Jammin' in Jamaica

I know, I know, once again I've been off the radar. Apologies to you all, life has gotten in the way and I still have loads of content to finish in my draft folder, but in the spirit of new year, new me, in 2020 The Basic Traveller is going to be one of my number on priorities.

I'm definitely not doing these posts in order - I owe you all one on South Africa, Iceland, DC and Bologna from 2019, so keep your eyes peeled in the next few weeks as I get myself back on track, and then open it up to you guys as well as some more travel tips and tricks and looking ahead to what 2020 might have in store. So, let's dive straight in...Jamaica 🇯🇲

Let me just say as a disclaimer, this was a family holiday so I'm not going to mention budget and prices but share the highs and lows of the island over new years of 2019.

While many people might instantly think of Kingston (and yeh...something else too) when first thinking of Jamaica, there is actually so much more to this island, and flying into Montego Bay on the north-west, just a 9hr flight from Gatwick, it is much bigger than first expected.
Our hotel, the Jamaica Inn, was a 2hr drive in Ocho Rios towards the north-east. This all-inclusive family-run resort was to be our home for the next week and the place where we would first see in 2020. This hotel has been home to some of the super famous back in the day; Winston Churchill, Marlyn Monroe, Kathryn Hepburn and Ian Fleming, just to name a few, and on our trip we weren't disappointed, catching a glimpse of ex-Prime Minister John Major the last before we left, to my father's delight.

With rooms on the beach, breakfast overlooking the sea and a spa that was the pure definition of tranquillity, as you can guess I barely left the hotel, but still somehow managed to catch a cold that I am battling over a week later.

However, when I was eventually dragged off the beach into Ochos Rios and out onto the island, specifically to Noel Coward's house Firefly, I wasn't disappointed. The views from Firefly were incredible, and I completely understand why Sir Noel built his own house about half a mile from his guest house!

Amongst the other places we visited, the Seville Great House was another standout moment, learning Jamaican Patios from our guide, you have to be aware and remember the dark slave-trade history that runs through Jamaica and is ever-present in the remaining Great (Plantation) Houses.

Back on the beach, however, 5 hours behind the UK we saw in 2020 in Great Gatsby style with the most incredible buffet and party on the beach.

Jamaica is not a place for doing things, although there is plenty available if you want to, but is a place for just being, relaxing, and enjoying the wonderfully chilled pace of life.

Have a good week my loves!

Kate xxx

Sleeping in South Korea and Jet-Set in Japan

Today's post is a 2-4-1 and comes express from Japan as I landed back in London less than 24 hours ago! This trip was my second solo trip this year (See Sri Lanka) and has reinvigorated my love for solo travel even more.

Using my coveted Avios points to book the flights with BA and their partner Cathay Pacific (transit through Hong Kong) meant that along with my flight from Seoul to Tokyo with AirSeoul (10/10 airline by the way) came to around £450 which is not bad considering I coincidentally ended up in Japan at the same time as the Rugby World Cup.

As I was doing this solo but still on a bit of a budget, while in Seoul I stayed at Hostel Haru (contact me for discount code) in the Insa-dong area of Seoul which made getting around the city really easy as it was right in the centre but also next to the Jonggak metro station and the tranquil Cheonggyecheon urban river. Although I had two full days in Seoul as my flight landed at 07:35, the 8-hour ahead jet lag made the first day a complete right off.

Seoul, South Korea

However, day 2 was more eventful as I had booked a tour to go to the DMZ - De-Militarised Zone, the buffer zone between the South Korean and North Korean. Just my luck meant that due to African swine fever fears the actual tours to the DMZ were cancelled but I persevered on an 'alternative DMZ' tour and at least got to visit an observatory from which I could see North Korea and learned about the troubles that still exist there as well as going to the Korean war memorial museum. As I knew next to nothing about the Korean war (as shameful as that is) I really relished the opportunity to learn - as well as try as many Koran sweet buns with red bean paste as possible!

North Korea!

(Note: Korea is not a veggie or vegan-friendly place so you will have limited options, but much cheaper than expected)

Hopping over to Japan, I flew into Tokyo and spent two days in the bright lights of the city at the beginning of my tour, visiting Shinjuku crossing, Harajuku, Asaka with its temple and markets along with a hedgehog cafe. Yes, apparently animal cafes (as well as maid cafes - google it) are a big thing in Japan.
I also made sure to catch the England vs OZ and Ireland vs NZ game whilst I was there at a British pub (typical) but what an atmosphere!

