Travelling Won't Fix You (And Here's Why)

I thought I’d come on here today and share something that I think is really important. 

When I was making the decision to go travelling back in 2016 I reached out to friends and people that I knew who had done something similar. Most of them encouraged me not to over think it and just go for it, which is great advice. Those friends gave me the push that I needed. Without them, well, who knows what I’d be up to now! 

But one friend’s answer stood out to me. Maybe because I was more honest with him about my situation. He told me yeah definitely I should come to Australia. He was having a great time. He’d made some incredible friends and loved where he was living, but not to come with unrealistic expectations. Paraphrasing ‘Girl, Interrupted’ he told me I could change the scenery, but not the situation and that really struck a chord with me.

Carrie From Bigger Life Adventures Talks Overcoming Addiction and Becoming A Digital Nomad

I’m really excited to announce that I’m starting a new monthly series on Effy Talks Life! The series is going to be focussed on badass women who are traveling the world and working too.

You’re going to hear from people from all walks of life who will share their stories and give their best advice on how to follow in their footsteps. These interviews will be raw, real and like nothing else out there that I could find. I want to give you guys the good, the bad and everything in between.

So many people have the desire to work and travel, but just need that extra push to get started. Consider this your push!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Carrie of Bigger Life Adventures. Carrie, originally from the US, is now working as a Digital Nomad and traveling around Asia. She gives great advice on finding balance as a digital nomad and how to get started with life, and travel, on the road.

But enough from me – let’s hear from the woman herself!

Is Traveling Alone Really That Safe For Women?

*this post uses affiliate links for more information please see my disclaimer

As a woman, there’s no escaping from the fact that there are extra precautions you have to take to feel safe as a solo traveler and, in fact, everyday life. I’ve been followed home, spat at, catcalled - all of it.  When it comes to traveling alone it's only natural that your fears for safety are heightened. It is, after all, the great unknown. 

When it comes to the question of whether or not it's safe for women to travel alone there really is no definitive answer. However, there are loads of simple measures you can take to increase your safety while you're away.

Whether it’s your first trip, or you're an avid traveler looking for more ways to ensure your safety - you've come to the right place.

How to Save Money for Travel - My Best Tips and Tricks!

Two of the most common travel questions I see popping up time and time again are: "how do you save money for travel?" and "what kind of job do you have that allows you to travel so much?"

I'm by no means a travel expert, but I am a total nerd when it comes to saving money and finding a good deal. For years I've been sharing little hints, tips and job opportunities with friends. Now I'm finally ready to share them with the world (anyone who reads my blog, but the world sounded a lot more dramatic and climactic).

A lot of travel bloggers advocate making sacrifices in the short term so you can travel in the long term and to an extent I agree. However, I also think if you don’t allow yourself a single penny to spend on yourself saving for travel isn’t fun - it’s miserable. 

I believe you can still go out with friends and do a lot of the things you love – provided the things you love don't include taking the money you have and burning it.

5 Important Lessons Travelling Alone Has Taught Me

When I set off on my travels at the end of 2016 I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.

A trip that had been months in the making with a close friend suddenly went to shit and a team of two became just a one. Having invested so much time, energy and money already I made the decision not to call off the trip. Two weeks later I set off out in to the big bad world travelling alone and to say I was anxious would be an understatement. 

It was one of the most hectic periods of my life.

What is it Really Like to Solo Travel as a Black Woman?

Last week I received a message on Instagram from a lovely woman who asked to learn more about my travel experiences. 

Since leaving the UK ten months ago I’ve been no stranger to messages from friends asking for travel advice and I love to offer insight when possible, so immediately I was interested. 

However what struck me most about the message was not the fact that a stranger was reaching out to me for travel advice, but the fact that she wanted to know how my travel experiences had been as a black woman.

It got me thinking. 

How to Save Money Whilst Travelling South East Asia

Go travelling in South East Asia they said. It will be cheap they said.

Over the past five weeks, I’ve spent my time backpacking around South East Asia. I’ve also spent a shit tonne of money in the process. This is why I’m now qualified enough to write a post that will ensure you don’t make the same mistakes.

Uni Pressures, Anxiety and Living the Dream

In my last post I announced some big news about the future of my blog, which marks a new chapter for my writing and also some other changes in my life. Before that, it had been close to six months since my last post so it appears we have some catching up to do!

So where HAVE you been? I hear you all cry.

Writing your first novel? Single-handedly fighting for world peace?

The Wanderlust Tag

My first tag of the year yay! I pinched this from Danielle. I have a habit of never actually getting tagged to do these things and just inviting myself to the party and doing it anyway. If you've been following my travel diary posts you'll know that this kind of thing is right up my alley and if not... well you'll just have to take my word for it.

Winter Wanderlust - Turkey

My time in America this summer well and truly made me fall in love with travelling. There are few things that compare to the excitement of a new city and spending days getting acquainted (or in my case lost) in a new setting. Especially as we head into winter and not just any winter, but a bitter Scottish one, it seems that when I’m not daydreaming about my travels gone by I’m mapping out my next adventure.

