As a digital publication with over 300,000 followers, Travelettes prides itself on being the traveling big sister for young women around the world.

Offering guidance before, during, and after trips, as well as personal anecdotes from experiences we’ve encountered first-hand, our content is varied and very often personal. The incredible support of the Travelettes community means we have readers from all over the world, but the Black Lives Matter movement has highlighted the lack of diversity we currently have as a publication.

Travelettes is actively recruiting new members (see the end of this article to find out how to apply), and we recognize that the Travelettes team not only need to represent the brilliant diversity of our readers but also offer a platform for Black travel writers, who very often go unrecognized in the industry.

Whilst recruiting takes time, pointing our readers in the direction of diversity and talent, doesn’t. So, here are some of our favorite Black travel bloggers for you to follow and read!

1. Jasmine, Thoughts from Jasmine

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Here’s a reminder that you don’t have to be productive right now if you don’t want to be ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ There’s been a lot of talk about how we should all be using this time to level up and grind and start the projects we’ve always wanted to start. Yeah, this is a good time to start if you do genuinely want to, but no one should feel pressured in the middle of a pandemic! If things are getting to you and you need to give yourself time to breathe and refocus and relax, you are well within your rights. Not everything needs to be a hustle ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ {Do I need to put a disclaimer that this was taken pre-lockdown? It was obviously taken pre lockdown. Also the coat is gifted from a previous collab with @oasisfashion} ⁣⁣ ⁣ : @eboniivoryblog

A post shared by Jasmine (@thoughtsfromjasmine) on Mar 24, 2020 at 11:32am PDT

Jasmine is a London blogger whose website is a self-named ‘online scrapbook’ of her life. Whilst her Insta is a source of inspiration for any London trips you might have planned, her blog features content from across Europe, the USA, and Africa!

2. Ann, Ann the Adventurist

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When I first started traveling as an adult, I would collect fridge magnets or t-shirts with the destination's name to remember the country or city I visited. Nowadays I buy more practical products that I cannot find back home or are cheaper to buy where I'm visiting. Some items I've purchased are vanilla bean paste from Mauritius, maple cream from Canada, amarula essential oil from eSwatini (Swaziland), fresh red & green curry paste from Thailand, and red wine from South Africa. Do you bring back souvenirs from your trips? __ #peoplewhohike #seekthetrails #blackoutdoors #blackpeoplehike #blackgirlstrekkin #hikingculture #trekkingtoes #happypeoplehike #wekeepyououtdoors #womenwhohike #womenwhoexplore #wecoloroutside #seattlewashington #visitseattle #pnw #hikingwashington #pnwhiking #upperleftusa #explorewashstate #viewpnw #northwestexplored #naturalwashington #wanderwashington #hikingpacificnorthwest #pnwisbeautiful #womenwhoexplorewashington #choosemountainslater

A post shared by Ann (@anntheadventurist) on Apr 10, 2020 at 7:35am PDT

The clue is in the name of Ann’s blog – if you’re looking for outdoor adventure, Ann is a hiking queen. From Lake Garda to Cape Town, Ann’s guides offer advice and recommendations for popular destinations around the world.

3. Candace, Candace Abroad

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The best part of travel is never in the pictures, it’s in the experiences, the conversations, the interactions with people whose paths you know you wouldn’t cross in your hometown, and of course, the endless discoveries of a new way of living ⁣ ⁣ Lately I’ve been trying to find shows that could evoke that feeling for me virtually, even a little bit, then I remembered Ugly Delicious⁣ ⁣ It’s about an award-winning chef, David Chang who goes around the world to learn about different cuisines, taking artists, celebrities and activists with him ⁣ ⁣ This episode he goes to Mumbai with my fav! Aziz Ansari to learn how the whole world’s cuisine basically starts with India ⁣ ⁣ I learned so much today about Indian food and culture and am happy to report, I got a little bit of that feeling today ⁣ ⁣ Do you have any shows that make you feel like you’re traveling from home right now? Let me know!⁣ ⁣ From Season 2 Episode 2 “Don’t Call It Curry” highly recommend ⁣ ⁣

A post shared by Candace | Expat & Travel (@candaceabroad) on May 28, 2020 at 6:51am PDT

Candace is a force to be reckoned with. Not only is she an amazing travel blogger, she’s also the host and founder of Abroad & Co. https://www.abroadandco.com/, a Gen Z/Millennial podcast which focuses on travel experiences and tips for those ‘young and abroad’.

4. Adebola, My Breaking Views

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I am so excited and overwhelmed about my first #MBVscookingandtraveltalks live. ⁣ ⁣ I love the support and encouragement you have all shown me so far – thank you! ⁣ ⁣ It feels so far away but Sunday 10th May @3pm will come quickly and I want us all to enjoy different foods from around the world. So I'm excited to bring this vision to life. ⁣ ⁣ To make this process as smooth as possible please wash and season your meat the night before 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐲𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. I only have an hour with you guys and I really want us to talk about travels and enjoy while cooking some suya! ⁣ ⁣ 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 ⁣ ⁣ We will be learning from eachother and tasting different foods from around the world. I've got a few countries lined up so get excited and stay tuned. ⁣ ⁣

A post shared by Adebola | Food & Travel (@mybreakingviews) on May 2, 2020 at 3:06am PDT

Adebola found her love of travel after studying abroad in Singapore. Alongside her love of travel and food, Adebola is the co-founder of Black Travel Creators https://www.instagram.com/btravelcreators/, a platform, and community for black creators to connect and learn from each other’s experiences.

5. Adrina, Adrina Ruby

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2cz67KBZgM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Adrina is another blogger who was inspired by a study abroad program. Originally from South Carolina, Adrina started her blog during her time in Seville, Spain, as a way to document her experience. It’s now expanded into a blog on travel, food, and how she’s navigating her way through life.

6. Kay, The Awkward Traveler

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Where my gamers at?? ⁣ ⁣ I love video games. It’s basically all I did with my time since I gained dexterity of my hands. My favorite thing to bring on a trip is my handy dandy Switch console (it fits perfectly in a carry on!) ⁣ ⁣ New Blog Post Best Video Games for Travel Lovers. I’ve rounded up my favorite video games I’ve played over the years that embody the spirit of traveling – so you can feed your travel big without leaving your couch! ⁣ ⁣ Here are some of my current favorites, in no particular order: ⁣ ⁣ Animal Crossing: New Horizons⁣ Red Dead Redemption 2⁣ Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild⁣ Journey ⁣ The Sims 4 ⁣ ⁣ Gahhh and so many more. Check the link in my bio for the full post! ⁣ ⁣ So what about you? Have you played any of these games? What’s your console of choice?

A post shared by kay portland, oregon (@theawkwardtraveller) on Apr 14, 2020 at 11:44am PDT

Kay’s blog description is ‘Memoirs of an ill-equipped tourist’ – which is extremely relatable. Although now a more seasoned traveler, Kay’s content continues to echo the sentiments of thousands of women as she creates honest, inclusive tips, trips, and travel guides.

7. Kareemah, Hijab Globe Trotter

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: The face I make when I find out that there are many free activities to do in New York. New video coming soon : La cara que hago cuando descubro que hay muchas actividades gratuitas para hacer en Nueva York. Nuevo video próximamente @ryota1438

A post shared by Storyteller~Language Lover (@hijabiglobetrotter) on Nov 25, 2019 at 7:09pm PST

Kareemah documents have experience as a Muslim woman traveling the world. Her blog is invaluable for women in the same position, but also hugely educational for others. From Winter Getaways to Things Not to Tell a Muslim Traveler, Kareemah’s content is varied and honest.

8. Francesca, One Girl One World<

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Who else keeps documents from their trips? I keep a box full of ticket stubs,train schedules, brochures and maps. I was digging through it because I really miss traveling, and discovered almost 40 postcards! I know we all miss traveling and human connection, so I’m going to send 10 of you hand-written postcards from some of my travels ….. Starting tomorrow I’ll be launching #francescastraveltrivia in my stories. Each day I’ll highlight a different destination with a quiz at the end, then I’ll randomly pick a winner from whoever answers correctly! Hopefully it inspires you to keep wanderlust alive, while showing love to the destinations who have supported me in the past. ….. To kick things off I’m going to mail a postcard from Rome to someone in the comments. Leave a comment with your favorite place you’ve been and why! Can’t wait to read your answers [Closed! Congrats @intentionally.there]

A post shared by Francesca • One Girl One World (@onegrloneworld) on Apr 27, 2020 at 12:05pm PDT

If you haven’t heard of Francesca on the travel blogging sphere, you’ve been looking in all the wrong places. Featured in the Washington Post and Forbes, Francesca’s blog is a fantastic resource for all things travel, but is particularly useful for anyone looking to teach abroad.

9. Michelle, Michelle Online

 

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Michelle |SpontaneousBehaviour (@miichellendlovu) am Aug 6, 2019 um 12:02 PDT

Michelle’s words ‘I like to live life unapologetically, with a mind open to everything and attached to nothing…’ are extremely relatable, and clearly a sentiment she lives by. Her blog is full of recommendations and personal anecdotes for you to get lost in.

