FAQ
My most frequently asked questions
Travel is exciting, but can also be pretty daunting, especially if it’s your first time exploring a new destination. That’s why I created this page to help answer some of my most frequently asked questions and give you the tools to plan your next adventure with confidence!
Whether you’re seeking advice on how to pack for a long-haul flight or tips on finding affordable travel deals, I’m here to help! If you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to reach out.
General Travel FAQ
Growing up, I didn’t travel internationally. My parent’s idea of travel was taking me and my sister to little cottages all over the English coastline. Which I LOVED, and we had such a good time exploring rock pools and chasing the waves. It wasn’t until I was in college that I took my first international trip.
My boyfriend’s family asked if I wanted to come to Egypt in 2016. Although this was a very different style of trip from what I do now (I don’t think I’ve stayed in an all-inclusive resort since!), it completely opened my eyes to the wonders of travel.
As cheesy as it sounds, that trip changed my life. When I got back home, I’d pretty much already begun planning my next adventure – the first adventure I ever planned. From then, I was hooked and the rest, as they say, is history.
After my first trip, I made it my goal to travel as much as I could. It was tough financially at first. But in 3 years, I’d managed to embark on a 3-week trip around the United States and explore a lot of Europe, all while working full-time and buying my first house.
My trick is timing it right. I always avoid travelling in peak summer. July and August as it’s usually waaay too hot to do anything besides lounging on the beach. Plus prices are always much more expensive because the kids are off school.
Instead, I travel off-peak. April, May, September, and October are my favourite times to travel, but I’ve also started taking a few trips in January and February too.
Where I work allows me to take bank holiday dates at a later date which really helps with keeping the costs down. I also plan all my trips to include as many weekends as possible to really max out my holiday days.
For more tips on travelling around work check out my post on How to Travel More While Working Full Time.
One of my favourite parts of travel is the planning stage. The notes section of my phone is full of planned itineraries for trips I haven’t got around to taking yet!
For me, the first stage of any trip is the flight. Affordable flights can make or break a trip. We took a trip to Mexico in February and the flights were £350 return from London. If I hadn’t found this deal, we simply wouldn’t have gone!
So, I recommend finding a good flight deal and going from there. Besides, it’s a lot easier to find affordable accommodation than to find cheap airfare!
If there’s a destination that particularly interests you, check out the blog and use my guides as a planning resource.
There are so many theories on this topic. Some people swear by a Tuesday, while others think that 5am is the best time to find cheap flights. However, I can safely say this isn’t really true.
Yes, I’ve found cheap flight deals on a Tuesday; but I’ve also found them on a Wednesday or a Sunday afternoon! And I have NEVER woken up at 5am to search for flights!
Typically the most expensive times to book fall around public holidays – Christmas and Easter in particular. The summer is also more expensive because kids are off school.
Finding cheap flights requires a certain degree of flexibility. Overall, flying out on a weekday and outside of peak time will get you the best deals.
When to book depends a lot on the airline. More premium airlines like Emirates release flights about a year in advance, whereas budget airlines like easyJet or Ryanair release flights around 10 months in advance. Timing your booking with the release date can often get you a better deal.
Check out my travel resources for the apps I use to find the best flights.
There are so many different hotel comparisons sites out there that finding cheap accommodation can sometimes be quite a lot of hassle. But, searching a few different sites is usually the best way.
My favourite by far is Booking.com. Also booking in advance and off-peak is always going to land you a better deal.
Check out my travel resources for the apps I use to find the best accommodation.
Although I have done solo trips in my life, I don’t typically travel solo. I usually travel with my fiancé but have recently started travelling more with my family.
My mother has quite an extensive bucket list and it’s one of my goals to take her to as many of those places as I can.
I have my own specific packing list that I use for all my trips. You can read about what I bring in my packing guides.
I also tend to travel with just a carry-on case as I do a lot of internal flights when I travel destination and it just works out cheaper. Check out my carry-on-only packing guide for my tips.
Also, if you sign up for my newsletter, you can download my FREE printable packing checklist!
When I travel somewhere new I always do a lot of research beforehand. I then use these websites and apps to plan my trips.
Yes, I use several! When I find a flight that I like, I often save it to a list and set up multiple notifications to let me know if the flight goes up or down in price.
I use a few apps for this, but Skyscanner and Hopper are my favourites. Hopper even lets you know whether to book the flight or hold out if it’s likely to drop further in price.
I always buy an annual travel insurance policy that covers global travel. This gives me peace of mind for all of my trips and means that I’m covered if anything goes wrong.
A few of my favourite travel insurance providers are Safety Wing and World Nomads.
I have a specific packing list for long-haul flights. Most airlines will allow you to have two items of luggage on the plane. I pack all my most important things in my backpack so that I’m not constantly getting up and down to go into my carry-on case.
A few of the items I take on every long haul include a good book (typically Harry Potter), my headphones, and snacks!
Check out my carry-on packing guide for more exactly how I organise my bags.
I typically DIY all my trips however, there are some places that are much easier to get to with a guided tour. My go-to is Get Your Guide.
I’ve travelled around a large chunk of Europe, a little bit of Asia, and North America. I’ve also been to Egypt in Africa which was my first ever trip abroad and have done lots of trips in the UK.
