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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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*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!* I'M TAKING THE PLUNGE!

Hi everyone,

So earlier on this week I announced something pretty special on my personal Facebook page and thought the time was right to share it with the rest of the world, and all of you lovely readers of course! Back in January I made a crazy, crazy decision… here’s what happened…

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I know what you’re all thinking.. typical new year, new me status blah blah blah.. to be fair I don’t blame you for thinking that! Just after Christmas I realized that 2016 HAD to be the year for things to change for me. I’d been moaning for ages that I needed to do something travel related for work and I needed to explore some more places in order to cure some of the crippling wanderlust that had been trapped inside of me!

 

After deliberating for a couple of weeks I decided to pop into my local STA Travel Store in Oxford to see what long-haul adventures they could tempt me with. I’ve always wanted to visit the States so I was keen to take a look at their American tours. Within just a few minutes I had found my dream adventure: a 27 day mega road trip from LA to  NYC with Contiki Tours – OH.MY.GODDDDDD!

Taking in sights including the Grand Canyon, the Vegas strip, Panama Beach and Universal Studios the tour offers the trip of a lifetime with first class accommodation and incredible options including paragliding, helicopter rides and  theme park entry. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I considered all the different places I could potentially visit in just a few weeks and my heart started beating faster and faster at the thought of just entertaining the idea!

contiki grand tour

Then I did something crazy… I BOOKED MYSELF ON THE TRIP!!! AHHHH!!

So I’m doing it! My first ever solo adventure across 27 states (okay, I’ll join tonnes of others on my trip when I arrive in LA- but I’m flying on my OWN and that’s a big thing for me!) and I’m sooooo freakin’ excited!!! I’ll see so many amazing places that I’ve ALWAYS wanted to visit and cannot wait to make new friends, memories and have the time of my life.

Oh and the other part? I’ve only gone and QUIT my office job in the hope of being able to work in the travel industry when I return from my trip in July! I was undecided whether I should just take a sabbatical from my current job and continue working and earning money when I come back, or whether I should take the plunge and just quit altogether. Then I remembered that, if I don’t leave now, I probably never will, so I just thought, what the hell, and quit anyway!

 

Handing in my notice at work was nerve wracking but my bosses were so good and they fully supported my decision. I think they’d realized that I’ll be 100 times happier travelling the world instead of being stuck at my desk for 5 days a week! Although I’ll be forever grateful for my first ever grown up job they knew it’s not something that I wanted to stay in forever and, right now, I feel the time is completely right to change everything up. My friends and family have been amazing too and they’re all so excited for me!

So that’s it – I’ve finally found the courage to change my life and now I can just look forward to the incredible adventure that I’m going to have this summer! Some people have already started asking me what I’m going to do when I get back and, in all honesty, the answer is.. I HAVE NO IDEA! It’s kinda scary but super exciting at the same time. This is the first time in my life where I have no plans or a routine and I’m looking forward to being spontaneous and just enjoying life, as well as trying to figure out exactly what it is that I want from this beautiful world.

 

I don’t have a boyfriend, kids or a house to worry about and bills to pay, so why  not just be selfish for a few months and look out for number 1?! I’m sure it won’t do me any harm and I’m 99.9% sure it’ll help me figure out exactly what I want to do career wise too. I’m not looking for a new job anytime soon, I’ll probably do some temp work when I come home just to earn some cash and will look for travel related internships ANYWHERE just to get some experience!

I’m super duper excited for my new life though and, as always, I’ll be sharing it all with you every step of the way! Thank you (again) for continuing to follow my travels, your support is incredible and I’ll be forever grateful- I bloody love being a travel blogger and never want this to end!

Have you ever done something crazy and traveled on a whim? I’d love to hear your stories…I wonder if they’re as crazy as mine?!

Love Jess x

 

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My 2016 Dream Destinations Bucket List via Ice Lolly #sendmeaway

Hey everyone,

Welcome to February! I can’t believe January is over with already but it also felt like the weeks dragged on FOREVER! I was recently nominated by the lovely Victoria from The Girl on the Move Blog to put together my 2016 Bucket List as part of Icelolly’s Dream Destinations 2016 #sendmeaway campaign. There are sooo many places I want to visit this year, and my list of destinations expands all the time so I’m going to try and whittle this down as much as I can! Here we go, lets get wanderlusting!

Brighton, UK

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBMyX4zATxl/?taken-by=sophiessuitcse

This is my second planned trip of 2016 (I popped to London last weekend) and it’s not as exotic as some other destinations on this list but a little bit closer to home and I thought I’d get some UK representation in here somewhere 😉 Brighton is a city I’ve always wanted to visit but for whatever reason I’ve never had the chance to! My best friend recently moved down that way though so I’m going to take full advantage and head over to Brighton pier during my stay at the end of Feb – I’m so excited!