Bullet train to Takayama, a small town in the mountains of central Japan, unlocked the traditional side of the country as we stayed in a traditional Japanese inn, sampled ramen and visited an onsen (traditional hot spring baths...naked). I had never considered visiting this part of Japan before but it held so much history and beautiful scenery I would highly recommend it.

Last stop (again via bullet train) was to the old capital, Kyoto. Unlike Tokyo with its mad modern-ness, Kyoto is the capital with culture. Here I got to try spending a few nights in a capsule hotel (pretty good except for the lack of windows so you have no idea what time of day it is), visited Nijo-Castle, the Silver Pavillion (which is not actually silver), a bamboo forest and had a sushi lesson from a sensai.  Three days in Kyoto could have easily been 3 weeks as there is so much to do there!

The long flight back via Hong Kong was totally worth it too - Japan is in its heyday for tourism with the Rugby World Cup/Olympics and South Korea has so much to offer I'll just have to go back. I had no idea what to expect visiting these countries and unlike me did very little planning beforehand so I went in pretty blind but was blown away at how great these places are and I would completely recommend your next trip to be to Japan and South Korea!

Catch you next week for a post on South Africa (due from March!)

Have a good week my lovelies!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

Serenity in Sri Lanka

So, I know I promised to start writing again probably about 2 months ago but - as always - life has gotten in the way! Back by no demand whatsoever, here is a very delayed post (which should have been done in January) all about Sri Lanka.

**Disclaimer: This trip was taken before the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka of Easter 2019**

Landing in Colombo after a 14-hour flight with a brief stopover in Qatar (Qatar Airways 5* airline, by the way, 10/10 would recommend),  and leaving the freezing cold January blues behind in rainy old England, the heat hit me like a wall.

For my exploration of the Lonely Planet's top place to visit in 2019, I was spending just over 10 days starting with one night in Colombo, then to Siguria with it's famous rock fortress and Dambulla cave temple and opportunity to do a jungle safari and see elephants (!) then all the way through the centre of Sri Lanka's hilly tea plantation region down to the coast at Hikkaduwa.

Temple of the Tooth, Kandy

Being in this wonderful country you could certainly feel that it was in its element and was on the cusp of exploding with tourists (unfortunately I think this will have been affected by the horrific terrorist attacks this year). Having mostly recovered from the civil war that raged on with the Tamil Tigers until 2009 and rebuilt its coastline after the devastating boxing day tsunami in 2004, Sri Lanka has been due its day and for good reason, I think the Sri Lankan people are some of the kindest I have ever met.

After a couple of days of relaxing in the countryside of Siguria, I moved on to Kandy - Sri Lanka's cultural capital - to the Temple of the Tooth which, as legend says, is the site of the last tooth of Buddha and brings hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. This place was beautifully calm and crazily busy with the number of people coming to worship at the same time. Be sure to get there at just before the time of the prayer ceremony to get a glimpse of the tooth!

The next stop was one of the most beautiful places on earth, the homestay at Tamarind Farm Gardens, a working farm that has many wonderful initiatives to support the local village to give the women a place to work away from the local dolomite mine. This beautiful place is incredibly peaceful and sits on the side of the hills, away from the madness of the city and is run by a Sri Lankan couple who returned to Sri Lanka from the UK and developed the land into a farm and enterprise.

Tamarind Farm Gardens, Digana

After this, I continued into the tea plantation hills of Nuwara Eliya which strangely might have been one of my favourite places (only partly due to the huge change in temperature, mainly because of the tea) but it is a town that time seems to have forgotten as very little has structurally changed since its colonial occupation with its original 1930s post office still in working order.

Ella Station, Ella

Moving on to Ella, I took the infamous train 🚂 that leaves when it likes and takes as long as it likes to get to this hilly town, not before pulling across the picture-postcard nine arch bridge. Here you can take a hike or a scramble up Little Adam's Peak or enjoy a cooking class to learn to make some traditional Sri Lankan curries - you can guess what I picked to do!

Train from Nuwara Eilyah to Ella

The last place on my visit was down to Galle/Hikkaduwa (via a stop at an elephant orphanage to see them at feeding time) to see the Dutch colonial town of Galle that has rebuilt itself after the tsunami and it's old town was the only part of the town that survived the force of the water due to its fortified walls.
As well as the colonial history and story of destruction, Sri Lanka's southern coast also has some of the most glorious beaches and opportunities for diving (although don't forget the suncream like I did!).

