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I've entered UK Blog Awards 2017!

Hey everyone,

So today is a special day…voting for UK Blog Awards 2017 is now OPEN!! For those of you who have followed me for a while now, you’ll remember that I was amazed to be SHORTLISTED as a Top 10 Finalist for Best Travel Blog in the 2016 awards. It was totally unexpected and I was blown away by the amount I support I received from my family and friends and of course my readers, as well as everyone else who took the time to vote for me! Being shortlisted as a finalist this year was incredible, but next year I am going to go all out and try to WIN the coveted title of Best UK Travel Blog at the 2017 awards! I need your help to do it though…

 

 

Voting is easy peasy and takes just 30 seconds! All you have to do is click here, enter your name and email address, select TRAVEL as the category, and then click VOTE! That’s it, it couldn’t be simpler, and the competition in my category is stronger than ever, so I need all the help I can get if I’m going to have any chance of being shortlisted, let alone winning. If you could pleaseeeee take the time to vote for me I would be eternally grateful and it would mean soooo much to me and my little blog, which is turning 3 next year – I can’t believe it!

Thank you to anyone who may have voted for me so far – I LOVE YOU! Voting closes on 19th December so please cast them as soon as possible! I’ll be Tweeting, Instagramming and Facebooking in between now and then to make sure you’re still voting 😉 nah don’t worry, I won’t bombard you, but I do need as many votes as I can get to be in with a chance of winning!

You know what to do… vote vote vote!

Love Jess x votenow-2-trans

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UK Blog Awards #UKBA16

 

I’ve recently returned from one of my blog highlights of the year, the fantastic UK Blog Awards which I was SHORTLISTED for as a top ten travel blogger! I attended the awards with my best friend and had a fantastic evening; the event was super-duper cool and was held in the stunning Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel. Organised in association with Debenhams, Odeon and Hills Balfour, the awards were also sponsored by EventTrees who transformed the ballroom into an enchanted forest wonderland to commemorate Roald Dahl’s 100th birthday year and the release of his latest film, The BFG. Although I didn’t win the coveted Best Travel Blogger award I still had an amazing time…here are my best bits!

The sponsors

 

Got my best dress on and my best friend by my side… UK Blog Awards 2016 let's DO thisssss! 👯🎉 #UKBA16

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Hosted in association with Odeon, the awards were sponsored by numerous companies across the various industries the bloggers were being judged from. We had Debenhams representing the fashion and beauty section, Hills Balfour representing the travel section and BMW flying the flag for the automotive section. Some fellow bloggers were even chauffeured by BMW to and from the venue (lucky sods!) as a courtesy package – unfortunately I wasn’t able to experience this but, as we were staying in the hotel itself I didn’t think I could complain too much 😉

 

The venue

 

 

The awards were held in the swanky Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel which I had the pleasure of reviewing during my stay. The hotel is one of the largest in London, with over 1000 rooms laid out across 14 floors, and views across the whole of Westminster. With the event kicking off at 7pm sharp, we made our way from our room on level 12, down past reception to level minus two, the ballroom, where we were greeted by staff members and huge Blog Award banners – we definitely knew we were in the right place!

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Prosecco and canapes were thrust upon us as we entered the ballroom, and we were snapped by photographers and interviewed by journalists straightaway – oh the joys of arriving early! 😉 We had the whole of the ballroom floor and three large rooms to use throughout the evening which made us feel that extra bit special. Entertainment came in the form of a pop up cinema by Odeon (the popcorn was amazing) and a bubble show by Bubbleinc – such a fun concept and, seeing as I’m always in my own little bubble, I thought I might as well be in a REAL LIFE ONE!

 

Quite literally in my own little bubble ☁ ☁ #UKBA16

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The speeches

The evening was kicked off with a welcome from our host, Kate Russell, journalist, reporter and author who won a UK Blog Award herself at the 2015 ceremony. Kate told us how her profile in the blogosphere has been heightened since her award win last year and how important it is for brands and bloggers to connect with each other in the ever changing world of social media.

