I’m a self-confessed bookaholic and this is the reason I love the travel part of travelling. Give me a 10- hour journey and you’ll find me on a bus/train/plane/boat completely absorbed in a good book.
Monica
Monica’s Mini Guide to Packing for a Weekend Away (and what I’d never leave home without) I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes while I’ve been travelling but I’m pleased to say that there is one thing that I do pretty well and that thing is packing (except that time I forgot my …
Visiting a new city can be completely overwhelming, especially if you’re only there for a long weekend. You want to visit all the must-see sights and then squeeze in a few ‘off the beaten track’ places that make you feel like you’ve discovered something new.
Everyone makes mistakes when they travel and I’ve made so many it would be impossible to recall them all. I do my best not to dwell on things or regret anything. I think as long as you learn from your mistakes it makes you a better traveller in the long run. Here are a few …
“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 …
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 …