Mamas, Hikkaduwa Beach

All in all, a wonderful, amazing trip to one of my new favourite places in the world. I'm sure the attacks at Easter of this year will have had an effect on the number of visitors to Sri Lanka this year, but if you are considering a holiday don't cross this small but incredible islands off your list.

So that's it! I'm officially back - I'm not making any promises but I know I owe you all some more posts very soon - and next week I'm off to South Korea and Japan so I will be sure to keep you all updated.

Have a good week my lovelies!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

Edinburgh on the map

Right, last week I had my first whole week off since....since I can't actually remember the last time I had a full week off...maybe it was when I just moved back from Paris, I think it was. Anyway, I digress, as I was saying, last week I finally had a full week off, coinciding with a lot of half terms so my housemate and very good friend Emma could go away for a few days as cheaply as possible as we were both feeling painfully skint. So, after much haggling and lowering of expectations, we both realised that as much as we had travelled globally, we hadn't really explored our own backyard that much, and thus we settled on a 3 day trip to Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Royal Mile

Scotland is somewhere I've had on my bucket list for aaaaggessss, partly due to my obsession with Outlander, partly because I love the Scottish accent, and partly because everyone who goes there always comes back with tales about how great it was, and as it is so close, I knew I had to go and see it for myself.

We had it all booked, a cheap Ryanair (boo) early morning flight from Stanstead to Edinburgh, returning two days later and staying in a budget Airbnb room, all costing about £80 each...not bad for a city break. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, no romantic reasoning except the fact that Emma seems to actually enjoy working with children who manage to make her ill at the most inconvenient times, so she actually didn't make it up to the highlands with me. In the end, I called on my mother who jumped on the train and came to join me.

Staying in our Airbnb on Albany Street meant that we were within walking distance to most of the sights of Edinburgh.

Wandering down the Royal Mile, past the sound of bagpipes and further into the heart of the city to the George IV bright, in true tourist fashion, we headed to The Elephant House Cafe for breakfast - this cafe was supposedly the place where JK Rowling first wrote Harry Potter - whether this tale is true or not is neither here nor there, but one thing about The Elephant House is its breathtaking view of Edinburgh Castle.

From here, we headed to the Dovecot Gallery, an old swimming baths-turned-gallery, which is currently housing an exhibition of Liberty fabrics - very niche for those who like fashion and textiles, but even a complete novice like me can appreciate the beautifully patterned fabrics and dresses from 1920/30s all the way through to modern-day.

Following this, no touristy visit to Edinburgh could be complete without a trip to the castle, so braving the biting winds, up to the castle we went. Seeing the Scottish Crown jewels were cool enough, but the best part was definitely the Victoria sponge cake and royal tea in the tea rooms - 10/10 would eat again!

View from Edinburgh Castle

For those on a budget, a great place to go in Edinburgh that I ended up in twice was the Scottish National Gallery, free to enter, it has some pretty cool paintings, and for someone like me who struggles to enjoy galleries to say it, means it must be good.

Great restaurants to check out in Edinburgh that we tried were:

- Chaophraya: a Thai restaurant on George Street, averagely priced, good portions, busy so worth booking - even on a Wednesday night in October, but the selling point of this place is deffo the city views over Edinburgh, and on a good day you can see all the way to Fife!

 - The Magnum: serving traditional Scottish food with a modern uplift, located on Albany Street, I would recommend the Fish and Chips, and the Cullen Skink - classic Scottish creamy fish chowder.

 - The White Witch; an Italian/Scottish Bistro on Broughton Street, this place seems to be open all hours, the lunch and dinner menu looked mouthwatering, but I had the veggie breakfast, served with fresh tomatoes and classic Italian balsamic vinegar which was utterly delicious!

If you do decide to take a city break in Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Playhouse is worth checking out as they have some great off-London performances for half the price, especially for under-25s midweek. We saw a great rendition of Saturday Night Fever that had me singing all the way home!

What's your favourite part of Edinburgh? Let me know?!

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

The Beginning of: The London Series

After last year when 'The Paris Series' began, I thought that it was time to begin 'The London Series' in which part of my weekly posting schedule will contain various tales of my life in London... when I've done something interesting or worth writing about that is.

I moved to London just over a month ago now (!) where has that time gone, and I've now been in my job at The British Red Cross for nearly two months of my four-month contract!! And without giving too much away (and being a dick bragging about my new house)... my new house is amazing!!!