 

Gemma Newton, founder of the event, was next to speak and she gave us a real insight into the blogging industry and how important it is becoming in today’s media. Gemma’s inspiring speech made all us bloggers think and take stock – she’s standing up for US and helping US to get recognised by experts, brands and industry professionals.. here’s to the gaining even more power in the industry over the next few years – bloggers unite!

 

The award categories

 

There were 18 categories in total, from weddings and photography to beauty and fashion to travel and lifestyle, with ten shortlisted bloggers in each sector for the individual and company entrants. There were over 150 bloggers nominated in each sector, so to be shortlisted in the top ten is massive achievement in itself!! I was lucky enough to be shortlisted in the individual travel section along with fellow TBloggers Vicki and Chris from Eat Sleep Love Travel, Lucy from Faraway Lucy and Ella from I am Ella. It was so strange to see all our names lit up on the big screen!

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Lucy and I met each other at Traverse16 – we got on like a house on fire and have remained firm friends ever since! This lovely lady was voted Highly Commended in our travel category and I was SO PROUD of her! Congratulations Luce you fully deserved the recognition – love you lots! <3

 

 

The dress code

 

Loved the dress I wore for my awards do on Friday.. Thankyou so much @officialrarelondon 👯👗 #london #rarefashion

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We were under strict instructions to dress up as glam as we could when attending the awards; for the girls it was either cocktail or floor length dresses and for the boys it was suits all round! I’m so tiny that floor length dresses totally DROWN me so I thought I should opt for fun cocktail number to make me look at least a little glamourous! I chose a sassy little red dress by Rare London, I loved the fit and the style and felt it suited me down to the ground. Thank you Rare for a beautiful dress… I felt a million dollars in it!!

 

The social media exposure

Soo I got this little invite thru the post today.. 8 days and I'll be there! @UKblogawards #UKBA16 ✉🎉 #finalist

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I have had an ENORMOUS amount of new interest in my blog since I announced that I was shortlisted for this years awards. I’ve been featured in two newspapers and have been interviewed by a local TV company to share my blog awards story. I’ve gained hundreds of new followers across all forms of social media and have made virtual friends with so many people! The weekly #bloghour Twitter chat has also meant that I’ve been actively involved with speaking to event organisers, sponsors, industry professionals and fellow bloggers in the run up to the big night. Thankfully #bloghour will still be running every Tuesday at 9pm so I’ll still get my weekly blogger fix! I’m so grateful for all the exposure that UK Blog Awards has thrown my way and I’ve absolutely LOVED being a part of such a fantastic experience.

 

As I’m sure you can tell, I had a truly wonderful time and am already keen to enter into next year’s awards in order to be re-shortlisted; my next aim is to WIN one of those shiny trophies! A big thank you to everyone for making the event such a success, from the hotel staff to the wonderful organisers. I left with a massive smile on my face, a goody bag and finalist certificate in my hand and a giddy feeling in my heart, although I’m pretty sure that had something to do with all the free Prosecco…. UK Blog Awards, it’s been a blast!

Love Jess x

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April Newsletter

Just back from my TV interview with That's Oxon thanks for having me guys! 🎥📺 #selfie #interview #TV #travel #blogger

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Hi everyone!

I know I say this literally EVERY month but I cannot believe that May is here! April seemed to whizz by; I went to Cardiff, Liverpool and London and had plenty to keep me busy in between.. Read on to see what I’ve been up to over the last 30 days!

I had my best month EVER for stats

Love receiving notifications like thissss… April has been a crazy month for me! Thanks #wordpress! 💻📝

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So this is pretty motivating, and I love kick starting my monthly updates with some good news! April has been a record month for me, and I’ve had my best ever stats on the blog! I’ve received over 2400 page views alone, more than 250 new followers across Instagram & Twitter and have written and responded to tonnes of emails! My stats really are booming and I am so thrilled that all my hard work is finally starting to pay off and my little blog is getting NOTICED! Thank you as always to you, the readers who really do make a difference! <3

I was featured in the press (and on the telly!)

