Colours of India by Alexandre Pietra
Breathtakingly beautiful and colourful photographs of India by Swiss graphic designer Alexandre Pietra.
All posts tagged: Solo female travel
Don’t Tell Me to ‘Be Careful’…
I’ve been planning my round-the-world trip for almost a year now, and without fail, the first thing anyone says to me when I tell them my plans is ‘Ooh, be careful’. Not ‘wow, that’s amazing’, ‘have fun’ or simply ‘why?’, always a warning about the dangers that await me out there in the big wide world. I have no proof but I could bet my bottom dollar that a male announcing a backpacking trip wouldn’t get the third degree. At first I wasn’t annoyed by all the negative ninnies but after the 100th time I just told the person expressing concern for my safety to f*ck off. It’s boring. It’s rude. It’s xenophobic actually. There are dangers everywhere, of course, but when someone tells me they’re going on holiday I don’t tell them that their plane could crash, they could get robbed or they could trip over, bang their head and die. If I did tell them that I’d be called many things, but definitely not caring. Though not the same, this faux-concern reminds me of …
Beauty Bits To Take in Your Backpack
There are the obvious things and then the not so obvious things…. A caveat to this article is that you may require different bits to me. You will certainly need more than the items on this list, but the lesson to take away from this, is to think outside the box. Just because someone has told you to take certain bits, you need to truly tailor your packing to you. If you have annoying baby hair and use a certain gel to tame them every day, than by Jove, take it with you (and a spare). If you have skin that burns particularly easily then take your favourite SPF, they might not have a high enough factor for you in Sri Lanka or wherever. So the following are examples but also represent a savvy way of thinking when it comes to beauty. Hairdressing Scissors Am I a hairdresser? No. Could I be? …Nooooo. Is my hair a bit mental? Yes! On a level, though, you’re not going to shell out for a haircut on your travels, …
The 7 Best Money Saving Tips for Backpacking
Chances are, you’re not that well off… don’t get offended, I say this as a fellow pauper. Also, in Sherlock Holmes fashion, I have deduced that if you were ‘in the money’ then you wouldn’t choose backpacking as your method of seeing the world. If I had the dough it would be Kardashian-type excursions to the Maldives, sippin’ on yak, and wearing Roberto Cavalli kaftans. As it stands, I’m a mere mortal; travel – even on a shoestring – requires cold, hard cash and quite a lot of it. So you’re going to have to save those pennies, something I have realised is hard, so here are some tried and tested tips to help you fund that trip. Please bear in mind that I’m from the UK and lived in London, one of the most expensive cities in the entire world, so my tips come from that perspective. If you’re an Ozzie or from the US or Western Europe you’ll still probably find they apply to you. 1. SET A GOAL Before you depart you …
So Why Do I Travel?
