waterfalls, lava tubes, thermal pools, geysers, black sand(!), green mossy lava fields, commanding mountains and rugged basalt coastlines. It just shows that it is an island like no other and certainly very different to the dry paddocks of Australia and the green fields of England that I am used to.

Tourism is a big contributor to the Icelandic economy with over 1.1 million visitors annually(over double the population). Even with that many people visiting you can still feel the untouched elegance of the country. It’s got a rawness that even though you know so many others have been there before you that your almost the first ones to discover it. There will be some sites that are full of other tourists but it never feels too overcrowded. Maybe it’s because everything is so big and vast or maybe it’s because Iceland is still in its tourism boom. I often wondered what it would be like in ten years time and can it still retain its natural charm with even more tourists. We shall just have to see but I really hope so. Iceland is a country everyone should have the opportunity to see.

There will be lots of posts coming soon so keep your eyes peeled but for now here are 38 photos that will make you want to get online and book up your visit. Even looking at these photos I am just not sure they still give Iceland the justice it deserves!

pretty bike in reykjavik - 38 photos to visit Iceland from The Wandering Darlings — Cute find in Reykjavik

Þingvellir waterfall long exposure - 38 photos of iceland from the Wandering darlings — Waterfall in Þingvellir

Church in Reykholt - 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Church in Reykholt

Icelandic Horses from travelling to Iceland — Icelandic Horses

Grass Hut in Þingvellir National Park - 38 Photos to visit Iceland from the wandering darlings — Grass Hut in Þingvellir National Park

Rainbows at Skógafoss long exposure - 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Rainbows at Skógafoss

World famous Reynisfjara with its black sandy beach- 38 photos of iceland from the wandering darlings — World famous Reynisfjara with its black sandy beach

Sólheimajökull- 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings. Humbling landscapes — Such humbling landscapes about to walk over the verge to witness Sólheimajökull in all its glory

Sólheimajökull - 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Sólheimajökull – I could look at this view for hours

Skógafoss waterfall iceland - 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — You always just feel so small in Iceland. Can you see the person in front of Skógafoss?

The Blue Lagoon Iceland - 38 photos to visit Iceland from The Wandering Darlings — The Blue Lagoon

Blue water, white silica and black volcanic rock at The Blue Lagoon. 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Blue water, white silica and black volcanic rock at The Blue Lagoon

mossy lava fields , 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Mossy lava fields

lava tunnel Raufarhólshellir, 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Lava tunnel Raufarhólshellir

Nature creates the most amazing patterns especially at Reynisfjara, 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Nature creates the most amazing patterns especially at Reynisfjara

Skógafoss on top of waterfall. 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — When visiting Skógafoss make sure you walk up to the top of the waterfall and follow the path for views like this!

Black and white Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik. Photos to visit Iceland from The Wandering Darlings — Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik

Moody lakes and black stones beaches at Kleifarvatn

The colours are out of this world.. Overlooking Reynisfjara

View in Þingvellir National Park- 38 photos to visit iceland from the Wandering darlings — Þingvellir National Park

Seljalandsfoss 38 photos to make you visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Seljalandsfoss

Views like this around every corner of iceland. visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Views like this around every corner

The Queen of all Waterfalls- Gullfoss. 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — The Queen of all Waterfalls- Gullfoss

Þingvellir - A GOT filiming location 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Þingvellir – A GOT filiming location

open road in iceland. 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Iceland is made for road trips

Sulfur smells at Seltun. — Sulfur smells at Seltun

Behind Seljalandsfoss looking through the waterfall , 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Behind Seljalandsfoss looking through the waterfall

This bad boy Eyjafjallajökull ruined so many holidays in 2010 but just looks like butter wouldn’t melt here

Geysir Iceland. 38 photos to visit iceland from the wandering darlings — Geysir

Dressing as a Viking saga centre in Reykjavik. Photos to make you want to visit Iceland. — You can even dress like a Viking at the Saga Centre in Reykjavik

We’ll have more posts coming soon about Iceland and the places featured above so please do check back.

The wonderful Deb’s World has also blogged about our time in Iceland here

You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, check us out and if you like what you see please do give us a follow.

