Tag: travelblogger

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

trVEL MOMENTIS

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!

TRAVEL MOMENT 2

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.

Pin for later

Globetrotters- Earth’s Magical Places

This week’s wonderous Globetrotter is Rachel from Earth’s Magical Places.

I always love finding blogs with interesting names and Earth’s Magical Places is no different. You can just tell there is a story behind it. Anyone that has the goal to journey to see the magical and beautiful places on this planet we call home gets a big high five from me.

Reading Rachel words, finding out more about her travels and seeing her photographs you wouldn’t expect that she is only a 19-year-old traveller. Not that age matters but it’s great to read about someone wise over their years and isn’t expecting the world to give her a favour but is instead going out and working hard to achieve her goals. #slaygirl

I loved this postpost from Rachel about if we should be letting terror stop us travelling. I wrote a similar one around the same time and both of us have the same view point. We can’t let terror stop us from going to new places or stop us from our living our lives. Rachel discusses it so eloquently and respectfully with her words.

I also am always in awe of anyone that can travel solo as it takes a lot of guts to set off on an adventure on your own. Rachel has a great post here about how to meet people when you are travelling solo.
The two links above are just two of my favourite of Rachel’s posts but you can also find a whole host of information on her site including accommodation and flight reviews, destination guides, travel information advice posts, lust worthy snaps and a true and honest voice. I’ll include links to her blog and social below so you can check them out for yourself.

So with my absolute please here is Rachel from the Earth’s Magical Places.


Hi, I’m Rachel, a 19-year-old student and part time adventurer with an ambition to see as many of our planets ‘magical places’ as possible!

Whether that be a whole country, city, mountain range, beach or isolated village, I believe our world is full of beauty and wonder that I’m just dying to see…

What do you enjoy most about travelling?
I’d say that what I enjoy the most about travelling is stepping off a plane and instantly being greeted by the smells and sights of somewhere new… It helps that every corner of the globe is constantly leaving me speechless, thanks to the beauty of mother nature and each country’s strikingly different architecture and culture!

Why do you think travelling is important?
There’s a cliché that people go travelling to ‘widen their horizons’, but I actually think that this is so important! Travelling to cultures that are different from your own opens your eyes and makes you think twice before prejudging someone.

What is your favourite photograph from your travels?
Hmmm, this is a tricky one! But I’d have to say it is this photo taken in LA

It’s the first time I looked back after taking a photo and thought to myself ‘damn that looks pretty cool’. Ever since I’ve fallen in love with photography almost as much as travel itself…

Which is your favourite type of holiday? Sun, Snow, Sea, City, Mountains or Country?
Is ‘all of the above’ an acceptable answer?

If I had to choose though… Sun! The British summer of two hot days whereby everyone in the country freaks out buys a barbecue and gets the inflatable pool out before it clouds over and inevitably rains for the rest of the month, is just not enough sunshine to meet my needs!

Who do you usually travel with?
Having only just turned 19, the majority of my previous travels have been with my family. My parents both share my love for exploration and so growing up I was lucky enough to visit many destinations in Europe over the summer holidays!
Throughout the last year, however, my travelling company has been limited to me, myself and I! I love the freedom of solo travel, being able to go wherever and do whatever you want without having to worry about anyone else is rather liberating. However, I can imagine it gets pretty lonely on longer trips. But, in the short term, a good book and the latest Netflix series are all the company I need!

If you were to give one piece of travel advice what would it be?
Simple, get out there and do it! We spend so much time sitting, planning and procrastinating when we could be out exploring! Trust me, it’s far better taking the world in with your own eyes rather than ‘liking’ it through Instagram.

Tell us a funny story or mishap from one of your adventures?
During a recent trip to Los Angeles after a morning spent in the deceivingly cool fog of its famous hills, I returned to the hotel for a little R&R by the pool… Little did I know that my feet had been sizzling away in the sun and only continued to do so pool side. I’d completely forgot to put sun cream on them!
It was only in the evening that I realised how red they’d become… I resorted to covering them in Aloe-Vera and wearing socks to keep in the moisture (it was a good look). Although not necessarily funny at the time, and still debatable now due to the pain suffered, it was certainly a mishap! Moral of the story? Sun cream is important EVERYWHERE… I am now extra vigilant, not an inch of skin is left uncovered… Or, I just cower in the shade like a true Brit 🙂

What is the favourite place you’ve been to?
Without a doubt, Yosemite National Park (California). I have never been so overcome by beauty in my life! I can’t describe to you how stunning this place is: towering trees create a sea of green, while its rivers are clearer than diamonds! All this is framed by colossal rock formations and pristine meadows.
I’d recommend a visit to anyone, certainly something to make time for if you’re ever in California!! I made a full post on my time on Yosemite here

Where is one place that didn’t live up to expectations?
Before the feet burning incident in LA, I explored Hollywood Boulevard. As a big fan of the series 90210 and film in general, I’ve always romanticised Hollywood. I’d naively assumed that it was the height of glitz and glam…. And that I’d surely bump into Sandra Bullock (other actors are available) walking down the street.
Unfortunately, this was not the case, the streets were dirty, grubby and crammed with tourists, all of whom were pushing and shoving people out the way. Meanwhile, street vendors and people dressed as superheroes tried to sell you tacky souvenirs, or a picture, every five steps.
There’s simply no sense of magic and charm. Whatever this area had back in the 1940’s is sadly long gone… So yeah, not worth going and so over hyped!

