I have finally made some time to start blogging about my travels & living abroad over the past 3yrs. Everything I learnt & discovered I'll post on here!
Lucky to say I’ve done 21 out of these 30 cities!! Not too shabby!!
Even though I’ve already hit 30yrs old.. I can say I’ve done 55 countries to date!! 😍👌🏼✈️🌏🌍🌎❤️
Sooooo many good tips on here for too things to do in certain cities around the world!
Even though this country is one of the closest to Australia (only 3hrs from Sydney), I've only been once and was when I was 17yrs old (12.5yrs ago)!!! It was our second, out of four, family holidays overseas. Mum had a conference there for a few days; so, Dad, my brothers and I occupied ourselves those days before then doing a road trip in a campervan across some of the South Island. I feel lucky for this particular blog because as I was looking through my photo album and I noticed that not only do I have photos, brochures and tickets inside, but I also have caption about what we did each day that includes the names of places and things we did (talk about an organized 17-year-old lol).
My memory is a little hazy, since it was over a decade ago that I was there, but I do remember just how stunning it was with the lakes, countryside, mountains and even snow-covered mountains that we were lucky enough to experience, which resulted in a day skiing (our first time!)
We mainly visited Christchurch & Queenstown, though driving from one to the other takes just short of 6hrs (probably longer for us because we had two campervans).This gave us the opportunity to see a bit more of the South Island. From looking at my 'mini journal' in my photo album I learnt that we travelled north one day to Hanmer Springs, where we spent the day having lunch hiring a quad bike, travelling around the town and the afternoon at the thermal pools and spas… apparently, I thought it was ABSOLUTE BLISS! 😉 Funnily enough I do vaguely remember that day, and I most definitely remember the views (picture up the top). Would highly recommend going!
The following day we travelled south east to Akaroa, to an old French settlement and took a dolphin cruise. Dad also took us kids to the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, which quoted to be 'The World's Best Antarctic Attraction.' We even paid extra and got a ticket for a hagglunch ride (which is described as a vehicle designed for tough northern climate and it performs well on any kind of terrain - google it if you still aren't sure what it looks like lol). I remember having a lot of fun and learning lots! So even if you don't attend with kids, it would be cool to check out!
In Christchurch we also took the gondola ride to see a stunning 360 degree view of the city and surrounds, followed by a tram ride around the city viewing some of the famous spots (I'm sure 13 years later these touristy things are still an option to do!) Dad even took us to unusual mini golf experience called the Caddy Shake City (I still have our score sheet - Dad won!)
The second half of our trip involved meeting up with my dad's cousin and his 4 kids, hiring 2 campervans and driving all the way to Queenstown (with many stops along the way). We drove first to Mt Cook for an overnight stay travelling through Tekapo and so some STUNNING picturesque spots along the way. Then heading to Dunedin next, not long on our travels we were stopped by thousands of sheep (not that shocking when in New Zealand haha). Continuing the journey towards Dunedin, we visited the Cadbury Factory (taking away a bag of chocolate) and visiting Larnach Castle. The castle is a historic house surrounded by beautiful gardens.
We then ventured north to visit a couple that mum and dad had met on a previous holiday. They owned 900 acres of land and few animals alongside. At night we travelled north west to Te Anau to do the glow worms cave tour.
One of the main things I remember of this trip is going to Milford Sound. We did a 'Red Boat Cruise' for 2.5hours that gave us stunning views through the canyons. It is situated in a World Heritage area. There is a commentary included that gives you an abundance of information to add to the experience. If you are in the area this is a MUST!
From Te Anau we travel to Queenstown. We organised a shot over jet ride, though due to the bad weather it gets cancelled twice! We were third time lucky and WOW what an experience. I have also done a similar thing in Sydney and definitely wouldn't be able to compare the two! This one was INSANE… it was super-fast and I clearly remember coming within inches of the canyons, as we were strapped into the boat and zoomed throughout the canyons. Such an unreal experience and would HIGHLY recommend doing it!! For those that don't know already, New Zealand is renowned for its adrenaline sports and this is definitely a must do, especially if you aren't keen, like myself, to bungee jump! 😉
That same day we rode the Luge, which are singular karts that you ride down a long metal slide. They can go extremely fast and you need to keep balance, as my dad's cousin did fall off and sprain his ankle from it! Though needless to say A LOT of fun and definitely another one to get the adrenaline pumping through your body!
