The Golden Circle is one of the must-do day trips from Reykjavik and takes in three of the country’s most popular tourist attractions; Thingvellier National Park, Geysir (where I also went snorkeling) and Gullfoss. The Golden Circle includes a national park where you can see the rift between two continental plates, a geyser that shoots …
Monica
We arrived in Iceland on a day that can only be described as perfect. There were a few fluffy white clouds lazily floating around an ice blue sky. A fresh layer of snow blanketed the ground so it was still white and clean and dazzling under the bright sunshine. The combination of sun and snow …
“The good news is that the water is 2°c today, it’s going to be great.” I attempted to return our guide’s enthusiastic grin but I’m pretty sure I was less than convincing. “It’s tough when it’s below freezing so 2°C is nice!” I couldn’t help but admire the Icelandic optimism that I was starting …
Sinking into the hot, milky blue water and I swear I could physically feel my muscles relax and give a little sigh of relief. Now, this is the perfect way to start a holiday and spend your birthday. We arrived at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland by 10am after an early morning flight into Keflavik …
A few weeks ago I finally had the chance to tick something off my London Bucket List that has been lingering at the top for years. But the weird thing was, I didn’t actually know what I was doing. I’d been invited out for a ‘surprise night’ by the guys behind the Hostelworld.com Adventure Taxi. …
“A mythical kingdom ruled by elves and Arctic energy, Iceland is where the past meets the future in an elemental symphony of wind, stone, fire and ice.” –Lonely Planet. If that sentence from Lonely Planet doesn’t make you want to travel to Iceland I don’t know what will. I read it excitedly on my flight …
After living in London for two years there are still countless things on my to-do list. There are hundreds of places I’ve never been, sites I haven’t seen, bars I haven’t drank in and restaurants I haven’t eaten in. Yes, London is a hustling,bustling, non-stop city with more things to do, see, and visit than …
Yes, that’s right. As of next month I will be a full time blogger and social media consultant. *Cue excitement and uncontrollable jumping up and down. *Closely followed by wide eyed fear and a little voice at the back of my head that is asking what the hell I just did? Before I begin I …
“Trust your feet and let your legs take your weight,” my guide shouted from beneath me. Trust my feet? ‘Trusting my feet’ was a totally new concept for me. I can trust my hands because they’re bendy and flexible and they’re right there in front of my eyes but my feet are just ugly stumps …
Nusa Lembongan is one of those places that I’m not sure if I should write about. On the one hand I want to tell everyone about this perfect slice of paradise, but on the other hand I want to keep it all to myself and do everything I can to stop anyone else going there. …
Is there anything more satisfying than a steaming glass of hot, sweet and refreshing mint tea? Moroccans are famous for the kind hospitality and drinking mint tea is a huge part of their culture. If you’ve read any of my Morocco posts so far then you will have realised that virtually every activity involved a …
One of the things I love most about living in London is the sheer size of the city. Not only is it huge but there is so much to do. After living here for two years I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface and I’m not sure I ever will. For every restaurant, exhibition, …
Impact-Site-Verification: 5501bd01-56da-47d6-8a46-9c7d7ebab36d Varanasi in northern India has a magical atmosphere that multiplies by approximately 10 million* times as darkness begins to fall*.*This may not be an entirely accurate figure but I’m sure it’s close. It is the holiest city in India so it isn’t surprising that the spiritual vibe makes it such an incredible …
There is a level of tranquillity in a hotel that you can never achieve in your own home. At home there is always washing to be done, projects to work on, food to be cooked, a dog to be walked and rooms to be cleaned. But in a hotel you have none of that. Hotels …
Since I’ve come back from India one of the most common questions I get asked by women is about what women should pack for a trip to India. I was expecting to be asked how to avoid Delhi Belly, how to find nice accommodation, how safe it is to travel alone and what the overnight …
Eating in the home of a perfect stranger is probably up there with the top ‘worst-nightmare’ situations for the majority of Brits. Dinner parties are awkward enough but dinner parties where everyone is a stranger takes it to a whole new level. I’m always telling myself that life is about trying new things so when …
I’m so excited to announce that in October I’ll be going to Iceland. I knew I wanted to take a trip in October to somewhere new but I really couldn’t decide where. One of the problems with working in the travel industry and reading lots of travel blogs is that you’re constantly surrounded by travel …
There’s something majestic and beautiful about tigers that has always fascinated me. I think it stems from my days of watching The Jungle Book on repeat so I could learn all the words to ‘The Bear Necessities’ and ‘I Wanna be Like You-oo-oo’ (and I can confirm that I still know them word for word …
London: A foodie adventure through East London with Eating London Food Tours They say the best way to get to know a country is through its food. Seeing how people eat and learning about the history of their food gives you a whole new insight into a country or city that you will never learn …
The High Atlas Mountains still sound like a mythical place to me. It’s a place where wizards live in crumbling castles perched on the edge of a rocky ledge and magical creatures live among the trees. There are crystal clear streams that slip down the mountains and pool at the bottom where wild horses, goats …