Tell us one place or experience on your bucket list?
New York is top of my Wish-List! A love affair with Gossip Girl ignited my desire to visit this iconic city… While this may not be the most accurate portrayal of life in New York since 2010 I’ve fantasised of the day I’ll get to walk the streets of the Upper East Side and Brooklyn or lose myself in central park.

What is one thing you wouldn’t travel without?
My phone! I’m ashamed to admit that I’m a millennial through and through! I would be lost without my phone on my travels…

What can readers find on your blog?
Readers will find stories from my travels along with helpful guides and reviews… Basically, anything to do with my adventures around the globe!
All such posts are of course accompanied by envy inspiring photos, my honest (if sometimes brutal) opinion and a sprinkling of British sarcasm 🙂

Check out more from Rachel here
Blog
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

Want to read later? Pin it here

Globetrotters – Gin & Lemonade

This weeks Globetrotter is the hilarious Lorna from Gin & Lemonade.

Like myself, Lorna is an expat. Hailing originally from the U. S of A she is has been residing in bonny Scotland for many years. We’ve bonded over shared expat stories, love of travelling and putting our thoughts and ideas down on a computer screen. She is utterly hilarious with her writing style and it always feels like I’m reading notes written by a friend when I read her words. She is literally loving life and that feeling jumps out of the posts.

Another thing which you will learn quickly about Lorna is that she always travels on two wheels. Like always. As a wheelchair user, she is rolling her way around this globe. I can imagine that it’s probably not the easiest in all parts of the world but that doesn’t stop her from getting out exploring new places and on the plus side she doesn’t have to carry the suitcases.

One of her recent posts which I loved (and will possibly steal the idea to do a similar post myself) was her top 17 Travel Memories. I don’t think mine could ever match some of hers. Thankfully I didn’t have to learn the hard way that a bidet isn’t a sink for small people.

Lorna’s been blogging for donkey’s years and checking out her blog won’t just give you posts about travelling, you can also find lots of stories about love, life and reading. There is so much to discover and all of it is coated with her fabulous style. Once you’ve had a read you will be hooked.

So let me introduce you all to Lorna.


Hi, I’m Lorna, a 30something American living in Scotland for nearly 25 years. I write, I read and I live quite happily with my husband, our daughter, lots of books, a few fish, and computers called Hemingway, Truman, and Frank. I’m a wheelchair-user fuelled by coffee, humour, and passport stamps. I’ve been blogging at Gin & Lemonade since 2010.

What do you enjoy most about travelling?
I love the excitement of going somewhere new, getting lost somewhere new, eating somewhere new, drinking coffee somewhere new. Traveling is an adventure and a clean slate where anything can happen.

Why do you think travelling is important?
I’m a huge fan of shaking up routines and looking at life and all things from different angles. Filling up notebooks with new words. Traveling, anywhere, helps me do that.

What is your favourite photograph from your travels?



This is my husband and me on the Barcelona end of our Bruges and Barcelona honeymoon. I love how relaxed we look, after all the wedding shenanigans. I often flip back to this photo when I need peace from other shenanigans.

Which is your favourite type of travel/holiday- sun, snow, sea, city, mountains, country?
Can I have a little bit of everything? Seriously, I enjoy where ever I go. That said, now that my family and I live in the country, I have a new appreciation for vibrant city trips.

Who do you usually travel with?
I went on some epic journeys with my Dad as a kid. In my twenties, I travelled alone or with at least one friend. These days, my best travel buds are my husband and our three-year-old daughter. And our travel-mascot George Bailey-Penguin.

If you were to give one piece of travel advice what would it be?
Be open to anything. Get lost. Look up. Write it down. That’s more than one, but I can’t count!

Tell us the funniest story or a mishap from one of your adventures?
I fell off a toilet in Pisa, Italy. I wasn’t even drunk. And I’ve made all the jokes so you don’t have to.

Where is your favourite place that you’ve been to?
I have several. I love Florence and Prague. And Bruges. And Norway. And Edinburgh and Seattle. And New York. I told you, I can’t count.

Where was one place that didn’t live up to the hype?
PARIS. Except for Shakespeare & Company Bookshop.

Tell us one place/experience on your bucket list?

I’d love to take my husband and daughter to see penguins in New Zealand. Or Antarctica. As for me, I’d like to go to New Orleans. And see more/all of Italy.

What is the one thing you wouldn’t travel without?
My wheelchair. My family. My notebook(s).

What can readers find on your blog?
I write about life, love, travel, and books. All on wheels.

What is your favourite post on your site any why?
I’ve been blogging for 7 years in August. My favourite is still A Path of Pebbles,
where Neil and I decided to get hitched. By mutual agreement. Or something. You’ll also find passport stories on my post, Dude, Where’s My Passport?

To find more from Lorna check out the below

Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pin for later

Travel Loving Parents

My parents have recently retired which, when they are still in their very early 60s/late 50s is really bloody early. I had like 5 mins worrying about what they would do with this new found freedom of the daily grind then I realised they are going to be even busier now than ever before.

You see my parents don’t sit still.

They get involved, they travel, they give back to the community, they find new places, they see different sides to places they already know, they challenge themselves.

I spoke to them last weekend and mum reeled off a list of everything they have planned till Christmas and every month they have something exciting planned in. New places, new experiences and new adventures and that on top of everything they have already done this year I just don’t know how they ever had time to work before.

