What's in my Travel Make Up bag

What's in my Travel Make Up bag

23 Apr 2024

Because I live in Belfast and my office is in Coventry, I travel a lot. I come over to the office around once a month which means I am an expert at travelling light and packing my hand luggage for one night. 

a long weekend in italy

a long weekend in italy

9 Jan 2024

Back in September, I took a little trip to Italy with my friend Mariana who recently started learning Italian and wanted an excuse to practice and I am never going to say no to a trip anywhere, but specifically a trip to Italy. We weren't very particular about where specifically we wanted to go - just as long as she could speak Italian, I can read it but I struggle conversationally so she did most of the communicating!

I've been before (I wrote a whole post about my Naples trip) but this time we headed north to Milan. We really just used Milan as a base because it has great transport networks so it makes it super easy to navigate and visit lots of different places which we definitely took advantage of. 

We flew into Malpensa Airport which is connected to Milan by a train that you can get from the airport itself which makes it very handy - just as long as you don't get stuck behind queues of people who don't know how to use ticket machines. We almost missed two trains in the time it took for us to buy our tickets in literally 30 seconds so I don't know what was taking the others so long!

a barcelona travel diary

a barcelona travel diary

22 Aug 2022

I'm a pretty well-travelled person. My parents were the sort of parents who really valued travel in the early years; hence, I had visited seven different countries before I turned two! That wasn't something that slowed down as we got older either and we continued to take European trips almost every year of my childhood. One place I had never actually been to though was Spain. The classic British destination. While everyone else was out seeking sun and beaches we were wandering around some old dutch cathedral or tasting cheese (I've been to the Netherlands 10 times). That all changed though this summer when I finally took my Spanish virginity with a trip to Barcelona!

How To See The Hogwarts Express at Glenfinnan Viaduct

How To See The Hogwarts Express at Glenfinnan Viaduct

3 Aug 2021

I knew that when we decided to go to the Scottish Highlands on holiday this summer that the one thing I definitely wanted to see was the Hogwarts Express cross the Harry Potter bridge, or the Jacobite Express cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct if you want to be a muggle about it! This is a very familiar and iconic scene within the franchise and is definitely a must-see for any fellow lifelong Potterheads out there. Luckily the Glenfinnan Viaduct is very easily accessible so if you were to find yourself in the area, it's one hundred per cent worth a visit.

Learning Danish With LearnLanguages24

Learning Danish With LearnLanguages24

14 Sept 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS GIFTED ITEMS*

It's a truth universally acknowledged that I'm a tad obsessed with Denmark (it's probably bordering on unhealthy). I have Copenhagen practically everywhere you look in my room. I'm even reading a book right now which is set in Copenhagen like it's properly my favourite place in the world. So I thought to myself, what better use of my time than to properly knuckle done and try to learn some Danish!

I went to a specialist language school so we learned French, Spanish, and German for three years in school so I'm no stranger to learning languages. I even taught myself Italian a few years ago at the height of my Il Volo obsession but I've since forgotten most of it, though I've definitely retained the absolute essentials. I also watch so much Spanish TV I'm surprised that I'm not fluent yet!

Staycation in Port Sunlight

Staycation in Port Sunlight

22 Aug 2020

I'm a traveller by nature. I've been travelling to other countries ever since I was a baby and exploring new places has always just been a part of my summer for as long as I can remember (Check out my travel diaries from 1998-2009 and 2010-2020 here). So with COVID derailing any dreams of travelling abroad this summer, we decided to stay a little closer to home.

Why You Need to Know About Madlug

Why You Need to Know About Madlug

17 Jun 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS GIFTED ITEMS*

It was the summer of 2015 that I bought my first backpack from Madlug after hearing about them at a summer conference. I was going into my final year of school and I needed a new bag anyway so when I heard about Madlug I jumped on it. I purchased the classic grey backpack because back then there was a very limited choice, and it's still standing 5 years later.

What is Madlug? you may ask. Madlug stands for Make a Difference Luggage and it's a social enterprise which is based in Northern Ireland and works on a buy one give one premise where for every bag you buy, a bag is given to a child in the care system who doesn't have a bag. Many children in care have to transport their belongings from house to house in a binbag so Madlug's motto is Value, Worth, Dignity - swapping out the binbag for a real bag showing the child that they can have value, worth, and dignity. There are currently over 90,000 children in care in the UK and Ireland with one child entering the care system every 15 minutes.

