Category: General Travel

Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Hong Kong

The Best Buddha Quotes About Life

Who else loves a good Buddha quote? *Raises hand* Yup, sometimes I just need a little pick-me-up from the B. Man. So, if you’re like me, then please enjoy this little compilation of the best Buddha quotes about life that have finally pulled me out of my blog slump.

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backpacker at a crossroads

What Are Beg-Packers & Are They Really That Bad?

Beg-packers are everywhere in the media at the moment. They’ve been around for a while, but a rise in numbers (and a rise in blatant insensitivity) are getting people really mad. So, what are beg-packers, why are they asking for money and are they wrong to do so?

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polaroid photo of three friends in Hollywood

How I Make Friends in a New City (UK & Other Countries)

Updated May 2024 Making friends in a new place is always hard, whether it’s in the next town over or in a new country. I’ve moved around a lot, but I’ve found the key thing when it comes to how to make friends in a new city is perseverance. You don’t need to be a social butterfly, you don’t need

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Two Month Itinerary in Southeast Asia - Travelling Asia on a Backpacker's Shoestring Budget

Two Months in Southeast Asia: Backpacking on a Tight Budget

Updated May 2024 Does the idea of travelling around Southeast Asia for two months sound a bit daunting? I felt the same when I came to plan my own itinerary, especially as I knew I would be backpacking on a shoestring budget. Two months in Southeast Asia sounds like a long time, but with so much to see and do,

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Best Hostels in the World - Cover

The Best Hostels in the World (& Some of the Worst)!

“You’ve slept in a lot of beds,” one of my oldest and best friends said to me a few weeks ago. When I gasped in offence, he was quick to add, “I mean, travelling, of course!” That got me thinking about all the places I have stayed on my travels: some the best hostels in the world, the comfiest of pillows and… some

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plane window view over lisbon

Post-Travel Blues: Two Travel Bloggers Share Their Stories

The post-travel blues. I’ve definitely been wrestling with them these past few months. However, that’s all a little tied up with moving back to the UK after half a decade living abroad. Plus, there’s a little reverse culture shock thrown in there for good measure! And so I asked the travel blogging community if they had ever experienced something similar. Here’s

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Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer: Movement is Nothing Until You Stand Still

I’ve been back in the UK now for four months. I’m still reluctant to say ‘back home’, but I’ll admit that it’s slipped off my tongue more than once. Like travel writer Pico Iyer says in his TED talk, ‘Where are you from?’ and ‘Where is home?’ are more complex questions now than they once were.

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Friends at the Trevi Fountain in Rome

What We Learnt From Living Abroad

Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel. I love to go on holiday and lie on a beach somewhere, I love to go backpacking on a shoestring budget and I love playing the tourist both at home and abroad. But, it’s all a whole other kettle of fish when you’re actually living abroad. The lessons you learn about life, about

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girl on a street in lisbon

Planning a Trip: Are You a Planner or a PantSer?

There are lots of different ways to travel, but there are also some very different travelling styles, especially when it comes to planning a trip. Here are the two ends of the spectrum: the Planner (Stephanie Fox of Newcastle & Travel) and the Pantser (uhhh… yup, that would be me).

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injured toe

Don’t Tell Your Mother | A Mother’s Day Special

Dear Mum, I have a confession or two. Sometimes when I travel or I relay an anecdote from an adventure somewhere, I may leave out a few choice details. But, especially for Mother’s Day, I thought it was time to share/scare you with a couple of revelations: I have travelled without insurance. Not a lot (I’m usually pretty good with

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