Being the offspring of such inspiring, caring, empowering, sometimes cringy, overly energetic, life loving parents I wanted to write them a little letter…

The Wandering Darlings
The parents

A letter to my travel loving parents,

As I sit here in my lounge room on the other side of the world from you I think about how I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. Not because you created me (ew that’s a bit weird) but because you brought my sisters and me up to be adventurous, fearless, inquisitive life loving women and more importantly you brought me to this little village that I now call home all those years ago. You set my path in motion over 20 years ago and none of us would have ever expected the decisions you made then to have had such an impact now.

You took us overseas before we even knew there was another side of the world and although you had to wait till your 30s to see outside of Australia we got to see it before we even hit our teens. We now know to do this you needed to sell the house, that the opportunity to do it happened at a really unideal time and that you were both scared about having to leave your families behind with little to no way to contact them with three temperamental little girls. The world was a different place then and it was either too expensive or the technology hadn’t been invented to keep in touch like it is now.

In doing what you did then and what you continue to do now, you taught us so many lessons. Seeing as you both are teachers seemed kinda adapt. Lessons such as an awareness of other cultures and religions, how to get to the airport way too early, how to not tackle roundabouts when driving on the opposite side of the road, how to be respectful of others beliefs, random acts of kindness especially when travelling speak volumes, how to be polite when eating new local cuisines, how trying to speak a different language with a thick Aussie accent is extremely hilarious and how to enjoy and relish the moment of being somewhere new.

 

They love a rail trail!

I want to thank you for bringing exchange students into our lives. From our ‘sister Sophie’ when we were much younger to our ‘brother Hannes’ who helped fill the void for you when we all left home. We learnt about the world and other countries from having them in our life. We not only had them become (and still are) part of our family but we also became a part of theirs. I love how you are actively involved in rotary exchanges to help give other young adults the chance to explore a different culture and way of life. The way you help others is so inspiring and I only hope I can do something similar if I’m fortunate enough to have children.

 

Thank you for being involved in community projects and especially The Tumba2Kokoda Project that takes students in our small town on one of the most exciting adventures of their lives. The months of training, fundraising and organisation that you commit in itself is enough but then to do the trek along the Kokoda trail 7 times with the students must be one of the most rewarding things you do.

For always having a camera on hand to capture our moments and filling the spare room with more photo albums you could ever imagine. My obsession with photos started from you Dad! As much as we joke and laugh that you’ll make a ‘blurb book’ when you get back from a trip we know the value of having those photo books and love the stories they’ll continue to tell years from now. Mum, you have always been my biggest blogging fan you helped me, critiqued my posts, liked my photos, fixed my spelling and guided me on my own corner of the internet.

Thank you for being the type of parents that my friends make comments like ‘ can’t your parents just have a relaxing holiday’, ‘your parents go to amazing places’ It gives me something to aspire to. You don’t sit still you keep going and keep pushing to see more of the world.

Thank you for the long drives to Grandma and Grandpas every summer holidays, the long camping trip around Europe when all we wanted to do was stay at home with our friends. We learnt the joys of ‘boot picnics’, how to make friends and communicate with other children when we didn’t speak the same languages and that you don’t need to always get on a plane to have an adventure.

For making friends wherever you go and then actually keeping in touch with them. You did this long before Facebook and email were around to make it easier.

For having the type of holidays that push you outside of your comfort zone. Hiking in Nepal, exploring India, cycling through Croatia, solo travelling to England. You’ve shown us that you’re never too old or too scared to give something a go.

Thank you for not stopping my sisters and me when we got on all those many planes taking us away from you to let us continue our next steps in the world. I now it was and is still hard but thank you for being the parents that know you raised us to make the right decisions, to learn from our mistakes and to know who we are and that it’s ok to be whoever we want to be.

Thank you for now not crying until I’ve gone through the departure gate when we say our farewells. It’s funny how saying goodbye never gets any easier even though we have done it more times than I can count. The horrible goodbyes make the G’days so much sweeter.

For helping at times to fund our travels but also saying no and making us work 3 jobs to make the money ourselves. We know to have and enjoy something we need to earn it. Travelling isn’t an expectation or right it’s a privilege and that is a lesson I will always be thankful that you taught us.

I am who I am because of you and I am where I am because of you. For sacrifices, you made years ago and sacrifices you still make now and for that, I will always be so very grateful.

You are the best role models a little traveller and young (well kinda still young) woman could have.

‘At rejse er at leve’

Much love,
Your favourite daughter


My mum is also a blogger and you can find her at www.debs-world.com she blogs about lifestyle, fitness, family and her and dads travels and you’ll find some hilarious stories over on her blog. So do check it out if you want to read more about these wonderful humans.

What to pack in your long haul hand luggage

So I’m not always the best at packing. You’re probably thinking well why are you writing a post on it. And to some degree, you’d be right however this is packing for your hand luggage which I think I’ve got nailed. Big suitcase packing I’m of no help. None whatsoever. I’ve been that person on the floor by the check in desk crying trying to work out which of my 10 pairs of jeans I won’t need for a two-week trip. So you’re best off heading to Pinterest or Google to find someone better if you need help with that sort of packing. And if you find any good tips send them my way.

However, if you do want some suggestions on what to take in your hand luggage for a long haul flight then read on. Some will be pretty obvious but other ideas might be something you completely overlooked or never even thought of.

Obviously wallet, passport, phone
You’re not going to get far without these. Have them handy though either in the top of your bag. They come out a lot and you don’t want to be scrambling through your bag all the time.

