About

Updated: 13th January 2025 By Lauren | Published: 17th November 2024

Hi, I’m Lauren! I am a coffee and cat-obsessed travel writer from the U.K., specialising in travelling solo and as a couple, living and working abroad, slow travel and travelling on a budget.

I’ve been on-the-road travelling full-time now for over 4 years! (And travelling on-and-off for over 15 years! That’s a lot of travel experience!)

In 2020 (perfect timing, I know), I did the whole cliche thing of quitting my job, letting go of my apartment, selling my car, donating almost all of my belongings, and boxing my most sentimental possessions into a storage unit. I packed my bare essentials into a backpack and flew on a one-way ticket to New Zealand with the love of my life, Fiachra.

Little did we know that a global pandemic was about to unleash itself on the world and turn a 1-year Working Holiday into a full-time, nomadic existence with an open-ended finish date.

In New Zealand we bought a campervan and travelled full-time, working stints in seasonal hospitality jobs to build the travel fund and volunteering as house and pet sitters in exchange for accommodation and to save us from burning through all our savings.

3+ years later, as the world decided the pandemic was no longer worth worrying about, our visas ceased being extended and it was time to move on and come up with a new plan.

And so, we decided that the journey will continue! We figured, why stop now? Our bags were already packed, the storage unit rental was already in place and the world was now open again ready to be explored.

We are now full-time nomads, taking seasonal work while we can, doing regular house and pet sitting, and working on our projects online (including this blog!).

Welcome To My Blog – Wild Lovely World!

I’ve discovered through blogging that sharing my experience is a great way to contribute to the world and help others, so that is my aim and what I work towards.

My goal with Wild Lovely World is to inspire you to travel more, spend less, and have your own wild and lovely adventures around the world.

On this page, you can learn more about the blog, how I like to travel, and my travel story – my travel history from childhood to the present day!

What Is Wild Lovely World All About?

The name behind Wild Lovely World is the idea that our world is fierce and unpredictable, but it is also absolutely captivating and beautiful.

Despite the challenges that life throws our way, there is always positivity to be found and things to be grateful for.

The idea behind Wild Lovely World and my goal as a travel writer is to help you by sharing my knowledge and my experiences, and inspire you to make adventures of your own!

I aim to provide you with completely honest and invaluable advice, based on research and my own real-life experiences, so you can make informed choices and confident decisions about how, when, where and why you travel.

All written content is written and produced by me (Lauren) or my partner Fiachra, who very nicely helps me out with content creation and amazing illustrations. All photos are taken by me too, besides the occassional creative commons or public domain picture.

This is important, because I need you to know that I painstakingly write every single word on this blog and take the pictures to prove I’ve been there. It is all original, with my opinion thrown in there for good measure.

I write the stories and share the information I feel is important to know when planning a trip, because it is exactly what I would have wanted to read in hindsight.

Who Is This Travel Blog For?

This blog is for people who love to travel, whether solo, as a couple, or on a budget, and want to explore the world deeply by connecting with different cultures and hidden gems. That includes moving abroad to live and work in other countries!

• ⛰️Adventure Seekers and Nature Lovers – Wild Lovely World focuses on destinations with stunning natural landscapes, like Hokkaido in Japan, the North and South Islands of New Zealand, and Scotland in the U.K. Get insights on outdoor activities like camping, hiking, nature and exploration in these unique destinations.

• 🤑Budget Travelers – Want to learn how to travel without breaking the bank, even to destinations that can be expensive? I’ll cover budget travel tips and how to travel affordably while enjoying memorable experiences.

• 🚐Camping and Van Lifers – Do you dream of living the van life adventure? I share my experience of living in a campervan and offer tips and advice for long-term travel, particularly in New Zealand – get travel guides for adventure-filled road trips.

• 👫Couple Travelers – Travelling with a partner? Get practical tips for couples travelling together, including inspiration for long-term travel and shared experiences.

• ⛩️Culture Enthusiasts – Do you love deep diving into culture? This blog includes information on art galleries, museums and cultural experiences in various travel destinations. Learn about art, history and local traditions.

• 🎒Long Term Travelers – Do you want to travel for months or years? Discover how to make long-term travel happen, from budgeting to working abroad and accommodation, including house and pet sitting.

• 👣Nomads & Expats – Are you looking to relocate and live a nomadic lifestyle? I’ll give you insights into living and working abroad, and show you how to earn money while travelling, with information on house sitting and finding work.

• ♀️Solo Travelers – Are you planning to travel solo? I offer advice and inspiration specifically for women travelling alone, covering both solo travel safety and empowerment. You can feel supported and inspired to travel confidently as a solo female, with practical advice and personal stories.

• 🌿Sustainable and Slow Travelers – Do you want to know how you can minimise your impact while travelling? This blog talks about sustainable and slow travel 🐌, so you can gain insights on eco-friendly travel practices and how to travel more responsibly.

Let’s look a few of these topics in more detail.

Solo Female Travel & Couple Travel

Being a solo traveller, I understand the fears and anxiety that can come with travelling alone as a woman. I took my first solo trip abroad at the age of 19 and I have taken many solo trips since then over more than 15 years. By sharing my story I hope to promote confidence in travelling and empower women to travel alone.