New York, USA

https://www.instagram.com/p/8OcAq5AGZP/?taken-by=thegirlonthemoveblog

New York, New York – isn’t this place on everyone’s Bucket List?! It’s quite possibly one of the most famous cities on the planet, and with good reason – LOOK AT THAT SKYLINE!! There’s so much to see and do in the Big Apple and I’m just dying to explore it’s dazzling streets and wonderful theatres. Hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to visit New York this year, otherwise it’s going straight back on the 2017 wanderlust wishlist!

Rome, Italy

Experience is the teacher of all things – Caesar. #openymyworld with @gabscanu in Rome 🇮🇹

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When in Rome you should definitely check out all things architectural – the Coliseum is an epic landmark by any scale, and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Europe. Rome has been on my wishlist since I was a little girl – I was brought up as a Catholic and I’m fascinated by religion so it would be incredible to attend a service at the Vatican. I’m not sure if my budget/annual leave/free time will allow me to visit Rome this year but I’m certainly going to try!

Tallinn, Estonia

I thought I'd share another photo of beautiful Tallinn in Estonia – I just can't get over the inherent beauty of the Old Town. The core historic part of town isn't that big and can be easily explored if all you have is a day or so there. But I'd recommend spending a little bit more time and get to know the other parts of town away from the colorful UNESCO side, like the trendy Telliskivi district. Housed in a former secret Soviet-era industrial complex, Telliskivi has been taken over by some of the most creative minds in the country. Home to restaurants, bars, shops, galleries, coffee houses, creative companies and NGOs, the so-called Creative City is by far one of the most cutting edge neighborhoods in the world. It's also just a really fun place to visit, grabbing lunch at the F-Hoone restaurant before window shopping amongst the galleries, feeling inspired along the way. Most cities, even those firmly entrenched in their own historical legacies have something surprising to share. All you have to do is look for it!

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Time for something a little bit different now; for those avid readers out there most of you will know that I specialize in European city breaks – the quirkier the better! Tallinn is somewhere that appeals purely because of its harbourside location, cold temperatures during the winter (I need to see some snow!) and beautiful UNESCO world heritage sites. Tallinn is also suuuperrr cheap and I’d love to make the most of my bank holidays this year so I feel a cheeky weekend stopover in this beautiful city is on the cards!

Riga, Latvia

Like a fairy tale 💫 #openmyworld in Riga, Latvia with @augustaleighphoto

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Riga is another quirky destination on my Bucket List and it’s a trendy, up and coming European city attracting more and more tourists. Boasting a picture perfect Old Town, quaint little streets, beautiful buildings and a multitude of museums, Riga offers something for everyone. Like Tallinn, Riga is also known for being excellent value for money and I’ll be sure to book a little weekend getaway at some point over the next few months!

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Croatia is somewhere I’ve been meaning to visit for a while, and Dubrovnik in particular is on my holiday hit list! I’m forever going to cold destinations on my city breaks (flashback to Iceland 2014!) so I thought I’d mix it up a bit and plump for somewhere a little warmer.. With a cool balance of beaches, city life and plenty of historical landmarks I’d be spoilt for choice in cultural Dubrovnik!

 

So there we have it, that’s my 2016 Bucket List! I’ll be interested to see where I end up this year and I’m so excited to reveal some big news very soon on the blog – I promise not to keep it a secret for too much longer! Thanks again Victoria for the nomination, you can also read her inspiring Bucket List here.

As part of Ice Lolly’s #sendmeaway campaign I’ve also been tasked with nominating three fellow bloggers to share their Dream Destinations Bucket List for 2016. I’d like to nominate Vicky & Chris from Eat Sleep Love Travel, Jess Gibson from The Travelista & Sophie Davis from Sophie’s Suitcase. Looking forward to reading your bucket lists guys!

Where are you heading to this year? Will 2016 be your year of discovery? I’d love to hear your travel plans!

Love Jess x

NB. Thanks to Sophie Davis, Victoria Dovaston, Flight Centre Australia & Matt Long for the Instagram inspo!

 

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January Newsletter!

Hello and welcome to my first newsletter of 2016!

I have soooo much news to share with you all, so this jam packed edition of my monthly newsletter will give a round up of my oh-so-busy January! It’s been a crazy month and it seems like its dragged on FOREVER but I’ve squeezed an awful lot in to the past five weeks! Without further ado here it is, are you ready?…

I MADE MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!

I kick-started my 2016 with a positively inspiring challenge which is the motivation that’s going to see me through these dull winter months! I’ve tasked myself with visiting 25 countries before I’ve reached the ripe old age of 25! Find out how I’m going to achieve it here…

I’VE BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR MY FIRST EVER AWARDS COMPETITION!

