Hello and happy Friday! I’m writing this from the sea as I sail from Mykonos to Istanbul. This week I’ve been travelling with Celebrity Cruises. We began in Venice on Monday, followed by Dubrovnik, Mykonos and finally Istanbul today. I’m having such an incredible time, not only in the destinations but also onboard the ship. …
Monica
I don’t know about you but I’m often overwhelmed by the amount of travel blogs floating around the blogosphere. There are loads of blogs I love to read but they get lost in the epic mass of boring updates and pointless posts. My Twitter feed is a never-ending stream of ‘new posts’ and ‘latest reads’ …
At the moment I’m pretty flipping excited because on Sunday I’ll be joining Celebrity Cruises for my second cruise with them! {You can see my blog posts from my Celebrity Cruise here} I’ll be starting in Venice and over the course of a week we’ll be stopping in Dubrovnik and Mykonos and finishing in Istanbul. …
This is a luggage review for all the backpackers and adventurous travellers out there. I’ve recently been testing out the SMASHII Anti Theft Rucksack, a super secure backpack perfect for long-term backpackers and flashpackers. I’ve included flashpackers because as a self confessed flashpacker I know how many gadgets we have so we need somewhere safe …
I’d like to take this opportunity to make sure you all know that I don’t usually stay in swanky hotels. Of course, from time to time I’m lucky enough to stay in a gorgeous boutique hotel or somewhere exotic or on the beach. But the majority of the time, particularly on city breaks, I’m in …
If you’ve read any of my blog posts from Dominica you will have noticed I fell head over heals in love with this beautiful Caribbean island. It isn’t your typical white sand, all-inclusive, pina colada on the beach kind of island, it’s so much more. Dominica is an island for nature lovers. It’s for adventurous …
It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve done a Weekend Reads post with my favourite blog posts and articles from around the blogosphere. Here are some great posts I’ve been loving over the past few weeks. Travel Writing Roundup {Caroline in the City} This is such a fantastic resource of travel websites, blogs and …
That’s a very bold title isn’t it? The best massage IN THE WORLD. Obviously I haven’t tried every massage in the whole entire world but I’ve tried a lot and this one was pretty darn good, the best I’ve ever had. Le Meridien Limassol is a luxury resort and spa in Limassol, a city on …
Cyprus is well known as a ‘flop and drop’ holiday destination. By that I mean it’s the kind of holiday you book to relax in the sunshine, laze by the pool, paddle in the sea and spend long evenings munching your way through the delicious Cypriot food. If this is all sounding a little too …
Earlier this year I spent three weeks travelling in the USA. I began in Miami with a fabulously luxurious trip to Miami Beach and a stay at Metropolitan by COMO. I then flew to LA to join a two-week camping trip with Trek America. As a blogger, it was absolutely vital for me to stay …
My final few days in California were tinged with sadness. We’d done so much over the past few weeks and I felt like I’d been travelling for months and couldn’t imagine going back to ‘the real world’. I’d got back into the backpacking way of life and felt like I could carry on for years. …
Before I visited Cyprus the one thing everyone said to me was: “Oh my goodness, you’re going to LOVE the food.” They didn’t tell me about the gorgeous views, the beaches, the bright blue sea and those incredible Cypriot sunsets. No, everyone just went on and on about the food. It wasn’t until I had …
The lovely Char Taylor from Taylor Hearts Travel has nominated me to take part in the Blog Hop. It’s a chance for bloggers to show what’s going on behind the scenes of their blogospheres. I don’t know about you but I’m super nosy when it comes to bloggers and I love finding out how and …
I love staying in hotels. Everything from the scent of fresh flowers in reception to crisp white sheets and freshly baked croissants at breakfast makes me tingly with excitement. I love miniature toiletries, bath robes that are way too big, ordering room service and waking up to an unfamiliar view. It doesn’t even need to …
When you think of the best places in the world to watch the sunset you probably think of the Greek Islands, maybe the Australian Outback, the Sahara Desert or even the Grand Canyon. But what if I told you I’ve found an even better place to watch the sunset? It’s the kind of sunset that …
