Well hello to you my reader chums! I miss the backpacking way of life; I would give anything to roam around the world again with my backpack in tow. I can't believe I've had the pleasure of backpacking twice, once for two months and once for three months. There's something incredibly freeing about backpacking and how the world is at your fingertips - and every day is a new adventure. Whether you're moving across Southeast Asia, interrailing in Europe or exploring South America, there's plenty to see and fall in love with.            

 If you're planning your first-ever backpacking trip and feeling anxious, here is everything I wish I knew before I went backpacking.     

You don't need to bring as much as you think   

The first time I went backpacking, I packed way too many things and my backpack weighed a tonne which made it a challenge taking it from place to place. Bringing too many things made the actual backpacking part of backpacking annoying and didn't leave much room to buy souvenirs and new things on my journey. Pack as light as you can, especially when it comes to clothes as honestly, you won't care about looking 'perfect' or glam up every day, you'll mould into backpack life and be happy wearing the same loose trousers and sandals most days (and you can wash things along the way). When packing your backpack, what you think you need, half it and leave as much room as possible.

Embrace the spontaneity

The beauty of backpacking is the spontaneous adventures and random moments which become the best memories you'll ever have. You may have an itinerary as detailed as mine with an activity planned each day, but the off-the-road adventures you take can wow you and the people you meet along the way. You never know what tomorrow brings when you're backpacking and that's the fun of it.

 Learn common phrases in the countries you're visiting

 Not everyone will know English wherever you're travelling and to navigate things a little easier, learning some common phrases can help you along the way, such as 'How much does this cost', 'Where's the nearest bus station?', 'please' and 'thank you'. It may be tricky to memorise so you can always have it written down to refer to on your phone.  

  Insect repellent is essential       

If you're visiting anywhere with a hot climate, such as Southeast Asia, you may be bitten a lot and some insects can carry diseases, which you can get ill from. Buying a quality insect repellant or bracelets can be a great way to prevent being bitten. 

Not everything can run on time

 As I love an itinerary and schedule, I'm used to things running on time or more likely, want things running on time. However, backpacking in countries that don't have a punctual public transport schedule or a high tourist population, may not run smoothly. It's important to be aware that buses can run an hour or two late and tours may not start when they say they do.

 The weather won't always be perfect

  I always think or dream that the weather will always be perfect when I leave the UK, however, that's not the case. Other countries do get rain, storms, cloudy days and cold weather. Do your research and prepare for all climates, such as tropical storms.

 It's okay to have 'nothing' days

Backpacking can be exhausting as you can be constantly on the move, exploring as many places as possible in the time you have. Due to this, embrace 'nothing' days and make sure you have a few days in your schedule where you can have time to relax and reflect on your journey.

Always bring layers with you   

   I say this for two reasons: one the weather can fluctuate, but two if you're going to certain religious monuments, you may need to cover up to visit them.    

I hope you enjoyed this post. What else would you add?        

Thank you for reading <3 

 Well hello to you my reader chums! Backpacking is a dream come true and has to be my favourite experience to date. I love the freedom of travelling around new countries, meeting new people and trying new food. Experiences and memories are what life is all about and I would love to go backpacking again and embrace life once more.

If you're new to backpacking or looking for some money-saving tips, here is how to stay on a budget whilst backpacking. 

Set an overall budget

Travelling can be pricey, depending on where you go, whether that's Asia, Europe, America or elsewhere. Due to the price difference of each place, you'll need to do your research about how much roughly it'll cost and create an overall budget for your backpacking. For example, I went backpacking in south and southeast Asia, across seven different countries for three months and spent £6k. A large chunk of that was the flights as I didn't go to landlock countries and had to therefore fly to each country. Although, if you can travel to places by public transport, it'll reduce your costs.

Have an everyday budget

It's easier to stick to a budget when you have one in place. Alongside an overall budget for the trip, it's useful to have an everyday budget. With that, you'll want to consider your location, average food prices, transportation and whatever activities you're planning. It's also important to know, your everyday budget may fluctuate. For example, if you're planning to spend one day on the beach and another sightseeing, the daily budget will differ. With that in mind, set a base average and increase depending on your plans.

Book pricey experiences in advance 

The most touristy activities will cost the most and with this in mind, book these in advance. This can go two ways depending on what the activity is and where you're travelling. For example, certain experiences may offer deals online, directly through tour providers such as Klook. Whilst other activities, you can book through locals and they'll give you a cheaper deal.

Eat locally 

Food is the heart of travelling and one of my favourite things to do when seeing a new location. To save money, avoid tourist trap restaurants and fancy places to eat, and instead eat locally. I often find the more local places to eat, the better. They know how to cook traditional food and don't change it to please tourists' tastes. The best thing to do is buy street food or ask locals about the best places to eat. If a restaurant is packed with locals, then you know it'll be cheaper and taste fab.

Avoid alcohol

Alcohol will be the biggest regular expense when you're backpacking if you choose to drink or go partying. Although, if you're travelling on a budget, try and avoid it as best you can as it can rack up your bills and cause you to spend more than needed.

Walk or use public transport

Part of travelling is getting around on an everyday basis and you want to consider this as part of your daily budget. To save money, walk as much as you can, especially if all the things you want to see and do are close together. For further out activities, utilise the public transportation system, including buses, trains and trams. In some cities and countries, public transport is cheap as chips.

Utilise cheaper accommodation

Just because you're having the time of your life backpacking, doesn't mean you need an expensive accommodation to match the mood of the trip. There are plenty of cheaper travel options from hostels, couch surfing, and camping to private rooms with shared bathrooms. Shop around for the best deals and find yourself a bargain. When I was travelling southeast Asia, I stayed in decent rooms as cheap as £7 a night.

Allow for a safety fund 

Not everything will go to plan and that means, activities can cost more, food can cost more or a day can go wrong and you may have to pay out a lump sum. Due to this, have a safety fund for each location, allowing the budget to spend more just in case. For example, for Sri Lanka, we put an extra £50 each aside in case on the trip with my partner.

Haggle the best you can 

Haggling is key for markets and if in Asia, tuk tuk rides. To save money, haggle down on every instance because often prices are increased for tourists and you pay a lot more than needed.

I hope you've enjoyed this post. Have you got any other tips?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! Reminiscing about Asia is in my mind constantly, I miss everything about the backpacking trip. I would love to be back travelling around in tuk-tuks, eating street food and seeing new places.

When I was travelling, there were many apps which made it easier to navigate my partner and me around, providing us with definitive answers to new places and experiences. If you're backpacking around Southeast Asia, these are the top apps to download.

Booking.com

I've been using Booking.com for years as it's my favourite website to book accommodation and find really good deals. As I use it so frequently, I often get discounts and therefore, save a lot of money overall which helped massively with booking accommodation for this trip. Booking.com is great in general as it's easy to filter through and see exactly where accommodation is in conjunction with where you're going. 

Post Office Travel

Backpacking undoubtedly means lots of different currencies across the course of your trip and getting used to new exchange rates. I found Post Office Travel to be useful for all of my travels and it came in handy also for this backpacking trip. Although it didn't have all currencies on, it did have some and allowed me to load on money and take out when I pleased. This also helped as it meant I had another card with me.

Maps.Me

This is a genius app we found before the trip and I'm thankful we both downloaded it because the app was incredibly useful. Maps.Me allows you to download maps from any destination all over the world and it provides information on restaurants, cafes, tourist sites and more. The maps also have random commentary on plenty of places where people have added something to the map. It's a collaborative thing, meaning any user can add a location to the map. That's what makes the maps incredibly accurate and useful.

Rome2Rio

When it comes to planning routes or transport, Rome2Rio is useful as it shares the possible ways to get from location to location. For example, you can fly, take a train or bus and it'll list out the cheapest and fastest routes.

12Go

To book transport, this app is the go-to. 12Go provides options for bus, train, boat, taxis and flights, to help you make the best decision for you. I booked plenty of transport via this app as it was incredibly cheap, easy to use and effective.

Easybook

When I couldn't find transport on 12Go, another app which was incredibly useful was Easybook. I particularly found this helpful for booking buses in Malaysia as there were plenty of options. Although, with Easybook, it's not always clear on the location point of where you need to catch a bus.

Klook

I always say when backpacking Southeast Asia, it's better to book excursions and tours whilst you're there because it's usually cheaper and more convenient. However, for the tours or sometimes transport I didn't book in person, I found Klook to work wonders in finding amazing and inexpensive tours. Every tour we did here was brilliant with clear communication and honest reviews, making it easy to pick the right things for us.

Grab

Taxis are an inevitable part of getting around when backpacking, especially when you're transporting your backpack. To keep things cheap, Grab is handy to have as often taxis are reasonable and the experience is great. If I wasn't using a tuk-tuk, I'd always go on Grab! Although be aware, Grab isn't available in every region across Southeast Asia.

FlexiroamX

It's no myth that data is expensive abroad, and instead of buying a sim card at every destination, download Flexiroam. This app allows you to buy sim cards for data purposes worldwide and has an easy-to-use guide on how to install them. They have data plans ranging in the amount of data and length of time, from a couple of days to a month long. 

Google Translate

Unless you're a language queen, being able to speak multiple languages across Southeast Asia is tricky and why Google Translate can do wonders. If you download the languages you like, you can also use it without the Internet. The app can be helpful when you need to translate the menu or talk to a local who doesn't speak English.

Books/podcasts

Entertainment is key when you're travelling around on buses, boats, trains and planes. As you can't bring lots of books with you, downloading the book app and podcast app allows you to read lots of books and listen to many podcasts.

I hope you found this post helpful. What other apps would you recommend?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! I'm excited to announce, I'll be fulfilling my dream of heading back to South East Asia in January for 3 months of backpacking. I couldn't be more excited to get back to the backpacking way of life, discover new places, eat delicious foods and meet new people.

Whether you're new to backpacking or planning a trip, here is how to prepare for 3 months of backpacking.

This article contains paid content placements.

Figure out who you're going with

Deciding you're planning to go backpacking is a big decision, whether it's for one month, three months or a whole year. When you've made the decision to go, you need to choose who you want to go with as it's a big thing to plan. It could be your partner, friends, or sibling or you can go solo. Each decision means a slightly different style of planning.

Decide on the route and timeframe

You can go backpacking for as long as you want but making the decision on how long you have in mind, can help you save, budget and decide on the itinerary you'd like to follow. I've decided to travel for three months and visit seven different countries: Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Phillippines and Indonesia. You may decide to spend three months in one place or do as many destinations as me.

Research each place and decide on a rough itinerary

If you're spending longer in a place, there's more wiggle room to be spontaneous and travel slower, however, if you're spending less time in each place, it'll be best to do some research and decide if there are any must-have places you want to visit or specific landmarks to see. I've made a rough itinerary of the different places I want to go to and include the must-see things and do.

Book travel vaccinations

I cannot stress this point more because your health is the most important thing. It's not worth catching anything and being unwell in a place where healthcare isn't as accessible as back home. Check with your doctors and book an appointment in with the travel clinic and see what vaccinations they recommend for you to get. I had to get quite a few including Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis and Tetanus. I will say vaccinations can be quite expensive and you will need to budget for them, mine came to around £400. Some may be available on the NHS, it depends on your doctors.

Check with countries that need visas

Visas are another essential thing you need to do. Some countries allow you to enter in with no visa, some require a form for you to fill out whilst others may need a visa to apply for. Do this with plenty of time as sometimes they can take a while to approve it.

Book flights and accommodation

Once you have everything mapped out, it's time to begin booking flights and accommodation. I would highly recommend booking flights in advance because it makes things easier and cheaper in the long run. With accommodation, you can book it whilst you're travelling around, however, to feel more prepared, book the accommodation in advance. I've gone through and booked all the accommodation for the whole stay, saving me time and worry when arriving at each destination.

Book any other transport

Getting from one place to the other isn't always by flying, it could be through buses, trains or boats. You can easily buy tickets for these when you've arrived, however, booking in advance can make your trip a little bit smoother and sets more of a permanent agenda. I find 12Go as the best place to book this type of transport.

Buy travel insurance

Travel insurance is essential for any type of trip, especially when you're away for a long period of time as there's more time for potential things to go wrong. Purchasing the right policy is key; ensure you list all of your medical conditions, and cover the right countries and any activities you're looking to choose.

Organise a sim card

Phoning and texting when on a different continent can be very expensive and why purchasing the appropriate sim card can help with communicating whilst you're away. You can get sim cards at the airport or anywhere locally in the country you're visiting. 

Decide what your budget will be for the trip

When you've decided on where you're going and for how long, it's ideal to set a budget for the ideal amount you'd like to spend on the trip. Then, ensure you bring extra than the budget in case something happens or things are more expensive than you expect.

Download e-books, shows, films and podcasts

Months of backpacking mean you'll be experiencing many flights, bus journeys, trains and boats and you'll want to keep yourself occupied during them. Download as much entertainment as you can including e-books, tv shows, films and podcasts to help long travel journeys a lot more fun.

Download travel apps

Travel apps will come in handy when you're travelling around such as Grab for tuk tuks and taxi rides across Asia, and your accommodation apps including Booking.com, Hostel World and Airbnb. Also, if you've to go the travel card from the post office, their app, ensures you can top it up and see your balance.

Photocopy documents

Your passport, visas and any useful documentation are vital when travelling. Unfortunately, accidents happen and you may lose important documents and why I'd recommend photocopying them so you have evidence of the documents. 

Create a packing list and decide what you need to buy

You never know when you may have an emergency and by noting down the emergency numbers in each country, there at hand should you need them.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What other tips would you add?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! One of the most popular questions I've been asked about backpacking Asia is, 'Did you feel safe?' and honestly, yes for many reasons. Like any destination, it's important to learn the ways to keep safe as unfortunate things can happen anywhere.

If you're backpacking Asia soon or planning a trip, here are my best tips on how to stay safe backpacking Asia.

Invest in a bum bag

Pickpocketing can happen anywhere in the world and it's always best to be prepared. One useful item is a bum bag or a money belt as it's kept right in your middle, next to you, preventing someone from easily grabbing anything from you. I would store my valuables in the bum bag such as money and my phone and then put everything else in my day backpack. 

Padlock your items

Along the pickpocketing line of advice, protecting your goods is key. You can do this by padlocking your large backpack and everyday backpack, preventing pickpocketers from getting in. You can also buy backpack covers to store your backpack in when you fly - which is convenient to pack but also prevents anyone from trying to get into it on the luggage belt at the airport.

Share your location with family/friends

You never can plan when you're in danger and this is why it's so important to share location with family or friends back home, especially if you're going off the beaten path. This point is also even more important if you're travelling solo. I updated my family daily with where we were, informing them we were safe. But, you can also easily share live locations in areas where you feel extra unsafe.

Prepare for mosquitos 

Mosquitos are everywhere in Asia and some are harmless whereas some can be harmful. To care for yourself in every possible way, firstly, you need to get the recommended vaccinations for the countries you're planning to visit. Also, you need to invest in mosquito repellent. You can buy it before you go as well as the armbands you can wear too, however, I found the best repellants in Asia. To save yourself luggage space, you can stock up whilst you're travelling.

Get travel insurance

I cannot stress to you enough the importance of travel insurance. Wherever you go in the world, you should get cover but especially when backpacking as it comes with its own dangers. Choosing travel insurance can be overwhelming but the key thing to remember is to declare all of your medical conditions and ensure all the activities you're planning to do are covered.

Watch out for locals trying to scam you

Scams are very common across backpacking destinations in Asia, especially in heavily touristy areas. It's important to know what to look out for and always try to haggle prices down. Many people will try and convince you to pay more as they think they can get away with it. Due to this, ensure you do your research on each destination on the common scams. One example is drivers will 'suggest' going to other places as they're driving you around and end up charging you more at the end. With that in mind, ensure you agree on a price before getting in any vehicle or ordering a Grab if they're available in that country.

Don't drink the tap water 

It's probably obvious, but tap water isn't safe to drink across Asia. Instead, you'll need to buy bottled water or fill your bottle up with water machines.

Get an international driving permit/motorcycle license if you want to rent a bike

It's the natural thing for backpackers to rent a motorbike or scooter to drive around and naturally many travellers have accidents. Due to this, don't be like us and miss out on getting the right licencing to drive a motorbike. When you have the right permit, if you get in an accident, you will be covered for the medical costs on your travel insurance (but always double-check your policy) and it'll help you feel more confident on the bike.

Go to ATMs attached to banks

Be careful where you draw cash out. Typically, I saw no danger in getting money out anywhere. Yet, to be safer, go to ATMs attached to banks as you have the certainty of protecting yourself and your bank account.

Take more than one bank card 

Things can easily get lost when travelling around; we definitely lost a couple of items between us. Considering this, bring more than one bank card along as a backup in case you lose a bank card and you can still access your account. I had my regular bank card, Monzo card and my travel money card as well.

Keep a list of emergency numbers 

Emergencies happen, that's life, even when you're living your dream life. If it happens when you're surrounded by other travellers or locals, they'll help you out. However, if you're on your own, this is where an emergency numbers list comes in handy. I always had it on my phone in the Note app in case I needed it.

Pack a medical kit

Accidents happen as well as illnesses, especially with new foods. I'd recommend packing a medical kit with essentials such as plasters, painkillers, anti-diarrhea tablets, dioralyte powder, anti-septic cream and any of your other medications. I wouldn't say you need to bring this everywhere, but it's good to have it in your room and with you on the long travel days.

Bring a portable charger

Phone batteries aren't the most reliable and you don't want yours to run out in case you need it for directions for example. We always had a portable charger on us for that reason and in case we needed to quickly search for something on Google.

Use your intuition

Intuition is a powerful thing. If you don't feel safe for whatever reason, get out of that situation to a place where you feel okay again. Our instincts can often save us from bad things happening as they pick up on them before we're physically aware.

Dress appropriately 

Some countries in Asia are a lot more modest in how they dress and it's important to respect that to avoid drawing attention to yourself as a tourist, and also to be respectful of their culture.

Be careful with the traffic

Traffic across Asia is insanely scary as it's heavily populated with motorbikes and that means weaving in and out of them when crossing the road. You need to be mindful when crossing the road about how dangerously locals drive and the side of the road they drive on.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What tips would you add?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! 2023 has been one of the best years yet and I'm grateful for all the incredible experiences, achievements and life lessons I've learnt across the way. It started out with the trip of a lifetime backpacking again, launching my business, settling into home life and many moments in between.

As the year ends, I'm in reflection mode and want to share my successes and achievements in 2023.

Backpacking across Asia for 3 months

I've been dreaming of returning to the backpacking way of life and Asia since 2019 and the dream come true this year for a longer time, across 3 months and the blessing of visiting 7 countries. I had the best ever time roaming around Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. I still can't believe all the sights I witnessed, the food I ate, the people I met and the memories I made with my partner. It's a dream I think about regularly and wish to relive every single moment.

Falling in love with my new home town

I moved away from home a few months before travelling but didn't get the chance to settle in properly until I returned home from backpacking. Since that point, I've been welcomed with a warm feel by the wonderful local community. My seaside town has plenty going on, from the beach, the sights, the creative community to the calm in the air.

Kickstarting my full-time business

I finally made my dream come true this year by launching my freelancing business, The Violet Network. I'm now a full-time freelance copywriter and social media specialist and I've spent 2023 learning many business lessons and the realities of freelancing life. I've enjoyed every minute, even the harder times of building up the business and the opportunities it has brought me. I can't wait to see what the next year or so brings.

Started writing my 6th book

I'm still trying to figure out how I've already written 5 books and this year, I've started my 6th. I've always wanted to write a book with a twin potline as I have a twin sister and wanted to share my experience through a fictional tale. I've loved working on it and can't wait to develop it further. 

My first public speaking gig

Public speaking was always something that terrified me and I really wanted to finally do it, and this year I had the chance. I joined a writing club and part of it was reading out our work in progress - and I did it, I read a book I've written in front of a room of people.

Building a community around me

Moving to a new town, I dealt with a lot of adjustments getting used to my new surroundings and meeting new people. However, I've managed to attract the most amazing community of people in my town, made loads of new friends and adapted my relationships with home friends which are still thriving.

Living with my partner

I moved in with my partner a couple months before we went backpacking together and I didn't get to fully embrace how much I loved it. This year when we returned home, I fell in love with having our own place, living in each other's pockets and doing life with each other - and I'm forever grateful for that.

What a year! There have been a million other successes and achievements over the past year that I'm grateful for. From the travels, the lessons, the friendships, and my family to wholesome moments, it has been a brilliant, insightful and loving year.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What are your achievements this year?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! I can't believe it's happening - I'm finally off backpacking again. Ever since I got back from south-east Asia in 2019, I've been dreaming about heading off there again, and the time has finally come. I've been planning and preparing for this trip for most of last year and now I'm departing very soon for my first stop: Sri Lanka.

I'm visiting 7 destinations in southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Phillippines and Indonesia with my partner Ben. We've planned an itinerary packed with beach relaxing, city exploring, country and jungle living, and various activities to keep our travels occupied.

It has been four years since I last went backpacking and I'm excited to be back and experience the freedom of travelling, immersing myself in new cultures, and new sights and eating various types of food. There's so much adventure to be had and it's hard to express into words the emotions I feel for this trip.

It's going to be weird being away for three months, taking a career break and being in a different time zone for so long. I know I've done it before but since the last trip, my life has completely changed and there are different things to miss and be homesick from. Despite that, I know this trip is going to be a massive opportunity to learn, discover more about myself and open my mind even more.

I also wanted to say with no access to a laptop for three months, I'll also be taking a blogging break. Even though my blogging days aren't as solid as they used to be, it's still a constant in my life and something I absolutely adore.

Here's to 3 months of backpacking travels, let's see what they bring. It's not a goodbye, it's a see you later <3

I hope you enjoyed this post! Where are you travelling to this year?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! If you haven't seen my latest travel post then you'd missed out on my return from my three-month backpacking trip to Asia. I'm sitting here reflecting and grateful for the phenomenal trip I had - it was an experience for many different reasons.

If you're planning to go backpacking or are keen to hear about my experience, here are 11 things I've learnt from backpacking Asia.

I can do things I never thought I would

Travelling pushes you in ways you don't ever expect and I'm grateful for an experience to push me out of my comfort zone. The last time I went backpacking, it tested me in a culture shock way, getting used to their norms. However, this time, I had to push myself with culture shocks again, but the main push came from overcoming my biggest fears. 

I'm not a countryside person and still have a massive fear of the water and this trip tested me in every possible way. We went on numerous hikes, in pretty steep mountainous places including the Cameron Highlands, the Pidurangala Rock and Komodo Island. The views I saw from these places were beyond amazing and the skill to reach the top really pushed me to my limits. With the water side of things, I'm so surprised how much I went snorkelling in the deepest parts of the water and jumping off the boat too. Past me would never have done this and I'm very proud I had the encouragement of my partner. 

