Sydney Explorer

Hello Wonderful People! Vietnam, Venice, and Northern Scandinavia are some of Planet Earth’s most incredible places to visit and I've been lucky enough to visit two of these three. They offer sites you can’t see anywhere else in the world; which means when you visit any of these places, you want to go at the best time. Doing so empowers you to make the very most of your trip. With this in mind, here is a guide to when to visit these three destinations, based on factors like crowds and weather, to make the most of your trip.

Hello Wonderful People! I can't quite believe we are now nearing December; 2015 has gone scarily quick! While I'm looking forward for what 2016 has to bring, I think it's also a good time to reflect upon the awesome year I've had. I've been lucky enough to go on 7 holidays this year as well as visit 2 new countries. So all in all, it's been a successful year for travelling! I've written about all my adventures throughout the year, but I thought it would be a great idea to give a visual recap of all the amazing things I've seen and experience in 2015! Hopefully it might provide you with some inspiration for travel ideas next year. I've already got 2 trips in the pipeline for 2016, but I hope to do a lot more and explore some new places too!

Hello Wonderful People! I've just got back from the most amazing holiday in Thailand with 7 of my awesome friends, and the holiday blues are really kicking in. I last went to Thailand 2 and a half years ago, at the start of my 4 month travelling trip, so this holiday was going to be extremely different. We had a whistle stop tour of the West Coast planned as we wanted to squeeze in as much as possible and visit part of Thailand that we hadn't seen before. As we were going in the last week of October, the weather was still looking pretty miserable and rainy; there was a storm forecast every single day. So our hopes for good weather were not high. However, the weather Gods shone down on us and we had glorious hot and sunny weather, bar one afternoon when a monsoon struck.    

Hello Wonderful People! I'm going back to Thailand and I literally can't contain my excitement! I'll be jetting off to Bangkok in October, for a 12-day whistle stop tour of the country. It's going to be amazing tip, but going back to Thailand after my last visit over 2 years ago, is going to be very bizarre. I think my travel bug is going to be reignited! I'm jetting off with 7 of my best mates and we are currently facing a major dilemma: where shall we head to make the most of our trip? We want to see Bangkok and go island hopping, but with only 12 days to fit everything in, we have to stick to a strict route. I'm not normally a fan of following an itinerary when travelling, it can detract from the spontaneity and sense of adventure. However, in this case I'm willing to let it slide, as we want to see and do as much as possible in the short time we have. We have come up with 2 possible routes to take on our trip, but the real problem is deciding which on...

Hello Wonderful People! I'm by no means a great photographer. Sure I love to take photos, am I good at it? Not really. Are my photos usually blurry/ wonky/ have a finger in the top corner? You bet. This is where my good old friend Instagram comes into play. This magical little app makes me look like a shit-hot professional who knows what they're doing. I'm happy to admit that I'm a complete Istagram addict, I bloody love the thing! And as a result, I use it to make loads of my travel pictures look super amazing. Here's a selection of some of my favourites. And if you fancy having a stalk at the rest, check out my Instagram page: Katienelson_x  

Hello Wonderful People!   As a self-confessed travel addict suffering from a sever case of wanderlust, I love nothing more than exploring new places, meeting different people and seeing new things. Therefore, once I’ve visited somewhere once I like to tick it off my list and head onto the next destination. As there are so many new places to discover in the world, I don’t want to waste my time going over old ground. Despite this, there have been several places I’ve visited where I’ve completely fallen in love and would like nothing more than to go back and do a bit more exploring. I’m completely torn between jetting off somewhere new, or going back to an old favourite, it’s a tough decision. If I were to choose the latter, these are definitely the 5 places I’d love to revisit.    

Hello Wonderful People! I love being a vegetarian; I've been one all my life and would never dream of changing my eating habits. However, being veggie can be a royal pain in the a hole when travelling. There are some countries that are really good for veggies and there are others that look at you with disgust when you ask if there’s a veggie option. You’d be surprised at the amount of people who have no idea what the word vegetarian means and who offer you chicken as an alternative. The last time I checked, chicken was definitely meat. So here is a list of the best and the worst countries that  I've  been to as a veggie.

Hello Wonderful People!   Before I went to South East Asia it didn't actually enter my head that we would have to get from place to place via some sort of transport. I take a very laid back approach to life and just assumed everything would fall into place when I got there. To be fair this approach worked, as everything turned out fine and there was no need for me to have planned any transport prior to my trip. But for those of you who are planning a trip to SE Asia, I thought I'd write down a few tips for getting around, so you have some idea of what to expect when you get there!  

Hello wonderful people! As my time in Asia came to a close I began to think about all the things I would miss about my time travelling through these amazing countries. Like the true Brit I am, I obviously thought I'd miss the weather the most. While it was super hot ALL the time, I'd finally got used to the humidity and the endless sunny days were amazing! I also didn't want to lose my beautiful tan that I'd acquired over the 6 weeks, I'm not even joking I could have been mistaken for a local I was that amazingly tanned. *Sobs at the thought of how pale I now am.* So, yes, I was going to miss the weather A LOT. Going from a super laid back lifestyle, back to the hectic western regime was also going to be a toughie. I'd started to get used to Asia time and the thought of getting a train on time, or eating a meal at the same time in a restaurant really started to freak me out. I was also definitely going to miss the stunning scenery and the wonderfully...

