Globetrotters- The Pamplemousse Papers

This week we are welcoming the delightful Caity from The Pamplemousse Papers to our Globetrotters series. I have long been a fan of Caity’s both on Instagram and her blog so I’m so excited to have her involved.

She’s an upstate New Yorker who has travelled to so many places, lived in France and even got to call my homeland ‘home’ for a period. Travelling is certainly in her bones and the passion she has for it is evident in her writing, her stunning photography and how she has put her blog together. Her answers below are so insightful and such a joy to read especially with a freshly made brew. I love that she just wants to share and pass along her tips and tricks. I can sooo relate to the surprise at the Turkish Hammam!

Caity’s blog (links will be below) it’s so beautifully laid out and so stylish.  Easy to navigate, written with a friendly tone and packed to the brim with great content from all around the globe there is so much to love. From packing advice, storytelling and guides for a wide range of destinations you are sure to find something that will help or inspire your next adventure. She just comes so authentic and real. It’s like she’s a friend you’ve known for years sharing her experiences to help you have an even better time. It’s hard to find genuine and real bloggers these days and Caity is certainly one you want to have experienced.

I’ve really got into photo tours these days and this one Beacon Hill in Boston is so picturesque. I’ve never heard of this area of Boston and after reading this post I felt as those I had walked the streets myself. The pictures are so inviting and capture the area brilliantly. Another post I’ve read over and over is Your Mini-Guide to Tulum. More and more people that I know are venturing here and I’m so desperate to get there. This post is only increasing my wanderlust further.

Once you’ve read the below I know you’re going to be desperate to see more from Caity so as usual, we’ve included all links to Caity’s blog and social channels below.

It’s my absolute pleasure to introduce Caity- you’re going to love her! And wait till you read where her blog name came from! I wasn’t expecting that.

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Hi there! My name is Caity and I’m a native of Upstate New York. I’ve spent time living, working and wandering in France and Australia. I love to explore new places and then share my adventures: the beautiful successes, the challenging missteps, and everything in between. I’m currently pursuing my goal of visiting 30 countries before my 30th birthday, as well as exploring more of my home country, the United States. I hope you’ll stop by my blog and social media channels and say hi!

What do you enjoy most about travelling?

It’s the little things that end up being the most exciting for me. Exploring a local grocery store, stumbling upon a piece of beautiful street art, soaking up the atmosphere at a café, people watching in a park, and appreciating the local architecture are all things I love to do in any new place.

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Why do you think travelling is important?

For me, travel is an exercise in perspective. Everyone has beliefs and impressions that they’ve gained through their life experiences, and these differ so widely throughout the world. I think it’s healthy and important to shake these notions free on a regular basis.

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Where are you off to next? Or where have you just come back from?

I’ve had a whirlwind first few months of 2018 visiting friends and family in some of my favourite American cities: New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Chicago. My next international trip is to Portugal at the end of May and I couldn’t be more excited!

What is your favourite photograph from your travels?

This photograph was taken in 2010 while I was teaching English at a summer camp in the tiny French village of Azé. Some of my fellow friends and counsellors took a nighttime walk through the surrounding farm fields. I’m sure my yoga posture isn’t perfect and the image quality isn’t great, but it’s a very fond memory of the small but beautiful moments I’ve been lucky enough to have while travelling.

Do you have a pre-travel ritual? If so what?

As challenging as packing can be, I love the ritual of preparing my carry-on bag. I make sure I have nothing superfluous by paring down my wallet, purse contents and anything else that may have extra items floating around in it. When it’s all ready to go, it’s such a nice feeling knowing my essentials are all in one place and helps me clear my head before I hit the road.

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Who do you usually travel with?

I’ve been lucky to travel with a variety of people, from childhood best friends to my boyfriend to family members. Some of my fondest travel memories are with friends I’ve made while travelling that I’ve continued on to new places with. And while I don’t mind travelling solo, it’s definitely not my preference! I love to have someone to share both the good and bad with.

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If you were to give one piece of travel advice what would it be?

Don’t be too hard on yourself! There are bound to be aspects of your trip that don’t go perfectly. Maybe you get ripped off. Maybe you get lost. Maybe you don’t have enough time to do everything you were hoping to do. It’s so easy to dwell on the negative, but try not to beat yourself up. Not to mention, it’s often the mishaps that turn into great stories and opportunities for advice later on!

Tell us the most memorable moment you’ve had whilst travelling?

