Posts

Image
The Most Peaceful Villages in France No One Talks About: A Complete Guide There’s a version of France that never makes the guidebooks — the France of sleepy riverbanks, quiet bakeries that smell of warm butter, and cobbled lanes where the loudest sound is a church bell drifting across a valley. Whenever I need to breathe again, I skip the cities and head straight for these smaller places. They don’t shout for attention, which is exactly why they stay with you. Take Yvoire , for example — a lakeside medieval village wrapped in flowers every summer. You can wander for hours there, dipping in and out of tiny shops, watching the water shift from silver to blue. Then there’s Eguisheim , a colourful Alsatian gem where every house looks like it belongs in a storybook, and wine cellars are tucked behind half-timbered doors. Must Read:  The Surprising Etiquette I Learned in Paris . Further south, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie clings to cliffs above the River Lot. The views are almost too perfec...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Surprising Etiquette I Learned in Paris

Image
The Surprising Etiquette I Learned in Paris: A Detailed Guide Paris has a reputation for elegance, but nothing prepared me for how many unwritten rules the city quietly expects you to know. On my first afternoon there, I walked into a bakery and cheerfully said, “Hi, can I get a croissant? The woman behind the counter gave me a look so sharp it could’ve sliced the pastry. That’s when I learned Rule One: always start with a greeting — a simple bonjour carries more weight in Paris than perfect French ever could. Must Read:  How Music Connected Me to Strangers While Travelling . Another surprise was how softly people speak. Parisians don’t shout across cafés or laugh loudly on the metro. They create their own little pockets of calm, even in busy places. And queues? Completely sacred. Whether it’s the boulangerie or a bus stop, people wait their turn with an almost poetic patience. Also Read:  The Surprising Etiquette I Learned in Paris . Meals were another revelation. Lun...
Post a Comment
Location: Europe
Read more

How Music Connected Me to Strangers While Travelling

Image
How Music Connected Me to Strangers While Travelling: A Complete Guide I’ve always believed music says the things we can’t. It sneaks past language, past logic, straight into the part of you that remembers how to feel. I didn’t really understand that until I started travelling alone. Somewhere between airport terminals and late-night bus rides, I realised the quickest way to connect with strangers wasn’t through words — it was through rhythm. It started in Lisbon. I was wandering through Alfama’s narrow lanes when I heard a guitarist playing fado outside a café. I stopped, he nodded, and without speaking, we just listened together. No introductions, no small talk — just a moment that felt like home, thousands of miles from it. Must Read:   The Surprising Etiquette I Learned in Paris . In Marrakech, a shopkeeper handed me a drum and showed me how to play a simple beat. We didn’t share a language, but within minutes we were laughing in perfect time. Later, on a train in Japan,...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Surprising Etiquette I Learned in Paris

Image
The Surprising Etiquette I Learned in Paris: A Complete Guide Paris has a reputation for elegance, but nothing prepared me for how many unwritten rules the city quietly expects you to know. On my first afternoon there, I walked into a bakery and cheerfully said, “Hi, can I get a croissant?” The woman behind the counter gave me a look so sharp it could’ve sliced the pastry.  That’s when I learned Rule One: always start with a greeting — a simple bonjour carries more weight in Paris than perfect French ever could. Must Read:  How I Overcame My Fear of Flying After Ten Years . Another surprise was how softly people speak. Parisians don’t shout across cafés or laugh loudly on the metro. They create their own little pockets of calm, even in busy places. And queues? Completely sacred. Whether it’s the boulangerie or a bus stop, people wait their turn with an almost poetic patience. Meals were another revelation. Lunch isn’t something you grab and run with — it’s meant to be ...
Post a Comment
Location: Europe
Read more

The Trip That Taught Me to Slow Down and Live Intentionally

Image
The Trip That Taught Me to Slow Down and Live Intentionally: A Complete Guide It happened somewhere between the cobbled lanes of Lisbon and a small café that smelt like cinnamon and sea salt. I’d been rushing — as usual — trying to cram every landmark, every meal, every photo into a four-day trip. But that morning, my phone died, the rain started, and I had no map, no plan, no schedule. So, I stopped. Must Read:  How I Overcame My Fear of Flying After Ten Years . I ducked into that café, ordered a coffee I couldn’t pronounce, and watched locals chat about nothing in particular. There was a man reading a paper, a girl sketching on a napkin, a waiter humming softly to an old fado tune. For the first time in months, I didn’t feel behind. I felt present. Must read:  The Day My Luggage Got Swapped (and How I Got It Back) . Travelling slowly teaches you things your itinerary never will. You start to notice small details — the sound of church bells echoing through alleys, the w...
Post a Comment
Location: England, UK
Read more

How I Overcame My Fear of Flying After Ten Years

Image
How I Overcame My Fear of Flying After Ten Years: A Complete Guide I used to be that person—the one gripping the armrest before take-off, eyes shut, pretending to be calm while quietly counting every engine sound. For ten years, I avoided planes altogether. Weddings, holidays, even job offers—I found reasons to stay grounded. The world felt too high, too fragile, and far too far away. The turning point came quietly. My best friend was getting married in Spain, and I realised I couldn’t keep saying no to life because of fear. So, I booked a short flight from Manchester Airport , heart pounding as I clicked “confirm.” I even treated myself to airport parking Manchester , telling myself that driving there and walking calmly into departures might trick my brain into believing I was in control. Must Read:  The Day My Luggage Got Swapped (and How I Got It Back) . On the day, I arrived absurdly early. I watched planes take off through the glass, each one vanishing into the blue with...
Post a Comment
Location: Manchester Airport (MAN), Manchester M90 1QX, UK
Read more

The Day My Luggage Got Swapped (and How I Got It Back)

Image
The Day My Luggage Got Swapped (and How I Got It Back): A Complete Guide I still laugh about it now, though at the time I could have cried. It happened on the way back from Lisbon — one of those sleepy early-morning flights where everyone looks half-dreaming and slightly dishevelled. I collected what I thought was my suitcase, identical black shell, same red tag, and wheeled it confidently out of arrivals. Must Read:   When Google Maps Betrayed Me in the Middle of Nowhere . It wasn’t until I reached the car park that something felt off. My bag was unusually heavy. When I opened it, expecting laundry and a bottle of cheap port, I found men’s shirts, a hairdryer, and a guidebook to Berlin. My stomach dropped. Somewhere, someone was staring at my floral sundress and wondering what on earth had happened. Must Read:  Discovering Hamburg’s Coolest Neighbourhoods . Panic hit first, then the slow realisation that I had no idea how to fix it. But the staff at Manchester Airport we...
Post a Comment
Location: Manchester, UK
Read more