BBC Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr is back on our screens! And very soon. For me, the most exciting part is that I’m one of the designers. I know, wild.
I’ve watched IDM from before it was even the show it is now. It used to be called The Great Interior Design Challenge (honestly, so good). So it is an absolute honour to be on the show.
I am not an interior designer by any means, in fact I only started my design journey (for want of a better term) a couple of years ago when I bought my house. It was a fixer-upper so I have spent the last two years making it a home. And I’m suuuper proud of it as most of my home is DIY. My literal BLOOD, sweat and tears has gone into this house.
Anyway, I can’t wait for you all to watch the show – the designers (my friends) are all amazingly talented and I think this will be the best season yet.
Catch Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr, Series 5 on BBC One at 8pm March 12th.
I’ve moved back to my mum’s during lockdown and decided to give up my London flat, so I have the motivation to start this house-buying ‘journey’. I hate the phrase ‘journey’ but as this is a flipping epic saga it makes sense.
I set up alerts on Rightmove and draw up a list of must-haves and definitely-absolutely-no’s for my dream pad.
I want a period property with at least 2 bedrooms. Nice to have: my own front door. Very nice to have: a separate dining room, bay window and garden.
It’s been SUCH a long process and I feel like my life is kind of on hold.
@chez.shez
Alerts start pinging for properties but as it’s lockdown I don’t rush to follow up–big mistake–properties are getting snapped up in record time.
See a lovely 2 bed Victorian terrace with a garden on a quiet street next to a cute little pub. I think this is a contender, call up the estate agents and book a viewing. I’m told I’ll have to wear a mask and gloves and come alone.
Travel the 4 hours to Margate from Leeds to view, the house is lovely if a little small but perfect for one. As it’s peak lockdown there isn’t even anywhere open to get a cup of tea afterwardsand I have to wee on the beach. Fab.
Put in an offer at 10% under asking. Finally settle on £3k under asking. Offer accepted!
Feb 2021
Then I enlist the help of a mortgage advisor as I’m told I need a decision in principle ASAP and I am financially deaf and dumb. Have to supply lots of bumph to the Estate Agents including proof of deposit.
March 2021
All ticking along, I now have a solicitor and the bank have valued the house and approved the mortgage. Yay!
Luckily, I’m a first-time buyer and there is no chain. The current owner is moving into a new build which should be built in June/July. A bit of a wait but I’m not in a rush.
April 2021
Been Pinteresting like a mad woman. I’m SO excited to have a house to make my mark on. I’m most excited about having a hallway weirdly and a front door.
May 2021
Estate Agents have called with a bit of bad news, due to Brexit there are major supply shortages in the building industry, so the seller’s new build is delayed. Looking like August now.
June 2021
I’ve managed to save some cash during my wait, so I splash out on some furniture as I own… none. I buy a sofa, a KING size bed and a lovely coffee table. Along with lots of pretty but useless things. Oh, and a Hetty hoover.
July 2021
Won some vintage furniture on eBay for suuuper cheap. Have to hire a van to collect which my brother drives. Arrive to find that the walnut burr sideboard is the biggest piece of furniture known to man. I’d thought the measurements were cm. They are inches. It barely fits in the van or my mother’s house.
August 2021
The waiting is getting unbearable now, still waiting for contracts from the seller’s solicitors and my mortgage offer expires at the end of the month. Lots of chasing.
Take a mini break to Margate and stalk my soon-to-be new house. Literally have a beer in the pub next to it and try to peer over the garden wall.
Get a call from the estate agents. The new build will not be finished until November!!!! But the seller can move in with her daughter when her daughter moves house which will be at the end of September.
Agree completion date for 24th September. So long but at least it is now set in stone.
Now have to get a mortgage extension which costs £70 but hey ho. Call my mortgage broker who helps me with all the paperwork.
A week goes by and no mortgage extension.
Another week goes by.
Yet another week goes by.
September 2021 – this is where the sh*t hits the fan
Still no mortgage extension. getting worried now as I’m meant to move in this month and now the seller is chasing ME. The cheek!
Start calling everyone and their mother to try and get this moving. No idea what the issue is, my circumstances haven’t changed, and it was approved quickly the first time. Surely, they just take the money and tick a box for an extension? Can’t help thinking how much easier this would be if I was buying with someone then we could tag team the calls. Also split the cost of everything… I’d practically be a millionaire. Oh well, at least I can fill the fridge with beauty products and paint the front door pink without having to consult anyone.
Can’t help thinking how much easier this would be if I was buying with someone then we could tag team
shereemilli.com
Finally get a response from the lender. Mortgage extension DENIED. They will not lend against the house as it’s next to a pub.
My mortgage broker calls his contact at the bank to ask if there is any chance it’s a mistake and is told no and that they would never lend on this property. Even though I had the offer for 6 months. The first valuer… what was he thinking? He could have denied the mortgage and I would have found another house and probably be in it by now.
Tell the estate agent who isn’t happy. WHY did no one tell me that you couldn’t buy a house next to a commercial property? Literally no one. Not one singular person.
Speak with my mortgage broker to go through my options, he has checked with a couple of lenders and they’re both saying that it depends on the valuer but most likely no. I could go with a mortgage lender who “lends on anything” but their rates are so expensive that my monthly repayments would be £200-300 more expensive.
