Backpacker Bingo: The Ultimate Travelling Drinking Game
We all know the backpacker stereotype. Dreads, bracelets, hippy clothes, baggy pants and a backpack the size of a house. As much as I tried desperately to rebel against the backpacker stereotype during my trip, I still somehow managed to slip into it every now and again on my Southeast Asia trip; it was inevitable. […]
Why Moving Back to the UK is Harder Than Moving Away
Yep, I’ve turned into that girl who starts all her sentences with, ‘When I lived in Hong Kong…’ My room is filled with knick-knacks from places I can’t pronounce. I can give advice on jet lag, fear of flying, travelling with only a carry-on and finding cheap flights online. I can speak in different tongues. […]
How to Survive Long-Haul Bus Journeys in Southeast Asia
It’s a rite of passage for all backpackers country-hopping around the continent. Despite your best efforts, you will definitely have to take a few long bus journeys in Southeast Asia. Whether it’s from city to city or country to country, the prices are so much cheaper than flying (and arguably safer than the trains).
10 Best Hikes in Hong Kong: Treks & Trails for All Abilities
Hong Kong may be better known for its electric skyline, imposing skyscrapers and sky-high rent, but did you know that 75% of the Fragrant Harbour is actually countryside? Having called Hong Kong my home for the past five years, I love the city but I also love to get out of it! So, here is my […]
10 Ways I Manage My Fear of Flying (And You Can Too)
Are you surprised? I lived in Hong Kong for half a decade, I write a travel blog and I fly regularly. How could I possibly have a fear of flying? If it helps, I’ve often asked myself the same question.
So That History Does Not Repeat Itself: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Three pictures taken in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Three places that were difficult to visit, but too important not to miss. Let me share the stories behind them… Sometimes tourism is more than just a holiday in a nice resort, cocktail with curly straw in hand. More than being brave and backpacking solo around Southeast Asia, […]
16 Things I Would Tell My 16-Year-Old Self
We now interrupt this scheduled programme of backpacking-related blog posts to bring you something completely different. Time travel. I thought that moving back to the UK this Christmas would just feel like my annual Yuletide visit, and that the fact that I don’t have a return flight wouldn’t hit me until well into the new year. […]
Hong Kong Swan Song
Dear Hong Kong, We need to break up. It’s not you, it’s me. We’ve had five beautiful years together, filled with ecstatic highs and bitter lows, but I think it’s now best for both of us that we should part ways.
How to Spend the Perfect 24 Hours in Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang might be one of the most gorgeous places I have ever laid eyes on. From the sloping roofs of gold Buddhist temples to artfully plated French-influenced cuisine to the swirling coffee colours of the Mekong, I was utterly entranced. Partly by circumstance and partly my terrible planning on my part, I only had […]
Burma Budget and My Myanmar Travel Tips
Update: At present, FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Myanmar (Burma). The first stop on my solo backpacking tour of Southeast Asia was a 10-day stint in Myanmar, historically known by the British as Burma. I’d heard amazing things from other travellers who had visited, especially of the stunning Bagan temples at sunset and lively Yangon.