It’s so hard to choose just one, but I love thinking back on the things that now seem so funny and outlandish: Sleeping on the beach in Nice with friends while trying to save money – something we pictured being relaxing and fun but was actually a very cold, rocky and uncomfortable night! Visiting a traditional Turkish hammam with friends from college and not realizing we were going to have to strip down to nothing but bathing suit bottoms. Having to do the same – sans bathing suit bottoms – at a public bath in Iceland. Last but not least, WWOOFing for the first time, which I wrote about here . It remains one of my most cherished travel memories.

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Where is your favourite place that you’ve been to?

Another hard question! I think ultimately I’d have to say France and Australia. Those are the two countries where I’ve spent an extended period of time living, working, and studying as opposed to just visiting. The emotional connections I forged with both of them are hard to top. But more often than not, I love the places I visit and am hoping to get back to most of them: the UK, Scandinavia, Mexico, Asia… the list goes on!

Where was one place that didn’t live up to the hype?

My only visit to Spain was a long weekend in Barcelona. One of my friends was mugged, one was pickpocketed, and it rained all weekend, making sightseeing challenging. It was not the most carefree trip, as you can imagine! I would love to get back to Spain (as I realize none of those things are the fault of the place!) and rectify that experience.

Tell us one place/experience on your bucket list?

I’ve visited Italy, but largely cities. I would love to rent a car and explore the beautiful countryside, stopping whenever and wherever I feel like! Dining at Massimo Bottura’s renowned Osteria Francescana in Modena would be pretty great, too!

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What is the one thing you wouldn’t travel without?

I would have a really hard time not having my camera with me, however, sometimes I think I should force myself to go without it here and there! I often worry I’m not as present in the moment as I could be if I were less focused on gathering a collection of images.

Your go to or favourite book/film/tv series that always makes you want to travel?

Ensemble, C’est Tout is one of my favourite movies of all time. It’s set in Paris and whenever I watch it, I long to be in France! For books, Peter Mayle’s series about Provence (A Year In Provence, Toujours Provence, and Encore Provence) is so lovely. I also love Bill Bryson’s In A Sunburned Country, which he wrote about Australia.

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What can readers find on your blog?

I love to share tips and recommendations from places I’ve visited, as well as general travel advice, reflections and photos. I’ve been lucky enough to be inspired in the past by so many writers, bloggers, photographers and more – I’d love to repay that favour in any way that I can by helping to inspire others.

Where does your blog name come from?

After much brainstorming, I landed on The Pamplemousse Papers. Pamplemousse is the French word for grapefruit and one of my favourite words in the French language. Pairing it with papers captures my love for France, citrus fruit, writing, language, and alliteration all in one!

Do you have a favourite blog post? What is it and why?

I don’t think I have a favourite post, but it’s always exciting when something I share seems to be especially helpful for readers. After sharing my “Three Days in Pittsburgh” post, I was so happy to see comments from individuals who would never have considered visiting Pittsburgh and were adding it to their bucket list. I love the idea of offering new trip ideas that might never have occurred to someone. Plus, underrated and less-visited destinations are often cheaper and a lot less busy! It’s a win-win.

To see more from Caity check out the following links

Blog

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Pinterest

To see more of our Globetrotters Series click here

10 photos in …….

Intrigued?

Good I hope so.

We are launching a new series called ‘10 Photos in … ‘ which will be 10 photos (who would have guessed!) from 10 different travellers to help show off the best parts of the featured city or region. Each traveller will show us one shot that they think sums up the city or region.

Some with be the expected landmarks and others will be those amazing little side streets, street performers or just a different side to a place you thought you knew. I’ve always loved photos and travel photos are my absolute fav! When I’m going somewhere new I always peruse Instagram, pinterest and Google Images so wanted to have a series on the blog that helped encompass this.

This series will be starting in the next few weeks and would love to have your input, your eyes (in a non creepy way), your views and your best travel shots.

Do you have an amazing photo and story that you want to share and give inspiration to others?? If so we want you!!

The upcoming destinations are

London

Fiji

Gold Coast

Paris

Bristol

Sydney

New York

Auckland

Melbourne

Marrakesh

Bristol

Barcelona

To get involved we would need one picture (obviously) plus 200/300 words on the location/image. This could be factual information, funny story or brief insight into why it’s your favourite photo from that destination. If you are a blogger/instagramer we’ll include blog link and one social handle. If you are an amazing reader that doesn’t blog then we’d also love you to get involved.

Spaces are limited and we do have a few destinations almost full so if you’d like to be involved then do get in touch swiftly. Please send over to thewanderingdarlings@gmail.com and put the city/area in your subject line.

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Globetrotters- Retrato NZ

Anyone who describes landing in a new destination like a child under a Christmas tree waiting to unwrap presents is a kindred spirit in my eyes. It’s possibly the best way I’ve heard the excitement of visiting somewhere new explained!