So, I have to pull out of the sale. I have lost the house. My completion date is next week. Great.
September part 2
Obviously, I was absolutely devastated and had a dramatic walk in the rain while crying but then I just thought that I’d had a lucky escape, I wouldn’t have been able to remortgage the house and it obviously wasn’t meant to be.
The king size Simba mattress I ordered for the house move (sob) arrives in a compressed box and I have a vision of it exploding out and killing my mum. Look on their website and I should be good for 3 months… best get house hunting again.
Look on Rightmove, actually, SCOUR Rightmove for similar properties. Everything is more expensive now and not that much choice. I’m going to have to up my budget considerably. To the tune of £50-80k! Gulp.
See a near identical house to the cursed one on a nearby street, call immediately to book a viewing. It has 3 offers already. I offer on the spot, over asking and they say they will put it to the seller.
See other properties and call estate agents to be told that either an offer has been accepted (4 times) or it’s been sold with tenants in situ
@chez.shez
See other properties and call estate agents to be told that either an offer has been accepted (4 times) or it’s been sold with tenants in situ (in my ignorance I thought you could just boot them out, apparently not).
Book three viewings for the weekend and head down to Margate via a night in The Standard London with friends and Pisco Sours.
The viewings
Thank god that every time I get off the train at Margate, I just adore it, come rain or shine, it’s always a vibe. Head to viewing number one: A very expensive 3 bed near the park with really cool decor, very my style, which I think blinds me a bit. The bathroom is tiny, no bath. But there is a bath in a bedroom! Really nice house though but FOURTEEN people are viewing it today. I really like it. Put in an offer as soon as I leave, just under asking.
My next viewing is another three bed in a better location but it’s a new build which I always said was a never, never, no, no, no… but it’s built in the style of a Victorian terrace and looks alright. Maybe a new build is a good idea? Look around… it is not a good idea. The living room is pokey, low ceilings, the kitchen is small too… no dining room or room for a dining table (where does one eat?). Weirdly the hall is massive (eat in the hall?). There are two bathrooms, but both are tiny with no windows and the cheapest-of-the-cheap fittings. All the carpet is that shiny Mrs Hinch grey. Everything is just builder grade and yuk. I’d have to rip everything out and the house isn’t cheap. I tell the estate agent that “I just absolutely hate it” end quote.
By the time the third viewing rolls around I’m knackered and just want to get on the train home and listen to a Podcast about murder. I wait around outside for 10 mins, no sign of the estate agent. I call them to be told that an offer has been accepted at asking and my viewing cancelled. Fuming, I tell them I’ve travelled the length of the country and I want to see it. They call the owner who is in thankfully and agrees to show me round. She even gives me a cup of tea! We have a chat for 40 mins. I really like this house; the location is amazing, and it has great bones. No garden though, just a small outside space. Hmmm.
I decide to put an offer in at £1k over asking.
So, I now have 3 offers on. The first property went with a LOWER offer but a cash buyer. Weird as I’m a first-time buyer, same thing. The second property (the one where 14 people viewed it) had 7 offers so it went to sealed bids. I put in a ridiculous offer about £11k over asking and probably over my budget. Didn’t get it.
The third house with the good bones. The offer was accepted. The journey begins again.
October 2021
I have to do all the flipping paperwork again, for everyone, again. It’s just a faff to be printing off all these bank statements and payslips and signing all the bumph. In good news the interest rates have gone down since Feb so even though the new house is £60k more than the original (cursed) house, the monthly repayments are only £20 or so more.
In worse news I also need a bigger deposit so my mum lends me some money which hopefully I can pay back by the start of next year. Lifesaver mum. Thank you!
November 2021
Valuation done. Mortgage approved. Searches done. Draft contracts received. I am mega paranoid about house buying now (obvs) so I email and call the solicitors each week. They probably hate me, but I just want to exchange contracts and get the keys in my grubby little hands.
I am majorly nervous about the house and I’m really trying not to get my hopes up too much. It’s been SUCH a long process and I feel like my life is kind of on hold. I’m crashing at my mum’s (so dating has been non-existent), all my stuff is in storage and I’m skint again with all the extra solicitors’ fees and much more spenny gaff. I daren’t even go on holiday as I don’t want to hold up the process. If they want me to move tomorrow, I will, I’ll actually hop in a time machine and move in last week, either or. But I’m trying to stay positive, if wary. Back on Pinterest which is a good sign. Nature is healing.
December 2021
This process is like pulling teeth. And all the teeth have gone on holiday. For the month. There are still ‘outstanding enquiries’, a phrase which gives me a fit on anxiety… and possibly will forever more. What these enquiries are, I do not know. And since everyone is off for the whole of Christmas, there’s no one to ask.
January 2022
It’s the 4th of January so the solicitors are back and well-rested after a month long break and I am renewed and full of righteous anger and desperate to make sure this sale goes through. So I email and call everyone involved… solicitors (and assistants), the estate agent, mortgage broker and also some firm I’m paying to progress the sale whose last representative Rachel (yes, I’m naming and shaming) told me, when I asked her to try and squeeze some info from the solicitors, that it wasn’t her job, it was my job. Well, she was taken off my case (presumed sacked) and when I told her replacement this she told me that is, in fact, quite literally their job.