10. Efia, Effy Talks Life

 

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Efia • Wellness & Solo Travel (@effyshowslife) am Mär 23, 2020 um 3:09 PDT

Effy’s blog and Instagram are a go-to if you’re in need of wanderlust and cheering up. She’s a champion for empowering young women and definitely doesn’t just talk the talk – her new e-book Girl, Solo has only just been released!

Whilst we endeavor and pledge to recruit a wider variety of women from all backgrounds and diversities, we hope this points you in the direction of the incredible Black travel writing talent out there.

If you are interested in becoming a Travelette, please email alice@travelettes.net with some information about yourself and a sample of your work (writing and photography). Travelettes are empowered women from around the world who live and breathe travel, so if this sounds like you please get in touch!

Feature photo credit: www.atikh.com and www.khayriyyah.com

Places like Hawaii have black sand beaches and active volcanoes. New Zealand has accessible glacier. Greenland has mighty icebergs. The US have gorges. Canada has enormous waterfalls. Finland has the northern lights. Scotland has puffins. Russia has reindeer. But only Iceland has all of these things combined. Couple it with the warming effect of the gulf stream and this near-Arctic island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is quite the hidden gem.

Travel plans for 2020 might still be all up in the air with coronavirus cases still spreading around the world, though with a decrease, and the travel norms rapidly changing. Still, even if it is safe to travel again and your wanderlust is giving you itchy feet, figuring out where to go and where it is wise to go can be tricky.

Looking through my old travel photos, I stumbled upon images of dense waterfalls and frothy green lava fields and I remembered how jaw-dropping experiencing Iceland was. It was a trip immersed in nature and all about nature. One that established a desire to see more of the earth’s wonders, now that we can. Before the human race touches more of it.

But what is the reality of travelling to Iceland right now? Only one person I know could share extreme insight. Ryan Connolly from a small local travel agency Hidden Iceland, the guide that made my trip to this land so unforgettable, has a brain worth picking and an immense amount of knowledge to share. So, I called him up.

Without a foreseeable end to the coronavirus pandemic as of yet, how the travel industry will make it through its busiest season – the summer months – is uncertain. Without a doubt, this will also affect local tourism but vanished crowds doesn’t sound so dreadful to Ryan.

“Running off the beaten path travel will be even easier than before,” he said. “Though I personally didn’t consider Iceland to ever be crowded anyway. At Iceland’s peak, there were just over 2 million tourists per year to the entire island. Compare that to squeezing in 20 million to the tiny town of Venice and you can see why I feel this way. Even once everything goes back to ‘normal’ we are still expecting a maximum of half of the tourists from pre-COVID-19.

Saying that, if you are looking to travel to a secluded, clean and well-maintained country with social distancing still in your mind, Iceland is the place to be. I think mass tourism that plagued the summer months in Iceland will be a thing of the past and more people will opt for a more personalised experience and going off the beaten path. Two things Hidden Iceland are pretty good at doing already.”

Opening its doors to tourists on June 15, Iceland’s mass tourism days are over, as Ryan explains. And this could bring more opportunities for both tourism workers and travellers. The guys over at Hidden Iceland, couldn’t be more thrilled about welcoming a smaller number of tourists as they have always prided themselves in small group and intimate travel. But in a COVID-19 world, it is practically demanded of them.

“I suspect the number of tourists to Iceland will still be tiny this summer. Maybe 10% if we’re lucky. I do expect the demand to be higher than this though. The main thing stopping more people coming to Iceland in the short time isn’t the chance of catching COVID-19 in Iceland. There are practically no new cases in May, and everyone will be tested on arrival that needs it.

The 2 main reasons are that a) their own country may have restrictions on travel still and b) the airlines that normally frequent Iceland will be filled up due to their diminished flying schedule.  Still, if you are looking to come to Iceland this summer, it will be very quiet, peaceful and above all else, safe.”

What is there to look forward to this summer in Iceland? From early May until mid- August Iceland doesn’t have any night time, at all. It simply doesn’t get dark due to Iceland being close to the north pole. By late June, the sun barely sets at all and you can see the midnight sun low in the sky before it temporarily sets and rises again. This coincides with millions of puffins (and whales) calling Iceland their home. “It’s quite a time to come,” says Ryan. All while not coming into contact with many other tourists.

Travelling to Iceland isn’t limited to only one season. In fact, there’s something unique to explore all year round. So, if you’re not travelling this summer for whatever reason, the autumn/winter period still has a lot to offer.

Autumn onwards, Iceland becomes a winter wonderland. Regular snowfall and crystal-clear blue glacier ice make this time of year even more unique than the summer. Ryan expects a bit of a surge with recently un-quarantined people wanting to find a secluded travel spot that isn’t too far from Europe.

“I personally anticipate this winter to be one of Hidden Iceland’s busiest,” he commented. “Lower numbers overall but an increased onus on immersive travel. Going to the most popular destinations this autumn and winter are going to be a dream come true for us. We won’t need to find the best time of day to avoid other tourists because that will be at any time of the day. Starry, northern lights filled nights and daytime with a sun that stays in the permanent golden hour is worth getting a little chilly at times.”

Whether you are aiming to travel in the next few months or later on in the year, Iceland has an abundance of experiences and landscapes to see. It was there where I realised what a beautiful beast nature is and why Games of Thrones used it as a filming location. If there is one piece of advice I’d give to first-time travellers to Iceland is to get a tour guide. The country’s harsh and unpredictable weather conditions and extremely long distances could challenge even the most experienced drivers. In addition, the land is full of fascinating phenomena and cool facts, mostly known by people whose living depends on touring the country.

When picking a travel company look out for what packages they offer and what type of travel you wish to do. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak so many small companies are struggling to survive even if this is a temporary situation. What Hidden Iceland suggests is that people take advantage of the favourable exchange rate right now and the discounts on offer for guests to book for the future.

With flexible ‘book now, travel later’ terms you can even book a trip and change the date as often as you want if anything disrupts your future plans. Valuing personalised experiences Hidden Iceland is best-suited for a social distancing conscious style tour.

When it comes down to travelling right now, besides experiencing what a country has to offer and supporting its local economy, it’s vital to travel responsibly and safely. Small group, customised travel by on-the-ground agencies may be the biggest travel trend of 2020.

Thank you to Ryan Connolly and the team at Hidden Iceland for helping with this article.

Explore the world from the comfort of your own home with riveting voyages of discovery and personal accounts of off-the-beaten-track adventure. If you’re not travelling right now but dreaming about it, there’s nothing stopping you from reliving it through someone else’s words – and experiences.

With a little help from bookworm travellers around the world, here is a list of our favourite travel memoirs on the market. From North Korea to Morocco, China to Paris (and even circumnavigations of the world), we can take you on an exciting mental journey.

Happy reading!

‘Dark Star Safari’ by Paul Theroux

Recommended by Wander-Lush

As a lover of long, meandering journeys, there’s nothing I enjoy more than a drawn-out trip by rail or road. American author Paul Theroux shares the same passion. Dark Star Safari is one of his many memoirs written to chronicle an epic cross-continental adventure.

This particular volume follows Theroux’s overland journey from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa. It’s a very personal journey for the author, as he reminisces along the way about his younger days as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi. In true Theroux style, the novel is filled with witty observations and candid descriptions about the landscapes and the people he encounters as he moves through the heart of the continent.

Travelling exclusively by train, bus and car, this is slow travel at its essence. He soaks up all the little details (the good, the bad and the obscene) and pours them onto the page for his readers to devour. Having not yet visited this part of Africa myself, this memoir completely captured my imagination.

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‘My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth’ by Wendy E. Simmons

Recommended by Red Around the World

My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth is an educational and entertaining encounter of her time visiting one of the most locked down nations in the world: North Korea.  While most people want out, she wanted in to see what it was really like, but as we all know, what we get to see isn’t what it’s really like.

I have always been fascinated by the far-flung, lesser-visited countries and North Korea tops that list.  While there are many other books sharing about life in North Korea as a citizen and foreigner, this book is the perfect show of what it’s like visiting as a tourist or as much of a tourist as you can be there.

This is an entertaining and hilariously written book full of color pictures to take you along the journey with her through Pyongyang, propaganda, and even a wedding.  If you’re looking for a more casual encounter of North Korea as opposed to escape stories, this is the perfect book for you.

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‘Venice’ by Jan Morris

Recommended by Where You’re Between

Not only is Venice by Jan Morris easily the greatest book written about one of the world’s most spectacular cities, it’s also one of the best travel books ever written.

Part travelogue and partly a biography of the city, Morris delves deep under the skin of La Serenissima, exploring every aspect of one of the world’s most multi-faceted cities.

Morris leaves no aspect of the city untouched, detailing how Venice has consistently managed to function and flourish under unique and often perilous circumstances. Morris also explores how Venice is just as influenced by its history as much as its geography.

Morris weaves through Venice’s history, linking the past with the present to illustrate how this magnificent city still captures the imagination like nowhere else.

Though first published in 1960, before rampant overtourism began to plague the city, Morris’ book is still hugely relevant and remains a fascinating insight into one of the world’s most magical cities.

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‘Shark’s Fin & Sichuan Pepper’ by Fuchsia Dunlop

Recommended by Kan and Iris 

Fuchsia is an Englishwoman and is a pioneer for the Chinese culinary dining scene and was the first foreigner to graduate from the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in Chengdu. Her memoir recounts her experiences in Sichuan from the perspective of a foreigner and particularly the food, something that I personally love.