I am now also one half of a travelling couple and I am very lucky to have an amazing partner Fiachra who also loves to travel and we go on many incredible adventures together. I am so grateful that I have a wonderful partner that I can share life’s journey with.

However, I want my readers to know that I still take a lot of solo trips even though I am in a long-term, committed relationship, and I think this is important for everyone. It is so fun to travel with a partner and friend, but to travel independently is magic in itself.

Budget Travel

This blog offers practical advice, especially for budget travellers.

As a budget traveller myself, I am always on the lookout for the best deals and ways to help me save money while enjoying what I love!

Travel does not have to be expensive. I have travelled a bunch of places and I hardly have any money. I wish I had more, but I spend it all on travel.

£3000. That’s how much money I moved to New Zealand with. And I spent a lot of that money travelling in South-East Asia before I even got to New Zealand so by the time I arrived I was practically broke.

I moved to Japan with even less! 😱 Thank goodness my employer paid for my flights and I had an apartment and a job ready to go!

By staying in hostels, camping or sleeping in my campervan, living in staff accommodation, and house and pet sitting, I can significantly reduced my travel expenses.

Taking trains (I love train travel), public transport, walking and cycling also save the travel budget.

Staying in local accommodation and dining at local restaurants help keep the spending down, and help you experience new places like a local.

I write posts about my best money-saving tips for budget travellers and backpackers so you can get the most out of your trip on a shoestring.

Living & Working Abroad

I have lived in countries in Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America.

Several times now, I have packed all my stuff, put it into a storage unit and moved abroad.

I know the planning, stress, emotional and physical journey it takes to move overseas and start your life again from scratch.

Even though I have done it several times now, it never gets any easier!

For anyone considering moving abroad and looking for advice on living and working in a new country, I hope I can help you with advice from my articles. Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions on this topic.

You can see a list of the countries I have visited and lived in here.

My expert countries in this area are:

• Japan – I worked here on the JET Programme as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) for 2 years. I was placed in Hokkaido prefecture.
• New Zealand – I did a Working Holiday here for 3 years (during Covid) and lived in a campervan and travelled the entire country.
• Australia – I studied abroad here for 1 year and I also did a Working Holiday for 1 year (mostly lived in Melbourne).
• Scotland – I lived here for nearly 4 years (in Edinburgh).
• Canada – I have just arrived in Canada on a Working Holiday Visa (International Experience Canada).

If you have an interest in this topic, check out the Working Abroad category and these blog posts:

• 12 Best Paid Backpacker Jobs In New Zealand
• 3 Types Of Work Visas For Backpackers In New Zealand
• Pandemic Perks: Discovering New Zealand’s Hidden Gems As A Tourist For 3 YEARS!
• 12 Ways To Find Working Holiday Visa Jobs In New Zealand
• 5 Amazing Aspects Of Japanese Working Culture According To An Expat

Nature & Culture

This blog also takes inspiration from my personal interests.

I am a keen walker and hiker so I love spending time outdoors and camping!

I also love art and history, so I like to visit galleries and museums whenever I travel!

A lot of my articles are on these topics, so if you’re into it as well you can be sure to get some good info from this blog.

If you have an interest, check out these blog post categories and latest blog posts:

• Hikes & Walks
• Art & Museums

• 10 Epic Glaciers To Visit In New Zealand
• Lake Matheson Loop Walk: Easy & Beautiful Track In Fox Glacier
• 10 Epic Street Art Cities In New Zealand’s North Island
• The Best Hikes & Walks From Corrour Station
• Escarpment Track: A Beautiful Walk From Paekakariki to Pukerua Bay
• 14 Free Art Galleries To Visit In Newcastle Upon Tyne & Gateshead
• Coffee Museum Leipzig (Coffe Baum) – Oldest Cafe In Germany
• What Does The Titanic Look Like Underwater? I Found Out In Leipzig

Travel Inspiration

I hope that I can inspire you to adventure, and to travel more and in ways which will deepen your understanding of people, culture and your connections with the world.

This blog is for those who seek inspiration for future adventures and also for those who can’t travel but enjoy experiencing the world through stories.

I’m so glad you are here and I’d like to thank you now for reading this far already!

How I Like To Travel

Slow Travel

I’ve always been a passionate traveller and as well as visiting many countries, I have also lived in several countries and continents.

Naturally, I am a slow traveller, and I like to take my time visiting a place to understand the culture and way of life.

I think there are so many interesting ways of life to experience and so many different people to meet, so it is worth taking time to discover what the world has to offer and keep an open mind.

When visiting a place, as well as taking in the major tourist sights of a destination (of course), I often like to go on the roads less travelled. I enjoy slow travel and I like taking time to discover the hidden gems and local secrets of a place.

To take slow travel even deeper, I have taken the opportunity to live and work in different countries for months or even years at a time. This allows me to truly get a sense of the place than if I had just visited for a couple of weeks.

I do still enjoy taking short trips, but it is a much more relaxing experience to take it slow and enjoy travel at a steady pace, taking each day as it comes.

Minimalism

Throughout my time travelling, I have learned that I can get by with very little.

Especially as I have been nomadic for nearly 5 years now, I have no choice to spend money on objects as I can only buy what I can carry with me.

Everything I need is packed in the luggage.