For a full list of countries I’ve visited, check out my destinations page.
Personal and Blogging FAQ
My travel days tend to be quite long, and involve a lot of walking, and visiting a lot of wonderful places. I don’t really like to lug around a heavy camera, or something that’s uncomfortable to carry. But I don’t want to compromise on quality either.
As such, I shoot many of my images with my Fujifilm X-T30. I tend to bring two lenses – my everyday lens and a wide-angle lens.
For action photography, I use a Go-Pro Hero 10, and for some shots, I simply use my iPhone 13 Pro.
Check out my list of travel essentials for more of my photography gear.
When it comes to photography, small and compact is key for me. I use the DJI Mini 3 Pro for aerial shots as it’s light, compact, and easy to use.
That depends. If it’s of a place, a landscape, or an attraction, then I take all my photos. However, if I’m in the photo it’s usually my fiance behind the lens! This is mostly done after I frame the shot and tell him how to take it.
I did! Most of what I’ve managed to achieve with this blog has been self-taught – web design included.
For this site, I gathered together a Pinterest board of all my ideas, drew out each page design on a simple sheet of A4, and pieced it all together as close to my design as possible until I had a finished site!
However, I did ask my fiance’s help with a few of the more technical bits and some of the graphics. He studied both at college, so was able to design them off my ideas, plus code is NOT my strong point!
It sounds cheesy, but as often as I can! My fiance’s job gives him 26 days of annual leave, but I usually manage to stretch this into double or more by swapping out my bank holidays and timing travel around weekends.
In 2022, I was travelling for 45 days between February and the end of June and still had holiday allowance left for later in the year.
For more info, check out my blog post on how to travel more when you work full-time.
When I travel I tend to shop with small local businesses, however, when I’m home, aside from high-street brands like New Look and H&M, I love:
- ACAI Outdoorwear – If you’re not a fan of traditional hiking gear, this brand is for you. For stylish yet practical water-resistant hiking gear, these are my favourites.
- Sorel – I love Sorel for cosy winter boots, comfortable hiking shoes, and stylish yet practical sandals.
- For hiking and outdoorwear, I also love Regatta, Mountain Warehouse, Osprey, and Vango.
The UK is obviously on my top travel destinations list. It’s super underrated and I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface, even though I’ve been exploring it my entire life!
If we’re specifically talking about abroad I’d have to say Iceland. It’s just such a magical country, there’s so much to see, and the landscapes are the most incredible I’ve seen anywhere in the world. I even have a second blog dedicated to Iceland.
Thailand would be a close second. I loved everything about that trip; the people, the food, and the history. Plus, I got engaged there!
If I was to pick a third favourite, I’d have to say Norway. Honestly, it’s too hard to choose, but these three would definitely be in my top 10!
I was born in 1997 – so you tell me 🙂
No, I didn’t go to University. Despite many of my friends choosing that route, I decided that Uni wasn’t for me and, if I did go, I would be going for the wrong reasons (the social instead of to learn). Plus, I didn’t really want lots of student debt.
I studied English Language and Literature, Drama, and Media in Sixth Form before diving headlong into work. I did a catering apprenticeship, and became a trained chef – a career which, despite the fact that I love to cook, I grew to despise!
For more of my story, head to my About page.
I used to work as a Content Marketing and Social Media Specialist for a Saas company.
I dabbled in a few career paths before settling down in marketing including sales, and customer service. I was even a chef for 5 years before I had a regular 9-5!
Now, I run this blog full-time alongside my content creation and photography business. It’s been a passion of mine for years and I’m so grateful to finally say that I do something creative for a living! 😀
With difficulty! Humidity is no joke and Monica (from FRIENDS) had it pretty accurate!
When I wear my hair loose, I have to use a lot of different products to stop it from becoming a ball of frizz. This includes deep conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and styling curl cream.
These tend to do the trick, but if I’m doing something active or swimming in the ocean, I just give up, whip it up out of the way, and deal with it when I get back to my hotel!
I’m actually quite active even when I’m not travelling. I have a gym at home and lift weights at least 4 times a week. Considering I don’t tend to travel longer than 3 weeks at a time, my body doesn’t change much when I am abroad. Plus, it’s easy enough to get back in the swing of things when I get home.
Eating healthy is a big part of staying in shape and, at home, I cook 99% of my meals fresh. I usually eat simple, balanced meals with plenty of greens and plenty of carbs.
While I do like to splurge a bit with my diet when I travel, I start feeling really uncomfortable if I go too long without vegetables. Plus, my skin breaks out. So, trying to eat at least moderately healthy food abroad is a must for me.
My exercise when I am travelling is usually just a LOT of walking. I average around 15,000 steps most days, and quite often more than this. Making simple choices like taking the stairs or walking instead of taking public transport can make a lot of difference.
However, if the hotel I’m staying at does have a gym, I might try and sneak in a workout in the evening. I sometimes also do room workouts too.
- I can deadlift over 1.5x my body weight.
- I have 3 cats and 2 dogs.
- I’m absolutely terrified of flying – ironic, I know!
- I’m Harry Potter OBSESSED and have literally all the merch.
- I trained in theatre growing up and absolutely love singing musical soundtracks.
Feel free to drop me a message via my contact page.