“What time is it?” I instinctively glanced down at my watch yet again while my boyfriend grinned from ear to ear. Got me again. Yes, we were staying in a hotel room with possibly the biggest clock in the world and I was still using my little wrist watch to tell the time. The hotel …
Monica
What is art? There was a time when, to me, art was a pretty picture. It was someone being good with a paintbrush and making something beautiful. They’d then put it in a frame and hang in on the wall and, bish bash bosh, that was art. I’ve always found art galleries to feel forced …
Street art is everywhere and you can just about make out some trainers hanging from the wires. These were part of the TRACK exhibition which saw artwork placed all around the city.
As you may already know, I’ve begun work full-time work as TBU’s Social Media Manager and on behalf of TBU I’m off the Ghent on Friday for a very exciting weekend. I’ll be writing about my trip here on TBU, on my own blog and also for World Travel Market. Here’s what I’ll be up …
I'll admit it; when I flew business class with bmi I was like an excitable school girl. I felt like I should have been doing my best to remain cool, calm and composed and blend in with the sleek and stylish travellers that surrounded me but I was far too excited for that kind of sophistication.
Have you ever thought that being a travel writer is quite possibly the most glamorous and exciting job you could possibly do? A life filled with adventure, excitement and discovery and the chance to travel the world and write about it for some of the best publications would be a dream come true, right?
It isn't very often that you find a book you love so much you buy a copy for your friends before you've even finished it. You're not buying an extra copy because you're Little Miss Moneybags or flashy like that, it's because you don't want to share the copy you have and risk never seeing …
Russia is an amazing country to visit but, let's be honest, it isn't the easiest. Before you even get there you've got the hassle of getting a Russian visa. Yes, if you didn't know, you need a tourist visa to visit Russia. Don't let this put you off visiting Russia. Getting a Russian visa is …
The best way to see Australia is to hit the great open road with the freedom of a campervan. Forget the Greyhound or organised bus tours, a real Aussie roadtrip is the only way to do it.
Bilbao’s Guggenheim is undoubtedly the most extraordinary structure I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s the kind of building you can walk around and around all day and still stare up in amazement and insist that you take a few more photos. I came home Bilbao with over 150 photos of the Guggenheim alone so …
Driving around Australia in a campervan sounds like a romantic dream come true doesn’t it? Well it pretty much was which is why I’ve finally got round to sharing my experience. I spent nearly 18 months in Australia with my then boyfriend. We worked for 8 of those months and travelled in a campervan for …
'The Peak' is one of Hong Kong's biggest tourist attractions. You ride a worryingly old tram up a worryingly steep mountain 552m high. The tram was built in 1888 and has barely been altered since; apparently this is meant to be part of the attraction to riding it. It felt as though the tram was almost vertical at times …
The worst thing that happened while I was travelling I spent nearly 2 years travelling through SE Asia and Australia and I was actually really lucky - barely anything went wrong. I was never disastrously ill or mugged. I never ran out of money or had to spend a night sleeping on the streets. I …
Last week I wrote about how Christmas in Sydney was a total let down and I was really disappointed. Thankfully, New Year's Eve in the city was a million times better and possibly even the best night of my life! That's a bold statement I know but it really was amazing. There are a couple …
Bilbao in Northern Spain is a perfect city for a relaxing weekend escape. It's big enough to keep you entertained with the restaurants and cafes, the beautiful buildings and gorgeous scenery. The nightlife is great and of course there's the incredible Guggenheim Museum which you won't want to miss. There is plenty to do but …
The thought of spending Christmas on Bondi Beach makes most people swoon. Imagine lazing in the sunshine, relaxing on the golden sands with a cold beer as you open your Christmas goodies. Sure, the good old fashioned turkey dinner may have to be replaced by an Aussie barbecue but that's something we can get over. …
Sunset Sunday is in dedication to all the beautiful sunsets around the world. Sometimes we're so busy that we don't get the chance to really appreciate how gorgeous the sunset is so I'd like everyone to start noticing! Stop what you're doing for a few moments and look at all the amazing colours of the …
What’s the difference between a blogger and a journalist? This question has cropped up a lot recently, particularly with the recent case of Crystal Cox, investigative blogger, who was sued $2.5 million for libel because she wasn’t protected by the same defence that journalists receive when taken to court. It’s a question I’ve been thinking …
When I think of Swedish food I think meatballs, dumplings, fish and hot dogs. It wasn’t until I visited the country that I realised what a sweet tooth the Swedes have. Think cakes, pastries, cinnamon rolls, sweet drinks and plenty of candy. Fika My first experience with the sweet side of Sweden came in the …