Don’t get me wrong, living out of a bag is very difficult and at times it is very annoying, especially after doing it for 4+ years!

But it certainly has taught me a lot about minimalism – what is important and what isn’t.

I much prefer to make memories and have experiences than to have physical items or tokens.

Frugality

Travelling does not need to be expensive.

Travelling can be very cheap – much cheaper than renting a property, paying bills, and other expenses of maintaining a home and a routine. It comes down to the question, “what kind of lifestyle do you want?”.

We speculate that people must mistake our freedom for wealth. Neither of us has a lot of money at all, and we never have.

We simply live a very frugal life, and we do not spend money on things that we do not need.

We are very careful with our spending and try to save as much as we can. Wherever possible we try to get the best deals possible whenever we can.

Our choice is to have a lifestyle that allows us maximum freedom. To achieve that, sacrifices need to be made.

For example, to travel all the time, and to not have a home, means that I cannot buy or bring with me things I may want, including things that would allow me to do hobbies, such as a piano, a sewing machine, baking equipment, etc. There is always a trade off.

I don’t know if that is sustainable forever, but for now it is a compromise we are willing to make.

Freedom

In the past, I have had many of the ‘normal’ responsibilities so many people have.

For me, I was working a 9-5, in an office I loathed, often with people I didn’t gel with, in a company with no prospects for promotion.

Most of my income went towards paying my expenses. My expensive apartment, expensive bills and taxes, expensive insurance, etc.

I felt trapped in a vicious cycle of working to live and living to work.

Breaking free of that was an incredibly scary thing to do. But I am so glad that I did it. It has allowed me to have so many new experiences beyond what I could have ever imagined day-dreaming in the office.

But it is not easy to live this kind of life.

Many people will constantly question our choices, and honestly I often do not know how to answer them.

Trying to explain what we are doing to the average person becomes a chore.

Most people do not understand. Maybe they have never even considered the idea. Many people hate the idea of insecurity and a lack of routine.

And I totally understand that. Sometimes I wish I had more security and a routine.

The grass always looks greener, but it isn’t always the case.

For now, it is an incredible priviledge to be able to choose how I spend each day.

Home

You might think that nomads live a glamorous life that is portrayed through social media, but despite the freedoms that we have, I can assure you that it is not an easy way to live.

Travelling constantly can be filled with many challenges and uncertainties. It can be exhausting. Often we may not know where we are going to spend the night and we are constantly having to plan where to go next. It can be a stressful way to live!

But where is home? In many senses, I am trying to find the place where I feel at home, so it is a journey of discovery. It is much easier to feel at home whenever I am with Fiachra, and I am very lucky that we both enjoy travelling together.

After years of travelling full-time, living out of a backpack and not having our own place to call home, our daydreaming has flipped. Now, both of us dream of having a house together, having children and pets, doing DIY and tending to our garden. One day I hope we are able to make it a reality.

I know it is quite the contrast from daydreaming of travel as I used to do in the office! The irony of wanting to travel all the time, to actually doing it and then longing for the opposite. I catch myself and remind myself how incredibly lucky I am to be doing what I’m doing.

Why Did I Start Wild Lovely World?

This blog was born not only out of my passion for writing and travel, but during a time when I was feeling depressed and completely out-of-control of my world. Wild Lovely World grew out of my desire to be creative and to make something that I was in control of and that could bring my two passions together.

9-5 & Mental Health

Back in 2017, I was living in Edinburgh and working 9-5 in a job that I hated.

My mental health was at an all-time low and I was feeling out of control of my life. I was signed off work with stress and depression, and I was spending hours sitting at home, alone. I felt like a little on the brink of insanity, and I needed something to keep my mind occupied.

That is when I started this blog. It felt like it was just something to keep me busy, but in reality, it was a chance to create something that I was completely in control of.

Blogging

I have been an enthusiastic writer since a young age – I’ve kept a diary since I was 5 years old. And I have always loved having an adventure. Even when I was a little girl I’d be desperate to go exploring the unknown lands beyond the invisible line at the end of the street.

Throughout the years (actually, since I went to Australia in 2010) I started and never finished so many blogs – I’d write the first few posts and call it a day.

But it was only in 2017 when I started Wild Lovely World that my two passions came together. This time I was committed for the long haul, and I was going to make it work.

This blog started a way for me to keep occupied, to exercise and practice my writing, to develop my skills and experience. It was an outlet for my creativity and a free space to share my thoughts and ideas.

Growth

But five years later, this blog is so much more than that. I now have thousands of readers per month! (thank you for being one of them! 🙂).

I have enjoyed documenting my travels and writing and taking photographs of my journeys. It feels like travel has a purpose way beyond the sightseeing. There is magic in reminiscing and sharing my travel experiences with my readers.

There is so much joy in helping others on their journey.

I have learned a lot too. In a practical sense, I have grown my knowledge of SEO, WordPress and blogging in general.

I’ve connected with a great community of travellers through social media and I am excited to continue and where else this blog will take me.

I’d like to note that I still struggle with my mental health. I have anxieties and fears like everybody. It may seem like I am fearless because I put myself out of my comfort zone. But that is me facing my fears. I like to give things a try even though I might fail. Like everyone, I have good days and bad days.