 

*NEW POST!* Journeys with Jessica in the press.. head over to the blog to see where I've been featured lately! 🎥📺

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So this month has been absolutely CRAZY in terms of exposure and press attention for my blog! Who would have thought that little old me would make it onto the TELLY?! I was interviewed by The Oxford Mail for my UK Blog Awards nomination which was subsequently posted in their sister paper, The Witney Gazette. I was then contacted by a local travel company owner to see if we could work together, and was also asked to take part in a TV interview with local company That’s Oxfordshire to talk about my how my blog all started. PHEEEEWWWW I’ve never been so in demand 😉 Seriously though it’s been a bloody mental month and I am exhausted but so happy that my blog is starting to get noticed on a much larger scale!

I attended my first ever travel conference in Cardiff

 

 

So I’ve blogged about this soo much but I literally had the best time everrrr at my first travel conference! Traverse 16 was so motivating, inspiring and SO much fun – I met tonnes of new people, made new friends and best of all gained so much confidence. Read my highlights in my separate Traverse blog post – for anyone thinking of attending next year, no matter how little or how much experience you have, just GO FOR IT!

I ran 5 miles for Oxford Children’s Hospital

 

On Sunday 17th April I took on my biggest physical challenge yet by completing a 5 mile run around the beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace. I was raising money for Oxford Children’s Hospital on behalf of my work team, LET US RUN, where we raised just under £100. A fantastic day was had by all, and I completed the run in just over an hour – considering I had done barely any training at all I didn’t think that was too shabby! If you’d like to donate to Oxford Children’s Hospital please visit my Just Giving page.

 

I went to Liverpool for my cousin’s hen do

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I was sooo excited to be reunited with all my beautiful family for my cousins hen do at the end of the month. We all headed into Liverpool city centre for a wonderful girly evening and were totally glammed up. We had a superb three course dinner at the quirky Alma de Cuba restaurant, then headed to the chic Palm Sugar bar for cocktail making before ending our night in style by hitting Liverpool’s finest clubs. It’s safe to say there were a few sore heads the next morning, but it was so lovely to be reunited with my beautiful family and I can’t wait until the wedding!

I attended UK Blog Awards 2016!

 

 

So as many of you will know I was SHORTLISTED as a top ten travel blogger at this years UK Blog Awards, beating over 150 other bloggers in the same category. I was so shocked, nervous and excited all in one go and couldn’t wait to attend the awards! I’ll do a separate post about this once I’ve caught up on all my other stuff, but I can tell you that I had the most AMAZING evening and didn’t want it to end! I stayed in the swanky Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel and got to review that for the night which in itself was incredible! I wasn’t a winner on the night,  but to have even been at the event was just such a fantastic experience and I’m so grateful to you lovely lot for voting for me – I certainly wouldn’t have been there without you! Watch out for the full blog post and juicy gossip coming soon 😉

 

 

Soo that’s what I got up to this month, April you’ve been totally crazy! My line up for May is looking equally as hectic with plenty of trips lined up including a weekend in Bournemouth and a luxury spa weekend in Gloucestershire. It’s also going to be my last month at work (OHMYGOD) which means I’ve got sooo much organising to do between now and my Contiki tri in June!! Tell me how your April went by leaving a comment in the box below – I’d love to hear from you!

