All posts tagged: recovering humanitarian

May: This month, I was. . .

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Weekending in Berlin And I loved it. Check out my tips for the coolest spots in Mitte, Berlin’s busiest and most central district. Doing Yoga every damn day Well not quite. But about 4-5 days a week, which felt like A LOT! I’ve been upping my fitness game in general and to balance out all the cardio and HIIT, I’ve been adding 20 minutes of yoga to the end of every workout as well as doing an hour online class once a week. Finally, literally a year and a half after starting yoga, I am starting to see some proper progress with my flexibility! Turns out that whole ‘consistency is key’ thing is true. On my new La Vie Boheme Yoga mat BTW! I absolutely adore my Mandala travel mat from La Vie Boheme so I decided to get a second one! This time I went for the Najavo in white and I love it just as much! Also pictured is my copy of The Inner Fix , by Persia Lawson & Joey Bradford of Addictive Daughter which …

How to Choose the Perfect Solo Adventure!

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Making the decision to travel solo- even if it’s slightly scary at the time- is often the easy part. The harder part is figuring out the best place to go! Of course, you can go wherever you want in this big wide world on your own! But there are some places especially suited to solo travel- places you’ll have amazing adventures, unforgettable experiences and meet incredible new people (remember, travel friends are often life friends!) So, if you’ve made the decision to hit the road by yourself but you’re not quite sure where to go, I’ve got you covered. I’ve rounded up the best spots for solo travelers around the world, what ever your interests or travel preferences may be!   You’re a Nervous First Timer If you’re feeling nervous about going solo, try somewhere with a well developed tourist industry like Portugal or Thailand. Both offer amazing cultural experiences, great food and beautiful scenery as well as decent infrastructure and lots of other tourists/travelers to connect with! You’re a Reasonably Confident First Timer It may …

5 Easy Steps to Pack for 3 Months in South East Asia!

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Or ‘How to backpack without looking like a backpacker!’ If you can travel for months with only two pairs of denim shorts and two t-shirts, this post is probably not for you. Though I do salute you! But if you’re packing for an extended trip to Asia, want to look good but still limit your backpack weight to 15 kg, this post is most definitely for you! Packing for a trip longer than a month can be challenging. My last extended trip took in five countries across the Middle East, SouthEast Asia and Australia, over almost four months taking me from cities to beaches to jungles to yoga retreats. Read on to learn the 5 simple steps for packing efficiently and all the essentials you need to backpack in Asia, without looking like you’re actually backpacking!     1. Buy packing cubes These are the best thing if you’re travelling long term. They help keep you organised, make constant packing and repacking easier and just generally make life on the road run smoother! They’re also the …

Berlin for Cool Seekers

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Before visiting Berlin, I was expecting it to be hipster central; Dalston with a post Socialist edge. And more street art. But I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, there’s hipsters aplenty but what Berlin’s buzziest area Mitte does well is easy going cool with a complete lack of pretentiousness (take note, East London). Affordable rents and a low cost of living mean young families mingle with the tech entrepreneurs and floating ‘creatives’, which all mixes together to produce a welcoming, relaxed area of co-working spaces, gin bars and local Italian restaurants.   Mitte is the most central Berlin district and is the historical heart of the city. Mitte was once the centre of East Berlin but in the reunified city, the boroughs were redrawn and it’s now a larger, sprawling neighbourhood. Most Berliners use Mitte only in reference to the original smaller locality and not the wider borough. If you’re looking for the must see tourist sights, visit Tripadvisor. But if you want to know where to go for the best flat white or hummus or …

5 Easy Ways to make Long Haul Flying a Breeze!

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Any flight lasting 6 hours or more is considered long haul. Despite the huge increase in long haul travel recently, a lot of people really struggle to cope with longer flights! I’ve always enjoyed flying (seriously, airports are my happy place) and long haul flights don’t phase me. I’ve done my fair share of long flights over the years- to the States, the Middle East, Asia and Australia so I’ve fine tuned my long haul flying routine to ensure maximum comfort and minimum fuss. Like anything preperation is key! Here are my top 5 ways of making long haul flying a breeze! 1. Choose your Airline carefully When flying long-haul, you want the most comfortable option with good entertainment and food choices, plus a layover in a decent airport . There has never been more competition between long haul carriers but plumping for the lowest flight isn’t always the best deal. Conversely, expensive does not neccessaily mean best! British Airways fares are typically quite high and although their flights are comfortable, the entertainment choices are poor; …

