Personal - Blogs & Thoughts: 2025

Furnace Friday: Melting, Reflecting And What’s Next

Enjoying the swings in Miami Design District

Time for a quick life update….

Hola friends!

So I’m sat here writing this from the coldest spot I can find in Shepherd’s Bush. If you’re in the UK you’ll know exactly why. We’re battling with the hottest temperatures in years and it turns out the hottest place in London other than underground on the Costa Del Central Line is … err… my flat. Yep, we didn’t know that when we signed up to rent it on a crisp, cool February day did we?

As the thermostat in our living room clocked up a record 32.5 degrees, I decided my days would be split between our local library, and 3 different cafes (who are no doubt enjoying the surge in takings with my daily iced-cappuccino binges).

So I thought I’d tap out a quick update as the cool air and cappuccino combo has got my brain to a temperature where it’s fully functioning and ready for a sharing sesh!

So mini life update time…

The last few months have been hectic. Yep I know when I write these kinds of posts I usually say “I’m a bit burnt out so my big thing is that I’m going to slow down a bit, be more picky with my travels, and look after myself.” Do I listen? Ermmm… well… I guess when I rattle through this little list, you’ll probably see the answer is no.

Next steps, growing up, and buying pot plants.

It’s 11am on Sunday 4^th March and I’m sat here under a blanket watching Sunday Brunch on TV. I can’t remember the last time I did… virtually nothing!

It’s been a month of utter madness, exhaustion and highs and lows. I’m not talking about the #beastfromtheeast, I’m talking about a few changes in my little life. Yes, this is a personal post, no travel tips below, and no inspiration for jet-setting, unless you fancy a trip to Ikea or West London?

Just after Christmas, Macca and I started the big London flat hunt… Again. We’d been in our previous place for almost six months, but it was always a temporary option. We were sharing with two others and gradually decided that we were ready to fly the nest and have our own space.

THE SEARCH

We started the hunt for the dream one-bed flat with all the mod cons. We wanted somewhere that we were excited to base ourselves in and return to after our travels. Somewhere with good transport links (hello airports!) and a bit of café culture, for those freelance cabin fever days.

Some exciting blogging highlights, a few lows, and find out what 2018 has in store!

It’s been a little while since I wrote one of these, but as we head towards the end of the year, it feels like a reflective time! If you’ve signed up to my mailing list, apologies if there are a few repeats. If you haven’t then… come and join me for more ramblings here.

As a blogger, I don’t get an end of year appraisal. I don’t get that moment to work through my career progression and talk about the highs and lows, the things I’ve achieved and the things that need to be improved. So, I guess I thought I could talk it through with you guys. I hope that’s ok! Let’s grab a coffee and see how it goes?

So 2017 has been quite a year. In numbers it looks like this: 16 different countries visited (some multiple times – USA, Spain I’m talking about you) and 47 flights – that’s around one every seven days. Don’t worry I’m still committed to planting trees in our aptly named Blogger Grove. 105 blog posts written and published. Over 1800 photos edited and uploaded. I’ve slept in countless hotel beds, spent plenty of hours in the sky and plenty more waiting around at airports. It was the year I moved back to London. It was the year I celebrated two years with my boyfriend. It was the year of change, and settling. The year of big challenges and achievements.

So, let’s start with a few highs…

Lonely Planet Trailblazer

I’ve worked with Lonely Planet on a few projects over the last few years after signing up to their Pathfinders scheme. If you’re a travel blogger or vlogger, definitely take a look and sign up. A huge highlight this year was being sent to New Orleans on an official assignment in collaboration with Three Mobile, to present a video all about the food scene out there. It was incredible! I was so nervous, but it was a really fun shoot and I learned a lot. The video has clocked up almost half a million views, so if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out below!

This relationship is one I’m really proud of, so I was over the moon when they selected me for their top tier programme – to be a Lonely Planet Trailblazer. It means I’ll be working even more closely with them, creating inspirational travel content, videos, social media and more – watch this space! Oh and check out the other amazing travel bloggers who were selected here.

