June 19, 2013

Me and Nature Just Don’t Mesh

At the end of my last post, I said that what I have to say here may rattle a few cages. Choco is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been before. Wild, extreme, and remote. Truly remote, not in the sense that the tiny village… I spent the first sixteen years of my life in is remote. Choco falls into the, “only accessible by plane and boat” category, not the “seven miles from the nearest large town” category.   Surrounded by

June 12, 2013

I Don’t Speak Spanish & I Went to Colombia.

Some people get muddled up with two languages in their head. Some get muddled up with twelve languages. Heck, some people even get muddled up with just one language and its components tumbling around in their brain and causing havoc. My limit is three – I can cope with two, but add in a third, and I start to get a little confused. I guess being a polyglot was never my destiny.   On my recent trip to Colombia, a…

May 28, 2013

The UK: Hotter than Majorca…but better?

Finally, there has been a May Day Bank Holiday in the UK where the weather, for the significant majority, was pleasant. As temperatures soared to well above twenty degrees Celsius in some parts, the red-top press was typically keen to tell us all how much hotter than those in European destinations we would all be.     “Hotter than Majorca”, claimed the Metro, for example, whilst the Mirror went with: “Britain set to bask in Mediterranean sunshine”. The Sky News …

May 23, 2013

Travel Secrets of Historic Portugal

If you love Europe, but are looking for something different and unique, think Portugal at FirstChoice.co.uk for your next holiday. This is a country that is filled with history and tradition, yet it is completely comfortable with modern times. This country is at peace with itself and the people are friendly and hospitable.    Forgotten Portuguese Travel Treasures…   There are many parts of Portugal that holiday travellers miss. Here is some information on a few of the best. There

May 21, 2013

Cancun’s Top Beaches for Summer Sun

Cancun is one of the best getaways for picturesque white sandy beaches, turquoise blue skies and warm waters. The thin snake of an island which is unique to Cancun is where many holidaymakers will find themselves, as the strip is where the best hotels are and is why the region is often called Hotel Zone.  The unique number 7 shape of the island means that there are a variety of beaches to choose from, including those straight from the pages of a travel brochure, …

May 9, 2013

Where to Find the Best Autumn Scenery in Australia

Not only does Australia have wonderfully hot summers, but the country can also boast to having beautiful autumns. This article explains where you can find the very best scenery during autumn down under. The Yarra Valley, Victoria   Just under an hour from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is home to dozens of luxurious vineyards. You’ll have to travel through misty, fairytale forests to reach them though – what a shame! It’s a romantic region, home to waterfalls, beautiful wildlife at …

April 24, 2013

The Kindness of Strangers: CouchSurfing

“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”   The immortal quote from the tragic heroine of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire…‘, Blanche Dubois, kindness is something that can be hard to come by in this rough, tough world that we live in. Except, it’s not really a rough, tough world. Of course, bad things happen. I don’t walk around wearing rose-tinted glasses.   Yet, there’s more softness, sweetness, and good ole’ fashioned humanity kicking around than soul-sinking

March 31, 2013

Planning Our First Cruise Holiday

All of our holidays until now have been land-based in resorts, apartments or in our own apartment in Turkey. I’m sure I’ll write about that another time. But as the years have passed, we are not even approaching middle-aged I have to add, we have been intrigued by cruise holidays….   Historically associated with the elderly or the super-rich, these are very much now holidays for anybody; families, sight-seers, honeymooners or the solo traveller. The options and destinations are

March 25, 2013

So I’m Totally Working With HostelBookers

When I first started this blog, in September 2010, I didn’t really know why I was blogging, nor did I have a focus. Back then, the only travel blogs I regularly read were Twenty-Something Travels, Adventurous Kate and Unbrave Girl, and I wrote posts about stuff like Storm from the X-Men….   Then I began to take things a little more seriously. I started to focus on my blog more. I began discovering and reading lots of

February 25, 2013

Four Fab Ways To Keep In Touch

One of the questions I get asked about the most, as a long-term-ish expat here in Korea, and as a traveller, is how I keep in touch with my family and friends when I’m abroad. There are lots of great ways to stay in contact with loved ones, like a SIMSmart Pre Paid… card so that you can make a call internationally without spending through the roof, the Internet, and good old-fashioned letters.   Gil Dong and I will be