The Best View in NYC- Top of the Rock

For someone slightly afraid of heights I do love to see a city from above and New York is one city that you’ve not really seen till you’ve got up high.

On my first trip to NYC I went up the Empire State Building (which was amazing) but on a recent trip, I’d heard a lot about Top of the Rock and I wasn’t leaving till I had gone up there to see what all the hype was about.

Opened in 2005 the Top of the Rock is an observation area literally on top of the Rockefeller Centre. The observation area is across 3 floor 67th, 69th and 70th (no idea what’s on the 68th!). You can visit every day of the year and the usual opening times are 8 am to Midnight with the last elevator going up at 11 pm but do check the website just to make sure. I visited at lunchtime but I’ve heard and seen amazing photos during the golden hour, sunset and in the evening with the city lights shining brightly. New York is one of those cities that you know is pretty darn special but once you get up top and look out across it you have a whole new appreciation for it. I could have had hours up there taking in the views and filling my memory card with pictures.

On the 67th and 69th floor there are big panes of glass for protection and to stop the wind but if you take the stairs to the 70th floor you get a sweeping unobstructed 360 view of the city. You can see Central Park, the streets of midtown, Chrysler building, Statue of liberty in the distance and the best is that you get a view of new york with the Empire State Building standing tall and strong in the foreground. Even on a cloudy grey day, it was the most beautiful view. You should note that is you are visiting during the Christmas holidays sadly you can’t see the ice skating and Christmas tree from up top but you can spend some time taking in the festive spirit once you’ve come back down to street level.

It’s a popular attraction for millions of visitors every year. It’s also a popular place for engagements and wedding photos. We were lucky enough to see a couple up there having some pretty spectacular wedding photos. Who wouldn’t want the NYC skyline in their wedding album! The tickets run on a timed system so you need to book for a certain time however once you are up there you can stay as long or as little as you want. I’d recommend at least an hour. We booked online and you can do that or at the box office with several different options for tickets availabl. Do check out their website but a standard adult ticket is $36 which is brilliant value for an almost priceless view.

The main entrance is on 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. You can’t miss it there is a big red carpet out the front and likely a queue of people. The queue does move fairly quickly and be ready for security checks when you get inside.

We visited late December and even with the foggy and grey skies, it’s still so beautiful…

Central Park is there under the clouds I promise

I’d seen this shot on Instagram so obvs had to copy

Looking for other things to do in NYC then check out our post on The High Line and The Brooklyn Bridge.

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When there is a death at home and you are living abroad

It’s something most expats don’t even consider when planning to move abroad and hopefully for most it doesn’t occur. However if you end up living abroad for an extended amount of time you have to be ready as it may just happen.

For me it’s happened twice. Both sudden. Both dearly loved family members. Both heartbreakingly sad.

Being on the other side of the world has this strange way of making you feel like time stands still at home. You know it doesn’t but you experience this odd disconnect with the daily life of home that sadly you are just not a part of now. So when a situation like this occurs it almost doesn’t feel real. It’s like a bad dream. One that you can’t wake up from.

Both times I got the phone call whilst at work surrounded by people in my new life that didn’t know my family, didn’t know my relationships with those dear to me, that I didn’t feel I could talk to about what had happened at home. In that moment you already feel alone but feeling alone in your grief on the other side of the world is a whole different kettle of fish. Thankfully I have an amazing partner and the very best friends and family both here and at home that I could lean on. But I couldn’t imagine if I was somewhere where I didn’t have that.

The decision to go home for me was always an easy one. I wanted to be with my family. I wanted to support them and wanted to say my own goodbyes. I was lucky enough to have a manager who understood this and gave me the time off, I had my emergency fund for a flight home and a family who knew however much they told me not to come that I wouldn’t listen. One thing I would say is to not just go home for the funeral try and stay longer as this is when people need it the most and when you need it. Once the dust of the funeral settles and everyone starts going back to normal life is actually when your family most need the support.

It’s hard posting about a topic like this as it’s so deeply personal and everyone deals with grief in different ways. That said it’s a fact of expat life and if this helps someone in a similar situation then it was worth it. If you are reading this while in this unfortunate situation then here are a few things to remember ..

