All posts tagged: travel

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What’s Hot? June Edition

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Each month I share with you all that I declare to be sizzling, caliente, calor or just plain hot. In an ideal world it would merely consist of a list of the fittest Tinder profiles I’d seen that month but that would be weird and might render me single foreverrr. So enjoy some fashion, beauty, culture and all in-between.  LOLA JAMES HARPER CANDLES As a true candle addict (there is even an incident in my house known as ‘candlegate’ that I can’t go into right now) I make it my business to sniff out the hottest new votives on the block and as of now the honour of most coveted candle goes to Lola James Harper‘s sepia-toned glass jars. Founded by Rami Mekdachi in Paris, as far as I can make out LJH is a lifestyle brand that encompasses photography, music, fragrance and furniture (phew) all imbued with a signature bohemian flavour. Each candle is inspired by a particular happy memory and has a name to commemorate the place it was created such as; The Comics Store …

India: The Best & The Worst

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It seems ages ago since I went to India, needless to say I loved it and I will be back. You have my word. So to refresh my memory and to also give you guys some travel tips here is the best (and worst) India has to offer. The Best Bits The Best Food Definitely momos which are kind of steamed filled dumplings and apparently tibetan, but wherever they’re from they are good. They cost roughly 30-40IR (30-40p) from street vendors. Or there is a fast food chain version called Wow Momo which does every kind of momo known to man – chocolate, tandoori style, momo burger, fried, steamed, you name it and they do it. Wow Momo, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi  The Best Vibezzz Varanasi at sunrise was an unforgettable experience. Being in the holiest place in India and therefore the world (FU Vatican City) was pretty spesh, the river Ganga is where Hindus and some other religions burn their dead to send them off to the spirit world all pure. I also …

Making Friends While Travelling

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Travelling alone is always a little scary (see my post about the nightmare I had in Cambodia) but for the most part you’re never actually alone. Despite being surrounded by lots of other travellers and backpackers you can sometimes still feel a little isolated, especially if you don’t click with anyone. Here’s a rundown of how I made friends and had the best times while backpacking. INVITE A FRIEND FROM HOME! When I announced I was going travelling my old housemate Sinead decided to use her holiday time to join me for three weeks in Thailand. It was so nice to see a familiar face and it was so easy travelling with her since we’d lived together for over two years, I don’t think I could’ve spent 24 hours a day with many people for that stretch of time. We gave each other space when we needed it but also had some absolute screams! Another good friend Lucy was also travelling at the same time so we met up in Pai, Koh Phangan and Bali …

My Travel Style

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When I first started planning my trip around the world (hopefully) and began researching like mad into how to prepare, plan and most importantly pack, I came across loads of packing lists with practical advice on what clothes to take. Sadly all these list were boring as f*ck. I like to dress in a way that reflects my personality ESPECIALLY ON VAYCAY. It’s meant to be fun and cargo pants and khaki vests just aren’t going to cut it. While I wholeheartedly agree you should take certain items and pack clever, that doesn’t mean there’s no room for fun. So here are my tips on how to spice up your travel style… Check out my packing guides… DRESS COLOURFULLY You know in London in winter when you’re on the tube wearing a non-black jacket and you look around you and realise you stick out like a sore thumb and then feel totally conspicuous? That’s the worst. But the sun is made for bold yellow, deep red and sky blue. Wearing black also makes your photos …

My Travel Bucket List – 3 Months In

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Follow my blog with Bloglovin Before I embarked upon this journey  wrote a little bucket list of things I wanted to see, do and experience. 3 months in, I thought I’d see how I’m doing, so here is my UPDATED bucket list… READ MY ORIGINAL TRAVEL BUCKET LIST 1. Get a massage Still a big fat no, the thought of an old Thai/Indian/Balinese woman crawling all over my naked body fills me with fear. Having now actually seen the famous Thai massage I can honestly say I will go to my grave without ever having one, gladly. FAIL 2. Have a holiday romance I guess I’ve had a little ‘romance’, I’ve had 4 Tinder dates, 2 non-Tinder dates, a few snogs, a few disappointing experiences, a dalliance in a hut… so I’m getting by. But no big romance… yet. WATCH THIS SPACE 3. See the Taj Mahal Yep, seen it. It was magical but obviously the one time I see it it had scaffolding on. FML. WIN 4. Not swim with dolphins Still haven’t and …