And after the hassle that it took us to find a place, it better be! When people said finding a place to rent in London would be hard, I didn’t quite believe them – after all, it’s only renting a house – but man was I wrong. 15 viewings later, 3 unsuccessful offers, 1 returned holding deposit and many many frustrated emails, we finally managed to get a house that had space, a garden, and it’s completely beautiful as an added bonus. After a few hiccups and one failed move in date, it is so great to finally be in a real adult house that is clearly cared for, unlike the many student places I’ve been in.

It also means I get to go out and explore North London every weekend and find new and exciting places for you lovely people, reporting back right here on the blog. As you may have noticed if you are a regular reader (and if you are new, welcome, and why haven’t you been here sooner?!) I am trying to have more of a regular posting schedule. While I’m sure you have heard me bang on about how I hate writing for the sake of writing etc. but nonetheless I have recently had an outpouring of various travel-y ideas, and so as not to overwhelm you all, at the beginning of each week – usually a Monday evening – a new post will be published on my site. I have a large backlog of drafts saved and a couple of trips in the pipeline so hopefully, this will be enough to keep you all reading and enjoying my content, and like I said, many London posts too!

This weekend I went to FriendsFest in Kennington Park, basically a day out with all things Friends, and made a trip to the British Museum for the latest Ian Hislop exhibition which I could not recommend enough. I’m thinking, like Paris, I should maybe make a London list, what do you think? I am going to be here for the next two years at least so if you’ve got any suggestions of cool and underrated things to do in London, let me know!

I’m also trying to put together an itinerary for when Harley and Morgan come for graduation at Christmas – a Paris reunion in London!

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

Top 5 European destinations for students

This week's blog features a special guest post from the lovely people at STA Education talking about all things student breaks in Europe! Let me know how you like it, and if anyone else fancies writing something, just get in touch!

Cheese for breakfast, casual cobbled streets and fists full of inspiration, we’ve got to be talking about Europe. Just a stone’s throw away and as diverse as it is beautiful, we spoke to self-confessed student travel experts STA Travel Education about what Europe has that nowhere else does!

Barcelona

Known for its intricate architecture, rich history and claiming football fans from around the globe. This city is the perfect blend of ‘La Playa’ and all things educational. Aside from the obvious tourist attractions: La Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter and Camp Nou. The Garrotxa Volcanic Park will pull in geography students. While ordering tapas and local breakfasts will be a challenge for any language students.

Paris

Students will say ‘bonjour’ to the effortlessly chic Pari. ‘Oui’ can’t recommend Paris enough for inspiring the next generation. Littered with iconic monuments and tiny bakeries where diets go to die, what’s not to love? In the Palais Garnier & Théâtre de Paris, students will find their voice. The Foundation Claude Monet, Lourve and Mussee d’Orsay should keep creative students going for a while. Trying out language skills on the locals will be a test of wits for your students.

London

It’s the very essence of all things British! Call us patriotic, but there is little that can’t be done in our capital. The very royal architecture and the ever changing science is just the starter. Geography students should head to the Thames or the pioneering eco-community BedZed for some applied learning. Art students will get lost in Shoreditch, spotting street corners splattered with little known names, yet to line the walls of galleries.

Rome

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, and by the looks of the architecture, they weren’t kidding! Steeped in mythology & history, students can walk amongst fearless gladiators, make a wish at the famous Di Trevi Fountain, trudge the Spanish Steps and see the highlights of St Peter’s. If that didn’t sell it to you, they have more Gelato then you can shake a stick at! 

Berlin

Fast becoming an educational hotspot, this is where famous history sites double as educational opportunities; the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial and the Brandenburg Gate. One of the most immersive ways to experience the city is a Religious tour. If you’re looking for something a little outside of the city head to Potsdam, for beautiful gardens and historical buildings.

Fun Fact: The highest toilet in Europe is on Mont Blanc at over 4,200 meters!

Like what you see? The fun doesn’t have to end, enjoy more blogs from STA Travel Education here.

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72 hours in Stockholm

You might be pretty sick of me constantly writing about my holidays, but then again, this is a travel blog for the most part, so what do you expect really?!

Although this is the last overseas holiday post for a while because it was the last holiday I had booked! It feels weird not having something happening – although this is solely down to my supposed job hunt – damn money that I need to live.

Anyway, my FINAL trip of the year so far was to the sunny climbs of Stockholm, Sweden, just for a two-night city break.