Its ok if you can’t make it home to say goodbye or for the funeral.

Your first reaction is always going to be to get straight to the airport to get home. But what if you can’t get the time off work as you’ll likely need a week or two to get back home. What if you can’t afford it? What if the funeral is straight away and you’ve not got the time to get back. These are all very real situations and as much as you desperately want to be there you might just not be able to. And that sucks and as much as it will hurt remember it is ok if you can’t make it back. Your family will understand and to be honest they will likely tell you not to come back (numerous times!). If you can’t get back then make peace with the decision and don’t be too hard on yourself. Trying to get back at a later stage will mean just as much as if you flew out straight away.

The world isn’t that big

It’s really not. It will feel massive and the distance between you and home will feel like it will take an eternity to get back. For most places, it will take no more than 2 days to get back. If you are able to get home then you’ve got flights ahead of you which will be the hardest flights you’ll ever have to take. All these people around you excited about their holidays and your in a weird limbo of being happy that you will soon be with the family and sad that you didn’t want to go home in these situations. The time on the plane will give you the chance to reflect and reminisce and once you’ll step off it will feel like it took no time at all getting back.

To think about having an emergency fund

I’ve always tried to make sure I always have enough money in my account just in case I need to go home. It’s worth it sometimes just putting a little extra away each month so if the time comes when you need to decide if you’re going home that you can afford it.

To rely on your network both here and at home

Talk, reminisce, cry, shout, laugh, sob, whatever you do just make sure you get it out. You have family and friends that love you and that want to help you through this sad time. If you are abroad and haven’t yet made your network then call home. We are fortunate enough to live in an era where you can facetime/skype/call over the internet without the extortionate prices. Speaking to friends and family will be the comfort blanket you need at this time.

That the pain will be intensified but it will subside

When you first get the phone call. It breaks you. It’s a hard enough to have the phone call when you are in the same country but when abroad it’s intensified tenfold. You just have to ride through it and know it’s all part of the grief process. Just trust me the pain subsides. Eventually.

That time heals

It’s the oldest cliche in the book but it’s true. Whoever has passed would not want you giving up on the experiences you initially set out to have. So try to not let the sadness take over. Every day will get easier and just by moving forward every day and by taking in every new experience will help. Enjoy it for them as much as you need to enjoy it for yourself. Make the most of your life and just be thankful that they encouraged you to travel, inspired you to look for the best in life and that they helped make you the person you are today.

At the end of the day, you need to follow your heart, enjoy your memories and be there for those you love. Death is a part of life and there isn’t anything we can do to stop it whether we are back in our home countries or in our new countries. If you have any other advice to impart or want to share your story please do leave a comment below.

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.

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Collect moments AND collect things

There is one of those travel quotes floating around the web that says ‘Collect Moments not things’. Totally cringy but also a fab little writing prompt for me as I don’t see the problem in collecting moments .. and wait for it… collecting things. Especially from your travels I mean is it really that bad to want a thing, memento, souvenir from where you have been?

I know this quote is trying to say that experiences, memories and moments are the best way to remember your travels and that buying a piece of tat from a souvenir shop doesn’t really compare to if you were to spend your money on a bungee jump or a meal in a traditional restaurant. In some respect, I agree. For me though as much as I like having the moment and memories I also like collecting things to bring home. Maybe I’m a hoarder or maybe I just like the idea of having different bits of the world throughout my home and daily life.

Sometimes collecting things on travels isn’t just for yourself. It’s also more than just bringing a gift back for someone special. My best friend collects pencils and I always get her one from wherever we go. A pencil with a funny topper or destination written along the side- wherever I go she gets one. It’s become a regular ritual I always get her a pencil and she gets me a magnet. My dad and his friend have an odd but kinda cool tradition. Whenever either of them goes away they collect a small rock from there and then mount it on a bit of wood when they get back with the date and location written on the mount. They have been doing it for years and both have a healthy collection of rocks from all sorts of destinations. They were maths and science teachers so it makes sense.