The book goes into the beautiful and crass aspects of China and highlights just how incredibly deep the Chinese food scene is. Something that she personally has mentioned is that there’s no other country that comes close to it.

As someone who has Chinese roots but grew up in a western country, I can’t help but admire her observations and I can most certainly draw similarities in my experiences during my first time travelling to China. China is somewhere where you must park all of your perceptions and references.

Fuchsia’s memoir offers scrupulous detail on what it’s like to be a foreigner there and more importantly, dine there. If you’re planning to go to China, there’s no better book to read than this.

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‘Whatever You Do, Don’t Run’ by Peter Allison

Recommended by Ginger Around The Globe

Whatever You Do, Don’t Run is a book full of short stories from the perspective of a safari guide. Once you start to read it, you will get to know why locals called Peter Allison “The horny elephant” or how he almost domesticated a honey badger.

This is my favorite book about traveling Africa. It is my dream continent and I’ve wanted to go on a safari for a very long time – this was almost like being there. And moreover, it did actually prepare me for the safari, that I booked shortly after reading it!

I didn’t get to know only personal stories from Allison, but also what to prepare, what to expect and what to pack for a safari. It was one of the funniest books with some pretty good points about tourists in Africa and different situations that you will be facing in any place, whether you are on safari in Botswana or just at your home. The book has fantastic depth and it’s very wholesome.

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‘What I was Doing While You Were Breeding’ by Kristen Newman

Recommended by Run With Amber

Newman takes us through the highs and lows of traveling, the good and the bad travel partners, the exhilarating vacation romances, and the embarrassing one night stands, while making us wish we were on each trip with her.

While tackling her career ambitions as a writer Kristin turns to travel for answers, comfort, and joy at a time when she’s single and everyone around her is getting married and starting families. She struggles to find her perfect fit, but continues to be true to herself, grows and heals little by little with each trip that she takes.

Newman, fearless when it comes to foreign language, culture, and strangers, faces her true challenge in life – love. Each chapter is a juicy tale of adventure that gets her one step closer to her best self, and you’re rooting for her the whole way.

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‘New Europe’ by Michael Palin

Recommended by The Platinum Line

British people of a certain age will know Michael Palin as one of the members of Monty Python’s flying circus. Younger people will know of him for his travels Around The World in Eighty Days, Pole to Pole, Across the Himalayas, and more.

In 2007 when the countries of the former Soviet Union were about to join the European Union, he made another journey in conjunction with the BBC and visited twenty countries. New Europe is the book he wrote about that journey.

He writes with wit and warmth while managing to slip in a lot of information. I recently visited some of the countries on a Balkan cruise and I found it fascinating to see the similarities and differences since his journey, and to see how far his hopes and fears have been realised.

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‘Lost on Planet China’ by J. Maarten Troost

Recommended by Meghan The Traveling Teacher

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to travel through China, J. Maarten Troost’s story of traveling throughout the country for 6 months will keep you hooked with his crazy stories and fascinating epiphanies. This book was the perfect read before traveling to China. It gave me insight into the huge mega cities of Shanghai and Beijing as well as the small villages in remote Tibet.

Troost strikes the perfect balance between offering hilarious antics and serious looks into a complex society that has been changing fast in the modern world. The name is fitting for this book, as you might be able to guess, there’s really nowhere else in the world quite like China and you can tell from his stories, it’s almost as if China is a planet of its own.

You’ll get a first-hand look inside the culture, history, major sites, and daily lives of people in China.

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‘The Caliph’s House, A Year in Casablanca’ by Tahir Shah

Recommended by See Nic Wander

If you’ve ever dreamed of restoring an old home in a far-away land, The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah should be the next book on your list. In this hilarious and heart-warming memoir, Shah and his family decide to leave behind everything they know in London to restore a dilapidated mansion in the heart of Casablanca.

Of course, everything that can go wrong with a historic restoration happens to the Shah family within their first year in Morocco. As a result, they end up meeting a tremendous cast of characters that, by the end of the book, feel like family.

The entire time I was reading The Caliph’s House, I felt a deep desire to jump on a plane to Morocco. Shah has an uncanny ability to capture the authentic “feel” of Casablanca, and I found myself missing a city I’ve never even been to.

At its core, this book is a celebration of Moroccan culture and an inspiring story about taking a risk to build your dream, one brick at a time.

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‘Out of Africa’ by Isak Dinesen

Recommended by Outside Suburbia

Out of Africa is one of the best travel memoirs and got me dreaming and planning our epic trip to East Africa.  It gives you a major dose of wanderlust for Kenya and to go on a safari in Africa. Written by Karen Blixen, the book was published under the author’s pen name, Isak Dinesen.

It is about an aristocratic Karen Blixen who travels to Africa to join her husband in Kenya to run a coffee plantation below the Ngong Hills, ten miles southwest of Nairobi. Karen develops feelings for a hunter named Denys when she finds that her husband is unfaithful.

She brings to life the heydays of game drives and safaris, the local community of Masai children that come to her house every day, her plantation that she tries very hard to make work.

You can visit Karen Blixen’s museum and even live out some scenes from the book and the movie of the same name when you visit Kenya.

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‘My life in France’ by Julia Child

Recommended by Executive Thrillseeker

This book is written based on words and letters written by Julia and her husband Paul. The charm and strength of Julia Child’s personality flow through the pages, even though she didn’t physically write the book but dictated it at the age of 92!

It is quite difficult to determine the book’s genre, I’d say it’s a biography with a twist that describes Julia’s culinary adventures around France and some history. Julia tells about her life, meeting her future husband, moving to France, falling in love with French cuisine, studying at ‘Le Cordon Bleu’, and the idea of writing her own cookbook.

However, this book is not only about cooking – it’s about France at the end of the 50s and a little bit about Germany. She reveals what people ate, their expectations and concerns, strikes and the influence of communism.

The book describes the impressions of a person who was directly involved in the country’s life. Julia Child met people from all walks of life thanks to her husband’s job and her own curiosity, and that’s how she also got acquainted with the intellectual elite of Paris.

It’s really hard to stop after you read a book, so you might want to watch the movie Julie & Julia with Meryl Streep in the role of Julia Child.

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‘Long Way Down’ by Ewan Mcgregor and Charley Boorman

Recommended by Travellin Lite

The book documents the motorcycle journey of two friends (McGregor and Boorman) from the top of Scotland (John o’Groats) to the southernmost tip of Africa (Cape Agulhas) in 2007.

The book (and accompanying TV series) trace their odyssey across Europe into Africa, a distance of 15,000 miles (24,000kms).

There is something intensely inspirational about people taking long distance motorcycle journeys. Ted Simon showed how it could be done years ago when he did it solo around the globe on motorcycle; not once, but twice.

After reading Long Way Down, I felt it was time for me realise a dream and tackle Africa on two wheels. Not quite the journey of the authors, but in 2010 I rode 6,200 miles (10,000 kms) across South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.

But why a motorcycle? Because you get the full experience, the rawness of it all. Every sense is engaged – sight, smell, sound, touch, taste. You’re not hiding behind shatter proof glass in air-conditioned comfort. What begins as the physical transforms into a journey of the heart and soul.

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‘Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth’ By Albert Podell

Recommended by Travel Melodies

In Around the World in 50 years: My Adventures to Every Country on Earth, the author Albert Podell shares tales of his adventures while visiting every single country in the world. The book is full of unusual, insightful, fascinating, crazy, goofy, frightening, brave, and hilarious travel tales. It makes you awe, gasp, jump out of the couch, shudder, and laugh out loud – all at the same time.

You are bound to get inspired by the author’s dogged determination to tick every country off his list. I mean, it certainly seems like an impossible task for most of us. But, Albert’s persistence, courage, and undying determination are infectious.

Vivid and exciting, the storytelling at its finest – this book not only satisfied the wanderlust in me but also inspired me enough to follow my dream of visiting all the countries in the world (well, I’m on my way already).

Plus, I learned and discovered things I didn’t know even existed in the world. The book changed my perspective of the world at large. If you are as curious as me to know this world – this book is for you!

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‘Shantaram’ by Gregory David Roberts

Recommended by The Travel Scribes

The smell of curry spices permeates your nostrils. Your eyes are assaulted by people and animals and cars, snarling in the morning traffic. It’s Mumbai India, as experienced through the written words of Shantaram, one of the best travel memoir books on the market.

Penned by Australian ex-convict, Shantaram is a contentious memoir as when it was originally released, it was marketed as an autobiography. Later, upon criticism, Roberts was forced to reclassify it as ‘semi-autobiographical’, since it seems he took a bit too much liberty in outlining his tale.

Regardless, Shantaram is one of the ‘must-read’ novels about India, detailing Roberts’ (known as Lindsay or Lin) escape to India from an Australian prison. It’s a fascinating take as Lin travels around Mumbai with his trusty local guide, Prabaker, and tries his hand at managing a health clinic in one of the city’s slums, falling in love with a Swiss-American woman, smuggling weapons for Afghanistan’s freedom fighters and landing back in prison – this time in the infamous Arthur Road Prison in Mumbai.