I have discovered that the one missing piece of info that has taken weeks to get hold of and still not procured is an RX3. Means nothing to me but is now the ting I covet most.
February 2022
I wake up in a cold sweat after reading about mortgage rates being the highest in years. My very good offer expires in March. If I have to get another mortgage I may very well not be able to afford the monthly payments. Again I call and email all parties involved letting them know exactly how many days we have… worryingly this seems like news to them.
However we now have the RX3! Whoop. And we can set a completion date. And we can exchange. And they want my deposit and fees… which I send. But when I ask for confirmation they have received the £43,000 (!!!!!) I get no response for over a day. I obviously then think I have been hoodwinked by some internet scammer out of my life savings.
Finally the solicitors confirm they have the cash (thanks) and apparently we can’t exchange because despite all previous paperwork saying the property was leasehold, it is in fact a ‘share of freehold’. The saga continues. GET ME IN!!!!
FINAL UPDATE
25th February 2022 – I’m in. The previous owner left piles of crap and grime but I am now legally a homeowner and I love my new house. What a flipping saga. Follow my home renovations of insta @chez.shez
Owning my own home was something I never thought was possible. As a fully paid-up member of generation rent I was fully of the belief that home ownership was simply out of reach. I left university smack bang in the middle of a recession, interned for free and worked hard in an industry renowned for not paying that well (fashion). All while paying extortionate London rents. I never had a penny of savings, never had any money at the end of the month, and frequently got my card declined at the supermarket (until I realised that any transaction under £20 wouldn’t register with my bank and proceeded to get lots of overdraft fees).
This sounds all doom and gloom… but there’s a happy ending! You can buy a house as a single woman. This month I had my offer on a house accepted and a mortgage accepted with a good lender. So how did I do it? Read on…
Widen your options for where you want to live
I have lived in London for almost a decade and I knew I would never be able to afford a home there by myself. Unless it was a studio in zone 4. Which, let’s face it, what’s the point of almost killing yourself for that? There wasn’t really anywhere else I saw myself living until I visited Margate on the Kent coast a few years ago. After a weekend visit, I knew I wanted to live there. A lot of young Londoners and creatives priced out of the city have done the same, earning Margate the nickname ‘Shoreditch on Sea’. But this was a place I could see myself living and more importantly, afford to buy there.
And now that many people are remote working it gives you options as to where you want to buy. You don’t need to be in the heart of a big city. Working from home means spending more time in your space, so you need just that.. space. A garden wouldn’t go amiss either.
Get serious about owning your first home
Okay, so you’ve looked at more options for location. Now it’s time to get serious as it’s still not easy for millennials to get on the housing ladder. The first thing I did was pay off all my debt. I did this by taking on a second job, there’s no point saving if you have high interest debt hanging over you. With bonuses to help I paid off roughly £7k of debt in 6 months.
Then you have to SAVE. Literally that’s all you have to do, just save, save, save, as much as you can. Take it seriously and always have that goal in your mind. My second job helped, as did doing lots of eBaying, and I made sure a 30% of my wage went straight to savings each month. In a year I had saved about £10k (I’d had a few holidays so could have saved more but you gotta live).
Now around this point it’s time to start getting strategic and working out your affordability. How much deposit do you need to save? How much money can you borrow?
How to work out how much money you can borrow and how much deposit you’ll need for a mortgage
The most important figure you need to know is your salary. As, unless you have a huge helping hand from mum or dad, then this is what banks look at most. You can borrow 3-4 times your annual salary usually. So if you earned £10k a year, a bank might lend you £30k-40k.
Let’s say you see a house or flat you love for £100k. And you’e saved up a 10% deposit (£10k). That means the bank would have to lend you £90k.
If your annual salary is £20k then thats 4.5x your salary and you probably wouldn’t get a mortgage for that much. So you might have to save up more deposit to bring the LTV (loan to value) amount down.
A 10% deposit is a 90% LTV. But if you had a £20k deposit that would bring it down to an 80% LTV and the loan would only be 4x your salary.
Homeownership is not impossible for millennials… but it is very hard.
shereemilli.com
How much can you actually afford to pay for a house and a mortgage?
Be realistic. Banks look at affordability to make sure you can pay back the loan, and you don’t want to overstretch yourself. To be honest if you are paying rent in a big city, it’s highly likely that your mortgage would be less than your monthly rent. A common rule is that mortgage, bills and utilities should be no more than a third of your take home pay.
This is what it has cost me to buy my first house
Full transparency. My house will cost £207k, it’s a 2 bed, 1 bath, 2 reception room house with a big garden, ten minutes walk from the sea. I will put down a 15% deposit which comes to just under £32k and take on a mortgage of £175k which is roughly 3x my salary.
My mortgage payments per month will be approx £690 a month, which is only £40 more than I paid for a room in a shared flat (and that was mates’ rates tbf). My bills will add another couple of hundred onto that amount – whereas before splitting between 3 in a house share it was around £90 a month.
So for less than £200 extra a month I will be paying money towards my future rather than someone else’s. Rather than one small room, I’ll have a whole house. For the first time I’ll have a garden. And for the first time I can do what I want, change windows, paint and even have the pink front door of my dreams!