As good a question as any, why do I travel? Perhaps a more insightful question might be ‘what are you running away from?’. Because I am. Running away that is. It was getting to a stage where I was long out of university and I’d been living independently in London for a few years and there was always the pressure of what to do next. I didn’t have, or want (still don’t) a boyfriend, I certainly wasn’t ready to settle down. Although I had a good job and a nice sideline as a fashion blogger, complete with awards, I was pretty skint. It wasn’t that I didn’t earn enough money, it was that I lived in London which is cray expensive, so the vast majority of my wage was immediately swallowed up by my huge rent. Mostly though, I found myself thinking, ‘these are the last days of my youth’. Dramatic, sure, but on a real – they totally are. So it was either plod into adulthood feeling totally unprepared and like I had unfinished …
What That Coffee Can Buy You Around The World
Let me first level with you by saying that I have never, ever bought a coffee in my entire life. This is because I hate coffee – seriously, I’ve tried it about three times and the last time I had a sip it made me feel violently ill for DAYS. No exaggeration. It’s yukky. BUT I do buy tea, wine, cakes, all sorts of sh*t, so the coffee is a symbol for our mindless consumerism, okay? Now, a lot of people like to tell you that by skipping your weekly Starbucks you can save X amount in a year… blah, blah, blah. But we are the generation of instant gratification, we can’t sacrifice the little things for some unknown future reward.We need them! So with that in mind I’ve taken the liberty of showing you EXACTLY what the price of a Cappuccino (let’s average it out at £3) will you get you around the world. THAILAND £3 = 160 Thai Baht Your Frappuccino will get you a night in a hostel dorm in Thailand – …
How To Travel in Luxury… On a Backpacker’s Budget
If you’re looking for spa and five star hotel recommendations here, then sorry, you’re in the wrong place. I may be fashionable, but I’m still a backpacker – and there’s no shame in that. Some of the most beautiful and fun things you can do in this world a free. Even back home in the UK a £5 Nandos was pretty much my favourite activity (Gosh I miss Nandos). I’m very inventive though and I’ve come up with some tips to make your budget trip that little bit chicer – and remember, luxury is a state of mind.* 1. Take a little luxury with you Whether it’s a Bella Freud top, your favourite beauty product or even a mini Diptyque candle – put it in your backpack and take it with you. A little item that won’t take up much space can give you a taste of the creature comforts you’re used to and make you feel that bit more glam. 2. Hunt for online deals Want to visit that hotel, restaurant, spa or gallery? …
How To Cope With Being a Lone Traveller
As a lone traveller you will sometimes, or a lot of the time, be alone. The amount of time you spend alone is up to you… you don’t have to spend any time alone if you don’t want to (well, hardly any). But if the thought of flying solo terrifies you that much then you probably wouldn’t be embarking on a round the world trip by yourself anyway, right? I am the oldest of three kids (hi Marcus and Sophie) and as such learned from a young age that I relish time to myself. It’s not that I’m antisocial, far from it, I love meeting new people and socialising. I’m very outgoing and really enjoy the company of others… but I have never yearned for companionship. LEARN TO LOVE YOUR OWN COMPANY I know some people can’t stand to be in their own company and have to be surrounded by people constantly, that’s not me, genuinely. I’m so thankful for that because I’m always happy and I’m not held back from doing things because of …
The 6 Female Travel Blogs You Need to Follow
As a newbie traveller and a round the world trip planner, I’m pretty into my travel blogs. They’re such a great source of inspiration and information – written from a personal perspective. Let’s face it, the travel supplements in glossy magazine’s are wonderful but unless a hitherto unknown multi-millionaire uncle dies and leaves me a large sum of money, they’re trips out of my league. I like a travel blogger who can tell me how to live it up in Laos for a few dollars, or where the best club is in Kabul. With that in mind I want to share with you some blogs that will really whet your appetite for world travel. Best For Inspirational Quotes GREASE & GLAMOUR Stylish travel blogger Jenna started travelling after the death of her beloved father, instead of mourning in the traditional way, she got a life size cut-out of her Dad and took him to all the places he never got to see. Her images are dreamy and she’s the master of the inspirational quote. Definitely one …
Why I’m Staying ON The Beaten Track
I think there’s a lot of travel snobbery, with more experienced or ‘better’ travellers believing their apparently more authentic, ‘off the beaten track’ travels being worth more than enjoying the tourist trail. To them I say ‘everybody calm down’ – one type of travel is not more valid than the other – these are the reasons why I’m proud to be following the masses, experiencing the world’s biggest tourist attractions and (mostly) staying well and truly ON the beaten track. All those people can’t be wrong Places are popular for a reason, the world is getting smaller and smaller and we humans have pretty much figured out where the best sights are by now. Conversely, some places aren’t that popular because they’re a bit sh*t, hard to get to, or just plain dangerous. I would never want to miss out on seeing the Taj Mahal just because it’s a traveller cliché. I don’t care – I want to see it, and I’ll deal with the crowds and queues to do so. I’m already taking a …
Chez Shez 