My Story & Travel History

Wow, you’re still here? Cool! Here is my travel story – my travel history from childhood to the present day!

Born To Travel

Let’s start way back in the beginning. I was born in the northwest of the U.K., with a background rooted in Traveller culture on my maternal side and a globally spread family on my paternal side.

Family History

My maternal ancestors were nomadic Travellers. In case you didn’t know, Travellers are a nomadic Indigenous ethnocultural group originating from Ireland. They travelled around the north of England in big, beautiful carved wooden caravans pulled by strong shire horses. My maternal Grandparents settled in a house in the 1950s/60s, with my Grandad working as a rag-and-bone man in Lancashire.

On the paternal side, my family has a history of international travel, starting with my grandparents living in Victoria in Australia and Fiji in the 1940s and 50s. Following WWII, my Grandfather got work in Oceania, and they had a wonderful time living abroad before returning to the U.K.

Today, my relatives are spread out all over the globe – I have family that lives in New Zealand, the UAE, Hungary, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and numerous other locations, and has lived in many more destinations prior.

I find the family history all fascinating, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my passion is to travel, seen as it has been passed down to me through the generations and is literally in my blood.

Travelling During Childhood

My sister and I often travelled to visit family who lived abroad in various European countries. As children we travelled as unaccompanied minors on planes – from a young age to when we were teenagers, and no longer needed an air hostess escort. We spent hours and hours driving across Europe, sweaty legs sticking to leather seats. I spent many of my childhood summers on the move around western and eastern Europe – visiting Hungary, Austria and the Netherlands, and on big family holidays in Spain, Italy and France.

Alberta, Canada, was the furthest distance I travelled as a child. For two weeks one summer we traveled in a motor home on a road trip. Anxiously I peered out the window as a bear approached at a campsite. I enjoyed spotting moose and the goofiness of the prairie dogs. I travelled on a glacier for the first time and was so excited to collect the ice-melt in a used Coca-Cola can.

When I was about 14 years old, my family wanted to move to Australia! Long story short, it never happened, but it did ignite an interest in me for the southern hemisphere (more on that later…)

How My Childhood Affected My View Of Travelling

My travel experiences throughout my childhood made me very comfortable with the concept as I had been taken out of my comfort zone many times. This isn’t an experience a lot of people have growing up, but to me, it just felt really normal because it happened so often.

Despite it being unconventional and somewhat disruptive, I am really grateful for the experiences it gave me and the opportunities I had to see many different parts of the world at such an early age. It has also put me in good stead for my future years when I started travelling on my own. I was not afraid to travel.

As I got older, it was time for me to travel more with friends, rather than family. And as I did it more and more, my confidence grew.

Travelling With Friends

In my teenage years, I started travelling with college, friends or boyfriends, to places like Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands. Of course, I did all the typical teenagery things, like “coffee shops” and open-air nightclubs with obnoxiously bright laser beams and decibels my ears would later regret hearing. I nursed my hangovers with fried breakfast at a cafe and a day relaxing on the beach.

Travelling Solo… & Moving To Australia 2010 – 2012

In 2010, when I was 19, I moved to Australia solo to study, work and travel. It was the furthest and the longest I had ever been from home.

As part of my university degree, I had the choice to study abroad for one year in a country of my choosing. Wondering about the life down under that I never had in childhood, I chose to go to Australia.

I spent most of my time in Melbourne, Victoria, enjoying life in one of the greatest cities in the world. This is the city where I studied abroad. I loved it so much in Melbourne, I ended up staying there for two years!

In the autumn, I took a trip to Central Australia where I camped under the stars, learned about Aboriginal culture and did some hiking in the desert.

During the summer, I spent two fun months backpacking around South Australia in Adelaide and Kangaroo Island, swam in waterfalls and snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef in far northern Queensland, and hiked the Blue Mountains and welcomed in the New Year at Sydney Harbour in New South Wales.

Lessons Learned Travelling Solo

My time in Australia was a great learning experience for me. Here are few things that I learned while in Australia:

• Travelling Solo is fun!: It was the first time I started travelling solo. I felt absolutely free and loved the adventure. I could make all the decisions about where I went and what I did.

• Hostels are a great way to meet people (and save money)!: I stayed in a lot of hostels. This way, I made so many friends and met a lot of really amazing like-minded people, many of whom are still my friends to this day.

• Confidence in myself: I became more confident in myself too. I started to learn about who I was and what was important to me.

• Trying new things: I discovered so many new things – like amazing Asian foods and sports (I tried surfing and skiing for the first time, and I also started running).

• Learning from others: I spoke to other travellers and learned more about the world and places I’d like to visit, and I was not afraid to go out and do something if I wanted to.

• Taking risks can be a good thing: I was quite happy to take risks, and that made my experience there so much more. In a way, I was reckless, and I also made a lot of mistakes, but I learned a lot from them so I think that’s okay!

Australia Working Holiday Visa

Initially I intended to stay for just one year, but I loved it so much I just didn’t want to go back. So, I applied for a Working Holiday Visa and stayed for another year. This time I wasn’t studying so I had a lot more time to travel, hang out with friends, and gain a lot of experience doing loads of different jobs!

In 2012, just before returning to the U.K., I spent around three months in Broome in far northern Western Australia where I worked on a roadhouse.