UPDATE/DISCALIMER: This sale fell through sadly (which I’ll write about later). I have had an offer accepted on another property and this information is still relevant and, having read it back, super great advice. Haha.
UPDATE 2: I am in my new house as of 25th Feb 2022. Wow. What a long journey. This article still holds though, but updated figures are as follows. House cost £261k, monthly payments about the same as the interest rates dipped at the time, and deposit was £39.5k
Is buying better than renting?
It depends… for me, yes. I want the security and freedom in terms of making my home my own. But it’s a big debt to take on and a whole lot of responsibility. At least with renting, boiler problems aren’t your own. Ultimately I wanted to live alone and in London to rent a 1 bed was too expensive even on a relatively good wage. It would have cost at least £1800 including bills to rent anywhere with a window in London, which just isn’t worth it to me. And would make saving impossible.
“Buying is a big debt to take on and a whole lot of responsibility. At least with renting, boiler problems aren’t your own”.
Millennials can buy homes
I hope my experience fills you with hope. In about 3 years I’ve gone from no savings to being about to move into my first home, well in a few months, homebuying is loooong. But it’s possible, just not in London. Good luck fellow millennials!
I recently took my first visit to the little seaside town of Margate. To say I enjoyed it would be an understatement, I’ve been checking RightMove for Margate properties since I got back (pretty cheap, if you’re asking). It’s just an hour and a half from London, easy to get around and full of fun things to do. Here’s my 2 night, 3 day itinerary…
The beach
Friday
Get the train from London Victoria, booked early so got a return for around £25. Drink some tinnies on the train there. At Margate station we can’t get a cab and there’s no Uber. So we walk to our AirBnb which takes about 15 minutes.
Our Airbnb in the Cliftonville area is lovely and has sea views. The host gives us some insider tips to Margate including a restaurant suggestion Roost, which we make a booking for that evening.
There’s an Aldi supermarket round the corner so we get some provisions for the weekend. Wine and beer and bagels, eggs, salmon and avocado for breakfast. And snacks of course.
Visit some local pubs including The Lighthouse which is a really cute little place, although I think it must’ve been bought out by BrewDog as that’s the only beer they serve.
Explore the town a bit before getting dinner atRoost. The service here is great and we go for a whole lobster with all the trimming and some local beer. The lobster is DELICIOUS and I could eat 3 more. Still hungry/greedy so get some whitebait too. Finish off with a naughty Knickerbocker Glory. Meal comes to £50 for two people with drinks. Well worth it.
End the night getting pissed in our AirBnB and enjoying the view.
Saturday
Get up early to visit the Tidal Swimming Pool at Walpole Bay as suggested by our host. It’s a 5 minute walk from our place and empty at this time of day. The water is freezing but swimming around is super fun and certainly wakes us up for the day.
Head into Margate for an al fresco lunch at The Greedy Cowwhich is located in a charming little square. We have a delicious burger and beers.
Do a spot of shopping. Transmission Records is great independent record shop where we listen to some old jazz. Haeckel’sis a Margate-based skincare brand which is stocked in Liberty and Selfridges and has a shop on our street. Everything is made from locally sourced seaweed and we slap some testers on our skin. There are lots of vintage clothing and furniture shops – and skate shops too. The hipsters have really made their mark on Margate.
Head to Dreamland, the funfair. It’s much bigger than I expected with loads of rides. We decide to do the rollercoaster – it’s not too big. £5 each. You have to get a card to top up before using any rides. We then get a beer and sit in the outside bit of Dreamland. After that we play old-fashioned arcade games.
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Head to the penny arcades to play MarioKart and air hockey, there’s a few arcades opposite the main beach.
We eat dinner and The Buoy and Oyster which overlooks the sea. This restaurant is a bit pricier than yesterday’s. We have a cocktail each which aren’t that good. The oysters are sublime though, really amazing. For mains we have the lamb which is okay, and the catch of the day which is lovely. Skip dessert. £65 for two people.
Walk along the seafront and as we’re pretty pooped we decide to have a night in. Grab some dessert and wine from the supermarket on the way home.
Sunday
It’s our last day, so we have a leisurely breakfast in bed while watching Broad City (AKA the finniest show ever).
Visit the Turner Contemporary galley which is a 10-minute walk from our AirBnB. We leave our suitcases there for free as our train home isn’t for a few hours yet. Love the Michael Armitage exhibition – he’s a Kenyan artist whose large bark canvases are beautiful, if a little dark. I buy a framed print as a souvenir.
Have a beer on the beach – it’s really hot and the beach is packed. There are steps that lead into the sea to sit on of you’re not into sand.
We go for a drink on the strip of bars that lead to the lighthouse as we haven’t explored up there yet. Sit in the sun playing cards.
We have lunch at a little seaside shack. Have the catch of the day and chips for £6. Simple. It’s really delicious too.
Pick up the bags fro the gallery and walk to the station to get the train home to London. Back at home by 6.30pm.
NOTES
Our Airbnb cost £210 for 2 nights but was more expensive as bank holiday weekend
Train cost around £25 return each
No transport needed in Margate
We cut costs by buying food at the supermarket and eating breakfast at the AirBnB.