This photo is of me about 10 years ago riding a camel in Egypt. I was being led by a small child that was certainly not going to be able to catch me if I fell off or even control the camel if it took off. Thankfully neither of those happened. I couldn’t tell you what the weather was like, how long we were on the camels for, what the little boy or camels name was, what I was thinking or feeling as these details of my memories have started to slip away to make room for new ones (think like in the film Inside Out). However, when I see this picture in its token Egyptian frame that I purchased whilst there, it prompts my mind to bring those memories back. It reminds me that I’ve ridden a camel and will never do so again, that they were big and smelly, that it was so scary getting on and off and that it was an amazing thing to do whilst I was in Egypt. Also whenever I see this picture on the shelf at home I always think about the end of the film the titanic when they do a montage of Rose’s life in photos and there she is on a horse on the beach. This photo of my rocking the worst outfit with the worst hair on top of a camel in Egypt would totally be in my end of days montage.

It’s not just photos that do this but I have a tea towel from Portugal that whenever I use I think back to walking through Albufeira Old Town in the afternoon shopping for ice cream and souvenirs or the soft toy Penguin named Alan with the knitted jumper we brought on Philip Island after seeing the fairy penguins come in and that the sale of this went back into helping knit jumpers for penguins affected by oil spills. Everything I’ve ever brought back has a memory associated with it that then makes me smile, cringe or go searching through the house for other bits I’ve collected.

Over the years I’ve dabbled in I Heart (insert destination here) t shirts, mugs, tea towels, money, photo frames, jewelry, soft toys but the big three main ones for me are magnets, postcards and paintings/prints.

Magnets – the more the gaudy the better. Such a touristy thing to collect but I don’t care. We have them all over our extractor fan at home and will religiously buy one whenever we go somewhere new. We also now have friends get them for us when they go somewhere we’ve not been.

Postcards- Similar to the above I always buy them without the intention of ever sending them. I think one day I will do something creative with them. I’m sure Pinterest will have some ideas for me.

Paintings and prints- I try and buy these off street artists or in markets. Some are also obviously reproduction prints but I like the idea of having them hung up around the house so its like you get to be in all the countries at once. The Eiffel Tower on the same wall as a Venetian canal and the bright wildlife road signs of Australia.

I reached out to a few travel bloggers for their collectible of choice to show you it’s not just about gaudy magnets or lots of postcards. Some of these might even start you on a new holiday collecting tradition…

Liquors

I love to collect different liquors from around the world. Whether it is what a country or area is known for, or an alcohol unique to them, I need to have a bottle! They remind me of the places I’ve been (and usually more than a few nights in said country), and afterward cracking the bottle is a great way to celebrate the big occasions!

Missy from The Journey Project |https://www.thejourneyproject.net/

Magnets

I started collecting magnets when I was 18, after seeing a friend’s fridge covered with magnets of the places they’d visited. My first was a circular wooden magnet with a colourful bird from Nicaragua. Since then my collection has expanded massively to 59 magnets – all are a little piece of the world I’ve brought home from places as far flung as Denmark, Japan, and Zanzibar. My parents now always make a point to bring me back a magnet from the places they’ve been to as well! I love that every morning when I get the milk out of the fridge for breakfast, I get a glimpse of the globe staring back at me. One of my favourites is from Venice, with Italian flag colours and a tiny gondola dangling down.

Laura from One More Step Travel |http://www.onemoresteptravel.com

Shot Glasses

We were lounging and celebrating our honeymoon with glasses of champagne in Santorini when we instinctively decided that we are going to collect shot glasses from all the places that we visit henceforth. Since we love recalling and laughing over our favourite travel memories while sipping on some drinks once we are back, collecting shot glasses was probably our best decision ever! We have a cosy little bar counter at home and have done up a wall display to showcase all our shot glasses right above the counter. Whenever we host a get-together, all our friends are invited to raise a toast to their favourite or dream holiday destination from our selection! It’s so much fun to be able to actually use these little souvenirs than to just stack them up somewhere. Besides being very useful, shot glasses are generally found easily in most countries, are not very expensive and can spoil you for choice! We still remember visiting Stone Town in Zanzibar three times just to lay hands on the prettiest and most colourful hand painted shot glass of the entire lot! Here’s a small glimpse of our collection =)

Trailing Abroad |www.trailingabroad.com

Patches

Years ago I started collecting patches from each country I visited. For me, they were the perfect light-weight and cheap travel memento that doesn’t take up much space in my bag. But, they sat in a drawer at home because I couldn’t figure out how to display them in a way that would be a daily reminder of my adventures! For Christmas one year, my mom got me this piece of vintage luggage. It’s the perfect place for my patches! It makes me smile every day and now, because my friends know that I collect them, they always ask to see my latest patch!