November Goals

There is something very rewarding about achieving your goals. Perhaps it's knowing that yes you actually have the attention span to complete something you have planned, or the feeling of winning and great achievement. For me it's probably both. Unfortunately short term goals are something I seem to have become pretty lazy with as of recent, but today I'm making a change.

What it Feels Like to Fall Through the Sky

After an incredible eight weeks in San Diego, our Saltire internship experiences had sadly come to an end. Traditionally many Saltire Scholars use their opportunities away from home to give back and raise money for the cohort's chosen charities and in addition to our fundraising bake sale Niall and I decided to do something a little more daring.

5 Ways to Save Money in... NYC

A few months ago I was granted the opportunity to visit America in an adventure that beats any other I've had in my life so far (I have a tremendous backlog of posts I need to write for this). During my ten weeks in The States I learnt a lot about America and it's culture, about travelling and also how not to bankrupt myself whilst having the experience of a lifetime. I finished my trip in New York, which was incredible, but also conveniently the most expensive of my American destinations. On my shoestring budget I still managed to have a fantastic time so keep reading for my 5 ways to save money in NYC so you can too!

Top 3 Reasons to Visit San Diego

I've been living and working in San Diego for almost two months now and the time has sped by. This city continues to grow on me and the more time I spend here the more things I find to do that make me appreciate it even more. If you're planning a trip to America you just have to visit, and while it's not in as many films as New York or Vegas this beautiful beach city still has a hell of a lot to offer and to prove it I've compiled my top 3 reasons to visit San Diego in to one handy blog post.

Travel Diaries #5: The Golden State

Let's pick up where we left off shall we... When I wrote my travel diaries last I was settling in to a motel for the night in the little Californian town of San Louis Obispo and you'll be glad to know I survived the night, which did not live up to my horror film expectations. That morning the other San Diego interns and I left early to make our way down to San Francisco and eventually to San Carlos for a Saltire Foundation alumni barbecue that evening. 

Travel Diaries #4: Sun, Sushi and Santa Barbara

This weekend the other interns and I decided to hit the road and go on our first all-American road trip, leaving behind our cushy apartment in San Diego (more on that later) to make our way up the Californian coast to San Carlos for a barbecue with a few stops, and a motel stay, along the way. Despite our excellent combined planning skills we somehow failed to anticipate the ridiculous traffic heading into LA, even at our bright and early time of twelve in the afternoon. Another thing we failed to anticipate was the dramatic increase in temperature between San Diego and LA and as a result of our poor judgement Jose and I divided the majority of the ride between melting into our seats and trying to nap away the pain.  A few hours into the journey we decided to get some relief and headed to a sushi place just off the freeway for lunch.

Travel Diaries #3: Settling in to San Diego

Moving to San Diego (my flatmate says it's not technically moving, but 11 weeks constitutes as long enough to say moving for me) has undoubtedly been one of the most nerve wracking things I've ever done. The week before I left I stupidly overworked myself to the point where a day before I was due to leave I had a meltdown in Asda because I couldn't decide on a suitcase. For leaving. The next day. As it got closer to the time these feelings didn't go away and I began to get more and more anxious worrying about insignificant things, or creating ridiculous situations to worry about. I'm not a nervous person, I'm not a particularly scared person, but there was something about this particular adventure that had an effect on me.

Travel Diaries #2: California Incoming

I've been unusually quiet on my blog over the last couple of weeks, but it is not without good reason. As some of you might of read I was granted a scholarship by The Saltire Foundation and am now over in San Diego, California interning for eight weeks! Between the frantic packing, emotional meltdowns and endless flights I haven't had the time to sit down, never mind blog, but never fear as you, lucky reader, are about to receive a long overdue update.

Travel Diaries #1: Journey to Unknown Festival

With summer just around the corner (although in Britain that's questionable) I've been getting excited about my upcoming trip to America and this got me thinking about my adventures last summer. One adventure in particular I want to share with you is my journey to Unknown Festival last year. Allow me to set the scene...

It is now the beginning of September, like many of my friends I've spent my summer working trying to gain some experience for my later years, as a result of this we've not seen a lot of each other by no fault of our own. It's not long 'til we go back to uni and we could do with a holiday, but ultimately we're still poor.

Stateside Bucket List

So as you might of heard from my 'Life's a Beach' blog post I'm off to America for ten and half weeks this summer and to get the most of my visit I've come up with a stateside bucket list of some of the top things I'd like to do while I'm there. For the first eight weeks I'm going to be carrying out an internship programme through The Saltire Foundation with three other Scottish interns (who I've yet to meet but have been in very excited Facebook talks with!) Our internship itself is in San Diego then after the eight weeks we're going on to do a bit of our own travelling including San Francisco, LA and finishing in New York for our last few days. It's been a life long ambition of mine to go to America (who wouldn't want to go?!), but you know being a student and all money is kinda an issue. The great thing about the internship programme through The Saltire Foundation is they cover all the costs of the flights, accommodation and living for the duration of your internship so it's just the extra two and a half weeks travelling and the costs associated with that that I have to worry about and i's an opportunity I just could not let pass me by, no matter how broke I'm gonna be.

 It's pretty unlikely I'll manage to do everything on my stateside bucket list, especially as plans always tend to change, but I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys anyway and I'd love to hear your suggestions too!