While the weather in the UK has calmed down at the end of July, I promptly flew to Stockholm where it was over 30 degrees with 94% humidity. Great.

As Stockholm is in Scandinavia, it is super super expensive, especially at the moment (thanks Brexit), so if you really want to enjoy yourself, don’t try to do it on a budget – although I did and it wasn’t half bad.

Stay in an Airbnb, a classic, and most likely the cheapest option in Stockholm – I’d also advise picking one that is right in the centre of the city if possible so you don’t have to pay the mind-numbing price of £4 per one way journey for the Swedish public transport. Find the Airbnb I stayed here.

There are many airlines to choose from when flying to Sweden (or get the train from Copenhagen or Oslo) but make sure you fly to Stockholm Arlanda airport – the flights to here may be slightly more expensive but if you pick the Ryanair flights from Stanstead, although they cost nothing, they will fly you to an airport that is actually 4 hours outside Stockholm – not great for a city break! I flew with Norwegian which ticks all the boxes for a short haul 2h35m flight – slightly uncomfortable seats, but not too bad all in all.

What to do in Stockholm: Well there are many options, although all costing rather a lot, so choose your poison in advance. There are literally hundreds of museum littering the island archipelago that makes up the city, so take a wander round the postage museum, the ABBA museum (legendary) or the Nobel Prize Museum.

Sweden is known for being a wonderfully liberal country, with a brilliant concept that has recently taken the world by storm. With no English translation, fika, literally means to take a break and have a coffee and a chat with your friends, so feel free to do this in any number of beautiful parks or coffee shops in Stockholm.

For younger visitors, or just for big kids, on the island of Skansen there is a Tivoli theme park with an open air museum that has been reconstructed to show Stockholm through the ages with a large zoo too!

And classically, in true basic traveller style, two free options from insider tips is to visit the Medieval museum (although note it is closed on Monday) and take a free walking tour around the city. This lasts just over an hour as Stockholm really isn’t very big, but is great for orientating yourself and learning about Swedish history...and don't forget to try some Swedish meatballs! 

Where are you off on holiday to next?

Have a great week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

SPOTLIGHT ON: LJUBLJANA

Welcome to #traveltuesday once again here on Insanity 103.2FM and today we are going to Ljubljana, one of the most under-rated cities in Europe in my opinion. Slovenia is one of the most amazing countries in Europe as it is relatively undiscovered in travelling terms - it is not on the typical travel route (although it usually features as a stop for most interrailing students) and it is definitely on the rise as a popular place to go. This is most likely because of its beautiful city, welcoming people and very affordable prices. The fact that Slovenia is also only a 2hr plane journey away makes it pretty popular too. Sandwiched between Vienna, Italy, Slovakia and Hungary, Slovenia is pretty much in the centre of Europe, and it is the centre of my top ten European travel destinations.

Easiest way to get there:

• By Train: interrailing or by train from wherever you are coming from on your journey
• By Bus: from Croatia or Vienna etc. buses to Ljubljana are as cheap as €22 
• By Plane: from London Gatwick or Stanstead EasyJet flies once a day direct to Ljubljana for as little as £60 return - the Hungarian airline Wizz also flies there too for similar prices

Riverside Ljubljana

Where to stay:

• Ljubljana - is so small there is not much to choose from: I stayed in a great Airbnb above a bar called Liquid for £52 per night for the entire apartment and it is a really cheap option because it can take up to 5 people and includes a free breakfast while being right in the centre of the city so you literally walk outside the front of the bar and be next to the Dragon bridge
• Hotel Mrak: £69 per night, and right in the centre of the city
• Hostel Tivoli: £13 per night, includes a basic breakfast, 10-minute walk to congress square and right next to the bus station 

Lake Bled

What to do:

• Visit Lake Bled: bus ticket from Ljubljana bus station for €12 for 1h30m bus journey to one of the most beautiful lakes and scenes - take a walk around the lake and enjoy the gorgeous sunshine
• Take the funicular up to Ljubljana castle and wander around the restored castle and prison - tickets are €7 for students - get a spectacular view of the city 
• Take a free walking tour of Ljubljana leaving from outside the Pink Church in the old town at 11 am every day - worth it to spend a couple of hours wandering around the city - although as it is so small there is not much walking involved. The best part is you get all the history of the city but don't forget the guides rely on tips so leave them a couple of euros 
• Sit by the river and enjoy a cocktail at many of the riverside bars
• Wander around the open and covered markets to pick up some memorable souvenirs and food

Pink Church

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx