In the age of COVID-19, travel isn’t possible for the vast majority of people around the world. Whether that’s because you are physically restricted by border closures, or because you don’t feel safe to travel at the moment. Nonetheless, we travellers can still make the most of this strange and difficult time despite being stuck […]
twenty-seventeen in review + lessons learned
Right. Here it is: the post you’ve all been waiting for. It’s currently 2:25am on the final day of 2017, and I am ready to be brutally honest with every single one of you who’s taking the time to read this post right now – thank you, by the way, it really does mean a lot. […]
Possibly The Most Instagrammable Place Ever?!
It’s been almost a month since I got back from Central Asia and I’m still amazed at how architecturally beautiful the country I visited is. Uzbekistan isn’t your usual tourist destination but every corner screams ‘so Instagrammable’, so it just might be next on your list. And if you don’t believe me, well, see for […]
Starting University after a Gap Year
Over the course of many conversations with sixth form students, I realised that one of the things deterring them from taking a Gap Year was starting university a year late. For a lot of the people I spoke to, many were adamant that they were going to start the year with peers of their own […]
Inner Mongolia: Hulun Buir & Heishantou | Travel Diaries
INNER MONGOLIA Boy, oh boy, where do I even begin with our four-day trip to Inner Mongolia’s Hulun Buir grasslands? I thought I’d start off by posting two personal posts detailing what we got up to, in the style of a Travel Diary, and then I’ll type up an Inner Mongolia Travel Guide. Here goes… […]
How To Keep Electronics Safe When Travelling
But how do you travel with so many electronics?! This is a question I am frequently asked, not only by my friends, but also by readers and subscribers alike. As a travel blogger and vlogger, there are some electronics that I just have to have with me. Let’s use my Gap Year as an example in […]
Trakai Castle Travel Guide
T R A K A I If you’re making a trip to Vilnius any time soon, Trakai must be on your list of things to do. Located less than an hour’s coach ride just outside of the city centre, this old town is home to the incredibly picturesque Trakai Castle. You may have seen the castle […]
What Being Away for 7 Months Taught Me
“You were on your Gap Year last year?! It feels like years ago now!” Those were the words of my sister a few days ago. It really doesn’t feel like it was last year and I’m going to keep saying this, but did it even happen? One thing that confirms that it did is what being […]
12 Hours in Amsterdam
A normal person would spend their Sunday evening kicking back with a cuppa and Love Island. But that’s not me. Instead, a few weeks ago, I booked myself a return ticket to Amsterdam for the next day. 12 Hours in Amsterdam. Here’s what happened… How it happened When Gemma asked me if I wanted to go to […]
One Year Ago: Reflections | Gap Year Travel
On Wednesday, I woke up and opened the Facebook app on my phone. I was presented with a screen which said ‘One Year Ago’ and the following picture from my Gap Year: View this post on Instagram A post shared by V I O L A (@violahelen_) Wednesday marked exactly 365 days since I landed […]