Travel insurance documents
Hopefully, you won’t need to use it but it’s always handy to have this in your hand luggage in case you do need it. Another option is to have it saved on your phone.

Details on accommodation
Most landing cards require you to fill in where you are staying and also once you get out of the airport you need it handy to know where you’re going. You really don’t want to go rooting through your suitcase looking for it. Similar to the above you can also have these saved on your phone but handing over a piece of paper to your taxi driver is much easier than handing over your phone.

Books
I love an airline film but I also love having some time away from a screen. If I’m really struggling to drop off a book helps every time! Sometimes I also like to have a quiz book like a word search or sudoku. A note pad and pen are also always lurking in my hand luggage in case I have any amazing ideas I need to write down. A pen is also handy when having to fill in your landing cards.

Flip flops
You can take the girl out of Australia but you can’t take Australia out of the girl. Even if I’m going somewhere cold there is always flip flops in my carry on. They are also pretty helpful when the dreaded cankles develop on a long haul flight.

Charger
Most planes now have USB charging cables so you can charge your phone or tablet during the flight.

Smellies
E.g. Toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant and dry shampoo. Just because you’ve been on a plane for 20+ hours doesn’t mean you need to smell like you have. It also helps you feel ‘normal’ again.

Extra clothes
If it’s a long haul flight often a pair of pants, bra and a fresh t shirt will be in my hand luggage. It’s helpful as well if your luggage goes missing or you spill something on yourself during the flight (like I usually do!),

Layers
Layers are key! One minute you’ll be too hot then the next you’ll be too cold. I like having a big hoody with me so I feel warm and cosy on the flight.

Headphones
You want the noise cancelling type. Planes are much noisier than you expect and when you want a break from the in-flight entertainment and want to listen to your own music you’ll be thankful for the headphones. Also, they are handy if you have a long wait in a connecting airport.

Bottle of water
Just make sure it’s purchased after security. Flying dries you out you need lots of liquid and sometimes it can be awhile before they bring the drinks cart round.

Any valuables
Keep those safe and on your person at all times. Bags go missing or can get delayed you don’t want anything valuable or sentimental going missing as well.

And my number 1 tip an oversized scarf
Yes even if I’m travelling to a hot country I’ll always take an oversized scarf with me. It has so many uses; fashion accessory, blanket, pillow or even a sarong on the beach.

Is there anything you take that we’ve missed off this list? Do share below in the comments 
 

Globetrotters- Its All Bee

Would you sit here? Bianca from Its All Bee is one brave adventurer sitting out on that ledge. Even looking at this sends shivers up my spine! But this is one thing I really admire about Bianca she will get out to see the world any way she can- be it climbing mountains, glamming it up in the Greek Islands, discovering hidden waterfalls or just exploring London on her days off. It allows other travellers to relate to her no matter how they travel and in return allows her to have a versatile blog with a huge amount of information to inspire that wanderlust!

I’ve read a lot of blogs recently centred around authenticity and how important is when you travel. Bianca also references this below in her answers and I wholeheartedly agree with everything she says. Her viewpoint on this is so empowering to read and I’m so glad I’ve been able to share this with you all. Travel is what YOU make it for YOU. It doesn’t have to mean a year long trip ticking countries off your list or finding the new ‘must visit’ destination on the other side of the world. It can be discovering something new in your area or even just staying within your own country. Travelling is about broadening your mind, growing, sharing and loving this beautiful planet.

I have long had Iceland on my list of places to visit and Bianca has just taken my wanderlust for Iceland up a gear with this post about a secret waterfall!! How amazing would this experience be? http://www.itsallbee.com/2017/05/sleeping-sound-under-secret-waterfalls-iceland.html Seriously get me on that plane now. There is a whole host of destinations covered on Its All Bee and you need to check out the interactive map. You can also find hotel reviews so you know the best places to stay and travel videos which help bring the experiences to life. Her easy to read layout and gorgeous pictures make this a top blog to get inspiration and practical advice from. I’ve put the links to Its All Bee and her social channels below so make sure you check it out.

Here is Bianca from Its All Bee

I’m a firm believer that travel doesn’t have to be expensive. It also starts right at home, so you will naturally find travel tips from both home and away on my blog. From my birth country in Zambia to my second home in London and as far and wide as Hong Kong, India, Namibia, Egypt and many parts of Europe. I love an off-grid adventure as much as I love getting lost in city alleyways. My blog is a gateway to all those seeking inspiration on exploring the world, whether in heels or hiking boots.

What do you enjoy most about travelling?
The ‘newness’ of it all. I love looking forward to new sights, a taste of new food. Aimless wonder through unfamiliar streets. All of this comes with the planning and researching of hidden gems mixed with maples meandering. As much as I would love to go with the flow, I am a planner so I need to find out where the best places for views are, what local delicacies I need to stuff my belly with.

Why do you think travelling is important?
Aside from learning about other cultures, foods and all that travel encompass, travel teaches you so much about yourself. From letting go of fears of solo travels to conquering goals like hiking up mountains, learning about and letting go of our biases to even finding the style of travel that fits you. Each trip is an opportunity to learn not only about a destination and its people but about you. So, yes I think it’s important and I hope I can pass on that message to others through my blog and my further offspring on just how important it is to see the world because you will learn so much more by experience than by reading about places.

What is your favourite photograph from your travels?