It’s a terrific tale told by an accomplished writer which, regardless of it’s reality, is an ‘unputdownable’ novel.

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‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ by Ernesto Guevara

Recommended by My Adventures Across The World

In The Motorcycle Diaries, Ernesto Guevara shares the story of his trip across South America. Starting from Buenos Aires, the then medical student travels south on board of a motorbike – La Poderosa – with his friend Alberto Granado, a biochemist. They live many adventures and misadventures; they visit incredible places; and they have an impact on the many people they encounter.

Yet, and most importantly so, it is the lives and the struggles of others that have an impact on the lives of Guevara and Granado, an impact that will change their approach to life forever.

Guevara’s journey is as much a physical one as it is an introspective one. This is what shaped him into what he became – a revolutionary who fought for justice in many countries. Through the book, the reader acquires conscience not only of the beauty of a continent, but also about its many issues – issues that Guevara vowed to fight against. It is a real eye opener.

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‘The Travels of Ibn Battuta’ by Ibn Battuta

Recommended by Oman Travel Guides

Ibn Battuta, a widely traveled scholar, documented his 30-year journey in A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling. His expedition across North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia gave a glimpse into a world that is so different, yet so similar to our own today. While reading his rich accounts and colorful tales, I could practically see and experience the destinations that he so brilliantly described.

From the interesting characters he spoke with to the strange situations he went through, it is difficult not to want to follow his footsteps and embark on a similar journey. The illustrations of his time in India, his travel around Oman, and his journey through China are particularly vivid, taking readers through souqs and mountains and palaces, among other places of interest.

If you are a bit of a history and political nerd like me, The Travels of Ibn Battuta will surely fuel the wanderlust in you.

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‘The Whole Story – A Walk Around The World’ by Ffyona Campbell

Recommended by Minimize and Travel

I first read this book over twenty years ago and having read many travel journals since, it is still my favourite.

FFyona started off walking the length of the UK when she was sixteen and then continued to walk around the globe. Her strength and determination to carry on against all sorts of problems along the way really inspired me. She even had to hide up trees because lions were following her in Africa!

She talks about the freedom walking gave her, and how it helped her heal. If you have seen or read Wild by Cheryl Strayed, then this is of a similar genre.

Ever since reading it, I have chosen walking over travelling in a vehicle wherever possible – you definitely see more. I also consider it to be the book that inspired my personal wanderlust.

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‘Sex Lives of Cannibals’ by J. Maarten Troost

Recommended by Explore More Clean Less

Sex Lives of Cannibals is a frank, funny travel memoir written by J. Maarten Troost that covers the two years him and his girlfriend spent living in a tiny remote Pacific island in Kiribati.

There’s no sugar coating to the realities of isolated beach living in this story. The plot highlights anecdotes about their transition from the Western world, like duct taped planes and feral dogs. Despite this, or maybe because of this, reading his story inspired serious wanderlust in me when I first read it in high school.

Having never strayed far from the Midwest and living in a relatively homogeneous community, this was the first relatable peek into a completely different culture that I can remember. While it’s hard to imagine experiencing the bubuti system, where you have to trade a favor or thing for whatever the other person is offering, the vivid storytelling and warm profiles of folks living there sparked my first interest in the idea of traveling for experiencing culture and meeting people instead of just seeing landmarks!

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‘Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth’ by Lisa Napoli

Recommended by Our Backpacker Tales

Radio Shangri-La is about a radio journalist named Lisa Napoli who travels to Bhutan to work as a volunteer for the first youth-oriented radio station in Bhutan, Kuzoo FM. She has written about her experiences in Bhutan and the changes this Buddhist Kingdom was undergoing as it opened its doors to the outside world gradually.

I read this book while I was still in college, and I have had Bhutan in my bucket list ever since. The simple lifestyle of the Bhutanese people and their deep connection with nature fueled my desire to visit this country even more.

I traveled to Bhutan last year and things have changed a lot since the book was written, but it is indeed one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. It is a wonderful experience, spiritually as well as when it comes to thrills. From hiking up to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery to meditating in a traditional Buddhist temple, there is a lot to explore in Bhutan.

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‘The Long Ride Home’ by Nathan Millward

Recommended by BeeLoved City

If you are looking for an inspiring and adventurous book, The Long Ride Home by Nathan Millward will be perfect. In this book, Nathan tells us his story and how he rode from Sydney, Australia to London, UK on a motorbike!

He travels through very underrated countries such as West Timor and discovers the local culture in depth. His journey is not always easy. But if there is one good thing that always comes out of his struggles – it’s the kindness of the local people he meets along the way.

The amazing thing about this beautiful story is not even the adventure itself, but the fact that Nathan wasn’t an adventurous person in the first place! This British chap did go to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa but he never really experienced the proper backpacking life that most people have ‘Down Under’.

This was a rather spontaneous and unexpected decision for someone like him yet he did it! Everything that everybody thought was impossible and crazy. Following him onto this amazing journey is an absolute pleasure and I can not recommend it enough!

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‘No Place like Home, Thank God’ by Steven Primrose-Smith

Recommended by Experiencing the Globe

How do you see your own hometown after biking for 22,000 miles (35.400 kms)? It certainly puts some perspective into it.

Steven Primrose-Smith embarked on a journey that took the better part of three years to see every capital in Europe using only his bike to move. Although we disagree on the way he counts capitals and in what he considers to be Europe, the tale of his adventure is witty, fun and beautifully written to boot.

On the trip he will experience how different things can be within the same continent (from bureaucracy to the quality of the roads), and how there’re wonderful people everywhere.

With some lessons learnt and some self-discovery done, this British author will see Blackburn, the city he calls home, with new eyes. And still rather be anywhere else (hence the clever title of the book). Reading it made me re-think my relationship with my own hometown –and be grateful I live somewhere else!

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‘Tales of a Female Nomad’ by Rita Golden Gelman

Recommended by Raulerson Girls Travel

Rita Gelman doesn’t just visit places, she embraces the cultures and stays to live with them for months at a time. She learns how to cook their food and speak their language, basically becoming a part of their family and lives.

As a solo female traveler, you can relate to her first experience dining alone and enjoy following her story of falling in love again. Tales of a Female Nomad is an inspiration for women digital nomads. When life knocks you down, you always have the opportunity to get back up and start over. And that no matter what age, you can change your life and embrace a new direction.

This motivating book will give you some great insight into cultures you wouldn’t think of ever being a part of and hopefully inspire you to do more than vacation someplace, that you become a traveler instead!

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‘Turn Right at Machu Picchu’ by Mar Adams

Recommended by Drink Tea & Travel

Turn Right at Machu Picchu is a funny and “ah-so-true” travel memoir by a travel writer, Mark Adams, who recounts his journey to Peru, following the footsteps of Hiram Bingham III, the famous explorer who claims to have discovered Machu Picchu. The book, and Adam’s journey follows the original route taken by Bingham III back in 1911, but it is filled with modern day problems and hilarities.

Adam’s does a great job of detailing the history of the Incas as well as Bingham’s original expedition, making the adventure sound so appealing. We were so inspired that we even followed in his own footsteps during our trip to Peru. Instead of following the crowds along the Inca Trail to well-known Machu Picchu, we opted to do the hike to Choquequirao, another set of ruins that played an important role in Bingham’s and Adam’s journey, as recounted in the book.

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‘Midnight’s Chicken’ by Cal O Cal

Recommended by Big World Short Stories

The author of the book, Cal O Cal, has lived in Asia, Europe, and North America and traveled to over 130 countries. He used to write daily observational short stories on social media using sarcasm and irony. This attracted the attention of many people who insisted that he should write a book. That’s how Midnight’s Chicken was born.

The book is a sequence of interconnected satirical stories which start in Munich, where the author lives, then goes around the world from Germany through India, Burma, Philippines, Australia, South Korea, China, Mongolia, Tibet, Scotland, Portugal, Spain and back to Munich.

It is a travel book of a different kind where reality and fiction mixed with several real and imaginary characters takes you on an unforgettable journey around the world. This book might be especially interesting for those trying to understand Germany and German culture as Germans, especially Bavarians, are presented here in a very satirical and funny way. Happy reading!

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‘If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India’ by Srinath Perur

Recommended by Two Together

When the world went gaga over the charms of solo travelling, Srinath Perur undertook ten conducted tours with strangers and lived to tell the tale. Be it on the whirlwind tour of Europe designed for affluent Indians whose search for everything strictly Indian, everywhere leads to some hilarious outcomes. Or on that trip where he joins a band of men trying to get laid in Uzbekistan, or on the religious pilgrimage that he undertakes on foot through rural Maharashtra.

Srinath’s portrayal of his co-passengers and the cultural landscape is witty and astute. Not only does he take the reader along with him, but he also manages to analyze and critique, often humorously, the motivations and idiosyncrasies of his fellow travellers.

If It’s Monday is more than just a travel memoir: it not only celebrates the destinations, but also the spirit of community travelling and human nature itself.”

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‘The Voluntourist’ by Ken Budd

Recommended by Backpack Adventures

Have you ever considered volunteering abroad, but are you not sure it is something for you? Or are you worried you might cause more harm than good? The Voluntourist by Ken Budd offers enough inspiration for you to book a volunteer trip.