What is Secret Cinema? This was the first question I was aksed whenever I excitedly recounted my night at one of London’s best kept secrets. And with so many social savvy Londoners, it really is hard to keep a secret in this city. “Well…” I begin awkwardly, wondering where the hell to start. “It’s…well…it’s a …
I’d like to begin by thanking the person who came up with the idea of outdoor cinemas. You are an absolute genius. You would think that sitting outside, usually in the cold, on the hard ground while trying to watch a film with 200 other people would be a terrible idea. If the sun isn’t …
I’m writing this with an aching back and sore legs and the kind of exhaustion I haven’t felt since I was a kid because yesterday I did the London triathlon! Anyone who has taken part in any kind of sporting event will know how incredible that feeling is when you cross the finish line and …
The weekend started with a bang as we boarded our private plane to Mexico on Friday afternoon. I was told that it’s usually only football clubs and government parties who charter an entire plane so I couldn’t help but feel special with our privileged service. Once in the air the plane became more like a …
Yes, you read that right, I’m going to Mexico for the weekend! I know, it sounds crazy doesn’t it. In fact, I think this may be the craziest trip I’ve ever taken. On Friday afternoon (tomorrow) I’ll be jumping on a private jet direct to Cancun. I’m sorry, can I say that again. A PRIVATE …
I’ve had a few emails recently from fellow bloggers asking how they can ‘be a fulltime blogger and travel the world’ and I feel like a fraud telling them that I actually have a fulltime job. Yep, I work 9-5 just like everybody else and have minimal holidays to travel. I don’t have the option …
I recently bought a new laptop which is all fun and exciting until you realize you have to sort out all your old work, files, music and photos that were lingering in a disorganized mess on your old laptop. I’ll admit it, I spent the entire weekend glued to my laptop as I attempted to …
Taking a Sea Safari with Orca Sea Safaris I bet you thought that I’d finished my ranting about how beautifully, awesomely, wonderful Falmouth is hadn’t you. Oh no, I have one more little gem for you that won’t come as much of a surprise if you managed to read the title. Yes, that’s right, I …
I’ve been incredibly lucky this year and I’ve ticket a major item off my bucket list; I went on safari. But I didn’t just go once, I went twice! My first was in South Africa where I spotted the Big Five within the first hour of hopping in the jeep. David Attenborough eat your heart …
Have you ever said something and then the second the words have left your mouth you want to suck them back in and pretend they never happened? Imagine if you could just breathe them back in with a huge gasp of air. That would be good. That would get me out of a lot of …
If you’ve never heard of St Mawes, it might be because it’s one of those places you feel that you should keep a secret. I’m not even sure if I want to be writing this blog post right now. It’s the kind of place where you could actually forget that you’re in England (you know, …
Sea-Escape Fountain Court, Falmouth We arrived in Falmouth in Cornwall just before midnight on a Friday. It had been a five-hour drive from London which included a frustrating crawl along the M25, stale sandwiches and lukewarm coffee bought at an overpriced garage and a radio that wouldn’t tune in so we were left with one Elbow CD for …
Why is it that as soon as you’re anywhere near London you instantly turn into a manically stressed idiot? Everyone is in a hurry, there’s so much to see, so much to do and we’re all so incredibly important that we have to be there first. We rush around like 5-year-olds on the playground but …
The beach was lined with colourful and crazy kites all weekend. My gorgeous nautical themed Avenue Beach Hotel with the comfiest, squidgest bed ever. The king once lived in Ostend and there are reminders all over the city. I love these sculptures by Arne Quinze. They’re meant to look strange and out of place to make …
You’re not alone if you’ve never heard of Ostend in Belgium. When I told people I was going to this seaside city I was met with blank stares, confused looks or a fake attempt to know what I was talking about. I’d never heard of Ostend either but a quick Google search brought up beautiful …
At 6.30am I sleepily stumbled up the stairs and onto the roof of my hotel in Khajuraho for my early morning yoga session. India is such a chaotic place so it was eerie but beautiful to see the town when the streets were silent, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, there was no tinny …
I like to mix things up while I’m travelling and experience authentic cultures but I’m not afraid to admit that I also love a bit of luxury. Anything that involves fine wine, delicious food, fluffy bathrobes, perfectly kept gardens, feather pillows, sparkling swimming pools and bathrooms as big as my living room will definitely get …
One of the best things about travelling to a new country has to be trying new food and Gambian cuisine didn’t disappoint. Full of spicy flavor, the tasty rice based dishes are usually fish based with plenty of vegetables. Ida Njai is somewhat of a superstar in The Gambia. Mention her name to anyone in …
Say ‘community project’ or ‘charity project’ to anyone in the Western world and they’re instantly weary. It’s sad but true that Charity projects are viewed with suspicion and everyone has begun to question how much good they’re really doing. I visited a project in India that was aiming to provide work for women but while …
Have you ever driven into a village where more than 50 people chase your car along the dusky track while singing and chanting, ‘welcome, welcome, welcome’? Where the women were dancing with more energy than an aerobics instructor while banging drums and buckets to give rhythm and noise to the chant. They slapped the car …