All posts tagged: Backpacking

Koh Samui – My Thoughts

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Full disclosure, I kind of went to Koh Samui for a boy… which went tits up, but the airport is here so you may end up needing to go too. It’s a disgusting place, but despite this I did have fun, but I would never, ever go again, even if you paid me. If you’re British let me say this one word to you ‘Benidorm’, or another one ‘Magaluf’ . It’s a chavvy old place in Koh Samui, with a lot of fat, sunburned families with braided hair walking round eating McDonald’s. And it kinda smells. I first stayed in a beach hut (Free House beach bungalows) in Bosphut because it was right next to the hotel of a boy I’d been on a date with in Chiang Mai and we’d arranged to meet. It was super boring and dull there, full of couples, with literally no entertainment but I was cool with that as I just wanted to turn my little hut into a loveshack. Sadly I got blown off come date time (the …

Koh Phangan & Why You Should Skip The Full Moon Party

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When I was first planning my trip to Thailand The Full Moon Party was high on my bucket list, despite hearing more horror stories than glowing reviews, I mean it’s a big party on a beach, how could that not be fun right?! My trip to Koh Phangan started interestingly when the hostel we’d booked (Wild & Wandering) was completely closed when we arrived, like chains-and-a-huge-padlock-round-the-front-doors closed. We waited in the blistering heat for 20 minutes and then went next door where we were told the owner had done a runner. Great. Now, accommodation during the Full Moon is way more expensive and hard to come by so I was lucky to find Lazy House Shenanigans (don’t let the name put you off) which is such a cool hostel with a pool and great sound system. You also get a free bucket everyday you stay, free entrance to the water park (which saves you £20) and a free BBQ on Full Moon day.   Koh Phangan itself is really pretty but there are a lot …

Koh Tao I Love You

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Koh Tao was the first time I saw the sea in Thailand having spent half a month up north in the wonderful Chiang Mai and Pai, so it was exciting for that reason alone, but also it’s a flipping wonderful little island. Read on for my hot tips. Where to stay I stayed in GoodTimes Hostel which is *right* on the beach, and when I say ‘right on the beach’ I am not kidding, it took me all of 10 seconds to run into the ocean each morning. The dorm rooms here are pretty luxe and have balconies overlooking the beach. It’s a little pricy for a hostel at £11 a night but worth it for a couple of nights as a treat. Where to party Sairee Beach is full of great bars and clubs and if you walk along the shore then you’re bound to find somewhere to party. Personally I loved Rock Bar, and if you walk by outside enough you’ll get a ton of free shot tokens which can all be redeemed …

G-Adventures ‘India on a Shoestring’ Review

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Overview G-Adventures offers tours for young travelers all over the world including several tours through India. The ‘India on a Shoestring’ tour is 20 days traveling around Rajasthan or the ‘golden triangle’ and takes in many of the most famous sites of the area starting and ending in Delhi. Highlights I personally enjoyed the lesser-known (to me anyway) places we visited such as; Pushkar, Bikaner and Udaipur. As they were smaller it was easier to head off alone and do some exploring. The trip into the Thar desert was pretty amazing, and the food the local people cooked there was so tasty it’s hard to believe they cooked it in the middle of nowhere, without a kitchen. The river ganges was beautiful too and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. What’s right with it… The itinerary ensures you take in lots of things you wouldn’t if you were traveling solo, such as visiting the tiny village of Tordi Sagarh, eating at a Sikh temple and staying at THIS amazing hotel. The pace is quite fast and you get …

Living in a Bikini When You Don’t Have a ‘Bikini Body’

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One of my biggest trepidations about going travelling, especially to Thailand where I am now, was my body. I’ve spoken previously on the blog about rejecting the media’s portrayal of the perfect female form, and I do stand by that. It’s just hard to wash away 20 years of body neuroses in an instant. I went travelling right after Xmas. With the Christmas weight of a girl who knew she wouldn’t be home for a long time. I honestly thought I’d lose weight in India due to Delhi belly but sadly/gladly the food was so tremendous I gained weight! Even a bad case of food poisoning didn’t make a dent in my behind. And so the time came to shed the layers and get into beach life in Thailand. Honestly the first time I put in a bikini I had a nervy spasm. You know when you look at your body and think ‘who even is that?’. Inevitably when you’re in a tropical paradise there will be beautiful lithe women who make you feel inferior, …