At the same time, the book lowers your expectations. As a volunteer you won’t change the world, but small things do matter. The Voluntourist is not just about the authors experiences in countries like Costa Rica, Ecuador, Palestine and Kenya, but also about his personal motivations to go and his doubts about his own usefulness in the projects he has done.

The Voluntourist is an honest account describing both the good and the bad things regarding the authors volunteer experiences. Still it is written in a way that is inducing the desire to go yourself and this book will definitely help you in choosing an ethical and sustainable volunteer project.

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‘Down Under’ by Bill Bryson

Recommended by Many More Maps

Whilst planning my trip to Australia, I knew I would spend a lot of time on the road, and packed Down Under by Bill Bryson to kill time during those many hours. In this travelogue, Bryson employs his trademark wit to tell the story not only of his travels through Australia, but of how Australia came to be, sprinkling in snippets of famous citizens and historic tales along the way.

I loved that Bryson, unlike almost all other travellers to Australia, myself included, kept mostly away from the cities of the East Coast, dedicating a lot of time on the Australia less visited.

As I traversed through red, dusty land, past glittering oceans, huge skyscrapers and vast, empty desert, Down Under captured, for me, exactly what it feels like to be travelling through Australia.

If you’re in Australia, planning to travel there, or just daydreaming of the land down under, this book is the perfect companion.

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‘McCarthy’s Bar’ by Pete McCarthy

Recommended by Let’s Go Ireland

This is the book to read if you want to be inspired by a travel memoir and laugh out loud more than you think you can. Someone once called it a Bill Bryson book without the boring bits. I think this wittily sums it up.

Pete McCarthy travels to Ireland to discover his mother’s homeland. Traveling from Cork in south of Ireland along the Wild Atlantic Way to Donegal in the north, his only rule is to “never pass a bar that has your name on it”…and there are a lot of McCarthy’s bars and pubs in Ireland. If you are a teetotaler, this book might not be for you!

However, if you like to be beautifully entertained by an incredibly witty and funny book that includes many fantastic travel stories (like meeting a married priest, English hippies, an Anglo-Irish Marquess and many more), then you might want to give it a try.

If you love Ireland and the warmth and wittiness of Irish people, then it definitely should be on your reading list!

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‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed

Recommended by Cassie The Hag

Wild follows the real-life story of Cheryl Strayed who, at 26, decided to walk the mighty 1100 kilometre Pacific Crest Trail in America. She was totally alone with no hiking experience, seeking to find self-resolve after the death of her mother, alongside other stark family and relationship issues.

Although I read this book after I began my personal travel journey at 27, and my 4-day solo hike in Japan along an old pilgrimage trail during my second week on the road was far less hard, I found it relatable.

It was encouraging to read an account of travel that wasn’t wanderlust-inducing in a traditional sense, but a reminder that travel shows us – especially solo female travellers – of how capable and self-sufficient we can be, and how we really can make remarkable changes no matter the challenges we’ve faced.

And yes, it will also make you dream of being out the wilderness; empowered, exhausted and free.

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‘A Walk in the Woods’ by Bill Bryson

Recommended by Bright Lights of America

Camping and hiking seem to be big things in the US, at least in California where I live. So when I arrived in San Francisco from Australia, I decided to read Bill Bryson’s account of hiking the Appalachian Trail.

It was supposed to give me an idea of the hiking and camping culture I could expect. The first couple of chapters enlightened me to the frightening prospect of bears.

The more I read, the more I loved Bryson’s tale of a man who felt he was teetering over the precipice of being “too old” to tick the 2,100 mile trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine, off his bucket list.

Frankly, that was all I needed to hear. Not having grown up with camping or hiking trips, my confidence was boosted by Bryson’s hilarious recounting of his own trip. And I’ve been on many a camping trip and countless hikes since I’ve read his book.

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‘The Wind in My Wheels’ by Josie Dew

Recommended by Travel Drafts

From a very early age, I had the desire to travel the world, and when I read this book in my teens I asked myself, is it that easy to travel? And started planing all the adventures I would go on to do.

Josie Dew travels the world only with a bicycle, some savings, and equipment. Starting in England, she travels alone through 4 continents, 36 countries and does 128 thousand km by bike.

She has an open-minded approach to travel making it seem easy even when everything goes bad. Of course, she is a little crazy, and traveling the world by bicycle isn’t easy, but it must be fun and adventurous.

If you are into bike adventures or simply adventure travel, this is the right book for you. It is a light and easy book to read, very funny and full of adventures.

It won’t be the best book you will ever read, but it makes you dream of traveling, and if it’s not with a bicycle it can be by train, boar, or plane. You just need the will to travel.

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‘Fear and loathing in Las Vegas’ by Hunter S. Thompson

Recommended by It’s Sometimes Sunny in Bangor 

Fear and loathing in Las Vegas is really not your traditional travel tale – it shares the legendary adventures of gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson in “A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream”.

The novel itself is a roman a clef, mixing both fact with fiction, as it follows the spontaneous drug-riddled misadventures of Raoul Duke (Hunter S Thompson) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo on journalist road trips between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The main settings for these somewhat surreal adventures include the arid backdrop of Route 66, misadventures in hotels and casino resorts, and immersion in the weird and wonderful goings-on in America’s notorious City of Sin.

Admittedly it may not be overly inspiring to some, and for many it may feel the opposite, but the humour and frivolity of adventures make for great reading.

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Deciding to quit my London job and solo travel three years ago, was one of the best decisions of my life. I have seen incredible things, met amazing people and completely changed my priorities as a young woman.

At university, I was desperate to escape to London in a corporate 9-5, attending client brunches and drinking cocktails at the weekend. Now, I’ve realized that is the opposite of how I want to live my life. And whilst both are absolutely fine, I’ve chosen to follow the path in the other direction and – most of the time – couldn’t be happier.

Traveling solo is full of ups and downs. The high of finding more of a purpose in life can be met with crushing loneliness, the excitement of finding yourself in one of the most beautiful countries in the world can be compromised by a situation you need to get yourself out of. You are your own best friend, you’re your navigator, your planner, you are everything to yourself.

But you are not allowed to complain.

Since quitting my London PR job in 2017, I have lived in Australia, France, and the US, and worked constantly. When I told people in the UK, “I’m going on holiday for a week” whilst living in Australia, the responses I received were a continuation of “What? You live in Australia! You ARE on holiday!”. Despite the fact, I’d been working every day for the previous 10 months.

It’s led to all-consuming guilt any time I feel slightly underwhelmed with how I’m living my life. Whenever I feel lonely, or when I look at my suitcase and wonder what life would be like without packing and unpacking it every five months, I give myself a mental shake and brush it off.

”Stop it Alice, you’re living your best life! You have no right to feel like this.

If you are a long-term solo traveler, the chances are you are working on the road. Managing your finances in a foreign country, across timezones, working in unfamiliar places and trying to learn the lay of the land whilst earning money. It’s no less of a stress than anyone self-employed back home would have. But, because you’re currently living in Vietnam, you can’t tell anyone back home that you’re finding life a little hard at the moment.

So I’m here to tell you, it’s perfectly fine to have bad days. Even if you are #LivingYourBestLife.

Your position of privilege as a solo traveler doesn’t remove the stresses of everyday life any more than the privilege of someone in a high-flying corporate job. Your issues may be different, but they are still there and it’s okay to have a bad day without feeling ungrateful for the hand you’ve been dealt.

Because most of us weren’t just given the opportunity to travel solo. Many of us worked hard for it, many overcame fears of isolation and self-confidence in order to live this lifestyle.

As a solo traveler, you are your everything, so it’s more important than ever to be kind to yourself. Be proud of the life you have built, take a deep breath and remember why you’re here – and that your feelings are completely valid.

Le sigh…

We’re all depressed. We’re all stressed our 2020 plans are ruined. We’re all sitting at home going slightly stir crazy, shovelling carbs into our face holes, right? 

Well, our friends at Lonely Planet have gone and done us a massive solid by making their Lonely Planet TV (which is usually a premium paid service) FREE to watch over the Covid-19 period. 

Okay, so it’s not quite as good as actually dipping your footsies into the mesmerising waters of the Maldives, or wolfing down street noodles in Ho Chi Minh – but it’s got to be the next best thing!

On Lonely Planet TV you can choose from easy-breezy shorts, full-length travel docs, travel food vids and even a super-cute Lonely Planet Kids series, which seems like a great way to get young minds excited about next years trips.

 The Globe Trekker series has no less than 18 series which all contain around 15 episodes – at almost an hour each; you could easily shave a few weeks off of your lockdown life. The Globe Trekker series have an educational-basis, so you’re going to come out a better person than you went in hopefully!

For more easy-going watching their selection of food documentaries are a delicious way to plan your next trips, with shows from celebrity chefs and the Planet Food series that covers a vast host of regions. You can also watch along live with Lonely Planet Channel’s TV programme, or pick and choose based on your potential upcoming trips. 

But the best bit has to be – LP has curated a “Daydream During the Lockdown” section which features almost 200 shorts from tourism bodies around the world with messages of hope and unity. It hit me in the feels like 1) I’ve been drinking wine non-stop for like three months now and 2) although I’ve read many articles about keeping positive about travel during this challenging time, the shorts are a cute, albeit slightly cheesy way to remind ourselves that life is just on pause for now, but not forever.