Since purchasing my first bag 5 years ago at the launch I have continued to support the work of Madlug (I've literally got 9 different bags) and they've continued to grow. Long gone are the days of basic coloured backpacks only, there are now loads of colours and styles to choose from and you can even design your own!

Some of my favourites include the Burgundy Day Pack (pictured), the Teal Backpack, and the Classic Black Backpack but there are so many great ones to pick! I may just get myself a tenth!

First Time in the USA: Cape Cod

First Time in the USA: Cape Cod

13 Jun 2020

This time three years ago I was just back from my first ever trip to the United States. Growing up America always seemed so far away and somewhere that I'd never get to see other than in movies and on TV but fast forward 20 years and a six-hour fight later there I was on the far side of the Atlantic Ocean. Since it's the anniversary of this trip I thought what better time than now to do a round-up of what we got up to starting with our week on Cape Cod!

PS This was the view from our beach house which was simply DIVINE

48 Hours in Portugal

48 Hours in Portugal

8 May 2020

In May 2018 I made a very fleeting visit to Portugal. This was my first time ever visiting the Iberian peninsula (I'm still yet to make it to Spain). The reasoning for this trip was that my cousin and I were attending a semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest and we literally had a few days to spare between work and university exams so we settled on two days and I'm honestly quite impressed with how much we managed to cram into such a short time.

We got a 6.45am flight from Belfast City Airport to Faro. We were heading to Lisbon for the evening but we chose to fly into Faro purely because the flight timings were better for us. It was a little inconvenient but it actually worked out well because instead of just getting to see Lisbon we also got to explore some of Faro which was absolutely beautiful. I'd love to hopefully go back to the Algarve someday when I have more time to explore it.

It was around lunchtime when we arrived so we found a lovely little cafe right on Faro Marina which overlooked the sea and was just really lovely. We then had a bit of time just to wander and explore Faro and I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did, Iberia has never really appealed to me because I'm not a huge fan of the sun so a trip to the beach isn't necessarily my idea of fun! But Faro old town was just so pretty and there were so many cute architectural details everywhere I wish we actually had more time to explore. It also wasn't super hot since it was May so I'd love to go back around this time of year as I think this temperature suits me best!

We then boarded our train to Lisbon. The train to Lisbon was 4 hours and luckily I had exams to revise for so I was kept very occupied. 10/10 recommend revising on a Portuguese train, it definitely beats sitting in the library all day anyway! I actually loved the train journey because we got to see a lot of Portugal just through the window but it was great to see all the different landscapes and again increased my interest in exploring Portugal further in the future.

We got off the train at Parques das Nações which was the region we were staying in so our first port of call was finding our hotel so we could leave our bags down. Since we were only there for an overnight we only had hand luggage with us so I managed to fit everything in my trusty Madlug backpack. If you're not familiar with Madlug they're a social enterprise which operates on a buy one give one principle and help to provide bags to children in care who don't have a bag of their own. (Check them out here). The first thing we saw when we arrived was the Eurovision sign followed by the Altice Arena which, being the whole reason for the trip, was MOST exciting.

We walked a couple of blocks to get to our hotel, we were staying in an Ibis Hotel, it was my first and only stay in an Ibis hotel but it did the job for what we needed and it was so close to the arena which we hadn't even realised when we booked it. We got dressed and then headed out for dinner, we were the worst and just ended up getting McDonald's from the local shopping centre but we were a) in a rush, and b) too excited to eat anything else! Then it was Eurovision time, but that's a whole other story!

The following morning we got to explore Lisbon a little bit. Now, we really did not get to take in as much of Lisbon as we could (I didn't even get a Pastel de Natas) we checked out of the hotel and went in pursuit of some breakfast where I had some fresh fruit and my cousin had a pastry. We then did a little bit of shopping because I just HAD to buy something from Bershka because I have a problem where every time I go to Europe I need to buy things from Bershka to make up for us not having one in Belfast. 

We then decided to do a gondola tour which was super fun. It took us along the coast and although we didn't get to see a lot of Lisbon it was still a cool experience even though as you can see Lisbon day two was pretty overcast and not as warm as I had anticipated!

After we disembarked the gondola it was time for us to head back to Faro to catch our plane home and we also had a typical tourist lunch of a Subway in the train station. Seriously I am NOT the person to ask for Portuguese food recommendations! We again hopped aboard our 4-hour train and I got some more studying done. Once we arrived back in Faro we didn't get any more time to explore and instead headed straight to the airport where we had (you guessed it) Burger King for dinner! Our flight ended up being massively delayed and I managed to read the entire in-flight magazine before the flight took off but we eventually made it back to Belfast safely at 1am right on time to watch semi-final 2 from the comfort of our own home that night as if we hadn't even been there just 48 hours previous!