So on 4th January I entered my little blog into its first EVER awards competition, UK Blog Awards 2016, and I’m delighted to announce that, after over 70,000 votes across 18 different categories, I’ve been shortlisted as a FINALIST in the travel category!! You can read more about my big announcement here… I’m still so thrilled and can’t quite believe it, a big THANK YOU to all who took the time to vote for me, it means everything! <3

I CELEBRATED MY BIRTHDAY!

#birthday #lastnight #vip #oxford #nightout 👯🎉🍸🎊

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I turned 23 on the 16th and spent the day with family followed by an evening of celebrations with my closest friends in my home city of Oxford! We headed to the fantastic Varsity Club for cocktails and then onto one of the city’s biggest clubs for a VIP experience in a private booth! A fantastic night was had by all and we rolled in at 5am so our heads were a little sore the next morning day/night/week! A big THANK YOU to everyone who celebrated with me. <3

I WORKED ON MY FIRST SPONSORED POST!

This month I was given the opportunity to review a fantastic new guidebook for Disneyland California and I relished working on my first ever sponsored post! Read my write up on this fantastic guidebook here – thanks go to Amazon and Independent Guides!

I GOT PAID FOR MY FIRST EVER FREELANCING JOBS!

I’ve recently started writing for US based company www.abnsave.com and recently received my FIRST paycheck for my FIRST lot of freelance work! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing for ABN over the past few months and can’t wait to expand my portfolio. Here’s to many more paychecks!

I WATCHED LES MISERABLES IN LONDON’S WEST END!

What a show! Literally had goosebumps the WHOLE way through! Incredible. 😱🇬🇧🎭👏

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I had an AMAZING time watching the fantastic Les Miserables musical in London recently – it was definitely an experience to tick off the bucket list! The show, which is now in its 30th anniversary celebrations, was incredible from start to finish- everything from the lighting to the music to the cast was out of this world! I could watch Les Mis over and over again I never tire of its fantastic score and mesmerising scenes – I was left feeling very emotional that’s for sure!

So that completes my January round up- told you I’ve been busy! Stay tuned for some big news coming up in February… I’ll reveal all soon I promise!

Love Jess x

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New Years Resolutions! 25:25

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Hi everyone,

So I’m a bit late to the party with this but I’ve been thinking an awful lot lately about what I want from 2016, and my travel plans are well and truly underway which fills me with lots of excitement!! I recently had a meeting with a fantastic consultant at STA Travel who really helped me understand what it is I want from my upcoming career break/gap year/I-need-to-escape year! And so, I’ve set myself an almighty challenge…

*NEWSFLASH!* I’ve decided that I want to have visited 25 countries before my 25th birthday… big statement I know! That’s where the 25:25 plan comes in and now, at the turn of the year, seems like the perfect opportunity to put things into practice! I’ve always said that 2016 was going to be my year and I’m determined to make it more amazing than ever!

To more experienced travellers I guess this doesn’t really seem like a massive deal, I bet you’ve all travelled across plenty of countries, and continents, exploring hundreds of cities and ticking off numerous famous landmarks! To me, however, this personal goal is huge and is somewhat of a life changing moment in my short 22 years on this beautiful planet! I’ve worked since the age of 16, been in full time employment since the age of 18, and never really had the chance to fully explore and take exotic vacations like other travellers.

At school and growing up we went on family holidays to Cornwall and different places around the UK and, if we were lucky, we also got the chance to enjoy package holidays to the nearby Spanish islands! My childhood has been amazing and I wouldn’t change a thing, but I feel like now is the time to start altering certain aspects of my life- and travel plays a HUGE part in that!

 

Now is the time for change though, and I’m fully embracing it! I’ve decided to focus on Europe; I’d like to inter-rail across the continent and trek across 10 countries in the hope that I can see as many cities as possible. If you’re an avid reader of this blog you’ll know by now that European city breaks are my FAVOURITE type of vacation! I’m looking at hitting France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria to name but a few. I’m also hoping to end up in Sweden to attend the fantastic TBEX conference in Stockholm with lots of fellow bloggers! But my plans are always changing, so we’ll see about that…

At the other end of the spectrum I’m also hoping to take on a road trip across the East Coast of the USA… I’ve never been to America before and there’s so much to see and do that I’m just dying to explore!

I will of course keep you updated with my travel plans once everything is firmed up… where’s the most exciting place you’re travelling to in 2016? I’d love to hear your itineraries!

Love Jess x

PS. Don’t forget to VOTE for me in the UK Blog Awards 2016 under the TRAVEL section! You can keep voting until 25th Jan yay!

UKblogawardsvotenow

 

 

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