Love Jess x

💃🎉👯 #liverpool #hendo

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My first travel conference: Traverse16

 

So I’m just back from my first EVER travel conference, and what a weekend I had! Traverse 16 was held in the lively Welsh capital of Cardiff this year and the city stadium made for a fantastic venue. I was super impressed by Traverse; they were welcoming, friendly and the whole atmosphere was relaxed and informal yet completely informative and helpful – I learnt SO much! Here are my top highlights from a fun filled weekend…

 

I met so many new people & have made some wonderful friends

We've arrived at the #traverse networking party! Hellooo free food and drinks 🎉🎉 @lucyronan

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So I have known the beautiful Lucy Ronan from Faraway Lucy for the past few months now – we are both shortlisted as finalists in the UK Blog Awards – and we decided we would FINALLY meet by attending Traverse together for our first ever networking conference. Naturally we were both a little nervous but it actually really helped that we were together and I think we boosted each others confidence by sharing ideas and discussing everything we had learnt from our differing workshops.

I also met the lovely Sabina Trojanova, Emma Hart & Sophie Davis from Girl vs Globe,  Paper Planes and Caramel Waffles and Sophie’s Suitcase respectively – we finally met girls!! – and it was lovely to put faces to names as we have been in touch with each other in the virtual blogosphere for so long.

 

I attended workshops with industry professionals and expert bloggers

So many reasons to visit #cardiff 📷🇬🇧@visitwales @traverseevents #traverse16 #findyourepic

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I took part in three workshops and two one-to-one sessions during my days conference – I had such a jam packed day but I loved every second! I also took the opportunity to speak with the sponsors who were showcasing their brands and I met some really interesting people. My favourite workshop was ‘How to take the Leap into Fulltime Blogging’ with Monica Stott of The Travel Hack– this was incredibly helpful and I was full of admiration for Monica after seeing first hand how she has turned her hobby into a career.

 

I also attended a writing workshop with Abi King of Inside the Travel Lab and a photography workshop with Kim Leuenberger – both talks were fantastic and I came away with so many ideas and so much inspo. Before the day was out I was lucky enough to book two 1-1’s with Skyscanner’s Tika Larasati and Julie Falconer of A Lady in London – thanks for the advice ladies!

I entered some competitions

Because who doesn't love dressing up stupid to try win a free trip ✈👓 oh hey @icelollyholiday @traverseevents #traverse16 #findyourepic

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And here's another one.. This time for @expedia ✈🏊 @traverseevents #traverse16 #findyourepic @visitwales

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Who doesn’t love a good competition, especially when there are travel prizes and free trips up for grabs?! I entered four different competitions during my day at Traverse, two included dressing up silly for Expedia & Icelolly to win free trips/credit towards a bookings (see above – I had so much fun) the other was a treasure hunt with ILOVENYPR searching for US themed clues to win (yep, you guessed it, a trip to NYC) and the last one was a Twitter comp with Surprise Trips – guess the ‘surprise’ European city and win a free trip! I had so much fun entering the competitions and chatting to the lovely sponsors throughout the day and I know so many others did too – unfortunately I wasn’t a winner but it’s the taking part that counts, right?!

I bagged tonnes of cheeky freebies

Oh hey freebies.. who knew I could pick up so much free stuff at a travel conference?! Thanks @traverseevents 🙋👜 #traverse16

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This was a MAJOR highlight for me.. who knew there could be so many freebies up for grabs at one of these events?! As I walked through the door at home my mum was quite literally astonished as to how much I’d brought home – I left the house with one bag and came back with FOUR! Amongst my fabulous freebies was a lovely Expedia towel (and pen and paper clamp), a Traverse business card holder, a Skyscanner hoodie, a cute little monkey from Cathay Pacific and goody bags from Visit Wales and Wye Valley. Thanks folks, love all my new blags!

I networked the hell outta there

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEBJWZwNPuf/?taken-by=jessica16_x

 

 

As this was my first conference, the act of ‘networking’ was something totally new to me but I think I took it in my stride and seemed to do ok! Effectively, networking is just chatting with like minded people and making contacts; I was just happy to get my name out there and meet as many people as possible, plus I love a good chat- who doesn’t?!