This weeks Globetrotter is Dody from travel and photography blog Retrato NZ. I thought I really loved photography and then I met Dody.  He loves sounds just obsessed as I am maybe even more so. You 100% need to check out his blog, the images are outstanding.

Not only does Dody have amazing photographs on his site but the blogs about his personal travels are full of wondrous words and wanderlust-inducing images. I’ve always wanted to see the wildlife and landscapes of Africa and whilst I’ve not quite got there this post is pushing me to book a trip. I absolute adore the ‘watercooler Giraffe chat’ photograph. Seeing those animals in their natural habitat going about their business must have been spine tingly awesome.

I’ve loved reading about Dody’s thoughts on travel and photography and I am sure you will too. The passion for travel and photography jumps out of the screen and it’s infectious. I adore that he doesn’t have a favourite place and that there is nowhere that hasn’t lived up to the hype as he’s just immersed himself into every place and experience.

Let me pass you over to Dody from Retrato NZ and as usual, I’ve included links below so once you’ve had a taster you can check out more. Dody likes to spend more time behind the camera than in front so his bio pic seems extremely appropriate 


I like my photos to be as uncomplicated as my subjects. Except for very minimal adjustments, I don’t enhance my images in any way. Preferring to make use of available light (no flash) and the basic rules of composition sans any photo-enhancing software, my resulting portraits capture my subjects in unguarded moments, their personalities pixelated for eternity.

My love of photography was influenced by photo essays in books and magazines I read as a child. I daydreamed of far-off lands and exotic cultures, hoping to document them through a camera someday. I want to capture people and places as my eyes see them, without ‘rose-tinted glasses’. Doing this means I have to think fast sometimes – evaluate light, or stoop, crouch, or bend in the most uncomfortable way to get the right composition. I like doing all the work before I click the shutter, not after.

What do you enjoy most about travelling?

When I’m headed to a place I’ve never been before, it’s the moment the plane begins to descend. The wonder and excitement are unreal, almost similar to when I was a child sitting under the Christmas tree and knowing that a whole new experience awaits me.

Why do you think travelling is important?

Travelling is not just about visiting ancient ruins, historic places, or mega-cities. It’s about encountering foreign cultures and people, learning how they live, understanding their language. Although social media and the internet have brought people closer in a virtual sense, to me they’ve degraded travel to an ordinary and routine experience. We leave for far-off places and pose for selfies, yet come back with no significant change. The important thing about travelling is to come back with a deeper knowledge of others and of ourselves.

What is your favourite photograph from your travels?


I took this photo when I was in the Sahara Desert in Morocco last year. It’s one of my favourites not only because of the unusual combination of colours and shadows, but because this was a candid shot of a Bedouin who walked along the sand dunes barefoot, totally unaware I was taking his photo. I didn’t crop or edit this image in any way. One in a collection of photos in my photo book, my Morocco adjectives, I titled this ‘undulating’ because the desert looked to me like undulating sea waves.

Which is your favourite type of travel/holiday- sun, snow, sea, city, mountains, country?

All of the above.

Who do you usually travel with?

My partner enjoys travelling as much as I do. She’s wary of mainstream tourist spots and loves off-the-beaten-track destinations. She’ll pick rainforests over cities, camping over hotels, and when it comes to food, can rival Bourdain’s courage. She’s amazing. [She insisted on answering this specific question too, so it could be exaggerated.]

If you were to give one piece of travel advice what would it be?

Don’t expect too much but be open to anything that comes your way and live for the moment. I suppose you could say that of life too.

Tell us the funniest story or a mishap from one of your adventures?

In Botswana, I joined a 100-metre race. Those who joined were men younger than me, fit and lean. I knew I couldn’t outrun them but thought it would be fun to run alongside them. After a few strides, I fell, then I got up, then ran, then fell again. So it turned out, I didn’t run alongside, I ran behind. I finished the race though, albeit limping a bit.

Where is your favourite place that you’ve been to?

‘Favourite’ means one preferred over all the others. I don’t have a favourite because every place I’ve been to is special to me.

Where was one place that didn’t live up to the hype?
I always immerse myself in a place, therefore to me, it always lives up to the hype.

Tell us one place/experience on your bucket list?

Antarctica. It’s the only continent I haven’t been to. I dream of lying in the snow watching the aurora.

What is the one thing you wouldn’t travel without?

My camera. And my lovely partner. [She typed that last bit.]

What can readers find on your blog?

It’s about my travel experiences and a collection of my photos from these travels. I try to narrow the focus of my posts so that each piece is specific to my own experience. For example, I wrote about the Paekakariki trail here in Wellington, a little narrow 10-km path that I took despite my fear of heights. It’s vertigo-inducing, but I made it.

To find more please check out the below links

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