Agonda was the perfect place for me to end my trip to Goa, India. It’s definitely a restful place, so if you want parties and action then nearby Palolem might be more your bag. I really wanted to RELAX on my holiday – something that I don’t usually do while I’m away. So Agonda was ideal because there’s no temptation – the pace of life is so slow and there’s a huge yoga community, so it’s hard not to get caught up in the healthy lifestyle while you’re here.
I f*cking glowed after a few days here. Seriously, my skin was radiant, I was well-rested, I developed triceps after the most intense vinyasa classes I’ve ever tried. And the beach is wonderful; quiet and full of adorable cows that I took to feeding each evening. In fact, I had quite the menagerie of animals: two dogs that slept under my sun lounger each day, a drunken white horse (for real), kittens and, of course, a herd of cows of various shapes and sizes. Anyway, read on to see my top travel tips for Agonda, Goa…
GETTING THERE
I got a taxi for Palolem which cost me 500IR (£6). You can probably find cheaper ways but it’s not bad. It took about 30-40 minutes.
GALAXY’S BEACH HUTS
I chose to stay here because it was pretty cheap, I initially booked a couple of nights, thinking I’d upgrade but after scanning the beach and booking.com, I realised that I had a really good deal. The bed alone justified the price, it was so comfortable, and my hut was large with a veranda and very clean. The owners were super nice and helpful. The only bad thing was that the view form the road was a sh*t-tip. So when I arrived I was ready to leave. But for 1200IR a night it’s great and it’s on the beach so you can hear the waves at night and roll out of bed and go for a morning swim.
COLA BEACH
This is one of my top 5 beaches ever (the other 4 are probably all in Bali, or maybe Koh Tao). It’s definitely the best beach I visited in Goa. To get to it from Agonda is easy-ish. We got a taxi (500IR each way) and I’m so glad I didn’t drive there on a moped because the road is treacherous to say the least. It takes about 25 mins to get there each way.
Anyhoo, when you arrive the view of Cola beach and the Blue lagoon is breath taking, there’s a very secluded part and then the main beach which is basically empty. I felt like I had my own private beach. There’s one restaurant open to the public which is so cheap. It was 80IR for a beer and we had a delicious fish tikka and chips for 250IR.
Take a couple of beach towels are there are no sun loungers here unless you’re in one of the exclusive resorts. You can buy water from the restaurant but I’d take a bottle. I just had the most divine day here, reading, swimming (beware the current here is so strong and there’s lots of waves) and tanning.
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SAMPOORNA YOGA
This is a yoga teacher training school but they do offer drop in classes at 8.30am and 4pm everyday. These classes are the full 90 mins, not the 45 min classes you sometimes get in London. Classes cost 400IR per session or 1500IR for 5, which is an absolute bargain (about £18 for 5 classes, I pay that for one class in London). The ‘shala’ or outdoor studio is peaceful calm and serene and all of the teachers I had were really good. My ONLY issue with this place was that everyone in the classes was a thin, white, blonde woman… there was even less diversity than in my class in Primrose Hill. But, apart from that I highly recommend dong classes here. Mats are provided, but I’d take water and a towel.
There’s also a great café, which I can’t remember the name of, right next to the entrance of Sampoorna. They did great gluten-free, vegan cakes. The masala chai was made with coconut milk and was delicious. Also the banana bread was great and this place is super-instagrammable.
TIP: Hand in your completed 5-class card to reception and you get a free tote bag, which is actually really good quality with a zip and everything.
ZEST CAFÉ
This organic café is the pace to go for juices, smoothies, snmootie bowls and raw food. The juices were all great and their green goddess smoothie was super tasty. Also the veggie breakfast was really good. As was the turmeric latte. And they give you free water. Bonus. There’s also a branch of this café in Palolem, but it was crap compared to this one. Make sure to sit in the sunken sating area with lots of colourful cushions.
INDAH DESA
This restaurant/beach hut is next door but one to Galaxy’s where I stayed and I used their sun-loungers everyday. The staff here are SO nice and will bring you out complimentary iced water and watch your stuff. The food here is expensive but not in comparison to English prices. I treated myself to a huge steak and chips one night because I had an insatiable craving for red meat, having not eaten any my entire holiday. It was the best steak I’ve ever had and only cost about £8 – it was huge too. They also have live music here on Friday nights.
SHOPPING
I preferred shopping here than in the famous Anjuna flea market – the souvenirs seemed a little higher quality and artisanal. Plus, there are some fantastic shops that sell ad make silver jewellery and gem stones. It was fascinating learning about all the different stones and what they mean – I came away with some beautiful silver rings that I love. But, as always in India, haggle HARD.
THE CHEAPEST DOSAS!
Again, I can’t remember the name of this place but it’s right opposite Agonda church so it’s easy to find. Anyway this place is soooooooooo cheap. It’s outrageous. My friend and I had dinner there. A main each, side, 2 beers and water and the bill came to 265IR. That’s like £3. The special Dosa here is so, so good and only costs 50IR. Bargain. You have to visit this place.
Overall I really loved Agonda, there’s a lovely sense of community here since a lot of people do their 200 or 300 hour yoga teacher training here, so stay a while. There was a woman called Gail who would always give me a saddle on the back of her motorbike when I was late for yoga in the mornings – thanks. And you bump into the same people over and over again because it’s so small. I particularly loved swimming alone on the ocean at sunset – I felt like I was on LSD or something, I was so ‘at one’ with everything. Haha.