Sunset Sunday is in dedication to all the beautiful sunsets around the world. Sometimes we're so busy that we don't get the chance to really appreciate how gorgeous the sunset is so I'd like everyone to start noticing! Stop what you're doing for a few moments and look at all the amazing colours of the …
Glasgow is a city I've always been intrigued by. I've heard mixed reports from the previous European Capital of Culture so when Thistle Glasgow and Red Spotted Hanky joined together to organise a bloggers trip to Glasgow, I jumped at the chance to decide once and for all if Glasgow is a city worth seeing. Update: …
Sunset Sunday is in dedication to all the beautiful sunsets around the world. Sometimes we're so busy that we don't get the chance to really appreciate how gorgeous the sunset is so I'd like everyone to start noticing! Stop what you're doing for a few moments and look at all the amazing colours of the …
It was another first in terms of our diving experiences, well two really because it was a shore dive and also a shipwreck. I really enjoyed doing the shore dive. I was a bit nervous because we'd read things online about how difficult it is getting in and out of the water because you have …
Sunset Sunday is in dedication to all the beautiful sunsets around the world. Sometimes we're so busy that we don't get the chance to really appreciate how gorgeous the sunset is so I'd like everyone to start noticing! Stop what you're doing for a few moments and look at all the amazing colours of the …
Will Peach is one of the site editors over at Gap Daemon, the gap year travel community website for backpackers and gap year travellers that I'm also working for. Breaking into the travel sector as a budding young writer or editor can be tough. Securing an internship is the first step on the ladder. But …
While sailing around Halong Bay we stopped off at a huge cave system in the limestone peaks. It is called the 'Cave of Awe' due to the expressions on visitors faces when they first enter the cave. It went on for miles and miles and was like a magical grotto from kid's films. It was illuminated with …
I’ve been studying journalism for 3 months now but I’m starting to wonder if the course will ever help me to be a travel writer? Journalism is a strange topic to study. It feels a bit like reading a text book to become a chef. Is it really something that can be taught in a …
Sunset Sunday is in dedication to all the beautiful sunsets around the world. Sometimes we're so busy that we don't get the chance to really appreciate how gorgeous the sunset is so I'd like everyone to start noticing! Stop what you're doing for a few moments and look at all the amazing colours of the …
Almost everyone who visits Bangkok ends up going to Tiger Temple and most people aren't entirely sure how they feel about it.
Sunset Sunday is in dedication to all the beautiful sunsets around the world. Sometimes we're so busy that we don't get the chance to really appreciate how gorgeous the sunset is so I'd like everyone to start noticing! Stop what you're doing for a few moments and look at all the amazing colours of the …
Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night as we now call it, is one of those really weird British traditions that makes no sense to any other nation than our own. So, what is Bonfire Night? In a nutshell, Bonfire Night occurs on the 5th of November and every community wrecks a patch of their park …
The Thai government announced last week that it will be cracking down on drug use and targeting backpacker areas such as Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. Drugs such as ecstasy and cannabis can be found in abundance at the infamous Full Moon Parties but the Thai police have warned there will be harsh punishments for anyone caught with drugs. We spoke to …
Ocean Park or Disneyland. Ocean Park or Disneyland? This was a tough choice while we were in Hong Kong but finally opted for Ocean Park to see the pandas. We arrived early and rushed in quickly to be the first in the panda enclosure. This was a very good move because within 15 minutes it was …
Sunset Sunday is in dedication to all the beautiful sunsets around the world. Sometimes we're so busy that we don't get the chance to really appreciate how gorgeous the sunset is so I'd like everyone to start noticing! Stop what you're doing for a few moments and look at all the amazing colours of the …
These photos are from the USAT Liberty Shipwreck in Bali. You can read more about the dive and see even more amazing photos here: Diving: USAT Liberty Shipwreck, Tulamben, Bali.
This week's #Friday Photos come from the most amazing and relaxing place I've ever come across. We stumbled across these traditional A-frame bungalows in Koh Lanta and couldn't resist staying for a night. This night inevitably turned into a week purely because the bungalows were so quaint and the beach was so amazingly beautiful. Working away on my laptop. …
How old are you when you stop seeing September as the beginning of the school year? I still buy academic school year diaries because I can’t quite get out of this habit. Forget January, nothing new happens in January. January just gets colder, darker and more depressing. But September is full of new beginnings, fresh …