Why Every London Visit Should Include A Stop At Notting Hill & Portobello Market

Ahh Notting Hill, an Instagrammers little gem! Notting Hill is famous for many things, from the yearly carnival the brings multi-cultural societies into one big colourful weekend-long street part, to the beautiful Portobello Market and lest we forget Notting Hill romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant! Notting Hill is one place in London that every tourist weigh their coins has to pay a visit to when they come to London.

How can resist that pastel and candy coloured houses all lined up waiting to be snapchatted? It's the perfect place to wonder around on a Sunday as the streets are perfect to get lost in, in between instagramming and latte sipping sessions. Portobello Market is not only famous for its antiques but you will find it all here, from beautiful jewellery to old photography memorabilia, closes, food stalls and many a souvenir. You next visit to London should definitely include a stop to Notting Hill. If the word haven't convinced you yet, hopefully the pictures below should do the trick!

Getting To Portobello Road

Your Nearest underground station is Notting Hill. From there you have clear signage on which exits to use. Its perfectly easy to find as you will always have people heading in that direction.

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The Perfect Weekend Bag For Quick and Easy Getaways

Being a travel blogger, I guess I don't need convince you of the fact that I travel a lot. Working as a consultant also means I travel for much of my projects. Currently making the weekly rounds between London and Harry Potter's playground in beautiful Oxford. I hope my recent weekend trips to Paris, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Edinburgh, the English countryside and many other European cities have served inspiration for you to pack your bags and head for little break. With the right bag one can quickly hop on out of the city for a little weekend R&R with minimal packing effort. Those weekend trips are all about maximising the time you have for play on your get away, and doing so means reducing the time you have to check in at airports or dragging around big bags. You want to be able to pack a carry-on and go from work to play in about as little time as it takes Lewis Hamilton to get from 0-60! That means having a bag perfect for a carry-on-only weekend getaways. Who doesn't need an escape from the weekday grind? The Catalina weekender by Lo and Son is perfect for skipping the check-in desk and heading straight to departures. This little baby comes in a few shades but being a lover of all shades of blue, I went for Indigo, but there are a few more colours in the range if blue doesn't get your wanderlust flowing. Reasons to love this weekender?

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Just Do It! 10 Travel Tips For First Time Solo Travellers

'Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage'

Talk is cheap so stop telling yourself you are going to do it and just do it(as Nike used to say). But, where do you even start? Before we even get very far in to this, you need to decide on where to go! Contrary to what a lot of people believe, solo doesn’t just mean travel outside the country. It can also be inland travel. I spent a lot of my late teens exploring parts of the UK on my own and even took my nieces too from time to time. Exploring Wales, Scotland, and parts of England on my own before I ventured off to other parts of the world on my own! Yes, exploring your own country counts as solo, so why are so many guys and girls so afraid to explore without a companion?

Travel planning for trips with friends and family can be tough with trying to figure out when and where to go, factoring what you are going to do and where you staying, fitting in people's budgets and what they like to see and do. See, just talking about it is tiring enough. Even worse, when you do all that planning and people cancel! I love travelling with compadres, but love my solo trips just as much. The freedom to go where I want, when I want and how long, stay where I want. This is all a breath of fresh air. We do so much for others through the year, whether you are at work or home, so solo trips are another way to re-group and do you, for you! Like the quote above says, it’s not about money but courage. So for those that haven’t embarked on a solo trip yet I thought I would help you out a little. Having travelled as far as Australia's Sydney, Hong Kong, parts or Europe and UK on my own I may just have picked up a thing or two to get you started! So here are tips to get you going on the first solo trip.

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A Local's Guide On What To See And Do In London

It has been a while since I have done a guide on London, the very city I live in, for goodness sake! I suppose I take it for granted that I live here, so I tend to write a lot about other cities I go to as an escape from London. So, my long overdue of a local's guide to London. Even better that no transportation is required with this guide. A lot of it only requires money for a cup of coffee when you get thirsty or need to take cover from the rain. There are lots of stops along the way to taste amazing food. All calories that you will burn off on this walk anyway. Below is a map that you can also click on with previews of what you will see and do along this guide. Also, look out for a guide to shopping in London as well as all the best markets you need to check out when you visit London as well as where to stay when you visit London. I will be covering all budgets for that so make sure you are following on Bloglovin so your don't miss them when they publish. Without further ado, lets get to it!

Start The Day With A Hearty Breakfast In Covent Garden.

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Poland | Where To Stay In Warsaw

Whenever I plan a short getaway, to get the most out of a quick visit to a city I try and plan where I stay carefully. This way you can kind of plan what to see and do and just how easy it is to get to from where you are staying. Also, as it's a getaway break from normal day living I also want it easy and rather effortless. I had a few options on where to stay in Warsaw, in the end, we decided on Marriott Hotel. It's has a great location in the heart of Warsaw. You are literally a few meters from Warsaw's biggest mall; Zlote Tarasy. It's also across the road from the Palace of Culture which offers amazing views of Warsaw. The shot below of the Marriott Hotel building from taken from the Palace of Culture building.

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