I set fire to a table (I’m not even lying)

 

Lol. I know what you’re thinking; who even sets fire to a TABLE?! Well folks, it did happen – and I think Lucy and I wanted the ground to just swallow us up there and then. I have never been SO EMBARRASED and I’ve done a lot of crazy things in my time! I’m sure I don’t need to give you all the explosive deets (see what I did there ;)) but basically there was a waffle in a waffle box (obvs) and a candle and a table..and then there was a flame and a pint of water and Lucy got soaked… you get the gist.. nothing in my life has ever compared to how mortified I was on that Friday night! Talk about making a good first impression… #ooopppsss

So as you can probably tell I had a whale of a time at my first ever travel blogging conference and cannot WAIT until the next one! A big thank you to everyone at Traverse who made my first experience so worthwhile, especially Lucy & Ollie who were both hilarious and soo friendly and welcoming <3

Until next time Traverse!

 

Yesterday's beaut of a venue for @traverseevents… It's a good job I'm a football fan ⚽⚽ #traverse16

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March Newsletter

Hi everyone,

We’re at the end of yet another month so it is of course time for my March Newsletter! Considering I didn’t have anything planned it’s turned into such a hectic month and it’s just flown by! I also LOVED having a four day weekend over the bank holiday Easter weekend. Here’s my best bits…

I’m starting to get better!!

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I’ll kick-start with a massive highlight.. on my most recent regular hospital visit I was told that I was responding well to my medication for my prolactinoma treatment and that my hospital visits could be reduced from quarterly to yearly! On a personal level this was absolutely massive for me and brought me so much happiness and positivity. My health is so important and I can’t wait to start feeling better to get back to my normal self!

I published two new posts on The Culture Trip

I took a little break from writing for The Culture Trip but I’ve recently began writing a little more for them and I put together two new posts; travel guides to the Celtic county of Cornwall and the Great British capital of London. Have a read and let me know what you think!

I announced something special to the world

 

This needs no introduction so I’ll keep it short and sweet.. I recently shared something pretty big with the world; I’ve quit my office job and am going to travel across America on an epic 27 day road trip! You HAVE to read my announcement for all the juicy gossip!

I met up with a fellow Travel Blogger in Oxford

 

A few weekends ago, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I met up with the lovely Victoria of The Girl on the Move and we had the best time exploring the cobbled streets of Oxford. Victoria lives near Reading and I live near Oxford so we met up in the city of dreaming spires, pretended to be tourists and then went for some lovely cake in the cutest little café! Victoria and I have felt like we’ve known each other a good while now since we have both started blogging but it was so lovely to finally meet each other face to face. Until next time Vicky! <3

I reviewed another travel guidebook with Amazon

 

 

So I’ve done this before but I was asked again by Independent Guides and Amazon.com to review one of their latest guidebooks: London 2016. I absolutely loved reading the book and it’s a must for anyone planning a trip to the Great British capital anytime soon! You can read my review here.

I was interviewed by the local press for the upcoming UK Blog Awards

 

 

Eeek can’t believe I’m writing this but I was recently interviewed by The Oxford Mail for a feature story on my recent UK Blog Awards nomination! I’m delighted to be gaining some local press for my blog and this has only heightened my excitement for the awards do itself which will be taking place in just under a month’s time! Here’s a sneak peek of the photo-shoot we did for the press piece, but the full article will be out TOMORROW and I will of course share it with you all!

I’ve been selected to work with Yahoo.com as a Yahoo Network Blogger!

 

This is probably my most exciting piece of news for this month, and I’m pretty sure you’ll agree that I’ve saved the best ’til last! I’ve been selected to work with Yahoo.com as a travel blogger for their UK style team and I am SO excited to be joining their blogger network! I’m in the process of putting my first post together and will of course share it with you all as soon as it’s live!

So there we have it, this month has been crazy busy and I don’t doubt that April will be the same! How did your March go?!

Love Jess x

 

🐣🐰Happy easter 🐣🐰

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