Cuba – Baracoa
Keen to leave Santiago de Cuba, and keen to try out the Taxi Collectivos (group taxis) that we had heard other travellers rave about, we decided to skip the bus and make the… Continue reading
Tag Archive: gap year
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Cuba – Cienfuegos
It took eight hours to get from Viñales to Cienfuegos and the air con stopped working about five hours into the journey. We climbed off the bus sweaty and restless and hot and… Continue reading
Cuba – Valle Viñales
An uneventful and aggressively air conditioned bus journey took us from Havana to the small town of Viñales. It only took four hours (including the obligatory stop at a roadside café/ gift shop… Continue reading
Cuba – Habana
I arrived at Gatwick very early in the morning, climbed sleepily off the Gatwick Express and waited for my friend Kati to arrive, reflecting that I would rather be literally anywhere else in… Continue reading
Vietnam – Nha Trang
I had a few problems getting my photos from my phone onto my computer so this last post has been waaaayy delayed. I’ve been home for just over a week and Asia already… Continue reading
Vietnam – Hoi An
From Sapa, we caught a night bus down to Ha Noi, spent a couple more hours exploring the Old Quarter and then caught another night bus to Hue. The Imperial citadel of Hue… Continue reading
Vietnam – Sapa
We arrived in Sapa at half past five in the morning after a long and bumpy journey on the night bus. We’d both slept pretty well but there’s nothing like stumbling out of… Continue reading
Vietnam – Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island
Instead of travelling to Halong City from Ha Noi, we decided to make our way to Cat Ba Island, which is in Lan Ha bay, a little further on but part of the… Continue reading
Vietnam – Ha Noi
After Kati left us to go back to England (sad times) Abs and I flew straight from Ho Chi Minh (which is in the southern end of Vietnam) to Ha Noi, right up… Continue reading
Vietnam – Mekong Delta
Abi (my sister) joined us in Vietnam just under a week ago and we had the best time running around Ho Chi Minh, eating loads of Pho, making her listen to our funny… Continue reading
Cambodia – Kampot (II) and Kep
Kampot has so much to offer – we stayed there for just four days and felt like we easily could have spent double that time exploring the city and the surrounding area. Our… Continue reading
Cambodia – Kampot
We arrived in Kampot late in the afternoon and it was almost dark by the time we were settled in our hostel and on our way into town. We’d been told by numerous… Continue reading
Cambodia – Koh Rong Samloem
Imagine any kind of tropical paradise, and you’d probably be picturing something a little bit like Koh Rong Samloem. Little brother to party island Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samloem has blue sea,… Continue reading
Cambodia – Angkor Wat (adventures II)
Kati and I went ziplining through the forest above Angkor Wat. It was pretty incredible! We were really high up (above the canopy in most places) and the zip lines (ten in… Continue reading
Cambodia – Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
After a bumpy seven hour bus journey (along a road that hadn’t yet finished being built) we arrived in Siem Reap to neon signs, brightly lit markets and a whole street full of… Continue reading
Cambodia – Phnom Penh (part two)
It hasn’t taken us long to feel at home here – we’re used to the dust, the stares and haggling with the tuk tuk drivers. I really really like Phnom Penh and would… Continue reading
Ultimate Travel Reading List – Part Two
Part two of my epic summer reading list! Check yesterday’s post for part one. 6. Looking for Alaska – John Green John Green (recently responsible for making me ugly-cry for half an hour… Continue reading
Ultimate Travel Reading List – Part One
I’m so excited to leave for my trip! I honestly can’t believe how close it is, it doesn’t really feel real yet. On the 12th of June I’m heading to Cambodia and Vietnam… Continue reading
Hello 2014…
Just thought I would wish you all a very Happy New Year, I hope 2013 was full of happiness, and 2014 will be even better! Big Love, PV x
Gap Life 3
Paloma Faith is my spirit animal. (Expecto Paloma!) I’m getting closer to heading off and living on a tiny student budget, so I’ve mostly been packing, making lists, and trying to eat all… Continue reading