This Big Wild World | www.thisbigwildworld.com

Art

I love art and I love to travel, so what better than to pick up art pieces while traveling? Our home has a nice collection of paintings, sculpture, figurines and other knick-knacks that we picked while traveling to destinations far and wide. One of my favorite purchases of all time is this beautiful “door” that I picked up from a local store in San Juan, Puerto Rico that sells miniature door figurines modeled on actual doors in the city. You can also personalize it as I did!

Year of the Monkey |http://www.yrofthemonkey.com/

Tiles

We love to travel cheaply and while pictures may last forever, we like something more substantial to remember our trip by. On our honeymoon to Puerto Rico, we picked up a handmade door and had “Casa Blanca” inscribed (in honor of our last name). That little yellow and purple door hung in our kitchen proudly! We decided that this will become our memento of choice on future trips!

We ventured to Italy next, where we found loads of various tiles for sale. We now collect small tiles from each city we journey. The tiles are handmade or used as part of home renovations because we want to support the local artists! Our tiles adorn our kitchen to remind us of the delicious flavors we sampled abroad.

The Wanderlust Dietitian | https://thewanderlustdietitian.com

Books

I am a very conscious souvenir hunter. I do tend to document my travels through things and love my ever-growing magnet and mug collections. However, out of everything we bring home the one collection we cherish most is our authentic books.

We purchase books directly from the original place they were written! We love the authenticity and uniqueness of having a manuscript directly from its source. A couple of our favourite additions to our collection include the following:

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter – When travelling to the Lake District England, we popped into Hilltop Farm where Beatrix Potter lived and wrote the story and purchased the book right then and there! In doing so, our edition of the story sports an embossed stamp inside to indicate its authentic purchase at Hilltop Farm.

Another example is our recent purchase of the novel “The House of Seven Gables” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Written by the same author as the famed Scarlet Letter, when exploring Salem, we decided to tour the actual house of seven gables that inspired the novel and marks the location where the book was written. Inside the front cover, you will find in our copy a stamp stating we purchased the book at the famed location in Salem.

Other examples of our collection include:

Sherlock Holmes from 220 Baker Street in London (The Sherlock Holmes museum), The Ladurée Cookbook straight from the Ladurée café itself- home to the famous macarons, Paddington Bear straight from Paddington Station’s gift shop, Shakespearean book straight from Stratford Upon-Avon in the UK, and much more.

When we travel we need to be conscious of the items we bring home and the businesses we support. With purchasing books from their origin, we feel it is a special collection we won’t outgrow that will be loved in our family for years to come.

Fill My Passport | https://www.fillmypassport.net/souvenir-savvy-tips-conquer-travel-clutter/

Do you collect anything when you are away? Anything different or out of the ordinary? If so I’d love to hear so please do share in the comments below.

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14 Facts Every Traveller Should Know…