Oh, I have several favourites. Two contenders that come to mind are sitting on the edge of Victoria Falls(Zambia) and sitting on the edge of Trolltunga(Norway). My favourite between the two probably the most recent when I sat on the edge of the troll’s tongue by myself while my boyfriend sat on the other side waiting for my turn. I guess it might be obvious that I have a thing for heights. I thought I was going to chicken out of sitting on the edge but after telling myself to put my big girl panties on, it was on! After signalling to my boyfriend make sure he took a couple of shots, I shuffled my way to the edge and sat down. Long enough to take in the views and a selfie of course!

Do you have a pre-travel ritual? If so what?
Yes. I love a mani-pedi just before a trip. I travel for work a lot and it involves being away from home in some countryside location usually, with little to do nearby so when I book my trips I try to work from home the day before. Just enough time to pack and squeeze in a relaxing treat to get my nails done. Sometimes a little spa session for a relaxing massage is thrown in which has become a little habit I have no intention of giving up.

Who do you usually travel with?
I used to travel a lot with my sisters but not so much now these days due to schedules and distances between us. On rear occasions, I travel with friends unless I am travelling to see them as most are now spread across the globe. My partner in crime when it comes to travel is my fiancé who is with my on almost every trip. One of the reasons why my pictures now include me in them as I now have an insta-husband, albeit one resisting his job title and duties. He will grow into it. Resistance is futile! 😀


If you were to give one piece of travel advice what would it be?
Go! Travel for some is scary and for some, there is an air of the unreachable. If you want to travel that much you will find a way – like with anything else we want badly enough. Whether it’s working in exchange for food and accommodation or whether it means saving slowly and planning to travel someday or a quick and cheap weekend getaway. I am a firm believer that travel is not a privileged few. I work damn hard to find the time and money from a crazy work schedule to be able to get away and have that work-life balance. I have resisted the urge for comped travel for the majority of my travels. For almost every post you will find on my blog is because of hard work to make it happen. Travel is not available to just a small group people or group. It’s available to all. It also doesn’t mean you have to fly to Europe or a popular destination for it to be considered travel. Travel can mean exploring your own cities, countries which not many of us do enough of, as we are led to believe that it’s not travel unless it’s to the beach, or jetting off to some popular place with some insta-staged location. Without going off on a tangent, my advice is to just go. Travel budget or lux. Do it your way because it means being true to you and nothing brings more joy than living authentically.

Tell us the funniest story or a miss hap from one of your adventures?
With all the planning, I do you would think nothing ever goes wrong but there have been plenty of doozies. From missed flights to lost luggage to thinking that someone had already booked the hotel when actually didn’t. One of that comes to mind is doing a 10-hour drive from Botswana to Namibia. Having driven for hours and seen some amazing sights one of which was driving through pitch black roads to Windhoek and witnessing mountains lit up by columns of some 30+ lightning bolts all dangerous swaying in the wind to a tune of their own. It was just a beautiful sight and nothing I have ever seen. We arrived in Windhoek shortly after midnight and after driving around the city trying to locate our hostel for the night we finally stumbled on it. Only to find out that our booking had been re-allocated to someone else and they were now sold out. So there we were tired, in a foreign country passed midnight with nowhere to sleep. With 15% of battery on my phone left, I couldn’t have cared less what my roaming charges were going to be as I just needed a clean room with a shower in addition to getting rooms from my partners in crime before my battery died. After circling around the town and not finding somewhere to stay I managed to pull up my trusted Booking.com up on my mobile book something and with less than 10% left use that to navigate to where our hotel was. Any other time I would have happily slept in the car that night but after a 10-hour drive I was tired and sticky and slowing turning into a crazy irritable lady. All I wanted was a shower and a nice lay in bed before we embarked on another drive from Windhoek to Swakopmund, Namibia’s German inspired town. We finally arrived at the hotel just before my phone died but you can just imagine the stress. Had it been during the day I doubt we would have cared not having a place at a hostel.


Where is your favourite place that you’ve been to?
This is a tough one so I am going to go with a place that always comes to mind when I think of a list of favourite places. I love Italy and I have been sampling cities and towns for a long time. My favourite place is Lake Garda. I visited with my older sister having seen pictures of it from my friend’s Facebook pictures. We ferry hopped from town to town during our stay in Desenzano, one of the towns on the lake. It’s so beautiful! One of, if not the largest lake in Italy. Clean and clear lake water with cliff side towns that scream Riviera. One of the places many Italians come for summer getaways. Picture warm summer afternoons with jets skis and pedalo boats splashing around as the lake twinkles from sunshine, to tourists licking away at famous Italian gelatos and taking lazy walks around beautiful Italian paths lined with Italy’s famous cypress trees. I haven’t been to Lake Como yet, but I imagine Lake Garda can give it a run for its money. In fact, that reminds me I need to book a return trip.

Where was one place that didn’t live up to the hype?
This is a tough one because overall I have great travel experiences. If I had to pick a place I would say Sydney, Australia. It was an event-free trip but the city just didn’t really leave a mark on me. It lacked charm or character in my eyes. I guess from what I have heard and mixed in with what I imagined the city to be I was expecting to be wowed and I wasn’t. Would I go back? Probably not, but that’s not to say that I wouldn’t visit more of Australia. I would love to visit the Gold Coast, Urululu, Great Barrier Reef. I also had a great time in Melbourne.