Photographing the lagoons near El Tatio, Chile

“You’re a travel blogger, so you’re basically on holiday all the time right?” Ummmm… not exactly. But what’s an average day travelling with a travel blogger really like?

I started this blog three years ago, and it’s been my full-time job for a year and a bit. It’s a strange lifestyle, and as a lot of people ask how I structure my life, I thought I’d break it down a little. I don’t write about the world of blogging very often, but there are a few elements I’ve been dying to write about!

So there are two distinct variables… being away and being at home. Days at home are usually spent tapping away on my laptop creating content about previous travels, editing photos and videos and meeting clients about future travel campaigns and trips. I also try to squeeze in some local trips and hotel and restaurant reviews.

While occasionally I go away on self-planned trips, the majority are organised by a PR company or tourist board. Some are solo like my week in Austria this summer, some are with my partner or friends, while others are group press trips. A year ago I was doing a lot of group press trips, but over the last six months I’ve really enjoyed having opportunities to travel with friends and my partner (Macca from An Adventurous World).

Usually on a group press trip there will be 5 or 6 bloggers/journalists plus a PR representative from the UK. PR companies carefully select bloggers according to their niche, quality of content and number of readers/followers. I enjoy group press trips as you meet a great bunch of people, all learn from each other, and we all understand each other’s needs, so it’s a supportive environment! I’ve made a lot of great friends on these trips and we’ve shared some unforgettable experiences.

There was the hilarious gourmet trip through Slovenia I did with Jen from She Gets Around, the Blogtrotters Greece trip where I met Emily Luxton (one of my best blogger pals), Hayley from Frock Me I’m Famous, Amelia from xAmeliax and Megan Ellaby. There was St Kitts (more on that below) with a fun group including Vicky Flip Flop. Oh and then there was #itrekhere – a Trek America trip through California with a fab bunch including a few of my faves – Amy from The Little Magpie, Laura Bubble and Scott from Intrepid Escape.

A view I won't forget in a hurry! — A view I won’t forget in a hurry!

Big travels on the horizon, but I need your help! Scroll down to find out why…

I woke up today and opened the curtains to see mini droplets of rain clinging onto the window for dear life. Just like me, they didn’t seem ready for today. I looked out at the London traffic whizzing past, churning up water and spraying passers-by with grey/brown dirt. I looked at my phone. Monday 4^th September. It felt undeniably like the start of the autumn term. The back to school dreads were all around, despite those days being long gone.

Just weeks ago I wrote this post The Disillusioned Travel Blogger (if you didn’t read it, please do! It’ll show you there really are two sides to every job / story / weird life decision that you now call a ‘career’). I was chatting about the strange dichotomy of being too busy VS having nothing to do. In the freelance world, there’s a fear of quietness. Quiet times are scary – we like to be busy, we like to be creative, we like to know there’s work coming in and money to pay bills.

Yet, weeks later here I am feeling the opposite. I’ve got this overwhelming fear that I’ve taken on too much and I desperately want to do a good job, and not burn out in the process.

I could use this post to JUST reel off a list of killer destinations I’ve dreamed of visiting. But I’m keen to tell the full story, and not just the InstaGlam version of travel.

So here’s what I’ve got planned, and godammit I’m excited! I just hope a) I remember to breathe, b) I switch off from work occasionally to absorb the magic and beauty of each place and c) I create some kickass content for you guys to plan some awesome adventures too!

Wanderlust Chloe – Autumn Travels

Sicily, Italy

This Saturday I shall be boarding my second MedSailors Yacht! A few summers ago I spent a week sailing around Croatia with MedSailors and absolutely loved it. It’s a travel company that really knows what it’s doing. The vibe is fun and they match you up with boat mates of similar age and with similar interests. Plus travelling by boat allows you to see things you’d never see on foot.

Personal Blogs

These are all of my blogs about personal things.