You should definitely come here unless you hate animals (there are a lot) or yoga (it’s pretty yoga-centric here). Oh and to get to Goa airport from here cost me 1800IR and took 2 hours.
Italy has too many beauty spots to choose from, but if you like quaint villages and stunning sea views then the Cinque Terre is a must visit place. Read on for tips on visiting Italy’s Cinque Terre.
Which village should I stay in?
I can only speak from my experience, but having spoken to other people while I was there, I’m pretty confident I made the right decision when I chose to use Monterosso as my base. Monterosso is probably the most happening of the five villages and has the biggest beach – which is stunning! It’s also super easy to get around, it’s so small you can get everywhere on foot.
How do I get there?
I flew to Pisa for a wedding in Tuscany, then got the train from Pisa. My flights cost £65 form London and then the trains were only about £30 return for a first class ticket. I urge you to get the trains in Italy – if you’re British the cleanliness, punctuality and cost will be a highlight of your trip. Seriously, how the f**k are trains in the UK soooo expensive?
What are the other villages like?
Kind of samey to be honest. But worth visiting. You can get a hop-on-hop-off ferry which is around £30 for the day (but well worth the cost) which allows you to visit ant village you want. plus the view from the boat is amazing and it’s just fun zipping around on the ocean.
We stopped at Portovenere which is a bit more glam than Monterosso and great for souvenir shopping. There are some really cool cafes and restaurants there.
We also got off the boat at Manorola as I saw people cliff jumping there and wanted to get in on the action. this was definitely a highlight of the trip. There’s a kind of natural swimming pool there, surrounded by rocks and it just looks so cool. Like something out of Game of Thrones. And yes, I did jump off a cliff, and yes I did almost crap my pants. But it was exhilarating.
What should I eat?
The pasta in Cinque Terre didn’t blow my mind, I’ll be honest with you, but boy oh boy they know how to make a pizza. The wine on offer is quite limited, they have the regional wine which is quite dry so if you’re not into that then just drink more to forget about the taste. I also loved the Lambrusco there – that is a drink made by the Gods. Flipping delicious. Obviously you must try all the gelato flavours you can too. If you’re vegan then I suggest not visiting as I ate my own bodyweight in cured meats each day. The Italians apparently eat cake for breakfast too, so be prepared for some holiday weight gain.
Any final tips?
If you’re looking for a party, you won’t find it on the Cinque Terre. It’s a very relaxed sleepy place, which was great for me as I wanted to relax, read and rejuvenate. It’s not the cheapest place, but, then again, there’s only so long you’d want to stay here as it really is tiny. Seriously though, this place is so stunning that you just need to visit.
Let me start by saying I started at zero, well, less than zero. I had literally no savings at all – I’d never had any. I also had a few outstanding debts, nothing major, and a period of unemployment after quitting my job. So all the methods I used to save money were legit and off my own back. I am just not a natural saver at all, I’m pretty bad with money so it was really hard, I admit, but I did it.
Temp Work
This is something a lot of people do throughout their studies or as graduates, I had never done any temporary work but I signed up to a few agencies after starting and quitting a permanent job with people that I literally hated, and soon found temporary admin and reception work. I must say working in dull, lifeless offices was quite a shock after my years working in fashion in London.
One office I worked in was so like ‘The Office’ from the comedy show I thought I was being Punked. While it was very, very, very boring, it was also incredibly easy. In fact there was so little to do that I was allowed to read a book or magazine all day, and I used all my free office hours to research my trip, blog and do a few freelance jobs too (as well as finish off one or two blockbuster novels).
The good thing about temporary work is that you don’t have to keep your travel plans a secret, you don’t get sucked into another career or job, and the pay is quite good for the level of work you’ll do. I wish I’d signed up with a temp agency more quickly as they found me work almost immediately. It’s definitely worth seeing agencies in your area.
Blogging
I’ve run a fashion blog since 2010, and while it will never be a raging success, I have made a small sum of money from blogging for the past few years (seriously, a very small sum). If you have a blog there are several ways to monetise it, and while you won’t see big returns unless you have a huge readership, every penny counts.
Affiliate programmes are probably the easiest way to make money – sign up to RewardStyle or Affiliate Window and you will receive a small commission on items sold through your blog (typically 2% – 10% of the total sale). You can also monetise your Instagram photos by signing up to Like.to.Know.it which again means you need a hell of a lot of followers to make real money but it’s worth a try – I think I’ve made about £20 in total from my Instagram but it’s better than nothing!
I also publish content which brands and companies pay for; this could be a video, an outfit post featuring their product or any kind of editorial post. These, depending on the brand and the size and popularity of your blog, can pay anything from nothing to thousands of pounds (for the record I have never made thousands, tragically). These collaborations are few and far between so make friends with some PRs and work your contact list.
Another way I made money off my blog was to sell the freebies I got sent – this is a taboo subject and I know a blogger who had a slanderous email sent to all the PRs in London about how she would sell all her blogger freebies on eBay. Let me just say this; as a very small blogger who isn’t that popular, even I get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I get sent. Some of it is for review, some is just gifted, some is lovely and some is crap. I treat anything that is given to me as mine, and I often sell my other clothes on eBay or Depop – just because something was gifted to me it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t sell it. If I didn’t I would literally be a hoarder and they’d make a TV show about it. Anyway, I hold my hands up, I do sell things I get gifted – not all of them, and it’s not a big money making scheme but just the ones I would sell even if I’d bought them.
eBay and Depop
I had a LOT of clothes – you can read my ultimate guide to eBaying HERE.