But for now, go forth and binge!

Stay safe, folks and look forward to making new memories.

> Lonely Planet TV

While I enjoy a sepia-toned beach or clinking cocktails gif as much as the next person, sometimes I can’t help but feel a little jaded by The Gram. It’s beautiful – really it is – a lot of it anyway. But, as I was supposed was unavoidable, Instagram has become somewhat of an enemy to itself. We see the sick pic, we want to go, we get there are realise that we can’t always retain that “grammy” feeling because real life doesn’t happen in Ludwig, or Crema – or even Valencia if we’re being honest. And so we’ll never entirely create that level of Insta perfection. Travel has been particularly haunted by the Insta craze, in the sense that it’s become somewhat a parody of itself – extremely processed and staged “lifestyle” shots posted by major Influencers. What we loved has come round full circle, and now I almost feel exhausted scrolling past yet another beautiful sunset or white-washed beach.

It’s important to remember though, that Instagram is host to a lot more than cliche couples kissing in serene views, or pigs swimming in crystal clear Caribbean waters. More recently, I’ve been trying to follow less “Instagram fantasy” type accounts and more relatable accounts that focus still on travel, cities, adventure but with a less contrived undertone! Here are a few quirky faves from my personal collection:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1YmeKMHyC_/

1. Accidentally Wes / @accidentallywesanderson

This has to be my most favourite ever account. It’s beautiful in all the typical Instagram ways – but also pays homage to one of our times most stylish directors – Wes Anderson. Anderson’s movie are incredibly distinct in styling, evoking classic vintage feels and an unattainable aesthetic that’s highly unattainable in a real-life scenario, but looks impressive on screen. Some of his most beautifully styled films include The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom and The Darjeeling Express, to name a few. What’s interesting about this particular account though is not that these are images taken from Wes’s films, but actually a completely unrelated collection of ever-updating images that evoke that classic Wes feels. As a big fan of his, I play this game a lot in real life! Toronto’s metro system, San Fransisco’s tram system, an old lighthouse, a retro-looking sign – I love it when life imitates Wes! Followers can submit images from around the globe and what we end up with is a smorgasbord of quirky, pastel delight.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4zze4wlhLa/

2. Passenger Shaming / @passengershaming

Moving swiftly away in a totally non-Instagrammy direction is Passenger Shaming – ever travellers guilty pleasure. This account is also submission-based, but rather than show pretty pastels and delicious symmetry, it instead highlights the indiscretions of airline passengers around the world. No doubt there is something on here almost anyone can relate to. Cheesy feet on you footrest perhaps? Or a gin-induced breakdown mid-flight? And then there was that passenger who tried to dry underwear using the air con valve above her seat, much to the detest of everyone everywhere ever! I like a good comedy ‘gram account – it is important we remember the reality of travel amidst the lavender fields and yoga handstands.

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Well, no Noël here in Paris can pass by without an ice cream bûche. And not just any ice cream bûche, a whole forest! This is the ”Le Forêt Verte” made by chef @jeremierunel At @lafabriquegivree and made with matcha tea biscuit, apple juice sorbet, matcha tea ice cream, matcha streusel, kiwi confiture and matcha chocolate trees. Shoes by @georgeetgeorges

A post shared by @ desserted_in_paris on Dec 14, 2019 at 1:47am PST

3. Desserted in Paris / @desserted_in_paris

Purely Paris-based this account is a must for anyone planning an upcoming trip to the city of love. Or, like me, anyone who just likes to see delicious things! Desserted in Paris features the city’s most delightful patisserie items – something France is well known for. Some of them genuinely are miniature works of art, and it is my hope one day I’m going to go there and try them all. What’s particularly cute about this account is that its run by a pastry chef, no less – so an authority on the best Parisian mums, we can all agree. But also that chef Tal Spiegel matches each intricate pastry with a pair of quirky matching shoes, which makes for a great aesthetic and a very unique combination of subject matter! He gives a small detail on each delight and tags the restaurant so you can make a note for next time you visit.

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This a-frame on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. The island is about 20 feet from the shore of Oliver Lodge. There’s a floating dock used for sunbathing, canoes, and small boats. The house faces due south and receives sun all day. Available to rent, see @oliverlodgenh Photos by @erubes1 #cabins #cabinporn #lakehouse #aframe #newhampshire #autumn

A post shared by Cabin Porn ® (@cabinporn) on Nov 12, 2019 at 9:34am PST

4. Cabin Porn / @cabinporn

Some of you might remember a coffee table book of the same name that went just a teeny bit viral – well, these are the same guys – but now with an ever-changing variety of cabins to suit all tastes. There’s just something magical about cabins – so simple, classical and often modest – yet enchanting and homely at the same time. I think these kinds of cabin fantasises stem back from fairy stories in our youth – we all still secretly want to run away and live in a gingerbread house! With the rise of Airbnb, glamping and the tiny house movement the spec for cabin porn ranges from fusty little sheds, all the way to luxe glass igloos. Perfect for some inspiration for your next weekend away – and to feed your inner child.

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This is Willow. She’s about four months old and has the floppy legs to corroborate this claim. Willow hitched a ride to Canmore with Anna-the-human (who runs @garciarescue, where I found monster). When our buddy Anna (the human) brought Willow into our place, Willow (the adoptable puppy) barked at me while I exchanged greetings with Anna (the human) while Anna (the dog) snarled at Willow (the intruder) while simultaneously trying to say hi to her dear old buddy, Anna (the monster saver). After the necessary salutations were completed, I took Willow for a tour of Banff (she just arrived from the flat land, so I imagine she was pretty impressed). She rode on the middle armrest in the car with her floppy paws on my coffee. We geared up for a walk in snow deep enough to provide a lot of exercise for an animal of her dexterity. When I opened the hatch on the car, she looked at me inquisitively before getting to her feet and jumping out with only the slightest hesitation. On our walk, she kept busy biting and directing the pesky tether that was restricting her freedom while also jumping on me/at me/near me (she likes to jump). If she wanted my attention, she would stand, put two paws on my leg, and aim her puppy-dog eyes into mine. If she wanted something to eat, she resembled a great white the way they are most pictured: a full body length above the surface, teeth bared (target: my hand). We ventured onto a huge windy lake to inspect the ice quality. Willow tucked behind me for the strongest gusts, but otherwise seemed to be in her element. After her mountain tour, Willow found herself back with Anna and Beans. She paid almost no attention to Beans other than a sniff. The same can’t be said for Anna; not paying attention to Anna is a feat I haven’t yet witnessed anyone do. The two young pups gnawed on each other until it was time to give one back. Do you know someone who would love to grow old(er) with this brave pup? Willow is available for adoption from @garciarescue. #adoptable Willow shark bites to all for supporting this home-finding project in every way, and Anna (the human) for everything you do for so many pups.

A post shared by Rachael Rodgers (@trailsandbears) on Feb 16, 2020 at 7:15am PST

5. Trails and Bears / @trailsandbears

This ‘gram account I only came across recently and its quickly become a firm fave as it ticks all my Instagram wants. Impressive travel scenery – check! Cute little doggies – check! And on top of that performs a service to rehome the dogs featured in its content. Creator Rachael Rodgers works with several animal shelters in her native Canada to showcase these wily pups and giving information on their circumstance, age and health issues as well as shooting gorgeous content to show off these beautiful creatures and hopefully fast track their adoption into loving forever homes. It’s such a great way to use the platform, she also helps others to use Instagram for adoptions too in a purchasable guide. You can volunteer to help her cause, donate money or simply support them by liking and commenting. 

Drink extra vitamin C tablets.

Eats lots of fruit and vegetables.

Exercise.

Stay connected with people, even virtually.

These are some popular suggestions I have been hearing from people on how to stay healthy during the lockdown but of course, all of them apply also to non-coronavirus days. Alas, these are the situations we are faced with.

About a dozen blogs are coming up in my newsfeed lately with advice on how to keep the immune system strong during a global health crisis and though I am certain these straightforward recommendations help, I wanted to get the opinion of an individual who knows a thing or two about natural remedies.

Searching through my contacts a familiar name came up, Miranda Tringis, herbalist and the owner of CyHerbia Botanical Park and Labyrinth in Cyprus. As its name suggests, CyHerbia is a park in a local village with a large woodland growing all kinds of Mediterranean herbs used to make teas, essential oils, creams and soaps amongst other things.

Creating goods from earthly produce is something Miranda has been doing since the park’s opening in 2012 and during CyHerbia’s events, people happily splurge on her nature-based items, knowing they come from a valid source.

On a quest to discover how to help keep my body strong, besides eating oranges and meditating, I called Miranda in hopes that she would share some insights. Her first tip is one we’ve all heard far too many times but for some reason, it’s yet to stick 100%. “Eat healthy,” she says. Wholesome foods especially. “Eat plenty of fresh local vegetables and fruit, nuts and legumes. Cut out sugar and simple carbs as they weaken the immune system.”