Tell us one place/experience on your bucket list?
We could be here forever if I had to pick one item from my list to tell you about. I have yet to visit the Pyramids even though I have been to Egypt. I would say all-time would have to be visiting Antarctica or climbing Kilimanjaro someday. Adventure seeker at the core I would love to round off visiting all 7 continents with a trip to Antarctica.


What is the one thing you wouldn’t travel without?
Hmm aside from my passport and camera. I have grown rather fond of not wanting to experience places without my fiancé. I have learnt to let go of wanting to photography everything on a trip. It has taken some getting used to. I don’t know if I am alone in that in that blogging makes you look at everything as a potential blog post. It’s become hard to just experience it without wanting to capture it. So…I guess it’s not a thing but rather a someone I wouldn’t want to travel without.

What can readers find on your blog?
I like to think it’s a multi-faceted collection of travelogues of a gal fighting to find out what it really means to have a work-life balance. We are complex beings and like a variation of things to do so if you love city travel as much as you love off-grid adventures then I am your woman! You will find quick and dirty getaways for you and yours to mountaineering getaways where it’s you, mother nature and a star-studded sky with killer views. Somewhere mixed in are tips and tricks on how to find the places I have captured.

Do you have a favourite blog post? What is it and why?
Another tough one. I am still experimenting with different layouts for my pictures and collages, gifs and video. I guess one that comes to mind might be my Weekend Guide to Warsaw. One of few posts where I actually managed to get the blog post and video published at the same time. I have tonnes of video from travels but just the time it takes to edit images and video. I wish I had a twin to delegate some of the work to. I want to do more experiments with other forms of media like cinemagraphs rather than just have static images. There just isn’t enough time in the day to work and produce the type of content I want on the blog. I guess it’s one of the reasons why I decided to spend more time honing in on that craft but the downside is that you will see fewer posts on the blog than I used to produce in a month a couple of years ago. I just hope my readers will appreciate the effort and enjoy the creative side of my blog as they join me on my travels.

To find more from Bianca please check out the below links.

Blog

Twitter

Instagram

Pin for later

Globetrotters – Fill My Passport

Cupcakes for breakfast – um yes, please!! This is something this week’s Globetrotter Janine from Fill My Passport loves and seriously what a way to celebrate the most important meal of the day. I’m sold!

Janine has an awesome blog Fill My Passport- which includes Fly Away Friday link ups (every other Friday), alternative guides of what to do that is a little different to the standard destination guides, Disney Guides, traveller stories, honeymoon planner and travel shop. It’s a one-stop shop for everything from inspiration through to booking. Also how cute is the name!!

We both share a passion for finding and telling untold stories from across the globe so I love that I’ve been able to include her within this series. We learn so much from each other and reading her answers below I love her take on her favourite place in that she has to do it by continents. I’ve not ever had anyone answer it like before and it’s an awesome way, to sum up your favourite places. Every continent is so different so it makes complete sense!

I’ve always wanted to go to Niagra Falls and loved this post with highlights of things to see and do. I always hear the discussion of which side is best to view the falls and from this post, the Canadian side sounds like a winner to me. https://www.fillmypassport.net/love-weekends-niagara-falls-ontario-reasons/ . It just looks like the most amazing place to see nature at its finest.

Let me hand over to Janine from Fill My Passport and all links to the blog and social channels can be found below.


Hi, I’m Janine and I am an active traveller who enjoys writing about my travels, uncovering untold stories worldwide, and eating cupcakes for breakfast. After being to 40 countries, this travel journalist felt it was time to put her adventures in writing to educate and assist fellow travellers. I currently live in Toronto Canada with my Aussie husband whom I met along the Seine in Paris while travelling, busily planning my next epic holiday in California this November.

Fill My Passport is a one-stop resource for travel guides, tips, tricks, Disney planning advice, and inspiration. We are currently morphing our niche further into a romantic getaway platform combined with alternative honeymoon destinations for that adventurous couple wishing more than an all-inclusive resort to celebrate their sacred commitment.
We hope our forum will inspire, appeal and encourage you to stretch your palate, book a ticket, sport the Mickey ears, and Fill YOUR Passport with as many stamps as possible.

What do you enjoy most about travelling?
I love uncovering untold stories and having life experiences unlike anything else. Every country has a story to tell; built history to learn; mysteries to discover. This is the joy of being on the go. Not to mention the sense of freedom away from the drudge of reality.

Why do you think travelling is important?
I think it is important for people to look and think outside the box/their community bubble to learn and become educated on the outside world. Cultures and people bring a variety of thoughts, rituals, fears, emotions to the world table and in order to understand the planet to which you live, you must immerse yourself with others different from yourself to truly understand differences from you and your life.

What is your favourite photograph from your travels.



This photo is of me walking across the death-defying rope bridge at Carrick-a-Rede Northern Ireland. I was scared out of my wits, especially when the dorks on the bridge thought it was fun to shake the sides or ignore the safety precautions of 15 MAX individuals at a time, but in the end, I did it, and have the experience under my belt to prove it!

Who do you usually travel with?
I travel mostly with my hubby. He is the best travel companion as he is so much fun, hilarious, and my safety blanket when I cry through rough turbulence.

If you were to give one piece of travel advice what would it be?
Be open-minded to everywhere and everyone you meet on the journey. They were placed on this path for a reason. When you must sleep on a dirty overnight train, think of it as a part of the adventure. When you see that woman at the café sipping a latte looking gorgeous and perfect for that inner photographer in you, take a chance and ask her to pose. Life is so short. Take the chances as if it were your last day.