Visiting Fiji

During my stay in Australia, I visited Fiji on a solo trip over Christmas and New Year. I enjoyed island hopping and relaxing on beautiful, paradise beaches. I visited the Mamanuca Islands and stayed on Mana Island and Bounty Island. For New Year’s Eve, I stayed on the Coral Coast and then explored Nadi.

My grandparents used to live in Fiji so with the family connection I was keen to visit. The Fijian people were so lovely and welcoming and I had an amazing time there. I’d love to go back!

Roadtrip In The USA 2012

Taking the long way round, I travelled back to the U.K. from Australia via the Hawaiian islands (O’ahu and Hawai’i) and the United States throughout the summer of 2012.

I stayed in Hawaii for around 2 weeks. I travelled all around Hawai’i island on a mini road trip and I visited Honolulu in O’ahu.

From Hawaii I flew to Minnesota to meet my friends who flew in from the U.K.

Together with my friends we went on an awesome, epic road trip of a lifetime. We travelled through about 16 states in two months.

I visited Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.

We drove from Minnesota to California, camping along the way and staying in a few hotels. I had my 22nd birthday partying in Las Vegas! From California, we drove back to Minnesota. From there, we took the Amtrak train via Chicago to Philidelphia and then to New York City and Boston. I flew back to the U.K. from Boston.

Moving To Japan 2013 – 2015

By the time I was back in the U.K. and close to finishing my degree programme, I well and truly had the travel bug. I knew that after I graduated, I wanted to travel more. I lived in England again for just 10 months before graduating from university and moving overseas once more.

JET Programme

I was able to do this thanks to the JET Programme. The JET Programme is a Japanese government programme that hires foreign workers from English-speaking countries to live and work in Japanese schools and assist with foreign language education. 

During my final year of university, I applied for the JET Programme and I was successfully recruited. I went to work in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher in a small town in Hokkaido in far northern Japan where I stayed for 2 years. In my job, I taught English and facilitated cultural exchange and internationalisation at Junior High Schools and in the local community.

Hokkaido

During this time I took many trips hiking and camping in Hokkaido. I climbed many amazing mountains, such as Mount Yotei, Rausu, Meakan and Rishiri. I saw huge sculptures made of ice and beautiful fields full of colourful flowers. Hokkaido is one of the most stunning places I have ever been and it holds a special place in my heart.

Travelling Japan

I took a few trips across Honshu, visiting Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kamakura, Hakone, Fujikawaguchiko, Wakayama and Aomori. One of my best trips was a three-week solo winter adventure travelling by train all the way from Nikko to Hiroshima.

Shortly before I left Japan, my sister came to visit me and we spent a really fun two weeks travelling together around the Tokyo area and across Hokkaido.

Living in Japan for 2 years was one of the wildest, most adventurous experiences of my life so far, and I made the absolute best friends and have the wildest memories. It feels like a dream that it even happened it was so surreal, but I would go and do it all again in a heartbeat.

Falling In Love With Europe 2015 – 2020

After 2 years in Japan, in the summer of 2015, I returned to the U.K. I spent 6 months volunteering at music festivals, wild camped in the Highlands, and spent quality time catching up with family and friends, and did some temporary work whilst I figured out my next step.

It was also during this time that I took many trips back and forth to Ireland in pursuit of love. While volunteering at Bestival on the Isle of Wight I met Fiachra, a charming and funny Irish man and, looking back, it was love at first sight (I wasn’t just horrendously drunk, I swear).

Moving To Scotland 2016

Then in the spring of 2016, I was successfully hired for a role in the beautiful city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Fiachra and I had been doing long distance for 6 months between the UK and Ireland, and so we decided at this time of change it was time to take the leap. We moved in together in a new city, with new jobs and a new apartment!

It was an amazing experience to live in Edinburgh, which is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I had visited Edinburgh many times before moving there, and during my commutes to work I constantly looked around in awe. I loved spending my weekends exploring everything Edinburgh and Scotland had to offer. From the gorgeous beaches of East Lothian to the wild mountains of the highlands, Scotland is a country with an abundance of incredible landscapes and adventures.

Cheap Weekend Trips In Europe 2016

After many years of living overseas, I was also on a mission to explore the continent I came from – Europe! With easy access to cheap European flights, I took extended trips whenever I could to help relax my itchy feet.

In the autumn of 2016, I visited Scandinavia for the first time when we took a quick (and very budget!) weekend trip to Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark.

I made a solo trip to Barcelona, Spain in the following January.

Interrailing Adventure In Eastern Europe 2017

Over the spring-summer of 2017, I inter-railed for three weeks with Fiachra. We travelled from Prague, Czech Republic to Crete, Greece, stopping off in 9 countries along the way (including Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy) and covering a distance of about 5,000km!

This trip was an absolutely incredible experience and one I would not hesitate to do all over again if given the chance!

Unfortunately, due to a hard drive mishap, I lost almost ALL of my photos from this trip – so sad! 😭 I am hoping that I will be able to recover them one day, but for now all I have is stories and memories…

The Cheapest Holiday Ever To France 2017

We took a romantic mini-break to Carcassonne, France in the autumn of 2017 when I bagged return flights for 2 adults for only £20! It would have been rude not to really!

