Category: Travel thoughts

working in a hostel

Everything you need to know about working in a hostel

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“So, what are you going to do during your career break”? my boss asks me on my last day. “ “I’m heading off to Albania, working in a hostel” The look on his face speaks volumes. “OK, there are two things I don’t understand in that sentence. First, you are going to work? And second: in Albania?!” I laugh, but I’ve never been more excited! I’d been wanting to travel long-term for a while, but neither my parents, neither my bank account thought that this was an achievable Continue Reading

slow travel

How to slow travel with limited time?

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Let’s face it, due to work or finances, most of us don’t have the luxury of unlimited travel time. Some people work hard all year round to afford those well-earned two weeks off. They often tend to cramp in as much as possible and as a result come home exhausted… They have “seen” a place, ticked off the must see boxes, but have they really experienced what the city or country is all about…? In comes slow travel! Slow travel is about experiences rather than sights. It’s about Continue Reading

travel attitude

Are travel bloggers the worst travellers?

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What is it about travel blogging nowadays? Everybody who ever set foot out of their own country seems to feel the need to document it on their own little corner of the world wide web! Millions of stories are up for grabs, millions of tales to inspire future travellers to follow into our footsteps. But is the attitude certain travel bloggers have really the example to follow? Being a travel blogger myself, I have found myself in situations which made me think… 1/ We have forgotten to Continue Reading

full time traveller

Why I DON’T want to travel full-time

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“How I became a full-time traveller and so can you” ! The number of articles dealing with the subject pollutes my e-mail nearly every day. Everybody and their auntie seem to call themselves “digital nomads” nowadays, it seems to be the new trend. Even though I travel very often, I just can’t see myself doing it full-time. Why not? Glad you asked! 1/ I love travelling too much What do you mean it sounds contradictory? Please allow me to explain! Whether you have a fixed address or Continue Reading

when travel goes wrong

Those moments when travel goes horribly wrong

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Aah, the joys of travelling: exploring new cities, meeting new people and the only thing you have to worry about is “where am I going to eat and sleep tonight?” But occasionally, travel goes wrong. These were some of those times: 1/ The car crash in Ireland I am sitting on a rock next to my tent in the small Irish village of Caherdaniel. Beside me is a police offer, trying to sort things out with the insurance company. How did I end up here? It all started the day before. I was driving the Continue Reading

how to meet people while traveling

How to meet people while traveling

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I don’t know about you, but for me, travelling is a lot more than simply seeing the sights. Of course I want to visit the Louvre on a trip to Paris and yes, I’ve been to Lady Liberty in New York, but what really makes a trip is to meet people while traveling, to meet ordinary people like you and me, people who live, work and play in the city or country you’re visiting! And no, that doesn’t mean you have to strike up a conversation with every person on the street!  Check out the Continue Reading

travel addiction

The side effects of travel addiction

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My name is Els and I have an addiction. I go to bed with it and it’s the first thing on my mind when I wake up. If I could program my dreams, it would hunt me in my sleep too! I have a “travel addiction”! “So, what’s so bad about it?” I hear you say. “There are worse addictions to be had!” Well of course there are and although it’s a very mild addiction, it does feel like a benign drug that comes with some unwanted side-effects: 1/ Lack of security Working 9 to 5 gives me a Continue Reading

life as an expat

Life as an expat: the good, the bad and the ugly!

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It’s been over 5  years since I moved from Belgium to Northern Ireland. Although I like to think of myself as being “easily adaptable”, I must be honest and say that life as an expat hasn’t been and isn’t always easy. There are different phases every expat will go through and while the good definitely outweighs the bad, there are still a few things to consider. Expat life: the good! 1/ It broadens your mind Life as an expat means living in a culture that is different from Continue Reading

how to meet people while traveling

A tribute to the people I met on my travels!

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One of the best parts of independent travel is the people you meet on the road! Connecting with people when travelling means a lot more to me than seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal. There’s so much you can learn from locals, they can show you so much more about their culture and country than any guide book or museum will ever do! I still recall the friendliness of the Scottish and Thai people I met, I can vividly (well, more or less) remember the drunken nights I spent with some Continue Reading

The 5 stages of expat life

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Expat: the word always sounded kind of “exotic” to me. I admired the people who dared to leave everything behind to start a new life abroad. It never really occurred to me to follow in their footsteps, but after 2 ½ years of being in a  long distance relationship, it looked like the expat life was coming my way… In March 2013 I said goodbye to my friends, my family and my job to start a new life in Northern Ireland. Turns out the expat life is a life with ups and downs. Looking back and Continue Reading