The last day was spent on the slopes. For most of us it was our first-time skiing. We went to a ski hill calls 'The Remarkables'. We were given a beginner's ski lesson and the rest of the day was ours to play around and practice skiing. The hill I choose to stay on for the day was on was nowhere near the size I then conquered in Canada (11.5yrs later) but it was good fun for my first time! We were even lucky enough to see snow fall while we were skiing!
It was a great holiday and many years later (with a little help from the photos and the captions I'd written in my album) I was still able to remember many of the experiences and amazing places we visited. If you haven't been to New Zealand you need to add it to your list!! Next time I need to hit the North Island!
Unfortunately, I only had the opportunity to spend a night in this country on my Top Deck tour. We only passed through here and spent a night in the capital, Tirana. In the 28 days travelling through 14 countries, the accommodation in Albania, even though was basic, was the most spacious one of all. After sharing a tiny room, usually anywhere from 2 to 4 bunk beds squished into it; the hotel here was far from that. From memory (it was 3.5yrs ago now), we had 4 people to a room. Though it wasn't a room, it was 2 rooms, each with 2 double beds; as well as a huge bathroom, living area, kitchen (that we didn't use) and a massive balcony that we could admire the sunset from.
While writing this particular blog, I flicked through pictures of Tirana on goggle images and wished we spent more time here. Will definitely have to come back one day!
If anyone has been here and see more of this country than I have, feel free to post comments/ tips below for when I'm visiting next time! 😉
So, I made this page a couple months ago now and have only done one post, the intro about the page. Then life got in the way. After my brother’s wedding, I got sick (I’ll explain more about that in another post). Then the busyness of Christmas and last-minute prep for my most recent trip (in the Philippines) continued to push back my second post. Now it’s a New Year and I have an abundance of goals (personal, business, daily). One of them is to upload a blog each week! That will mean by the end of 2018 I will have written about all 51 countries I’ve visited (though by the end of the year my country count would have increased). I also want to write in further detail about my life in London, the contrast of my life in Canada, living abroad in general and even the struggles I’ve faced since returning home. Hope my experiences, adventures and discoveries that I post give you valuable tips for when you visit those countries. Or even more so I anticipate that this blog gives you the inspiration and desire to also travel and explore this amazing world we live in!!
I have been wanting to write a blog for the past year or so now but never found (or made) the time. Ended buying a blogging site, found it too complicated and realised it's easier to just have a FB page! 🙂
So this page is aimed at not only my travel discoveries/adventures/experience, but also my life living abroad and what I've learnt about myself and the world we live in (since I'm feeling a little wisdom upon me as I near my 30s!!)
But definitely the first chunk of posts will be about my favourite topic... TRAVEL!!
I have had the travel bug ever since I was 10yrs old and embarked on my first holiday abroad. I went to America with my mum and dance group to perform in Disneyland.
From then until I left the country to move abroad 16yrs later I had many other overseas trips that continued to ignite my passion to travel the world.
From the age of 5 I wanted to be a teacher and by the time I was 12 I wanted to move to London and travel the world... And 14yrs later I was determined enough to turn my dream into reality!
I have always loved Sydney and proud to call it my home. But it was never enough.... After living abroad for just over 3yrs and having my country count on 50, all I want to do is go EVERYWHERE else!! The experiences I've had over last 3yrs have been life changing and have changed me into the person I am today. If I could re-wind and do it all again, the exact same way, I would! But I can't, so the other way I'll be content is to book more adventures!
This amazing world we live in is just WAY too big and I want to see it all!!! But until the next trip (in 2.5 months time), I will start blogging about all 50 countries I've been to and the cities I visited. I will share my fav memories, tips, places to go, what to do, what to eat and anything else I find valuable to my fellow travellers... Because even if you haven't travelled much (or at all) I'm certain if you follow my posts, I may just change your mind! ;)
Hey All, so I have FINALLY made the time to create my own travel blog/page.... The idea I have is to share all my travels, experiences and discoveries I've had over the last 3yrs I've been living abroad and travelling the world!!
This will save me repeating myself every time someone messages me for travel tips!! lol
Look forward to building this page and ALWAYS love your comments/ feedbacks with what I share!
I have finally made some time to start blogging about my travels & living abroad over the past 3yrs.
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