Our self-catering apartment with terrace in Carcassonne for 3 nights cost about £139.

We spent the days drinking €2 bottles of red wine, munching baguettes from the boulangerie and admiring the autumnal scenery. It was brilliant.

We also took a day trip to Toulouse on the train.

Europe Trips 2018

In April 2018, we went to the Netherlands to visit Fiachra’s sibling who was living there at the time. While in the Netherlands we travelled in a loop around Holland via train, visiting Utrecht, the Haag, Rotterdam, Harlem and Amsterdam. During this trip, I got to see all the tulips at Keukenhof, ride a bike merrily around Kinderdijk and visit the Anne Frank House.

I headed to Germany in May 2018 to visit some old friends that I met in Japan. I visited Berlin and Leipzig and had a great time in each!

In August, me and a bunch of friends took a trip to the Lake District and hiked the highest mountain in England for my birthday – Scafell Pike!

That summer I also visited a few festivals around the U.K. and spent time with some friends living in London.

Winter Solo Trip To Iceland 2019

In January 2019, I took possibly my most expensive solo trip to date – Iceland! It had been a dream of mine to visit Iceland for such a long time (well, I did stop over there on the way to Canada as a kid, but spending a few hours in Reykjavik airport doesn’t count!).

I took a tour with Arctic Adventures which I highly recommend. We travelled the Golden Circle and the South Coast. I hiked towering glaciers, explored ice caves, held tiny little bits of the iceberg, was disturbed (and humoured) by penises at the one and only Penis Museum in Reykjavik, and bathed in the famous Blue Lagoon.

Best of all, I saw the NORTHERN LIGHTS, which was an absolute DREAM COME TRUE. I do not have any great photos of it because I was not very skilled with my camera at that point, but I saw it! And I have some photos to prove it. Look!

Europe Trips 2019

In March 2019 I took a solo trip to Northumberland, travelling along some of the most beautiful coasts I have ever seen in the U.K.! The golden sand beaches surprised me – I had no idea that there were such beautiful beaches in England! I drove from Edinburgh to Alnwick (famous for its castle used in many movies!) and visited little coastal towns along the way. I also drove across the causeway to Holy Island – a great place to explore!

In May 2019, I visited a friend in Luxembourg. She was wonderful in showing me around her (albeit tiny) country over three days. I was thoroughly charmed!

At this time I also took a camping trip to Wales with family and friends. We hiked Snowdon (the highest mountain in Wales) as well as explored cute little towns and countryside. It was gorgeous and I definitely need to go back!

In September 2019, I was lucky enough to take part in an Erasmus+ Mobility program in Bulgaria. I got to hang out for a week in the gorgeous Rhodope mountains with a bunch of amazing human beings, connecting with nature and feeling incredibly at peace! If you ever get a chance to do something like that, I highly recommend it (check out my Travel Resources page for ideas!). During my trip, I also visited Sofia and thought it was a really beautiful city with great food! I’d love to travel to Eastern Europe some more.

Discovering Scotland

All the while I was exploring the U.K. and Europe, I continued my many adventures around Scotland too. I visited almost every nook and cranny of the place.

In November 2018 we did the North Coast 500 – an epic road trip all around the north of Scotland.

I took many solo camping and hiking trips across the highlands!

I rode along the most beautiful railway in the U.K. – the West Highland Line, and I made trips to several Scottish islands including the Isles of Arran, Mull, Skye, Iona and Staffa.

Having seen so much of Scotland, I can honestly tell you that it is one of the most beautiful (and coldest and wettest) places on the planet!

My Scotland Travel Guide is a good place to start for travel tips and advice in Scotland. The guide is growing with regular new blog posts about Scotland, particularly Edinburgh as that is where I was based for 4 years.

Quitting Our Jobs, Packing Our Bags & Travelling The World Together 2020 – Now!

After 3 years and 9 months of living in Edinburgh, Fiachra and I decided it was time for a new adventure. We quit our jobs, donated and sold most of our belongings, and whatever was left we put into a storage unit. I sold my car and we moved out of our flat. We said goodbye to our friends and family and we left the U.K. in January 2020 with just each other and a couple of backpacks.

(Who knew that the coronavirus pandemic would become so rampant as it did, that years later we would be still on the road!)

South-East Asia 2020

From the U.K. we headed on a flight to Singapore (via Finland – I MUST return one day to visit Moominland), and from there we travelled via bus, boat and plane all the way to Bangkok. Along the way, we were in awe of Singapore’s magnificence, Malaysia‘s quirks and delicious street food, and Thailand‘s stunning island beaches and warm hospitality.

New Zealand 2020 – 2023

After a month and a half travelling in South East Asia, in March 2020 we arrived in New Zealand on our Working Holiday Visas. Two weeks later the border closed and would remain closed for two years! I am stunned and so, so, so, so grateful that we arrived before it would have been too late!

Within our first two weeks, we bought a campervan, and from then on we travelled and worked our way across the country. We spent more than three years travelling the entire of New Zealand, including both the North Island and the South Island.

Due to Covid-19, our visas were extended on multiple occasions by the New Zealand government. This allowed us to keep exploring the country as we lived in our campervan and worked in a variety of jobs on our Working Holiday Visas.

House & Pet Sitting

It was in New Zealand that we began housesitting regularly too.

