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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
To see more of our Globetrotters Series click here
Hi, I studied computer engineering but have always had a wandering soul. I love to paint/draw my favourite travel scenes on canvas. Travel, Photography, painting, arts and craft, cooking are all my passions. I am a family oriented person and vegetarian. I’ve travelled to many places but still much more left on my bucket list. For me whatever might be the destination, enjoy the journey or path because paths are more beautiful and adventurous than destinations. Blue skies, countryside towns, narrow local streets, colourful houses, green grassy slopes with grazing animals are all my weaknesses.
Whilst venturing around New Zealand we quickly ran out of adjectives to describe the drastically diverse landscapes and beautifully natured people. Honestly, it’s just STUNNING! And the same can be said for the Auckland and its surrounding areas. Its a smaller city but don’t let that fool you there is plenty to see and do and its a great base to start your New Zealand adventure from.
Well what a month we have had!!
So many great cities are always said to be seen best from the water. I’ve seen Venice, New York, Paris, Sydney all from the water so I have no idea why it took me so long to see the majestic London from the long and winding River Thames.
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?
Laura from One More Step Travel |
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 |
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 |
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!
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.