How to Cope with a Plot Twist and Lose your Fear of Failure

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‘Plot Twist’ is a nice euphemism for ‘Shit has gone really wrong and I no longer know I’m doing!’ One of my first and most popular posts on the blog was this one about my 2015- how I traveled a lot, did a lot of yoga and other cool things (climbing an active volcano in Bali anyone?) but also how I was knocked completely sideways by not getting in to a Masters I’d applied for and then having a shitty few months job hunting which left me feeling like a complete failure. So many people shared the post- to be honest, if I’d known just how many people would share it, I probably wouldn’t have written the bloody thing. But I’m glad people could relate or that they found it helpful. A lot of people commented that it was refreshingly honest but to me, it wasn’t such a big deal. Anyone close to me was aware at the time how much I’d been struggling- pretty Instagram pictures notwithstanding- so speaking about a tough time didn’t …

April: This Month I’m . . .

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Backyard Travelling So my wanderlust-induced whinging will finish soon as I’m off to Berlin next weekend! This month, I went on a couple of mini-adventures to Galway and the Burren with work. If you’re in Clare, I so highly recommend visiting Kilshanny House! Their signature dish, the Burren Béilíní is an amazing selection of fresh, local sustainable produce that is absolutely delicious! With lots of events happening- music, walks, talks, singers clubs etc- and an unbelievably warm welcome from Mary and Aidan, I really couldn’t recommend a stop here highly enough! Eating Clean-ish I had a few off weeks where I was still working out 4-5 times a week but not being very careful with my diet. Predictably, I ended up feeling a bit sluggish, bloated and all round not very attractive. It’s also a frustrating way of training, feeling yourself getting stronger but not seeing the results as there’s a layer of carb bloat surrounding your new gains! Small goals always help get back on track so I set myself 5 weeks to up my training …

The Best At Home Workouts

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Working out at home is really time and cost effective. If you’re a great self-motivater, there are so many resources online- free and paid for- so there really is no excuse for not building your own, fully fledged fitness routine at home! I started at home workouts because I was a student and money was tight but also because I was too intimidated to go to a gym when I first started working out. Then I got into a good routine, found some online workouts I loved and was just hooked. I do the odd class or gym session but in general, I work out at home 5-6 hours a week! But with so many online fitness videos/e-books out there, it can be hard to know where to start! So here are my favourites; the ones I return to again and again, the ones that are easy to follow and really work! Yoga Yoga With Adriene Adriene is an actress and yoga teacher from Austin, Texas. She posts completely free yoga videos on her amazing Youtube …

My 5 Favourite things about Cambodia

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Cambodia is often overlooked in favour of its heavy hitting neighbours Thailand and Vietnam, but the Khmer Kingdom is an amazing holiday destination. I spent almost a month exploring the country and I can’t think of one thing I didn’t enjoy! With gorgeous beaches, delicious cuisine, a burgeoning economy and genuinely friendly people eager to welcome tourists, Cambodia should be your next Asian holiday destination! Awe Inspiring Temples The iconic, sprawling complex of Angkor temples was voted the world’s No. 1 site by Lonely Planet and it’s not hard to see why. Exploring the world’s largest religious site is an otherworldly experience but be prepared to battle the crowds; last year over 2 million tourists visited the 1,000 year old temples!  Don’t miss Ta Prohm, aka the Tomb Raider temple, or Bayum (below). Chilled out Siem Reap The nearest town to the Angkor Temples, Siem Reap is a laid back traveller’s hub. Skip tacky pub street and spend your time scouring the markets for souvenirs, exploring the meandering streets and sampling Cambodian cuisine. For an …

Armchair Traveler: The Best Food Memoirs

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I love food memoirs. I love to read, travel and eat so this literary genre ticks all the boxes for me! I have a constantly growing cookbook collection I’ve been to know to casually read rather than actually cook from- Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jeruselm being a favourite! But a food memoir is a lovely book to curl up and enjoy with a cup of coffee. Food is never just food. It’s also a way of getting at something else: who we are, who we have been and who we want to be. When we fall in love with a certain dish, I think that’s what we’re often responding to: that something else behind the fork or spoon, the familiar story that food tells. A Homemade Life, Molly Wizenberg   Food is a great way to learn about another culture and cooking is a great way to tell stories. In fact a cooking class or food tour is one of my favourite things to do when on holidays! But if you can’t jet off right now, curling up …