The journey is always just as important as the destination. Yes in a strange way those 6 methods of transport and 30 odd hours of travelling is just as important as that picture perfect beach you end up on.
Ask and more importantly listen to others on where to go and what to see. Read blogs, search Pinterest, read travel guides, ask friends in the flesh (or on social media), read reviews, lust over snaps on Instagram and get inspired by others. Recommendations from others might set you off to some place you’ve never heard or even let you find your new favourite place.
Do you plan your life down to every minute or every day?- no. So you shouldn’t do the same with your trip. Have a rough plan but leave a bit up to chance you never know where you might find yourself or who you might meet.
It’s ok for not every part of the trip to be amazing or as you expected it to be. Don’t dwell on it just let it go (try saying that without pretending your Elsa). You don’t want it to ruin your overall adventure.
Everyone looks shit after being on a long haul flight. The cankles, the dry skin, the greasy hair, dried drool on your chin (ok maybe that’s just me) it’s ok. Sadly it’s unlikely you’ll be papped at the airport so don’t dwell on your post flight style.
As Theodore Roosevelt said ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’. Don’t compare yourself to that girl on the beach who is a bronzed toned goddess or to that traveller you met in the bar that’s been to more countries than you or has a better picture of a temple in Thailand. You are you and this is your journey. For everyone you compare yourself to there is someone who is probably using you as their compassion.
Stay in contact with home. Sadly the world is changing and it’s not always as safe as what we once perceived it to be to explore all four corner of the world. Our news headlines are dominated with evil people trying to test us and while you are off exploring, people at home will worry about you. So check in with them. Thankfully with technology the way it is you should be able to connect fairly easily.
Take photos – lots of them just remember that everyone isn’t going to want to see them when you return. You will though. A month, year or 10 years later you’ll be thankful for every photo Even that awkward selfie you took where you tried to take it to look like you weren’t taking a selfie as you didn’t want everyone else there rolling their eyes at you. Future you will smile and be able to be transported back to the trip so suck it up and take all the pictures and selfies you want.
Go away with your girlfriends. I love going away with my family and with my better half but what I love most is holidays with my girls. If you’ve not been on a girls holiday then grab your BFFS and book up a trip. It is the best thing you can do!
Get lost. In a good way. I can assure you will find something you would never expect to find.
Marvel. Be in awe. Appreciate the world. A sunset, a beautiful church, a street performer captivating a huge crowd, a waterfall wherever you end up take a moment to marvel at just how amazing this world is.
Similar to the above take a moment without your phone and camera. Slightly contracting myself for point 8 but… trust me sometimes you just need to put down the phone and look up. See the world with your eyes rather than behind a lens or through a tag in on Facebook.
Labels suck. Who cares if your tourist, a traveller, a nomad, or if you are travelling halfway around the world or only going to the next town over to explore. It really doesn’t matter you are getting out there to see another part of the world and broaden your own viewpoint. There is nothing better than that.
Have the best time you possibly can!

Should I stay or should I go?

Don’t get excited family members reading this. This isn’t a question for me. I’m not coming home……… just yet.

I’ve spent a long time living in the UK with little to no face to face contact with others from down under. Well very little in the flesh, I’ve obviously spent a lot of time face timing friends and family. The last 2 years however my antipodean circle has widened. I hired 3 southern hemispherians (pure coincidence I promise!) and another girl from NZ joined another team within our department.

It’s been great they know what milo is, say words funny like me, help share the pain when Australia plays England in the cricket/rugby, share funny videos that our British colleagues just wouldn’t get, spend too much time in walkabout and they just sound like home. They were all there about the age I was when I first came over and whilst they all have completely different situations, plans, lives and loves they have started to have to make some big decisions about what happens next like I did many years ago.

Last week we were sitting in the sun drinking 1 too many proseccos discussing living abroad and the decisions that come with this at each stage of creating a life on the other side of the world. I’ve lived away for 10.5 years (or 11.5 of you count my gap year) both times I had an ancestry visa due to my grandmother being born in England (hilariously she’s from Birmingham and her name is Sheila) and that allows me to have 5 years to live and work in Great Britain. I was lucky most Aussies don’t get that opportunity and the best they get is 2 years.

My 2 friends are in this situation and both of their visas are up before the end of this year. Talking to them about what they are planning to do was so different yet so similar to what I thought, felt, spoke to my friends about when my own visa was coming to an end.

For me, I never ever considered not applying for residency when my ancestry visa was due to expire. I don’t remember calling my parents to discuss it or ask their opinion I knew in myself that I wasn’t ready to go yet. I wasn’t ready to leave my friends, my boyfriend, my career or the life I had here. Because I had a 5-year visa I had been home most years and when I didn’t make it home my family had all been out to visit or stop in to see me on their travels through Europe.