Drinking herbal teas 3 to 4 times a day was another tip Miranda shared. Herbs are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as nettle, boost the immunity system. Make the tea as strong as possible the following way:

Put 2 tablespoons of nettle in a teapot or jar, add boiling water, close the lid and leave it to infuse for 1-2 hours in order to get all the nourishing goodness from the plant. Then strain and drink. You could also make it at bedtime and leave it to infuse overnight to make it extra powerful.

“Apart from nettle,” adds Miranda, “the top herbs for immunity are elderflower, echinacea, thyme, sage, liquorice, ginger, turmeric and oregano. These herbs also have antiviral, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties, which is exactly what we need at this time.”

It’s important to remember though when making tea from roots (ginger, liquorice), bark (cinnamon) or seeds (fennel, aniseed), that you must boil these in a pan with water for at least 10 minutes in order to get all the goodness out of them. Then leave to cool a bit, strain and drink.

Miranda’s latest DIY trick that’s caught the attention of the local press as well is about an item that’s in dire need right now around the world; hand sanitizer. With pharmacies and supermarkets running out of stock why not make your own with just 3 ingredients?

Rubbing alcohol 90 proof, aloe vera gel and essential oil is all you need.

“A hand sanitizer must consist of at least 70% alcohol for it to be effective in its antiseptic action,” says Miranda, “so I make mine using 75% alcohol, 22% aloe vera gel and 3% essential oil. In cups measurement that would be ¾ cup alcohol, ¼ cup aloe vera gel and half a teaspoon of essential oil.

The moisturizing properties of aloe vera gel make the product gentle on the hands, as alcohol is very drying on the skin. You can use any essential oil you have at home, as all essential oils are strong antiseptics in themselves. I use lavender oil which is at the same time a great healer for chafed or irritated skin. To make the product start by putting the aloe vera gel in a bowl, then slowly add the alcohol, whilst stirring all the time with a spatula in order to bind the two together. At the end, add the essential oil and stir some more. Now put your hand sanitizer in a sterilized bottle.”

If you don’t have rubbing alcohol and aloe vera body gel at home, chances are your local supermarket has some. For a more guided look into making a DIY hand sanitizer see the video on CyHerbia’s YouTube channel.

When it comes to staying healthy, and sane, it’s not just looking after the physical body that’s vital but the mind and spirit too. Going out for a breath of fresh air and reconnecting with nature help clear your mind and lungs.

“Gardening is very satisfying too. Even if all you have is a balcony, plant some happy flowers and herbs. Contact with the earth, getting your hands in the soil, is grounding and healing to the soul. Take the time to watch nature from up close, in your neighbourhood park or backyard and witness all the activities that are going on in nature. You’ll see swallows making their nests, bees collecting pollen, spiders weaving their webs. Realize every living thing, big or small has its place in the wheel of life, the same wheel that you and I are a part of. Understand that we’re all connected, it is a beautiful, comforting realization.”

As most countries around the world are on lockdown and people face a new-found reality with home-schooling children, working from home, not working at all or trying to manage anxiety this quarantine certainly gives us something we always complain we miss; time.

Time is in abundance right now, whether we like it or not and self-isolation can be a valuable lesson, though difficult. A time to re-evaluate our lives, what’s important, what we should let go of, how we want to move forward once this crisis is over.

“Spend quality time with your family, your kids,” comments Miranda. “Don’t have the news on, you don’t need that negativity. Instead, involve your kids in healthy cooking and baking, art and homeschool projects. Most importantly, remember: This, too, will pass.”

It’s everyone’s new reality. Working from home. Well, almost everyone yet as the weeks go by and more businesses temporarily close due to the coronavirus outbreak, more people will have to set up a mini home office.

Living, sleeping and working in the same space while on lockdown with close to zero social interactions can be rather daunting if you don’t give yourself some structure and discipline. But there are many perks to it. Umm, working without a bra, maybe? Or in yoga pants, hair in a bun and make-up free for days? Yes please!

Many of us here at the Travelletes have been working remotely for a while now, whether living the digital nomad life around the world, freelancing a million miles away from home or juggling an online business and motherhood. So, this work setup is an area we have plenty of experience in but for many, working from home is a big transition and during these insane times we’re experiencing, helping each other out is vital.

So, after gathering all of our advice, we have some tips on how to build an effective work-from-home routine.

Let’s get to it!

Get up early

Rise and shine sweetheart! Sticking to a fairly normal work schedule will help set in the feeling that despite being in the comfort of your home, work still needs to be done. You might not need to get up as early as before though now that no make-up needs to be applied, breakfast to be consumed before you leave the house or traffic to tackle. So, take it easy but try and start your day early.

Make your bed

It’s the simplest task but it will register in your brain that that part of the day is over so crawling back in for another 5 minutes won’t be tempting. As said by US Navy Admiral, William McRaven, “if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed”. Watch his speech here.

Have a morning routine

Personally, what I found difficult at the beginning of having a home office was not jumping straight to my computer when I woke up. There was nowhere to go or to get ready for, no one else to talk to and I’m not much of a morning-exercise-kind-of-gal.

But jumping straight to work with nothing to do beforehand stressed me out. As soon as I opened my eyes I’d go through my to-do list and it took the fun out of working from home. Now, I try to dedicate a little time for myself before screentime. Usually, that’s a cup of hot tea, petting my cat and calling my mum for a good morning chat. For you, it can be anything. Going for a walk, stretching, reading 5 pages of your book, listening to a podcast, having a hot shower and putting on cream. Whatever, just have even 30 minutes to yourself before you start work.

Tuck away your pyjamas

Pyjamas are for sleeping. One way to trick your brain into work mode is to change out of your sleepwear and into something else. It doesn’t have to be exactly what you’d wear to work, I usually spend my days in leggings and a jumper. After all, you have to be comfortable if you’re going to be sat in front of a screen most of the day but getting dressed will tell your brain that it’s time for business.

Don’t work in a room you relax in

It’s a good idea to separate the two so your brain knows when it’s time to work and when it’s time to relax. If you have an extra room in your house turn it into your mini office. Having a designated work area will detach the idea that you’re home and will stop you from getting up every five minutes.

That said, repetition can get boring so every once in a while I like to switch things up and do a few hours’ work in the kitchen or the dining room table. Still, having a work area will help keep you stay on track. And make it pretty. Light a candle, bring a vase of flowers, keep it tidy.

Get a good chair

You don’t need to go running to IKEA if you don’t have a good office chair but make sure what you’re sitting on is comfortable to support that glorious bum of yours. If it’s an ordinary chair, place a cushion behind your back or a fluffy blanket. It’s important!

Have a schedule

Plan what you need to get done during the day, the same you would at the office. It’s easy to get distracted at home so make a list of everything you need to get done and stick to it. If it motivates you, treat yourself when you achieve a goal, it can be a snack, a glass of wine or an episode of your favourite series.

Set boundaries

Just because you’re home and no one’s looking doesn’t mean you can check social media or be on the phone all the time. Tell people to reach out after a certain hour and if you’re a mega procrastinator block certain sites from your search engine. Yes, Facebook too.

Oh, and don’t keep your phone next to you while you work. Check the notifications when you choose to, not whenever they come in.

Take breaks

If work just isn’t happening, don’t just turn to Facebook. Accept that you’re not productive and go do something that is. Wash the dishes, water the plants, stretch, check up on your grandparents. Relax. Just as you’d get up at the office for some chit chat and a cup of tea, do the same at home. Take breaks to re-energise yourself and then come back to it.

Don’t overwork

I can’t stress this enough. When you have nowhere to go and you’re already home, it’s easy to work past the clock. Especially if your work progress is a little slower than usual. But don’t. You’ll tire yourself out and home will begin to feel depressing. Set yourself working hours and when the time’s up shut down the laptop and go to something fun. For creative ideas of what to do at home during the COVID-19 crisis, you can head to a post on my personal blog.

Be social

Just because you’re working alone and remotely doesn’t mean you’ll be lonely. Set up coffee Skype calls with your friends, go for a walk in nature with a buddy, join an online community, call your old university bestie or do a virtual group workout session. Have something planned for your evening. It’s always nice to have something to look forward to and will energize you.

Everyone’s work routine is different so feel free to alter the above in any way that suits you best. In a real-life situation (e.g. when the whole planet isn’t fighting a pandemic) I’d also suggesting working in cafes or having work buddies but for now, home is a pretty great place to be.

If you think about it, it’s quite fun that you get to work here now. A new experience. Something to test if it can work long-term. Turns out, in the uncertainty and darkness of the situation, new exciting, creative things can be born.

Happy working!

If like me you have (or had) travel plans for this year, then you’ll no doubt be pretty devastated at the travel restrictions and lock-downs  around the world. The pandemic has literally altered life as we know it.

But instead of rushing to cancel your flights, tours and accommodation, have a little think about the wider implications of your actions.

Why Should I Postpone My Travels?

The world heavily relies on income from tourism. In fact, the World Travel & Tourism Council predict that the direct and indirect affect of tourism on the world makes up over 10% of the global GDP, which is a contribution of over US$8.9 trillion.

In 2019 alone there were over 330 million jobs in the tourism industry. Essentially that’s a hell of a lot of people who have lost, or could potentially loose their job (and consequently their entire income) thanks to COVID-19.

