March 2021: Travel Summary and Statistics
Last night, I slept for 18 hours. Collapsed into bed at 3 p.m. and made it out only at nine the following day. The day before, I did exactly the same. My friends, in March, I well and truly hit the wall. Burnout affects most travellers eventually — me fairly regularly — and of course …
February 2021: Travel Summary and Statistics
I kicked off February with one of my favourite New Zealand experiences to date. Winery-hopping in Marlborough. It was so much fun! Simply turn up, rent a bike, grab a map, and hit the vines. On the Marlborough wine trail, you’ll find 30-odd wineries within a few kilometres of Renwick, and it makes everything all …
January 2021: Travel Summary and Statistics
In January, New Zealand had its first community case of COVID-19 in more than two months. Three guests from one of the managed isolation hotels in Auckland tested positive several days after leaving quarantine. Fortunately, there’s been no further transmission within the community, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ve had yet another lucky …
The Cost of Travel in Iceland: My Detailed Budget Breakdown
Iceland is the land of marvel. From the breathtaking landscapes to the welcoming locals, the wonders of this country were obvious from my first cold steps on Icelandic terrain. During my time spent traveling in the Land of Fire and Ice, my four girlfriends and I stood in awe at waterfalls streaming from towering mountains, …
The Cost of Travel in Vietnam: A 2021 Budget Breakdown
I loved the month I spent in Vietnam, travelling end-to-end. The diverse and beautiful scenery, the amazing – and super cheap food – and the friendly people were just a few of the things that made my time there memorable. From the awe-inspiring views up in Sapa and the tranquillity of Ninh Binh to the …
December 2020: Travel Summary and Statistics
When people ask me what it’s like to be in New Zealand right now, I tell them that it’s normal. There’s still an element of surprise, though, when I explain that it’s normal normal. New Zealand hasn’t had a community case of COVID-19 for two months, and even that cluster was composed of just six …
The Cost of Travel in Guatemala: A Detailed Budget Breakdown
I must admit, I didn’t know much about Guatemala before I visited. In fact, I didn’t know an awful lot about Central America in general. And I would normally think of myself as pretty worldly. But that part of the globe had slipped me by… until my husband and I spent a month there during …
The Cost of Travel in Ireland (2021): A Detailed Budget Breakdown
Ireland was one of the first countries on my travel bucket-list. Maybe it was the hopeless romantic in me thinking I would meet a handsome man like in P.S. I Love You, or maybe it was the sheer amount of beautiful photos that had me captivated from a young age. Either way, I was deeply …
The Cost of Travel in Tanzania (2021): A Detailed Budget Breakdown
Karibu sana Tanzania! (Welcome to Tanzania!) If you plan on travelling to Tanzania, get used to hearing this welcoming Swahili expression. I lived in Tanzania for a year, and never tired of it. But I also never tired of Tanzania—the culture, the language, the scenery, the people all captured my heart, which made leaving all …
What’s it Like in New Zealand’s Managed Isolation?
Whenever I mention to anybody in New Zealand that I’ve been through their country’s managed isolation facilities, they offer up a sympathetic wince in return. “How was it?” They ask, preemptively turning up their noses. “Great!” I always reply with a grin. “I loved the whole experience.” And honestly, when you compare what my life …
November 2020: Travel Summary and Statistics
I feel like I’ve forgotten how to do these. The pandemic caused me to shut up shop this year, and while I expected to continue writing these monthly summaries, I ran out of things to share. Yes, despite my best efforts at making the most of COVID, I eventually fell into a deep depression, stopped …