Online Content Writing
There are loads of sites that pay writers for generic content; I have worked as a copywriter for many years so this seemed like an attractive prospect for me. I looked into it (while at my temp job) and found a website called Great Content which is for any English writers, you can use it worldwide but the default language is US or UK English (although it’s a German company – go figure).
To be accepted to the site you have to submit a short, original piece of writing and a couple of links to already published pieces which is then appraised and either declined or accepted by great Content. If accepted as a writer you will also be rated from 2 to 6. You can accept writing orders from anything at your level or below, so if you’re a 5 (like me) you can accept texts rated 2, 3 ,4 and 5.
I found that there were always quite a lot of orders, most at level 4 or above, I’ve never seen anything at a level 2 or 3. Rates ranged from £1.18 for 30 words to £7.40 for 200 words, some more specialist texts pay upwards of £38 for 1500 words, which is low, but if you’ve worked as a copywriter you can probably knock out most of the shorter texts in 10 minutes or so.
I would hasten to say, if you have no professional experience writing content or copywriting then you may find the texts on this site difficult to master. If you’ve done product copywrting or category pages for fashion then you’re in luck because they have loads of those.
You can access your account from any computer with an internet connection, so I plan to pick up a bit of work while travelling when I can. Payments are made twice a month via Paypal, providing you have more than £25 in your Great Content account. I found that I was paid within a week of requesting payment.
The only drawback of this is there are limits on the amount of work you can do – some clients will only let you work on 5 texts at a time, and until Great Content have accepted them you can’t accept any more. Once you start working on texts your limits do get raised though you will only ever be allowed to work on 20 or so jobs at a time, which was annoying on days when I could have knocked out lots of texts.
I would say it would be very realistic to make £100 a month which would only take a few hours. It’s a shame about the limits but, hey, it’s an easy way to supplement your income and they’re they’re to stop you overestimating your work rate. In my first week of using the site I’d earned about £300 quite easily but this is because I was temping at the time and wrote texts while at my very quiet office job (sneaky).
Bar Work
I really didn’t want to do any bar work, I’d worked in clubs and pubs and even a strip club (behind the bar, don’t worry) in my teens and early twenties and promised myself I’d never work a sh*t job again, ditto retail. I had to eat my words, swallow a bit of humble pie and get some bar work towards the end of my saving period. Bar work is easy to pick up, the hours mean you can work around a day job and the tips can be good – it’s also more fun and sociable than an office job and learning how to pull a pint before you go travelling isn’t a bad idea – you might have to pick up bar work abroad, you never know.
Christmas and Birthday Money
Okay, this is a bit of a cheat, but wevs. My Birthday is on Boxing day so I get a double whammy in December. I knew that my family and friends would probably, and very kindly, bestow some cash money gifts upon me. Luckily my trip would start at the beginning of February so this last minute cash injection was extremely welcome.
Don’t forget the other expenses
There are many little, sneaky costs to travel, aside from flights, transport and y’know food and water. Firstly there are things like factoring travel to the airport in your home country. I had to fly from Heathrow so that meant travelling by train to London which can cost up to £100 if you don’t book in advance. By making not of this I was able to bag a cheap ticket. Then there are injections and Visas which can vary wildly in cost.
To be honest it’s crazy how much it costs before you even get to the basic stuff. I shelled out £4000 on flights, taxes, injections, visas and insurance before I even left the country. Make sure you really get to grip with your finances, write them all down, shop around for the best prices and work out your budget per day (roughly). In Southeast Asia it’s not unrealistic to live on £15 a day if you’re staying in hostels and lounging on the beach whereas Australia, New Zealand and America will be very costly. Try and average it out at a rate that suits you, so whether that’s £20 or £40 per day.
Bocas Del Toro is definitely a party town, I loved the vibe, it felt very Caribbean and just fun. It’s really close to Costa Rico and is so lush, green and tropical. Bocas is comprised of four main islands: Isla Colon, Isla Carenero, Isla Bastimentos, and Isla Solarte, and you get about by getting water taxis everywhere (so fun).
How to get there
We flew from Panama city ($100). It was such a good flight, very minimal security, it took about 5 mins to get in the airport and the flight is around 40mins.
Where to stay
Bambuda Lodge is amazing. It’s a completely off-the-grid ecolodge. All the water is filtered rainwater, the electricity is solar-powered and there’s no plastic straws (haha). It really is stunning, set in lush greenery with gasp-worthy views and a giant waterside. We paid approx $50 per night for a private room but they also have dorms. There’s a great and free jungle trail right next to the lodge which takes about an hour and ends in this cool lagoon thing. They lend you wellies as it’s pretty muddy. Also, everyone eats dinner together ‘family style’ so it’s a super sociable place. fab for solo travellers.