So that was my fleeting visit to Portugal! What is the most random trip that you've ever been on? and have you ever been to Portugal and if I was to go again, what should I check out?

My Travel Diary (2010-2020)

My Travel Diary (2010-2020)

26 Apr 2020

We're back for another look at my travel history, If you missed the last one you can find it here. This is where things start to get interesting as this is around the time when I started to take my own photos so you'll see the photo quality start to increase as we work our way through the 2010s of travel.

My Travel Diary (1998-2009)

My Travel Diary (1998-2009)

21 Apr 2020

I've been so so fortunate that I was raised in a family that valued travel and really valued getting cultural experiences while travelling and not just going away in the summer to get some sun but to actually get away to experience new parts of the world in a real and positive way. This is definitely where my love of travelling and exploring has stemmed from and to this day I'll always choose to explore a city rather than lie on a beach (not that there's anything against that by the way, you do you). It makes me sad that for the first time ever in my life I won't be going on a trip this year because of the coronavirus pandemic so I thought I'd use this time to take a trip down memory lane and share briefly about everywhere I've ticked off the travel bucket list during my first ten years on earth starting right at the very beginning up until 2009 (I'll continue from 2010 onwards in a later post). I had so much fun going through old photo albums and reminiscing with my family about this so I hope it brings you joy too!

1998

My very first trip before I can even remember was to Zurich in Switzerland, the actual first trip was probably actually to Donegal but that's nowhere near as exciting! As I say I don't remember a single thing about this trip but if anyone asks I can always say I've been to Switzerland and I even have the photos to prove it! (We also went to the Lake District this year, what can I say I was a well-travelled baby)

Rwanda: My First Time in Africa

Rwanda: My First Time in Africa

27 Aug 2019

Hello! I've spent ten days in Rwanda this August. If you don't know where that is, it's a tiny little country in the very centre of Africa (I say tiny but it's actually twice the size of Northern Ireland). I've travelled a lot around Europe but this was my first time ever venturing into Africa and similar to my Naples post I thought I'd do a little travel diary of this trip as well.

My Safari Experience

My Safari Experience

16 Aug 2019

I recently had my very first safari experience and it was pretty surreal. I thought I'd do a little write up about it and discuss my expectations and experience, pretty much because I have so many photos I want to post.

Surviving Long-haul

Surviving Long-haul

13 Aug 2019

Even for frequent travellers, long-haul flights can be a bit of an ordeal. I love flying but I'm so used to my quick little 45 minute flights to England and my 90-minute flights to Copenhagen that sometimes I forget that you can actually sit on a plane for 8 hours. 

My first long-haul flight was a 6-hour flight to Boston in 2017 and I was such a novice that I was so lost the whole time but I recently flew to Kigali in Rwanda and I've learned a few things so I thought I'd share my top tips to flying long-haul.

In-Flight Entertainment

One of the best things about long-haul is the in-flight entertainment. I always like to research what films are available on the airline before I go and I come ready with a little list of possibilities. On my Kigali flight, I managed to watch: The Hate U Give, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and Coco (and let me just tell you I SOBBED at Coco and I'm ashamed I hadn't seen it until now). Or you could always binge a Netflix series if none of the provided entertainment appeals to you.

Live for the snacks

I lied. The best part about long-haul is the snacks. I'm so used to flying EasyJet that I forget that all snacks are provided to you included in your ticket price! I missed out on free pretzels on my Boston flight because I thought I had to buy them. Nothing makes your face light up quite as much as the air-hostess walking towards you with the food trolley knowing you're getting treated to some top quality aeroplane grub. On my last flight, I had a creamy vegetable pasta served with a salad, cheese and crackers and some bread with a lemon muffin for dessert which was TOPS and then for mid-flight snack we had mozzarella and tomato sorrentina and an apple crumble muffin (which was also tops). You also get unlimited drinks orders so make the most of them!

Have a lil walkabout

Just because you're up in the air, it doesn't mean that you can't stretch your legs. Even if that's just to the toilet. Just make sure that the seatbelt sign isn't switched on!

Have a chat
Odds are that the person you're sitting beside is also going to be bored on said flight so don't be afraid to have a conversation with them, find out a bit about where they're from and why they're on the plane, the worst they can do is ignore you but at least try to engage a little.