I had done a bit of cat sitting in Edinburgh beforehand, so had a little bit of experience with taking care of homes and pets.

As a couple, we joined Kiwi Housesitters and housesat our way around New Zealand in between travelling in our campervan and doing seasonal work.

It was amazing for us to have accommodation while travelling without burning through our savings.

We found we loved housesitting and got lots of positive feedback from our clients. We ended up doing around 25 housesits in New Zealand via Kiwi Housesitters and decided to continue housesitting on our future travels.

If you’re interested in housesitting, check out my Travel Resources for info on how to start started.

We had an amazing time in New Zealand and we were so grateful to have the opportunity to travel New Zealand for longer than we originally intended.

We explored the entire country and had lots of awesome experiences.

Check out my New Zealand Travel Guide for lots of useful blog posts about campervans, Working Holiday Visas and backpacking in New Zealand!

Leaving New Zealand 2023

After three fabulous years in New Zealand, we decided that it was time for a new phase of life. We made the decision to leave New Zealand and return to the U.K., Ireland and Europe. It had been three years since we had seen any of our family or friends from Europe, and so it was time to head back.

Visiting The Cook Islands 2023

Before leaving the southern hemisphere, we took a week in March 2023 to travel to the Cook Islands. We stayed on Rarotonga Island in a gorgeous villa with a swimming pool and beautiful gardens. Unfortunately, it rained a LOT while we were there, but it was still a tropical paradise. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the island, hanging with the friendly locals, trying new foods, drinking plenty of beer at happy hour, and seeing lots of wonderful life under the sea during our frequent snorkelling trips.

After our trip to the Cook Islands, we returned to New Zealand on an ETA for just over 1-month to sell our campervan, pack our belongings and prepare for our departure.

Visiting Australia 2023

We booked flights to Melbourne, Australia and… well, we ended up having a 2-month stopover! It was a little longer than we expected, but I was enjoying reminiscing about my previous life in Australia, catching up with old friends, and showing Fiachra around my favourite haunts.

Unfortunately, I also caught Covid-19 for the first time (I was lucky to have held out for so long though!) and I had to isolate and spend a few weeks recovering.

As huge fans of slow travel these days, we like to take our time when we visit a place. Melbourne is one of my favourite cities in the world, and Fiachra quickly grew to love it too! We joined Aussie Housesitters and did a few housesits in Melbourne over the two months we were there. I loved wandering around the neighbourhoods, visiting the markets and coffee shops, and enjoying the international food options in the city.

Luckily we were also able to take a free trip along the Great Ocean Road thanks to this blog! I was offered the trip in exchange for taking photos of the tour. This was my first “freebie” of any kind as a travel blogger, so that was pretty cool! It was also fun to revisit a place in 2023 that I had visited for the first time back in 2010!

Abu Dhabi Layover

On the way back to the U.K. from Australia we had a layover in Abu Dhabi for 23 hours! Luckily, we got a deal with Etihad Airways where they paid for our hotel accommodation. We stayed at the Premier Inn in Abu Dhabi airport, which had a swimming pool on the rooftop. We had a delicious meal at the hotel restaurant.

During our short stay, we took the free hotel shuttle bus to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and visited for a couple of hours at dusk. It was stunning to visit at this time as the lights were on and the call to prayer sounded.

The layover in Abu Dhabi was a great way to break up the journey and it was fun to visit the United Arab Emirates and do a bit of sightseeing even for a short while.

Returning To Europe 2023

In July 2023, we arrived back in Europe to the warm hospitality of our families in Ireland and the U.K. After three years, we had a lot to catch up on! Fiachra and I spent a good 2 months enjoying the last of the summer with family.

We also did quite a bit of travelling across the U.K., as we travelled to housesits across England, having joined Housesitters UK. We visited major sites in the U.K., including Shakespeare’s house in Stratford-Upon-Avon, the Tower of London and Stonehenge. I had visited all these sites before, but it was the first time for Fiachra to see many of these places!

We also spent over a month visiting Fiachra’s family in Ireland on the south and west coasts. We enjoyed gorgeous weather and took long walks on the beach and swims in the sea!

Living In Wales 2023 – 2024

In October 2023, we got offered a long-term housesit over the winter in Wales on the outskirts of Snowdonia National Park. Initially the housesit was for 5-months, but the homeowners were having such a fabulous time at their holiday home in the sun that they decided to stay there longer, so the housesit lasted for 9-months in the end!

The winter was awful, it rained all the time, and there were countless storms. Unfortunately due to the weather, we didn’t get to do that much traveling as we spent most of our free time cosied up in front of the fire trying to keep warm! So, we focused our energy on working and saving as much money as possible for the travel fund!

While we were in Wales we had lots of lovely visits from family so we got to spend time together in the U.K.

We did also take lots of nice walks along the coast and a couple of daytrips to Snowdownia National Park.

Visit To Pembrokeshire 2024

Once the housesit in Wales came to an end, we decided to take the summer off and travel!

First, we visited Pembrokeshire National Park in south Wales. It is an area I have always wanted to visit because I had heard nothing but good things. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. It was absolutely beautiful there. The beaches are gorgeous. Honestly, you wouldn’t believe you were in the U.K.! We had a lovely Airbnb and we spent 3 days exploring different areas of the coast, including Tenby, the city of St. David’s (the smallest city in the U.K.) and Pembroke.