Backpacker Fashion: The Headscarf

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Main photo credit: Giambatista Valli copyright Vogue Runway If you take one item backpacking with you… make it your passport. LOL. But do take a fashionable scarf. It can be used as , well, a scarf, to tie around a bag. as a neckerchief, bracelet, bandeau and as a headscarf or hairband. This will protect your hair from the sun and hide cray cray hair from strangers too. Plus it looks super cool when teamed with some big sunglasses and you don’t need a stitch of hair or makeup either! Check out this tutorial on how to tie a headscarf:   ASOS has a fab range of scarves HERE

Chiang Mai, Thailand – What to Do & See

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Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand is a definite must-do on your Thai backpacking trip or holiday. Plus it’s a pit-stop on the way to wonderful Pai (more on that later). To get there from Bangkok you can fly but there’s an a/c overnight train for just £18 which is very comfortable. Chiang Mai is a super cool, chilled town and full of backpackers and ex-pats read on to see what’s the sitch up in CM. BARS & CLUBS Because we all need a Chang now and again, right? One note, all the clubs and bars in CM close at midnight but they’re all a short walk from each other. Zoe’s Zoe’s is a sprawling indoor/outdoor complex of several bars to suit all but the most niche music tastes. Great for chilling out in the evening and catching up with friends. Zoe’s in Yellow, Rajvithi Road, เชียงใหม่ 50200 Spicy This club opens a little later most nights so you can dance away to floor fillers until 2am. Lots of talent here too. Chang Moi, …

Sustainable Fashion – What Does It Mean & How Can You Help?

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  Main photo: A clothes factory in Burma Ph. Steve McCurry  The older I get, the more my conscience niggles me about things that would have never crossed my mind in my early twenties. Our generation is the first that grew up with fast fashion; we were, and are,able to get our mitts on designer-influenced duds at rock-bottom prices. And if you’re anything like me, you took advantage of this. I used to definitely subscribe to the quantity over quality mode of buying, treating myself to new clothes on a weekly basis. The bulk of which would be worn once, never to be seen again – sound familiar? Now I’d rather buy less, maybe spend a bit more, but certainly I think about clothing that will have longevity. Now I’m not saying we all become eco-warriors, start boycotting Topshop and only wear hemp BUT I think we could all be more considered when buying and caring for our clothes. No person needs 50 dresses, why not buy fewer that you really, really like? We’ve lost the …

What To Do in Bangkok

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Let me start by saying I wasn’t immediately sold on Bangkok, and I’m still a little unsure – it’s busy, hot and sprawling and did I mention relentlessly hot? Seriously, it’s the only place I’ve visited that somehow manages to get hotter at night. Anyway, I gave it a fair crack and here’s what I suggest you do with 2 or 3 days in BKK. Don’t stay any longer or you’ll go cray. STAY AT NAPPARK If you’re backpacking in Thailand you’ll probably start off in BKK and you’ll most probably wanna stay around the backpacking mecca that is Koh San Road, however it is very mental there. So stay just round the corner at Nappark Hostel which is a luxe alternative to really scuzzy traveller digs. It has great bathroom and shower facilities, which you’ll need and is under £10 a night. Nappark Hostel, 5 Tani, Talat Yot, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10110 JJ GREEN VINTAGE NIGHT MARKET This was far and away my favourite thing in BKK, a huge, sprawling night market much like Streetfeast …

Backpacker Fashion: The Crochet Crop Top

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There are certain items of clothing that you just can’t get away with wearing in ‘real life’, one of those is crochet anything. It’s just not aprops if it’s not on the beach. However when backpacking, anything goes, so make sure you’re not left out and nab yourself a crochet crop top. You can get them for as little as £3 and they’re so cute. Be sure to do a few abdominal crunches before you rock one! She Made Me do amazing crochet clothing