Have a snooze
Nobody is going to judge you for going to sleep, that's the whole reason they provide pillows and blankets. I didn't sleep on my last flight because it was during the day and there was no time difference so I wanted to maintain my sleep schedule but if you're flying overnight I can guarantee that almost everyone else on the plane will be asleep.

Travelling is as stressful as you make it. So just relax and have a good time and the time will fly! (see what I did there). What's the longest flight that you've ever been on and how did you decide to put in the hours.

Adventures in Naples

Adventures in Naples

3 Aug 2019

Travelling is always my absolute favourite thing to do, I love exploring new places and discovering different cultures. This Summer I headed to Italy with my family. So I decided to put a little itinerary together of what we got up to while in Naples, kind of as a diary for me and as some recommendations if you're planning on visiting.

My Travel Essentials

My Travel Essentials

29 Jun 2019

I'm so excited for this summer season. If you look out the window it might not look all that much like summer right now but for me, the summer holidays are all about travel. I have lots of exciting trips planned so prepare yourselves for ALL the travel content in these next few months. As a pretty seasoned traveller, I tend to think I have all the basics down for the essentials that you need for your trip.

A backpack

This is my hand luggage bag of choice, so many airlines are now limiting you to only having a small hand luggage bag but I always have my trusty Madlug by my side, these bags are made in Northern Ireland and also operate on a wear one, share one policy where for every bag purchased, a bag will be given to a child, currently in the care system in the UK, who doesn't have a bag. They're my favourite bags (I literally have 9 different ones!) Check them out here!

This is the Rolltop Daypack in Burgundy and was kindly gifted to me for content creation purposes!

Denim Jacket
This may seem like a random one, but you will never find me at an airport, or travelling anywhere to be fair, without my denim jacket on. Why is that you may ask? INTERNAL POCKETS! The Internal Pockets are the stuff of dreams! If you're only travelling with hand luggage you can fit so much stuff in the internal pockets of your denim jacket that it frees up so much space in your hand luggage bag. I one put a 400-page book and my purse in there. It was wild. My jacket in this photo is super old from Zara but you can generally get super cute jackets from any thrift store or vintage store but I've linked a few cute ones below.

Portable Charger/Powerpack
I don't even just bring this travelling, this is in my bag at all times, because you never know when your phone may need a top up but wherever I am, I always get asked about this setup. This power pack is from Ideal of Sweden (gifted and I've worked with them in the past but this post isn't sponsored I just blimmin' love this thing) I have this one in the Flower Meadow pattern but it comes in loads of pretty designs. You can also get 20% off with the code ID20-AL110*. The cable is a Xoopar octopus cable, mine was kindly gifted to me by VOXI but you can get unbranded ones here* or you can use any cable on it, but the octopus is perfect if you want to charge more than one type of device while you're away.

Keep Cups/Reusable Water Bottles
For me, airport travel is incomplete until I'm sitting in Starbucks sipping my Mango Black tea Lemonade waiting for my gate to open. But with a huge shift to sustainability, did you know that you can fly with a keep cup in your hand luggage, provided it's empty going through security that is! A lot of cities also have water stations so you can refill your water bottle if you get thirsty with the summer heat!

A good book!
I read the most when I travel, not even long distances, I used to get through books so quickly when I was travelling up and down to uni on the train. But flights, I find, give the perfect opportunity to get stuck into a good book. I'm planning on doing a book recommendations post in the near future so keep an eye out if that's your thing!

What are your must-have travel essentials?

The Netherlands: A Tourist Guide

The Netherlands: A Tourist Guide

6 Jun 2019

I consider myself a pretty seasoned traveller, I was fortunate enough to have parents who really treasured having the opportunity to explore foreign countries and experience different cultures that I ended up going on my first overseas flight before I even turned one! But if there's one place that I've been to the most and I'm most familiar with, it's most definitely The Netherlands. While I'm loud and proud about my love and affection towards Denmark (where I've been 4 times), I often somehow shy away from talking about all TEN of my experiences in The Netherlands (My Dad lived in Amsterdam for a year and became a little obsessed so we went there A LOT as kids). Amsterdam is quickly becoming that place where absolutely everybody on Instagram is going to or has been to in the past year and now since they've won Eurovision the likelihood that tourism will peak again is huge, so I'm going to share a few tips about visiting Amsterdam as well as a few other places you should try to get to while you're there because the Netherlands is more than just Amsterdam and is definitely more than just 'Holland'.