Tell us the funniest story or a mishap from one of your adventures?
For some reason, luggage does not like me. I seem to go through it like dirty socks. The latest incident took place in Istanbul. My husband being a gentleman offered to carry my suitcase up the street across the cobblestones which are terrible for wheeled luggage. The handle snapped making it difficult to manoeuvre from then on. We searched and searched in Istanbul for a new luggage, resulting in dodgy encounters in the Grand Bazaar and terribly overpriced knock-offs. In the end, after a scary incident, I continued my journey with the broken luggage until reaching London where I splurged with a Kipling duffel that endured heavy travel until its demise a year later.

Where is your favourite place that you’ve been to?
This is a tough question as I firmly believe that no continent can be compared. I will answer this the way I usually do- by continent J

Asia – China all the way. The Great Wall took my breath away
Europe – Other than England where I lived for 2 years, I adored Vienna. I could eat Sacher Torte for the rest of my life while listening to Mozart’s minuet in the background.
Oceania – tough call, but I have a soft spot for Australia seeing how my hubby is from there.
North America – Ottawa, NYC, and Orlando as I’m a huge Disney nerd.

Where was one place that didn’t live up to the hype?
Thailand. I think because I got into a life-threatening accident tubing that it tainted my experience. Everyone raves about Thailand and it being the top nation for travel, but I was on the fence about it and don’t need to return. If I were heading back to Southeast Asia, I would rather seek new adventures in places like Borneo, Laos, and Cambodia.

Tell us one place/experience on your bucket list?
Oh boy, what do I choose to divulge? My list is growing every day! I would have to say a trip through South America. I would love to see the Galapagos, the Bolivia Salt Flats, Inca Trail, and Uruguay. That’s my goal for my 40th birthday which is in (cringe…) a year and a half…

What is the one thing you wouldn’t travel without.
I am a dental hygiene freak! I just cannot travel without floss, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. I just saw my dad go through hell losing his teeth and I am trying to prevent this fate along with expensive dental bills for as long as possible!
On another note, I CANNOT travel without my Fraggles. Fraggle Rock from the 1980’s was one of my favourite shows created by Jim Henson and they just bring me joy and photobomb many of my pics!

What can readers find on your blog?
Fill My Passport brings city guides, romance tips, and Disney planning help to its readers. We are set to launch a product line soon which we hope will be a helpful resource for travellers and writers alike.

We give truthful accounts from experience and bring fusions of taste, romance and travel to our following. We strive to bring our romantic getaway niche to our forum as well as a detailed top-notch Disney planning section.

Do you have a favourite blog post? What is it and why?
I am very proud of my blog post “15 Reasons You Need to Visit Midland Ontario for Canada 150” as it is my stepdad’s hometown and truly resonated with the locals. It felt like every business shared the post and was passionate about the content! This article was so popular that they even mentioned that I needed to do the second installment so that post is coming soon to the blog J I am proud of it as a small town nearly 2 hours North of Toronto probably has not had much media exposure and responded so highly and passionately about my coverage of their hometown.

Blog
Instagram
FB

Pin for later 

Planning your Honeymoon?

Have you checked out Honeymoon Seeker? Well, you should!

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet Nickie on Instagram and now through many comments, emails and conversations, I feel I have found a kindred spirit in the travelling blogging world. She’s lived in lots of different towns and countries. Visited and explored so many places both on her own but also with her family, she’s backpacked and had luxury holidays and just had a deep love for travelling so much so she started a website to help couples plan their dream honeymoon.

I work my day job in the magazine world and work on two wedding magazines so know all too well how important the honeymoon is to brides to be. So to have a resource like Honeymoon Seeker really is amazing when planning your first holiday as husband and wife! Honeymoon Seeker not only has a blog for inspiration but also has an easy to use directory to help create your perfect honeymoon.

Nickie has been kind enough to share some of her insights. I’ve also put links below for Honeymoon Seeker and their social pages so you can check out more.

Let me hand you over to Nickie…

My name is Nickie and I am a mother of two, wife to one and lover of all things travel! I have explored and lived in most of my home country Australia and am now based Darwin, NT. In my early 20’s I was addicted to snow and spent two ski seasons living on the beautiful North Island of New Zealand and one ski season in Banff, Canada. My love of travel continued to blossom as I explored India, Bali, Singapore and Thailand. In between working jobs in HR, Advertising and Hospitality, I have backpacked solo through USA, Canada, Ireland, England, France and Italy. Some of my favourite trips have been travelling with friends through Croatia, Austria, The Netherlands and Germany. I have travelled as a family with young kids through Spain, Germany, Switzerland, France, England, Hawaii, Thailand, Singapore and Bali. I don’t fit in a box or category! I’ve been a solo backpacker, a loved up couple in fancy hotels, a family on a budget and a bunch of girlfriends on a weekend away. I love sharing my knowledge and tips with anyone who wants to explore our globe.

What inspired you to start Honeymoon Seeker?

My love of travel, romance and all things in between. I was a destination bride with an 18-month-old baby and I had no idea where would be a good place to honeymoon for us! I wanted somewhere family friendly that offered babysitting services so my husband and I could have a few date nights together. I spend hours stressing and searching and ended up finding a beautiful hotel in Ao Nang, Thailand. I want to reduce that stress and time searching by offering carefully selected places to suit a range of honeymooners wants and needs.

What can couples find at Honeymoon Seeker?