In my adopted home country of Australia alone, they welcomed 9.3 million international visitors in 2019 (up until June), who injected $44.6 billion into the economy. These figures prove that the importance of tourism on an economy is absolutely unprecedented. And it’s why we should immediately pick up our plans again, to help fix the damage the C-word has caused.

Just think of those market stall holders who rely on selling souvenirs to put dinner on their table. The independent hotel owners worrying about covering overheads with their empty occupancy. It’s our duty as empathetic and socially-conscious travellers to get right back at it as soon as the government advises it is safe to do so.

I’ve seen a few articles circulating online about how you have ‘rights’ and should demand a refund for cancelled flights. Naturally the airlines will offer you vouchers first and of course you have consumer rights. But what about that small online agency you always snag a bargain with or that airline who have always been a pleasure to fly on? We risk loosing the travel businesses we rely on (and even love) because we’re demanding a refund. 

According to a report by Bloomberg, commercial air traffic is on track to drop by 8.9% this year, which would be the biggest decline since 1978. It could however be a lot worse than this – many airlines (more than just FlyBe) may go bust, not to mention small, independent agencies and tour companies.

So, What Should I Do?

Business is not booming. Cash flow is tight. So instead of hurting the travel economy at its most vulnerable, consider letting businesses keep your money and provide you with vouchers in compensation, so you can travel or stay another time.

So use your own judgement; get flight, tour or hotel vouchers if you can and make a pledge to head back to your original destination as soon as it is safe to do so. It will really make a difference.

Before visiting the South of Catalonia, my knowledge of this Spanish region was limited to Barcelona. I never knew a that the popular Spanish breakfast pan con tomate (bread with tomato) originated from here, or that it’s a land rich in carob trees but most importantly that it is a place four world-class artists have in common: architect Antoni Gaudí, painter Joan Miró, cellist Pau Casals and artist Pablo Picasso.

In January 2020 I joined a trip with the Catalan Tourism Board to discover the life and inspirations of these famous artists whilst exploring the local landscape and cuisine in the towns that influenced their artistic development in one way or another; Reus, Horta de Sant Joan, Moint-Roig and El Vendrell.

We embarked on a new route the tourism board has launched, The Landscape of the Geniuses as it follows locations important to the four artists, the settings that influenced their work and their food. Taking on the route, which you can do completely independently and by car, you’re comforted with elements of the artists’ personal life, their workspaces and original inspirations.

Taking the art beyond the museum walls and into real life is what this route is all about as it passes through real-life landscapes where Gaudi, Miró, Casals and Picasso spent time, all while tasting the region’s fresh cuisine. How?

The route maps restaurants which have created unique dishes inspired by the artists’ work in a sister project The Cuisine of the Geniuses. Some dishes use vibrant colours like in Miro’s work, others blend ingredients from the sea and the mountains that surround the region and are pictured in paintings. But we’ll get to the gastronomic experience a little bit later, first let’s meet the secret locations that so greatly touched these 4 geniuses.

Mont-Roig: Miró’s rural summer escape

All my work is conceived in Mont-Roig – Miró

From 1911 until 1976, Mont-Roig was where Miró spent his summers and where he fully devoted his work to painting. He had a workshop next to the farmhouse and inspired by the agriculture and the landscape, he painted the creative shapes he is today known for.

At Mas Miró, the rural property the painter passed his summers, you can enter his workshop space with the original paintbrushes and sketches still on the table. Stepping out is what remains of the farmhouse which Miró painted his 1921 ‘La Masia’.

Fun fact: Catalonia is rich in carob trees and Miró himself described that he always carried a carob from Mont-Roig with him to give him the strength of a tree. Carob is an element we came across frequently on the trip. At Mas Miró we were treated to carob biscuits (delicious) and later that evening we tasted a carob and honey bread (even more delicious).

Horta de Sant Joan: Picasso’s beginning with cubism

Everything I know I learned in Horta – Picasso

Though born in Malaga and raised in Barcelona, young Pablo Picasso spent two summers in the small mountain town of Horta de Sant Joan, invited by his friend Manuel Pallares, and it was the place where he began experimenting with geometric cubism.

Inspired by the village’s topography and mountain range, in his first visit at 16 years old he painted Santa Barbara mountain. When he returned in 1909, he re-painted the mountain featuring some cubism elements along with the Saint Salvador Convent oil painting ‘The procession to the Covent’.

The view from the convent, submerged in trees at the foot of the mountain, offers a fantastic outlook on the town. Back in the centre, Centre Picasso hosts numerous reproductions of early paintings and I was thrilled to witness Picasso’s experimentation with proto-cubism and his first attempts to style his artistic signature.

Fun fact: Picasso and his friend Manuel spent a few nights sleeping in a cave in Els Ports.

Reus: the birthplace of Gaudi and his creativity

Originality means going back to the source – Gaudi

When thinking of Gaudi, it’s hard not to visualise Barcelona’s eccentric and colourful buildings yet a great deal of this architect’s inspirations derived from his birth town; Reus. It’s where he lived until the age of 16 with his family of copper-makers.

Walking Reus and its monuments it’s evident that so many details of his artistic masterpieces are influenced by elements of this town; the flowers, the shells, the honeycombs. I was particularly surprised to find that the spiral staircase in the famous Sagrada Familia was inspired by the spiral stairs in St Peter’s bell tower in Reus!

Further into town, in a large square sits the Gaudi Centre; a fantastic homage to this grand architect displaying a detailed look inside his designs, how they work and what inspired them. The centre’s technology and clever use of space and light help visitors understand Gaudi’s work by experiencing the details.

Fun fact: Gaudi’s most known temple, La Sagrada Familia, is a large unfinished Roman Catholic basilica said to be completed in 2026 by architect Jordi Fauli and his team.

El Vendrell: Casals’s beachfront paradise

Fortunately, in all my travels in so many foreign countries, I have never left behind the child from El Vendrell – Casals

When the bus stopped in front of Vil·la Casals I could barely believe my eyes seeing how beautiful (and large) the garden was. Pau Casals was a fortunate man having had such a lovely seafront summer residence, despite spending time in exile.

Linking Barcelona and Tarragona, the coastal town of El Vendrell was the home of the cellist. He went on to conquer the international music world playing in London, Paris, the USA but Catalonia always remained with him.

El Vendrell has two locations tied to the cellist; his home and his summer beach residence, now a beautiful museum, Vil·la Casals.

A large property with a lush garden that houses music evenings in the summer and a stunning beach-front view, the museum pays a beautiful homage to Casals’s legacy. Fernando, the Italian guide at the museum, oozes passion for the cellist and his mesmerising storytelling as he took us through the grounds was captivating. You are lucky if you are toured by him.

The museum has kept the original stunning décor and gorgeously chronicles Casals’s life and music including videos and live recordings

Fun fact: Casals’s first cello was made out of a pumpkin his father built for him and is the first item displayed in the museum.

The Cuisine of the Geniuses

A project within the Landscape of the Geniuses initiative is this gastronomic experience to taste the produce, culture and history that seduced the 4 artists. The region’s top restaurants have teamed up to offer signature meals that would make even Picasso proud.

On the trip’s welcome evening we were invited to a sensory dinner with 18 dishes prepared top chefs. It was an evening of exquisite culinary detail paired with an audio-visual experience, linking the artists’ work with each dish, from how it’s plated to its presentation.

The lamb and saffron soup Picasso was served at Hostal del Trompet, where he stayed with his girlfriend, Fernande Olivier, the hazelnuts that Gaudi always carried in his pockets greatly inspired by nature and Casals’s adoration for thyme soup are all elements part of the Cuisine of the Geniuses, skilfully merging history with gastronomy and art.

To taste these dishes for yourself, find the list of restaurants here while on the trip.

Activities to do en route

The initiative is a jam-packed itinerary with a dozen activities to take on. Given the route’s flexibility, it’s up to you whether to complete the whole route or spread it out on various trips. The local promotional boards have made sure that are enough experiences to keep you busy.

Try vermouth tasting at Museu del Vermut in Reus or visit the Mare de Déu de la Roca Chapel in Mont-Roig and find the spot from where Miro painted his ‘Mont-Roig, Sant Ramon, 1916’ painting. It’s easy to spot as a frame stands in the exact location from where the painter stood.

In Horta de Sant-Joan discover oil tourism and do some oil tasting at Identitat, a family-owned oil business. Here I was amused to find that the way to oil taste is by drinking it from a shot glass. You won’t be gobbling down the entire glass, of course, only a tiny amount on your tongue, nonetheless, it was a pleasant surprise.

While there perhaps you’ll indulge in la clotxa, a typical dish of the region which you prepare yourself. Empty out a round bread, drizzle in extra virgin olive oil and stuff it with roasted tomatoes, garlic and grilled sardines. Each bite had a hint of each ingredient though I liked mine with a bit more olive oil and a bit less salty sardine. A dish easily made at home too.

With an aim to take curious travellers further into Catalonia, the Landscape of the Geniuses route is a wonderful blend of art and gastronomy, getting to know the secrets of four world-renowned artists and tasting the region’s goods.

The initiative was created by the tourism boards of Costa Daurada and Terres de l’Ebre, under the umbrella of Catalonia. Find more information on the official website El Paisatge Dels Genis. A special thanks to the Catalan Tourism Board for organising this trip.

All photos are by Eleni Philippou