Amsterdam Tips
We'll start with the biggie! Everyone and their cousin is going to Amsterdam at the minute and while I did just mention that the Netherlands is more than just Amsterdam it's also great to know some tips for getting around Amsterdam easily as well as what to do and what not to do etc. I'm not a local so I'm sure there are people better qualified than me but here's just a little summary of the things I like to get up to when we visit the city.

Dwaze Zaken
If you're not staying in the heart if the city (which we rarely do) you'll most likely be hopping off the train at Amsterdam Centraal. Once you get out of the station, almost straight ahead of you across the canal is Dwaze Zaken. We love this place and no trip to Amsterdam for our family is complete without it. In fairness, my dad worked here when he lived in Amsterdam so that's why we go all the time, but I think it's definitely worth a visit. It's described as a Lively, Christian-oriented cafe serving hearty meals & beers on tap, plus art exhibits & live music. Also if you ever do visit pop in and check out their toilets. You think I'm kidding but really these toilets are next level, that's all I'm going to say to keep up the suspense!

Book Museums in Advance
If you want to go to certain museums and art galleries when you're in Amsterdam make sure you book them at least the day before you're planning on going to save yourself an unnecessary hike out to Museumplein only to be turned away, This happened to us first hand because we never thought to book the Van Gogh museum in the height of summer, oops, so make sure you avoid our mistakes so they weren't made in vain!

Use a Map
I know, I know, you don't want to look like a tourist, I hate looking like a tourist on holiday because I always just want to blend in but if you can get your hands on a city guide it'll have a whole load of places you can choose to visit on it, That's where I discovered Hortus Botanicus which just so happened to be one of my favourite places we went to in the city.

Canal Tour
Amsterdam is obviously famous for its canals so if you're going you DEFINITELY have to go on a canal tour, otherwise, what's the point in going to the city of Canals? There are so many different tours to choose from but they basically all offer the same thing. 

Weed...
Obviously with weed cannabis being legal in The Netherlands that can be a big draw for people but if that's not your jam (It's definitely not my jam) just be aware that the smell of weed can be very strong at certain times. And research actual coffee shops before you go so you don't end up going into the wrong kind!

Footwear Choice
Obviously, when you're on a city break you're going to be walking a lot so make sure you are wearing appropriate footwear. That doesn't necessarily mean trainers or walking shoes but any shoes that you're comfortable walking long distances in, I wore my Arizona Birkenstocks and they suited me perfectly but that's because they're comfortable for me, but maybe just avoid heels if your planning on exploring a lot of the city.

Pancakes
We can't go on holiday to The Netherlands without a trip to a pancake house for lunch. If you can find an authentic Dutch pancake house it's definitely worth hitting up and I'm just going to recommend you try a Cheese and Bacon one, it will blow your mind!

Other Places I Think Are Worth Visiting
As I mentioned, the Netherlands is more than just Amsterdam so while I've been to Amsterdam a fair few times, there are also many other places in The Netherlands that we've explored, so here are a few of my favourites from throughout the years.

Tilburg
I love Tilburg, it's completely different from Amsterdam but it's got that big city vibe without being overpowering. There are so many things to do and there's loads of good cafes and restaurants that I think it definitely warrants a visit! In fairness my opinion may be tainted by the fact that we watched Mamma Mia Here We Go Again here and I'll forever associate it with Young Bill but minor details. (Films are all in English in The Netherlands with Dutch subtitles so it makes going to the cinema really easy, if it's maybe raining one day and you need something to do inside)

Delft
Famous for its blue pottery, it has the most beautiful centre with renaissance buildings and you can even see some cheese rolling although that's probably less exciting than it sounds it's really fun to be able to experience authentic Dutch culture.

Kinderdijk
WINDMILLS! Nothing screams The Netherlands more than Windmills and Kinderdijk has an abundance and it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been since 1997.

Zandvoort
If you're looking for a beach resort, this is THE beach resort of The Netherlands, we've spent countless holidays in Zandvoort fulfilling the beach needs that always creep in when you're on holiday. Anywhere in Zeeland is also a good shout if you're looking for a good beach to visit.

Breda
This is a place that not a lot of tourists actually visit but it's got a modern centre with cool street art with multitudes of restaurants, cafe's, and bars with great nightlife but it's also got a medieval part and lots of old architecture, surrounded by a moat. All in all, it's pretty cool!