5.2 Cha Am
I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been wearing bikinis underneath my clothes ever since we arrived in Thailand, just so that as soon as we came in range of a beach I could run… Continue reading
5.1 Bangkok, Thailand
Our flight from Tokyo was pretty smooth and after a brief stop in Beijing we were on our way to Bangkok. The flight was quite turbulent, and even though I am not at… Continue reading
4.4 Tokyo
Just thought I’d add on a few of the things we did on our last day in Tokyo, before I head to bed to try and make the 4.30am start tomorrow a little… Continue reading
4.3 Nagoya
Our hotel in Nagoya is situated just a few blocks away from the centre, and wandering aimlessly in almost any direction will bring you to the neon jungle. On our first evening we… Continue reading
4.2 (Tokyo), Osaka and Nara
After a final day in Tokyo checking out the Shibuya district (100￥ shops, the best ever Katsu curry and the famous scramble crossing), we took a bullet train south to Kansai province, Osaka.… Continue reading
4.1 Tokyo
The only thing worse than a fifteen hour flight is a fifteen hour flight, a three hour wait, a one hour delay and then another five hour flight. I stopped attempting to form… Continue reading
4. Japan
I’m off to Japan! I’m pretty confident about the WiFi in Japan, (I’ve heard they’re pretty hot on that stuff), so expect regular updates, and loads of photos of everything from fashion to… Continue reading
Anxiety is a real thing. (I made an infographic to prove it…)
Hello! Today, instead of having fun, I thought we could all have a psychology lesson. Don’t say that I never do nice things for you… Since I got back from Italy I have… Continue reading
Home!
I have so enjoyed sleeping, seeing friends and having a bit of a gelato detox* since I got home, and it has been nice to try and get a handle on things and… Continue reading
3.9 Verona and Milan
We had a pretty stressful arrival in Verona as the B&B we had booked had already closed its reception when we arrived (we had gotten lost) and no matter how hard we rang… Continue reading
3.8 (Bologna) & Venice
Bologna, and this may come as a surprise to many of you, is the ancestral home of Bolognese sauce. I know, I know, the clue is in the name but it took me… Continue reading
3.7 Rome
We were in Rome for three days, staying at one of the best party hostels in the city. The fact that our hostel literally has a night club in the basement didn’t really… Continue reading
3.6 Napoli
“We’re going to Naples!” Is, in my experience, a statement most often followed by a severe warning about thievery, mugging, or violent crime. (Except in one instance; “hehe, Naples sounds like nipples…”) Following… Continue reading
3.5 (Syracuse) and Taormina
Exercise balls instead of chairs. I would post today but this hostel’s fantastic attitude towards furniture is much too distracting for me. Syracuse was pretty cool. Wang and I went to a street… Continue reading
3.4 (Rome) (Messina) and Syracuse
If someone is snoring in a hostel dorm room, or if they are prone to night terrors, sleep talking, sleep barking (don’t even ask) or even loud sleep shuffling, it should be legal,… Continue reading
3.3 Florence and Siena
Florence is the most beautiful city I have ever visited, and I absolutely adore it. We went to see the real David in all his glory, and it was amazing! It really has… Continue reading
3.2 Florence
We arrived in Florence after a long and uncomfortable train journey, most of which was spent hunkered down on our rucksacks in the hot and stuffy cargo hold of an old and alarmingly… Continue reading
3.1 Milan
Leave without a plan. The kind of supposedly aspirational undertaking which is plastered across bucket lists everywhere. Leave without a plan. In reality, this may not be the most sensible solution. Leave, perhaps… Continue reading
3. Italy
Oh, Packing. So, today I tipped out all of those toiletries and first aid things that I packed for Peru and cut them down to half, and sort of looked and it and… Continue reading
2. New York
We only had three days and three nights in New York, but I’m so glad that we made the stop. From the first time we stumbled out of our apartment into the harsh… Continue reading