Travel Writing and Inspiration

The funny thing about waiting is that it can make us lose sight of what we wanted in the first place. I want to write. That's why this blog exists. The problem is wanting to write about travel and not travelling kind of adds up to a bit of conundrum. And pulling inspiration out of thin air isn't going to happen either.

That's why, while we've been on the subject of travel related things to do to pass the time between trips, I've been eyeing my (distressingly neglected) book shelf.

If you're like me, you like reading in all sorts of situations. On cold nights at home, warm nights at home, on the way to work, at work, in the tub (the tub isn't at work, though). The point is, I love reading. Recently however, it's been easy to bet caught up in other things. It's easier to just turn the brain off after 7 p.m. and leave it at that.

Which is why, sitting pristine and lovely on my bookshelf are two Christmas presents: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson and All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Smith. The search for inspiration should obviously come from those who have already done what you're aspiring to do, right?

So, over the next few weeks, I'll be bringing you some small tid-bits and life lessons I've learned along the journey's with them (which is a really pretty way to say I'll be reviewing the books). Maybe, if we're all lucky, I'll pick up a few new ideas and techniques for my own writing. Then, when that next trip finally happens, I'll be more than ready.

Happy Friday everyone!

T xx

Memory Keeping

Life, the way it is now, is slow going. Most of the time people find themselves looking at calendars and freaking out about how fast the days seem to go. But sometimes, when you get a chance to sit down for a moment, all of a sudden you're not saying "Oh my God it's already March!", you're saying "Oh dear God it's only March".

During this period of intense waiting, it's nice to have something to do. My boss, who is also a very good friend, got me interested in scrapbooking by showing me some of the wonderful things she's done for her family. With all the pictures that we have, I figured it would be a nice way to make use of them since I'm running out of picture frames. Not to mention the fact that it's nice to remember the good and sunny times when it's dreary outside.

These are from an adorable Far & Away Chipboard found at Two Peas In A Bucket

Waiting

I have to apologize for the delay in posting today. I was surprised today to hear from a very good friend of mine who is very lucky to be living the dream I lived about two years ago.

I can't actually believe it was two years ago that I was living in Edinburgh. Two years ago that this whole journey started.

The unfortunate part of journeys like mine - and I'm sure I'm not alone in this-  is while you can do many things to help yourself along, there are certain parts you have no control over. That's the part I find myself in right now. It's hard to think of something to say really when you're wanting to write about wild planned adventures and a great new start when you have no idea if that start is even coming.

So I, better yet we, wait.

I would like to say that this post will be filled with tips on how to keep your spirits up while you're waiting. And I would like to say that I can also give you tips on not being so anxious when you're waiting for things while you travel. But the truth is I'm rubbish at both. The most I can hope for is that anyone who reads this will feel a little bit better about the fact that they're in the same boat. At least you're not alone.

That all being said, I think that I've been throwing myself into work and nothing else for a bit too long. Since I would like to be able to post some tips on how to keep from turning into a giant ball of stress during times like these, I've decided to discover some myself. Over the next few weeks I'll be working on memory keeping projects and hopefully getting a few travel books under my belt that I can share with you all. Maybe together, we can all find a way to deal with waiting.

Happy Friday lovelies!

T xx

Friday Links!

Greetings explorers!

This has been a strange week to say the least. A lot of getting things done that needed to be done but no really earth shattering or exciting events. Well... that is unless you count surprise Valentine's Day flowers from your boyfriend as earth shattering, which I do....

Tulips because he couldn't bring me a souvenir from Amsterdam <3 

But now that I'm done kinda (okay really) bragging lets get back to business.

In all honesty it's been a slow week for all things travel related. Matt and I are still waiting to hear some hopefully very good news soon but until then, it's just a waiting game.  Keeping all that in mind, I thought this week would be great to leave everyone some links. Below is a small collection of articles, blogs and helpful sites I'm really into currently. Maybe these can inspire you to stop putting off that next romantic get away or, better still, to finally take your first big trip!

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If you're like me, you're feeling the winter blues all over. I'm convinced that travel is the answer to everything and the BBC's Passport Blog agrees with me. Here's a post perfect for Valentine's Day.

Also from over at the BBC, something for those couples traveling together for the first time. You can learn these lessons on your own (Matt and I did) but thinking about these things beforehand might cut down on bickering. Emphasis on might.

Sometimes, just being able to look at destination and plan trips is enough of an escape for your mind to help you through the day. I tend to do this on Mondays. Matt and I favor the Lonely Planet travel books on travel as well as their website. With their Destination search, you can easily find anywhere you'd like to go. It's great for learning more about areas around World Heritage Sites!

And last but not least, some UNESCO news. UNESCO has just hosted an event called Marine World Heritage: Crown Jewels of the Ocean. There are 46 World Heritage Sites located in the ocean all in the name of conservation and marine sustainability.  I don't actually know if Matt and I will be able to get to some of these... maybe above them on a boat... does that count?

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Happy  Friday everyone!

xxT

The Fact of the Matter

When Matt first told me about his goal to see all 900... well it must have been 920-and-some at that time, I didn't know him well. He was very cute and I couldn't get enough but I also wasn't too sure what World Heritage Sites even were. I'm not saying I thought it was silly. I thought it was incredibly romantic. I saw images of jet-setting and beautiful hotels- Oh, the joys of loving a man who loved to travel....