Harlaam
Basically, it's mini-Amsterdam but with fewer crowds so if you're after the aesthetics of Amsterdam but without the people everywhere, Haarlem is probably your best shot! Corrie Ten Boom's house is also here if you're interested in the Holocaust then this is a good visit!

Villages
Each village in The Netherlands is unique so if you stumble across one, have an wander. The last time we visited, the village we stayed in had an exact replica of St Peter's Basilica in Rome in the centre which was really random but also really cool to explore.

Is there anywhere in The Netherlands that you've visited that you think other people should too? Let me know below!

The Tales of a Wannabe Travel Blogger (aged 12-13)

The Tales of a Wannabe Travel Blogger (aged 12-13)

29 Apr 2019

I just unearthed my old digital camera that I had before I got my DSLR and with that came trying to find an SD Card which led to me discovering all of my old travel pictures from back in the day so I thought I'd do the only thing I know how to do and edit them the same way I edit now and see if I can find anything fun and unearth some memories from old trips. This should be a RIDE! (All of these pictures were edited with my Scandi Collection presets which you can find here if you're interested!)


Italy 2010
I went to Italy for the first time with my family in 2010, we're actually heading there again this summer so this one will be fun to see the difference between the two almost 10 years apart!

Best Fake Scandi Life

Best Fake Scandi Life

10 Apr 2019

I just finished 'Quicksand' Sweden's newest (and actually first ever!!!) release on Netflix and let me just say that it's reignited that inner Scandinavian in me (but let's be real, it never really went away). 

I'm obsessed with everything Scandinavian, I sometimes feel like I was born in the wrong country. I always tell people that the second I stepped off the plane in Copenhagen airport, something shifted and I knew that I was in my favourite place in the world, I knew that I was home. It sounds like a lie but when that fresh Danish air hit me I knew that I loved this place.

How do I embrace the Nordic life when I'm over 1000 miles away from my home away from home? Well here's a few ways to live your Best Fake Scandi Life, just like me

Music
The Scandi music scene is booming! Especially with Eurovision coming up it's the perfect time to get stuck into some sweet Swedish symphonies (100% a Zara Larsson reference). Here's a little playlist I've put together of some good Scandi pop to brighten up your day! (also Rix FM which is Sweden's top radio station play absolute bops all day every day and I highly recommend giving it a listen if you're tired of your own local stations)


Media
As I mentioned I've just finished watching Quicksand on Netflix. Nothing truly screams Sweden quite as much as Scandi-Noir series, from Wallander, to The Bridge, to The Killing there are so many Scandi-Noir dramas to choose from but moving away from the dark dramas, Norway's SKAM truly revolutionized tv as we know it and to this day is one of (if not my absolute) favourite shows of all time. (I wrote a post about that as well, you can check it here if ya wanna see what it's all about!) and there's plenty of other good Nordic tv shows that you can sink your teeth into. 

Style
I'm trying my hardest to live my best Fake Scandi Life by stealing the Scandi style, Minimalist, Basic, Black, Layers and Details that's the Scandi way. I recommend checking out brands like Arket, Samsoe Samsoe and Cos if you're after that high-class Scandi look or my absolute fave Monki if you're going more for a casual everyday look! Here are just a few of my top picks for embracing Scandi style as we come into the Spring!

Interior
IKEA IKEA IKEA, who doesn't absolutely bloody love a trip to IKEA? surrounded by Scandi design it truly is my way of escaping back to Sweden for a few hours even though I've just driven 20 minutes down the road. With a minimalist, classic design, you really can't go wrong with the flat-pack giants to add a touch of Scandinavia to your home! I'm also a huge fan of Søstrene Grene for homeware but also literally everything, I once went in to look around and came out with playing cards, scrunchies, socks and a bag of sweets, so never underestimate the sheer power that Danish things have on me.

Language
Learning a language has never been easier than now with everyone's favourite passive aggressive bird on Duolingo. I've completed the Danish course but I'm definitely far from fluent but it gives me a sense of achievement after I learn some new words I can use the next time I visit. Duolingo is currently available to learn Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian (Bokmal) as well as a whole load more.

A Belfast Blogger Photo Guide

A Belfast Blogger Photo Guide

16 Mar 2019

I'm a Belfast girl, and I blooming love my city and I love living here but sometimes when you're scrolling through Instagram and see all the shots from people in photogenic places like London, Brighton, New York, and Los Angeles you can get a little disheartened. How am I supposed to make cute content when I don't live in a nice looking area? But contrary to popular belief Belfast actually has a multitude of super great places you can go to get those sweet shots so I've compiled a list of my favourites!