They can find inspiration of where to stay and explore on their honeymoon! Loads of blogs with our team’s personal experiences of destinations to help couples decide what will suit them best.

Top 3 things that should be considered when planning a honeymoon? 

1. Budget! Don’t send yourself bankrupt by booking three weeks in Bora Bora on a water bungalow if your budget won’t allow it. Look for similar and cheaper options like the Philippines and Fiji.

2. Your personalities! If you don’t like sitting still, then don’t book a two-week honeymoon on a beach in Play Del Carmen in Mexico. Look at Thailand for rock climbing, zip lining or New Zealand for other adrenalin fuelled activities.

3. Expectations! Chat with your partner and make sure you are both on the same page about what your honeymoon means to you both. One might want to sleep in and read books, the other might want to rise early and explore the surroundings. Chatting first and sharing your expectations will avoid arguments or frustrations on your honeymoon.

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?

I have always wanted to explore Central America! We are waiting til our young kids are a bit older so they can be more independent and enjoy the rainforest boat rides, hikes and long bus journeys between each country.

If a bride asked you one thing she must take on honeymoon what would you say?

Your camera! Phone photos are great, but if you want to print or enlarge any images from your travels, a good quality camera is a must have.

Tell us the most interesting honeymoon adventure you’ve heard about?

A four-month driving tour of the USA. The Australian couple started in Boston and made their way down the East Coast to Florida, over to California and up the West Coast to Seattle. They stopped at so many places along the way and were able to spend a quality amount of time in each place. It was something they had been dreaming about together for 8 years!


http://www.honeymoonseeker.com

Instagram

Facebook

Pin this post 

Globetrotter- Hallo Barbara 

Firstly you are probably thinking I’ve spelt Hello incorrect in the title but alas I have just learnt that is how you say hello in German.  This weeks Globetrotter is the lovely Barbara from Barbaralicious.

What I love about Barbara is that she has been on the road since late 2014! I would love to be spending my days travelling the world seeing new places, writing about new places and all the experiences that go along with it.  I was really excited to ask her some of these questions to find out more about what she gets up to.  I’ve included her blog link and social details at the bottom and make sure you do check them out. Her blog has lots of great travel information on destinations from her travels but how to work and travel to fund your adventures.

So let me hand you over to Barbara ..


My name is Barbara and I’m a digital nomad. I’ve been on the road since November 2014, telling my followers about my life of travels around the world: I’m writing on my blog Barbaralicious and in my books about my experiences as a location-independent online-entrepreneur.

What do you enjoy most about travelling?
I love that I can work from wherever I want to – which is mostly close to the sea. At the same time, I meet so many people with a similar way of life.

Why do you think travelling is important?
Travelling makes people grow. You learn a lot about the world AND about yourself.

What is your favourite photograph from your travels?



I don’t really have ONE favourite photo. But I really like this one taken last week in Amman. It’s an old palace in the sunset.

Which is your favourite – sun, snow, sea, city, mountains, country?
I love the sun and the sea! I always try to choose a warm country with a coast. I loved Brasil for example and I had a great time in Thailand. But every country is special in its own way. My favourite cities are NYC and Rio de Janeiro

Who do you usually travel with?

I usually hit the road by myself. I even wrote a book about solo travelling called TRAVEL SOLO (you can find it under “my books” on my blog or on Amazon).

If you were to give one piece of travel advice what would it be?
Travel alone at least once in your life. Get out of your comfort zone and learn as much as you can about yourself. You will be surprised 🙂

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

Ok, well… I never told this to anybody until I wrote it in my first book about my trip around the world. I was in El Calafate, a village in south Patagonia, Argentina. I was walking behind some small houses where the dormitories of my hostel were. Suddenly I fell in a cesspit. Yes, I fell in a hole filled with nothing else than shit. It wasn’t funny at all… I was super embarrassed, but everybody loves this story in my book and thinks it’s super funny.

Where is your favourite place that you’ve been to?
I don’t have one. But I enjoyed Koh Lanta, Thailand, and Jericoacoara, Brasil, a lot! At the same time, I’m totally in love with Rio and New York.

Tell us one place/experience on your bucket list?
I want to see all 7 New Wonders of the World. Now that I’ve been to Petra last week, there are only two left: the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall.


To find more from Barbara you can find her here

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Pin it.


Captured To Share – Auckland 


As many of you will know we’ve recently returned back from adventures in New Zealand. It was our first adventure to this beautiful country and it did not disappoint! The scenery, the people, the experiences and the truly majestic landscape. I’m already thinking about when we can next visit and what we still need to see.

We’ve blogged about a few of our experiences already and you can read about some of them here (there is still plenty of stories still to be shared!)

Glowworms

Wine on Waiheke

Martha Mine

Whilst we are still getting pen to paper or fingertip to keyboard so to speak we’ve written a post for our friends Captured to Share about our Top 5 things to do in Auckland.   Do check it out and this link will take you there

One of the best things we did in Auckland was seeing in the New Year.  We were surprised at how quiet it was especially compared to New Year Eve’s we’ve had in Sydney previously. We were able to have a lovely meal (without a booking!) and then stand with a fair amount of personal space and see the New Year in with fireworks off the Sky Tower. Auckland is the first city to welcome in the New Year and a night that will forever go down in our list of best nights EVER.

We only had 4 days in Auckland and by no means were able to see all of the cities delights so if we have missed anything off do let us know for next time we are down under.