Choosing a hand luggage bag for travel is way more difficult than you’d ever imagine. You think you just need a bag that complies with airline size limits and is big enough to hold all your stuff, right? If only it were that simple! I usually check my main luggage in so here’s what I …
“A blogging…festival?” I can hear the cogs whirring already. “A blogging festival? What on earth is a blogging festival?” Well my friends, this weekend I was speaking at Blogstock, the world’s first blogging festival, and I can tell you that it was flipping marvelous. There are lots of conferences set up for bloggers from all …
It’s quick one this week as I’m writing this just before I head out to Blogstock! Blockstock is the world’s first blogging festival. It’s been put together by the guys behind Traverse, an informal and fun travel blogging conference. I spoke at the last conference about social media and I’ve been asked to speak again! …
Now that I’ve moved out of London I see it in a whole new light. I’m still in London once or twice a week so it’s enough to not feel like a stranger but not enough to get bugged down with city life. It’s as though a magical pair of rose tinted glasses are stuck …
You probably all know by now that my luggage addiction is getting a bit ridiculous. While most women dream about designer handbags, I’m drooling over suitcases and backpacks with hidden storage pockets and handy compartments. I love packing for holidays and travelling to airports so I must project a lot of this excitement onto suitcases …
Camping and glamping are two of my favourite summer activities. Of course, I love jetting off to exotic beaches (who doesn’t!?) but you can’t beat a weekend camping with all your friends. I know a lot of people have hideous memories from family camping trips where it rained all week so you’re damp and miserable …
Scotland is one of those places where, with the right weather, it’s jaw-droppingly beautiful. You can’t believe you’re just a few hours from home (if you live in the UK that is) and I had the overwhelming feeling the whole of Scotland has been keeping this incredible secret from me. Why did they not tell …
Introducing Girl Tweets World {Girl Tweets World} Eeek, this is very exciting. My friend and blogging buddy, Jayne Gorman, has revamped her blog, 40 Before 30, and given it a whole new look, feel and name. Jayne was on a mission to visit 40 countries before she was 30 but when she reached this number …
Does anyone else find packing your hand luggage can be just as tough as packing your main case? I begin with just a couple of things, maybe a magazine and my phone, and before I know it my bag is overflowing with stuff. Cosmetics and gadgets and entertainment and food are spilling out of my bag …
Each year we spend the entire winter dreaming about beach holidays. White sands, blue seas, bright sunshine and golden tans. Arrhh, this is what dreams are made of. Just after Christmas we re-join the gym and spend hours finding the right skin care regimen, hoping that it will have us looking as beautiful as Beyonce …
Do you ever want to escape from the world and feel like you’re a million miles from anywhere? At the risk of sounding middle aged, I do. I’m only 26, I should want to spend my time in stylish bars and clubs but sometimes I’m just searching for somewhere to chill out. Sometimes I want …
This summer, World Duty free is hosting a #SummerDrinksFestival to get us all recreating our favourite holiday cocktails at home. They asked me to get involved and do my best at making some tasty cocktails. This came at the perfect time because one of my best friends is home from Australia for a couple of …
Admittedly, that is not your average title for a blog post. A day in Barbados. Who on earth spends a day in Barbados? If you’re travelling to a Caribbean island, such as Dominica, you might just do that. Many travellers flying to the smaller Caribbean islands will first need to stop at a larger island …
Hiking in Yosemite National Park was another of the incredible highlights from my time in the US. I know I’ve said this about virtually every place I visited with Trek America but it’s true! I love hiking so I was so excited to visit Yosemite. Yosemite is the second oldest national park in the US …
It was this time last year I was busily planning my trip to Iceland which I took in October. Early October was the perfect time to visit Iceland thanks to the blue skies, chilly but bearable temperatures and a light scattering of snow that dusted the ground. Iceland immediately became one of my favourite places …