​ ជំរាបសួរ ​មានមនុស្ស​ដ៏អស្ចារ្យ Visiting Angkor Wat was a memorable day for two reasons; the temples were stunning and it was so hot I lost around 3 stone in sweat. I'm not even joking, I didn't realise it was possible to sweat so much. I sweat in places I didn't even know were possible. My EARS we sweating it was that hot. Aside from the huge sweat fest, Angkor Wat truly is a remarkably stunning place and is a must visit for anyone travelling through Cambodia. I would love to be able to tell you copious amounts of detailed history surrounding the temples, but sadly I can't. We didn't do a guided tour of the temples, so I actually know very little about their origin (apart from what I googled out of curiosity after I left). So instead of boring you with a half informed blog post, I will let my pictures do the talking. Some of the temples were magical and a true feat of architectural design, I just hope my amateur photography skills do them justice!  

Hello Wonderful People! While traveling around South East Asia, it soon became very apparent that there were so many cultural differences to adapt to. Being a Western tourist also didn't help matters, as you definitely stand out from the crowd, making you an easy target for anything from scams to fascination. I have complied another fabby dabby Top 5 list of things that I learnt while in South East Asia; all of which I never really thought about before travelling, but I now look back on with fond memories as they shaped my journey in so many ways.

Hello Wonderful People! Instead of rambling on for ages about my travels, I've decided to let the pictures do the talking. I've selected some of my favourite photographs that I took while backpacking through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. From markets to waterfalls, bridges to sunsets, these are a few photos that don't feature yours truly, and as a result show a bit of culture! 

​ ជំរាបសួរ ​មានមនុស្ស​ដ៏អស្ចារ្យ Picture a secluded desert island surrounded by crystal clear water lapping on the white sand, with a beach dotted with small huts. The sun is beating down and there isn't a cloud in the sky. There are only small pockets of shade created by the palm trees that line the beach and separate it from the jungle beyond. Welcome to Koh Rong; a little slice of paradise tucked away off the shore of Cambodia.

Xin chào mọi người tuyệt vời I would have to vote Nha Trang as my favourite city in Vietnam, purely because there was so much to do here! I could easily have stayed for so much longer, but sadly I was on a strict time scale and had to leave after 2 days, boo hoo! Unlike Hanoi or Saigon, Nha Trang felt like a much calmer and relaxed place to be. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the hectic buzz of Vietnam’s two largest cities, but it was nice to be able to stay somewhere that had all you needed from a city with an added chilled vibe. There are numerous things in Nha Trang that have ended up in some of my Top 5 posts, but I thought I'd dedicate a whole post to the city as I fell a little in love with the place and need to blab on endlessly about it!

Hello Wonderful People!   As a vegetarian travelling South East Asia I was worried what kind of food would be available to me and if there would be much variety. It turns out I was massively spoilt for choice and turned into a little pig, snaffling everything I could get my little trotters on. I was slightly disappointed when I first arrived in Asia, as I completely lost my appetite due to the heat. I literally didn't eat anything all day, and forced myself to munch on a few spring rolls in the evening just to get some food down. After a few days of none eating, I seriously started to worry that I was never going to crave food again, and be forced to live a life of tiny, forced meals to suit my appetite, sob sob. But fear not, after a while my body finally acclimatised to the heat and I was free to stuff my little face again with exciting new foods. Yay for me and yay for food. Nom nom nom, I love food. P.s. Apologies to meat lovers, this is a veggie post, but try them out anyw...

Xin chào mọi người tuyệt vời Ha Long Bay is probably one of the most stunningly beautiful places I have ever been to. Located in North Vietnam, around 3 hours from Hanoi, the bay consists of nearly 2,000 islands and is home to the most fabulously clear blue water I have ever seen.    Before visiting Vietnam I am ashamed to say I had never heard of Ha Long Bay, which is a World Heritage Site, and was intrigued to see what could be so enthralling about an expanse of water dotted with islands.  

Xin chào mọi người tuyệt vời   If you ever go backpacking around South East Asia then I can guarantee, without a doubt, that you will spend a few nights on a night bus. And oh boy, it will be an experience you aren't likely to forget! Night busses are like normal coaches, but instead of seats there are beds. Bare in mind, I am using the word bed in the loosest way possible, as they are more similar to dentists chairs than a comfy double.  

Xin chào mọi người tuyệt vời Vietnam was easily one of the most beautiful and amazing countries I've visited; from it's stunning scenery, to it's diverse history and culture, Vietnam is one country that should be on everyone's travel hit list.

​ ສະບາຍດີ ​ປະຊາຊົນ​ທີ່ປະເສີດ I'm going to take a wild guess that the majority of people have no idea what tubing is; I too wouldn't have a clue if I had not been myself. Basically, scores of young backpackers grab their own giant rubber ring, float down a less than clean river, and stop off at several riverside bars to get merry. However, if you do know what tubing is, or have been pre 2012, then you'll know it ain't what it used to be!

สวัสดีคนที่ยอดเยี่ยม This trek was one of those experiences you look back on with fond memories and an 'I'm glad I did it' attitude. Sadly, when I was actually trekking for 6 hours a day, in 35 degree heat up a jungle mountain  I wasn't thinking about the nice memories I was creating. Instead, I was cursing my grossly unfit self for signing up to such a stupid activity, and secretly plotting ways I could maybe break a leg and go home. Seriously, that thought crossed my mind more that once.