JungleFish, Ubud Bali Review

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*WARNING* Overzealous use of superlatives, hyperbole and general gushing in this article. Sorry in advance. Jungle Fish is a bar/restaurant in the middle of the jungle which features a breathtaking infinity pool. Words and pictures can do this place no justice, but let me say this; my friend Amanda had tears of joy/awe in her eyes when we arrived. It’s that magical. Surprisingly it’s not that well known I don’t think, after speaking with people here in Bali it’s definitely still under the radar. My Tinder habit/addiction came through once again as it was a potential date who told me about this place. Seriously I get so many travel tips from Tinder – even if you’re not single it’s worth using it for that. You have to spend 150,000 Rupiah minimum to use the Jungle Fish pool, but that’s only about £8. My friends and I spent an afternoon there enjoying their sublime food, fluffy towels, excellent service and out-of-this-world cocktails. Happy hour is from 4pm to 7pm and gets you 40% off drinks; try …

Seminayk, Bali

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Seminyak was my least favourite place in Bali, it was just soulless, dull and boring. Full of resorts with an ugly beach and little to no nightlife. Plus it was full of traffic, quite urban and built up and had no natural beauty. But I was recommended this place by many people so I went, WTF they were thinking I know not, but I gave it a crack. I’d recommend you skip Seminyak but if you have to see it for yourself don’t spend longer than a coupe of days there. Stay Capsule Hotel which is actually a hostel is amazing, there’s huge common area and bar, roof terrace and movie room. There are dorms but my friends and I styed in a private room for 5 people which was split level with the comfiest beds ever. It was like staying in a New York loft. Despite the impressive facilities and nice staff (hi Neil) the hostel didn’t really do it for me. I got the sense it was massively overcompensating for the location which …

Kuta, Bali and Why You Should Definitely Visit

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Everyone told me not to go, people said it was the Aussie Magaluf, they said I’d get mugged, or conned and I’d hate it… and I went anyway because that’s my MO, reverse psychology and me are great mates. Tell me not to, and I will, out of spite. So I went to Kuta expecting to hate it but wanting to find out for myself, and I can honestly say EVERYONE WAS WRONG! Kuta is great, soooo much fun, and it’s cheap, and the shopping is great, and it’s pretty. And I’m going back. Where to stay I stayed at Funky Monkey hostel which had a one month old puppy there, need I say more? No! But I will… the hostel cosy around £5 a night and had a fab pool where you could play your own music (I am an eternal DJ) and chill, also free pancakes 24/7! However, this hostel had no wifi, and after researching a bit (asking a guest who’d been there 3 weeks previously) I discovered they never have wifi …

Why You *NEED* to Visit Gili Trawangan

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I instantly fell in love with the tiny island of Gili Trawangan and despite still not knowing exactly where it is, I know I will definitely come back here. In fact I write this on my second Gili T trip, in bed sadly weakened by a savage chest infection. Ah well, if I can’t play I’ll blog so you lovely peeps can learn all about Gili T. … STAY Gili Castle Hostel I’m reliably informed is the best hostel on the island, there aren’t many but I will go and check that this information is correct (EDIT: yeah popped round it’s cool and has a climbing wall). Do not, I repeat, do not stay at Calypso Hostel, it is a literal shack with no air con and it’s expensive. I stayed in Warna Bungalows, it’s the roughly the same price to stay in a private bungalow if you’re in a group as it is to stay in a hostel so treat yourself, also it’s still easy to meet people here even if you’re not in …