Red Frog Beach
This beach is really beautiful and has some great bars on it. We got a cabana for the day ($20) outside Nacho Mamas. We were waited on hand and foot by the lovely Jeremy, who said I had ‘the perfect body’ so he got a massive tip. We ate dinner here, $12 for a huuuge lobster, and the margaritas were great. Delish. This is a private beach so you have to pay $5 entry but it’s worth it as on the ten min walk from boat to beach we saw an alligator, turtle, baby ‘gator and a SLOTH!
Bocas Town
The main town is full of really colourful shops and bars and it’s easy to organise a day trip to one of the many areas of natural beauty. Hire a bike and see it that way.
Filthy Fridays
This, as the name suggests, is on a Friday, and it’s like an epic bar crawl on sea. Tickets are $35 which gets you a tee, entry to three bars and the boat travel between them. This from the outside reminded me of one of those horrible student piss ups… and it kind of was but as it’s in one of the most beautiful places in the world in the sun and there’s REGGAETON, it was actually lit and I had the best time.
Let me first say… this was the best travel experience of my entire life. Despite being a copywriter, very wordy and verbose, it’s really hard to put into words just how wonderful the San Blas Islands are. There are many ways to visit these islands between Panama and Columbia but we chose to push the boat out (there’s a pun in there) and charter a private boat. This was really expensive BUT ultimately so worth it and it made our 5 days very, very special.
A brief history of San Blas (Guna Yala): They are 350+ small islands off the coast of Panama and Columbia. There are indigenous people called Guna who inhabit about 49 of the islands, who originally came from Columbia 100s of years ago, the Guna worship a god named Erragon and their currency used to be coconuts so you’re not allowed to touch any coconuts in San Blas. It’s an area of outstanding natural beauty with pristine waters.
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We arranged everything via a company calledI Travel by Boatwho were really helpful and I would recommend them. We booked 4 nights on a private boat which cost about $1500 for two people and they organised travel to and from the boat for us (at an extra cost).
Getting to San Blas from Panama City
We got a taxi to the San Blas port which took about 2.5hrs and cost $50 (return). If you get car sick, be warned, there are some winding roads. San Blas or Guna Yala is an independent state, so you’re actually leaving Panama and you have to show your passport and pay $20 entry. At the port, which is nothing to look at, we waited for our taxi boat which took about 1 hour to take us to our island pick up point, where our captain John (lovely Venezuelan man) took us by dingy to our new boat home.
Living on a boat
I took to boat life so quickly. I adored it. Luckily I’ve never suffered from sea sickness and I felt fine the whole time. The boat was small but as there was only Sinead, the captain and I it never felt cramped. The best part was not having a mirror to look in and not having to wear shoes lol, and also the peace and quiet, the worst part was not having a proper shower – there was a fresh water one off the back but I didn’t have a properrrr wash the whole time. Actually I kinda liked it haha.
Our captain cooked all our meals and we had fresh fish, lobster and meat. He was a great cook. All food and drink was included so we would have a beer or wine with dinner too.
The San Blas Islands
Now, the reason I’m so glad we chose to get a private boat and not do a day trip or get the ‘party boat’ is that we had a truly personal experience. Each day our captain John would dock in between some islands and we would either swim or kayak over to them. We visited the most remote islands and most of the time would be the ONLY people on them. So it was like a true castaway experience… so magical and peaceful. Sometimes we met the Guna people who were very chill and friendly, and a couple of islands also had a handful of tourists on them but mostly it was just us and the sea.
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The San Blas wildlife
There were so many animals here, we snorkelled a lot and saw loads of fishes and starfishes galore – giant ones at that. Plus there were pelicans, they were huge and watching them catch fish is epic. We also saw dolphins and stingrays. It was wild.
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Final thoughts and tips
I would say 4-5 days is the perfect amount of time to appreciate this stunning part of the world. Lean into the quiet and being present in the moment. Take a hat, the sun is bloody hot. Take a waterproof bag so you can swim with your phone to the islands. Try not to cry when you leave.
Full disclosure, I did minimal research before traveling to Panama… in fact i wanted to go to Peru or Columbia but the flights to Panama were cheaper. I’m so glad I ended up in this latin paradise, and I’m baffled as to why it’s not a more popular travel destination. Truly one of the most stunning places I’ve ever been, here is my guide to 2 weeks in Panama…
Panama City
I flew from London to Panama City via Madrid which took about 13 hours all in all. The flights cost roughly £530 return with Air Iberia. Getting a taxi outside the airport is easy and it’s about $30 to the city centre.
Panama City looks WILD. I had no idea there were so many skyscrapers – it looks so modern! It really is an impressive skyline and as it’s right on the ocean, it just looks so cool.
I stayed in a place called Selina which I found on booking.com, I thought it was a design hotel but it was actually a really nice hostel. A private room was about $45 a night and the hostel was really stunning. Great rooftop pool and Taco restaurant. Avoid the breakfast downstairs though (vile).
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Selina is located in the old town of Panama City Cusco Viejo which has beautiful colonial style buildings and a hip, Shoreditch vibe. There are loads of nice bars and restaurants. Warning: Panama City is really expensive, it was pretty much London prices, which shocked me, but the GBP is worth nothing right now. Thanks Brexit.
I spent 2 days in Panama City, from there my travel partner Sinead and I went to the GORGEOUS San Blas Islands. Stay tuned…
Chez Shez 