I recently spent a long weekend in Northern Ireland, somewhere I haven’t visited since my first independent trip around the UK in 2011! I spent three days roadtripping the Causeway Coast. By far one of the best experiences was returning to the Giant’s Causeway. After hearing lots of stories about how crowded it can be… Read More Exploring the Giant’s Causeway at Sunrise
I love staying in hostels when I travel. It’s a great way to keep accommodation costs low, and meet new people on the road! On my trip to the Balkans this summer, I stayed in hostels for the entire trip, including my time in Shkoder. I stayed at Shkodra Backpackers (Mi Casa Es Tu Casa)… Read More Hostel Review: Shkodra Backpackers (Mi Casa Es Tu Casa), Shkoder
I love the Peak District—it’s definitely one of my favorite places in England. For my birthday present this year, Adam booked us onto an outdoors course in the Peaks! This was of course a great gift (well done, Mr. AWM!), but also a really fun experience. Our course was with Pure Outdoor, who run all… Read More Exploring The Peak District On The Pure Outdoor Navigation Course
The Lake District is without a doubt one of my favorite places in the world. This corner of England is simply beautiful, and one of my favorite places to go to explore the outdoors. I try to stay in a different location every time—it makes exploring different areas and going on new hikes easier. For… Read More Staying at the Kirkstone Pass Inn in the Lake District
Albania is a gorgeous country in the Balkans, that thankfully still seems to be fairly undiscovered by the crowds. The north of the country is home to the Accursed Mountains (Albanian Alps), which are a must on any visit to Albania. The biggest city in the north is Shkoder—although the center definitely feels more like… Read More Why You Should Visit Shkoder, Albania
Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities in the UK. Full of friendly locals, gorgeous architecture, amazing history, and lots of whisky, you won’t be bored on a trip to Edinburgh! There really is something for everyone in this city, and one of my favorite things was hiking up Arthur’s Seat! I’ve done this walk… Read More Everything You Need to Know About Hiking Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh
So many people head to the north of Albania to visit the mountains. The Albanian Alps (or the Accursed Mountains) have amazing hiking trails. The most popular of these is the hike from Valbona to Theth (or vice versa), which is generally easiest to do with a few nights either end in Shkoder. While I… Read More A Daytrip From Shkoder to Blini Park and Lake Koman: The Craziest Day in Albania!
If you’re a long-time blog reader, you’ll know by now that I regularly stay in hostels when I travel. I also put together hostel reviews, to recommend some of the great places I’ve stayed in! During my recent trip to the Balkans, I stayed for several nights in Tirana, the capital of Albania. I loved… Read More Hostel Review: Tirana Backpacker Hostel, Tirana
On my trip to the Lake District this summer, I had a short weekend away not far from Keswick. Because of how close our accommodation was, we decided to start off our first day hiking Catbells! The Lake District has no shortage of fantastic walks, and I honestly thought that this was one of the… Read More Hiking Catbells in the Lake District
The town of Berat is located just over 60 miles south of the Albanian capital Tirana. This is a very historic and picturesque town, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site! While I was planning my trip to Albania, I knew I wanted to squeeze in a trip to Berat. I ended up visiting as… Read More Visiting Berat As a Daytrip From Tirana
Tirana is by far one of the weirdest European capitals I’ve ever visited. It’s funky, it’s quirky, and it’s a great place to spend a few days. There isn’t a huge, overwhelming list of attractions to visit. But that’s all part of Tirana’s charm! I loved getting to visit so many different places around the… Read More 13 Things You Must See in Tirana, Albania
Since moving to York nearly three years ago, one of my favorite parts of living in England has been exploring Yorkshire and the countryside around the city. I’ve written a lot about the North York Moors National Park, so I thought it only fair to take a day out to the Yorkshire Dales National Park… Read More Exploring Wharfedale: Hiking From Grassington to Hebden in the Yorkshire Dales
Today is a big day. Three years ago today, I moved to England. Wow. Three years. Sometimes I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. On October 13th 2016, I walked off a plane (#tbt to when I checked four bags and the airline lost everything I own), got a stamp in my passport,… Read More 3 Years of Living in England: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Tirana is quirky city, and I absolutely loved my visit there! While there may not be loads of tourist attractions to tick off a list, one of the best ways to experience Tirana is by checking out the cool bars around the city! Café culture is huge in the Balkans, and Albania and Tirana is… Read More The Best Bars in Tirana, Albania
One of the things I love most about living in York is the easy access to the outdoors. Within an hour, I can be in the North York Moors or the Yorkshire Dales. In two hours, I can be in the Peak District, and within three hours, I can be in the Lake District. But… Read More York to Bishopthorpe: A Perfect Short Walk From York
Ohrid is one of the most popular tourist destinations in North Macedonia. This city is located at the edge of Lake Ohrid, and makes a perfect base for exploring the lake! Lake Ohrid is 35km long and forms the border between North Macedonia and Albania. This is now definitely one of my favorite places in… Read More A Guide to Exploring Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia
This August, I achieved a huge goal of mine: I successfully hiked up Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales! Not only that, but by summiting Snowdon I have now climbed the Three Peaks! The Three Peaks are Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis, and Snowdon. These are the highest mountains of England, Scotland, and Wales (respectively). Doing… Read More Hiking Snowdon: The Highest Mountain in Wales
I visited Kosovo for the first time and absolutely loved it! While I was based in the capital, Pristina, I also ventured out of the city to visit Prizren and Gračanica. Gračanica is easily one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever visited, and Gračanica Monastery was stunning. Kosovo’s population is primarily made up of… Read More How to Visit Gračanica as a Half-Daytrip From Pristina
This May, I applied to renew my UK spouse visa. If you missed my first post on applying for my UK visa, you can read up on it here. My initial visa was for 2.5 years (30 months), after which I could then apply to renew my visa and extend my leave to remain in… Read More The Complete Guide For Applying To Renew My UK Spouse Visa
When I was planning my trip to Kosovo, I knew I wanted to visit more than just Pristina (the capital city). I decided to do a daytrip from Pristina to Prizren. Prizren has a much more historic feel than Pristina, and it’s a gorgeous city to visit. It’s certainly doable as a daytrip from Pristina,… Read More A Daytrip to Prizren From Pristina, Kosovo