Talking to both of my friends who are sadly a bit younger than me and they are so much more conflicted. They both have friends, boyfriends, jobs and more countries to tick off their lists but also long to be home with their families and not ready to commit to a life in the UK. They’ve spoken to their parents at length and luckily one of them is able to apply for her own ancestry visa but the cost of this is much higher than when I got mine all those years ago so it puts extra pressure to fund that and support two lives whilst being out of the country as the application is processed. One thing that stuck with me was one of their parents could tell they weren’t ready to go back to a land down under and even said ‘your adventure isn’t up yet’.

It’s hard being away from your parents and family but as I’ve learnt and experienced no matter how far away you are from them they just want to you to be happy.
My other friend has to leave the country when her visa expires. She doesn’t have the option of another one. The decisions for her are different as well as her and her partner need to work out what it means for them in the long term. If they continue togethere but long distance or if he makes the journey over with her. Falling in love abroad is really tough!
My one piece of advice was so not to stay here for a boy (or girl). I love my fiance dearly but I’m here for me and not him. This is the independent women in me coming out -Beyoncé would be proud. Falling in love is really hard when you are away. The problem is if you stay for them to run the risk of it all going tits up and then you are here for the wrong reasons or worse could end up resenting them that you only stayed for them. It puts a weird balance on the relationship. The relationship should, of course, be considered when making a decision to stay but in my opinion, it shouldn’t be the sole reason. See normal couples who are both from the same country don’t have to worry about this sort of thing.

For both of my friends, I don’t know what they’ll do. If they’ll stay or if they’ll go. I don’t think they even know for certain yet. But one thing we all agreed on is that living and working abroad is one of the best things you could ever do. You grow so much as a person, you see the world through different eyes, you meet amazing people, you learn more about yourself, you develop a deeper love for your homeland (and weirdly the junk food of home) and most importantly you realise just how much crap you can accumulate over the years when all you arrived with was a suitcase!

Weekend Adventures- The Jurassic Coast

What surprises me most about southern England is the coastlines you can find. From the sandy beaches in Cornwall, the muddy estuaries in Somerset, pebbles beaches of Devon and Dorset and then the most stunning rugged coastlines of the Jurassic Coast.

The other half and I ventured down to the little village of Lulworth to experience this beautiful area.

All of last summer I wanted to come and visit however I’m almost glad I didn’t go in the summer and in fact went on a windy, chilly early Spring day. I think it added to the romance of the landscape also it was a little less busy.

Our first stop was at Durdle Door. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The ‘door’ and the coastline that surrounded it. The walk down to the beach is relatively easy but the walk back- jeez it was like a little gym work out. Sturdy footwear is a must. There is lots of Coast walks around the area as well that we didn’t get to do as we were only there for a day.

Durdle Door is a stunning rock formation which separates the beach and also Man O’ War Bay. The water in this area is a beautiful shade of blue and when the weather is good the swimming, snorkelling and kayaking would get you even closer to experiencing these dramatic coastlines.

Also, note for others don’t ask your partner to take a photo of you and then accidentally put your handbag by his feet. He’ll trip and almost fall off the cliff. Not one of my finest moments.

After Exploring Durdle Door we headed down into the town and cove area to the lovely typical British seaside village of Lulworth. It is world famous due to the unique geology of the area. The water was a little cold (bloody freezing) so no swimming or rock pooling for us but I can imagine in the summer it would be lovely. You can also take The coastal path from Lulworth cove to Durdle Door for even more views. One thing to note is the car parking pay and display covers you got both Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door so make sure you buy enough time for both.

Before heading back we stopped off at Lulworth castle. The castle is closed on weekends due to it being a very popular wedding venue. Getting married in a castle would be amazing #disneyprincess

Even though we could see inside the castle the grounds, church and exterior of the castle were spectacular. As it was slightly out of season it was really quiet but I can imagine there would be lots of picnics on the grounds and further exploring in the huge park. I even heard there were peacocks but sadly didn’t see any only spring lambs

The castle is from the 17th Century and was initially a hunting lodge for the aristocracy. It’s experienced fires and being seized by the Roundheads but is still standing and still showing so much history.

I can thoroughly recommend this area and look forward to heading back to see what other treasures the Jurassic Coast has to offer.

For more information on these areas see the following links

www.jurassiccoast.org

https://www.lulworth.com/

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