Interrailing Adventure (& Driving Back To The U.K.) Summer 2024

In July and August, we did an interrailing trip from Beligum to Hungary.

Beligum

We flew to Charleroi, and visited different cities in Beligum. We stayed in Antwerp and visited Ghent, Bruges and Brussels by train over a few days.

Prague

From Antwerp, we travelled on the new European Sleeper overnight all the way to Prague in Czechia. The journey took 15 hours! We stayed on couchettes. Most of the journey was in the dark, but the following day we travelled through the beautiful countryside south of Dresden in Germany and the scenery was incredible! I have made a note to hopefully revisit this part of the world in the future.

We only stayed in Prague for 1 night, as it is a convenient location to travel onwards to Krakow, Vienna and Budapest which were our next destinations. Due to how the train times worked out, we still had two whole days to explore. We enjoyed wandering around the city and seeing sights we missed on our first visit.

Krakow

From Prague, we took an overnight sleeper train to Krakow in Poland. We had a deluxe double cabin which was real fancy feeling after the couchette. There was even an ensuite with a shower in our cabin!

It was my first time to visit Poland, and I loved it! I thought the people were friendly (they never smile, but that’s okay), the attractions were so interesting (World War II history and the Salt Mines), and the city was so quaint. It was so clean and had been recently modernised. The public transport was great. Best of all, there were no crowds!

I feel like Krakow is still off the beaten path a little bit, unlike Prague which was just so overcrowded it wasn’t too enjoyable. I could see how much tourism has overtaken Prague, compared to when we visited in 2017 and in 2024, there was a big difference. In years to come, I feel Krakow could be heading in a similar direction, so I recommend to visit while it is still quiet! I plan to revisit Poland and go to other cities in the future, as I enjoyed my time there very much.

Vienna

From Krakow, we took another overnight sleeper train to Vienna in Austria. We had a private double room again, but it was a little old and we didn’t sleep so well.

We stayed in Vienna for a few nights and I really enjoyed visiting the art galleries and museums, as well as wandering around the city. The architecture is beautiful, and I loved trying all the food including cherry pancakes and chocolate torte.

Budapest & Balaton, & Back To The UK

Next, we travelled to Budapest, this time on a day-time train. It was so crowded! Even though it only took a couple of hours, it was really uncomfortable (night trains, all was forgiven). In Hungary, we spent time with my family at Lake Balaton. The weather was hot and sunny and we spent the days swimming in the lake, sunbathing, cycling and taking walks. It was the perfect end to a lovely summer!

To return to the U.K., we travelled around 1535 miles (2470 km) over land by car and ferry from Budapest to Edinburgh. We spent the next few weeks housesitting across the U.K. before flying to Ireland to visit Fiachra’s family, before we began our next adventure!

Canada 2024 – ?

In October 2024, we moved to Canada! Both of us successfully gained work permits through the International Experience Canada programme, and after a very long application and planning process we flew from Dublin to Calgary in the autumn.

Now, we are currently housesitting in Canada via Housesitters Canada and we also finally joined Trusted Housesitters!

We are looking forward to seeing what adventures we have in Canada but for now we are taking it day-by-day. We have completed all our arrival tasks such as activated our work permits, opened bank accounts and got our social insurance numbers. Next, we need to find work otherwise we are going to be in trouble as we have been living off our savings. 😅

So far, we have explored Calgary and took a day-trip to Banff. We walked Johnston Canyon and it was stunning. Calgary has cool neighbourhoods with great murals and quirky stores. The river park is beautiful right now with autumn colours on the trees. There are plenty of squirrels around foraging and it is entertaining seeing Halloween decorations outside people’s homes. Arriving in the autumn has been lovely and is leading us nicely into winter.

So, that is my travel story so far! Thanks so much for reading (I know it’s a long one).

Where To Next?

Read My Latest Blog Posts

• North Vs South Island New Zealand: Which Is Better To Visit?
• New Zealand True Crime: 11 Shocking Cases (And Best Podcasts)
• 21 Big Things In South Island | Giant Sculptures New Zealand
• 25 Big Things In North Island | New Zealand Giant Sculptures
• Fox Glacier Accommodation: 6 Best Places To Stay | West Coast
• 7 Tips For Buying A Campervan In New Zealand
• 3 Best Camping Sites In Curio Bay | The Catlins, New Zealand
• 10 Best Things To Do In Curio Bay | The Catlins, New Zealand

Buy Me A Coffee

If you enjoy my content, you can support me for the price of a cup of coffee. Send me a tip today through Ko-Fi. I would really appreciate it!

Subscribe To My Mailing List

If you want to follow along, please join my mailing list. Never miss a thing! Subscribe to Wild Lovely World and you will get updates right in your inbox when I publish a new post!

First Name Email Address Submit

Follow Me On Social Media

Find me around the internet @wildlovelyworld. Contact me here.

• Facebook
• Mail
• Threads
• X
• TikTok
• Reddit
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Bluesky
• LinkedIn

Discover More…

Curious to know Where I’ve Been? Take a look here ✈️

Visit my Travel Resources here for everything I use & love

Explore all Destinations here 🗺️