Tag: Backpacking

My Love-Hate Relationship with Lonely Planet

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I recently read Lonely Planet’s guide to Europe’s Best Road Trips. Yes, the photos are stunning and it makes me want to learn to drive and travel all over. However, what annoys me about this list is their lack of diversity. According to the United Nations, there are 44 countries in Europe. All of the countries listed in Lonely Planet’s guide are in Western Europe. What about all the other countries? I’ve travelled around Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, and many others and they boast breathtaking landscapes. Why are these countries ignored? Calm down Helen, it’s just a list Maybe I am …

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Helen’s 10 Best Hikes and Climbs in the World

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When travelling, I often find myself doing monstrous hikes that put my unfitness into perspective. That being said, hiking is one of my favourite things to do while travelling. No matter how strenuous the hiking is, the views are usually pretty spectacular. From my current location in Mexico, all the way to China and the UK, here are some of my top hikes across the world. Teotihuacan, Mexico Our most recent hike was both epic and tiring. Teotihuacan is an ancient city (about 2000 years old) found about an hour outside of Mexico City. There are two big temples to climb: the …

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A Catholic’s Dilemma: Travelling During Lent

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Despite not being a practising Catholic, each year when Lent rolls around, I still feel the Catholic desire to give something up or do something extra. Facebook, alcohol, cheese, and chocolate detoxes have all been completed in the past. I like to give something up which is challenging to go without and that I know I often over indulge in. Travelling and Lent: Easy Peasy? While travelling, you’d think that this would be easy, right? But I’ve actually found it significantly more difficult deciding what to give up for Lent the past three years (the years I’ve been backpacking in …

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Touching Down in Mexico City

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Landing in Mexico City We landed at 4 am in Mexico City, earlier than we were scheduled to do so. Our flight with Aeromexico had been very smooth and we even managed to sleep a fair amount on the plane. The queue for immigration was long but we finally made it through and got our luggage about 5.15am. Google Maps informed us of a quick and easy route to get to our hostel. We arrived at 7am, unsure if we could get into our room, but thankfully we could. We flopped onto the bed, exhausted from the 12-hour flight. It was …

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Goodbye Bristol, Hola Mexico!

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Goodbye Bristol After spending nearly three whole months in Bristol, Mitch and I are off again. I love Bristol, I always will. However, we have the opportunity to work and travel. Travelling is one of my passions and being able to do that while I earn a living is pretty damn awesome. So for now, I wave goodbye to Bristol, my family, friends, and the good times I had in the past few months, and say hello to a new chapter for 2017. Hola, Mexico! While Mexico didn’t feature on my places to visit in 2017, it’s the gateway to …

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New York: Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made of…

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When people ask me the highlights of our last travelling adventure, it’s really impossible to say. How do you compare the tranquillity of Xingping, China to the bustling metropolitan city of Seoul, Korea? Then, after spending 12 months in Asia, there was the cultural shock heading over to North America. I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have visited these all of these places. Still, if I had to really boil it down to my absolute favourite destinations, I would have two answers: The Great Wall of China, and New York City. I’ve always wanted to visit New York …

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