Authentic street food is the one

The food across the entire three months was simply perfect; I love being able to try various cuisine from the kottu in Sri Lanka, and pho in Vietnam to nasi goreng in Indonesia. The food was always full of flavour and the majority of the time, very moreish. I always found that street food made the best kind of dish as locals have a way of making it extra delicious. And, there's always something really wholesome about watching them make it on their cart or stall. 

I'm very lucky to be English

I'm already aware of how privileged I am to be from the UK and to be born British. However, I didn't realise how lucky I was on the other side of the world as English is the common language everywhere. Most countries in Asia would learn English as their second language meaning locals always knew a little bit of English even if it was only a common phrase. It also meant it was easy to communicate with accommodation staff and any other travellers we met. Because English is also spoken widely on other continents, we had no trouble speaking to other travellers from around the world as that was mutual ground. 

There's kindness wherever you go

I probably already knew this one from the amount of travelling I've done. Although, it was certainly emphasised on this trip with the many locals we met along the way who were always keen to help us out, whether that was offering advice, directions or just generally wanting a photo of us. Despite the many issues with scams and trying to be conned, between that, there were good locals; very happy people who would smile and greet us. 

You can find beauty in the little things 

In the society we live in, we're always aspiring for the big experiences and seeing the most amazing sights. I found that even though experiencing and witnessing the world's wonders was beautiful, the little moments in between were just as great. The times when we were walking through colourful streets, local markets, cycling in villages or watching the sunset. It's the little things which made the trip ever so magical.

Everyone has a story 

Without trying to sound obnoxious, when you go travelling, you realise going travelling doesn't make you special. But, it's learning the reasons why people go travelling is what makes the experience wholesome when meeting people. I loved hearing people's stories, whether that was about them quitting their jobs to travel, moving to a new country or working alongside their travellers. There were plenty of reasons for travellers to go travelling and learning about their backgrounds, who they're travelling with, what they're up to and their funny stories was brilliant to hear. 

Social media is a time filler

Social media is a great procrastination method as when I find things overwhelming, I'll scroll. On this trip, I was so in awe of everything we were doing that there were days I didn't even have any want or mean to scroll and it was really refreshing. It's made me realise I want to spend more time away from social media and when I find my mind wandering, to do something else rather than reach for my phone.

Don't let something bad stop you from doing anything

Although the trip was packed with dreamy sights and experiences, every day wasn't perfect and there were certainly down moments, including a motorbike accident. We were very lucky it wasn't serious but it did shake my partner and me up for a bit. Instead of letting it get in the way of the rest of our travels, we embraced it and continued with all we planned to do. Not everything goes to plan and at that moment you have two choices, but we learnt to not let bad situations stop us from doing anything.

Money isn't everything

In a place where people have so little materialistically, they give so much. The locals I met in every country including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia were happy living their lives. They were empowered by the connections they had with others, the communities and how they lived. Money really isn't everything. It can help you live a comfortable life but at the end of the day, it's not what's going to make you feel fulfilled. Fulfilment comes from connecting with others, learning about new cultures, trying new things and appreciating what you have.

The freedom of travelling is everything 

The freedom of travelling around for a long period of time is enlightening. It's a wonderful feeling getting up every day not knowing what the adventure will bring and not having any responsibility about where you need to be or where you're going. You can be fully present in the moment instead of rushing into a 'normal' everyday life.

It's not important what you do but who you spend it with

The older I get, the more I learn how important the connections you have in life are. This trip especially emphasises this learning point as I saw the way families interacted and spent most of their time with each other. We all have dreams and all want to be something, but what's most important is when you achieve them, who is supporting you. I also realised who were the special people back home and how excited I was to spend time with them when I returned. 

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. What lessons have you learnt from travelling?

Thank you for reading <3