Workawaying for 2 weeks in Albarracín (w7-8)

Weeks 7-8: 6th - 18th June After returning from a weekend in the UK and spending a couple of days in Valencia, I took the train to Teruel in Aragon to meet my second workaway host, a family living in the small historical village of Albarracín. Albarracín is sometimes described as the most beautiful village …

Roller skating in Salamanca

What Salamanca didn't have in skateparks, it made up for in outdoor skating opportunities - but beware the hills! Salamanca is full of cycle paths that can also be used for roller skating. A lot of them go right alongside the river, but unlike in Sevilla they're not raised up next to the road so …

My first workaway experience in Salamanca (w5)

Week 5: 20th to 27th May After 3 weeks in Sevilla learning Spanish, I travelled up to the historical city of Salamanca for my first Workaway experience. Workaway is a website that facilitates work exchanges - up to 5 hours of help a day in exchange for room & food. It's great for travelling on …

Roller skating in Sevilla

There were plenty of opportunities to go roller skating in Sevilla, especially along the river. A lovely smooth cycle path runs near it (but beware fallen leaves / occasional cracks in the path!), and from my apartment I could skate to several nice spots by the river to settle for an afternoon of reading or …

Roller skating in Granada

An outdoor roller skate through Granada and a visit to Skatepark Golden Ball

3 Weeks Learning Spanish in Sevilla (w2-4)

I spent a glorious 3 weeks learning Spanish in Sevilla. The weather was ideal (minus a couple of thunderstorms), there was plenty to see in my free time, other cities were in easy reach for day trips and my Spanish lessons were great. Spanish lessons in SevillaI attended Spanish lessons for 3 hours every afternoon, …

Week 1: Málaga & Granada

Week 1 of many! After a mad last few days of packing and socialising and goodbyes, I finally hopped on a plane on Monday 23rd April. First stop: Málaga, purely because it's a cheap destination to fly to in southern Spain. Málaga To be honest I didn't have high expectations - the name summoned visions …

If your dream isn’t worth the risk, what is? (aka Why I’ve quit my job to travel the world)

One day in July 2010, I drove to work with my heart pounding and thoughts racing. A few weeks later I was due to fly halfway around the world to begin a study abroad year in Georgia, USA. Those thoughts were something along the lines of: What am I doing? This is insane! I'm leaving …

Off the beaten track in Tenerife (+ Carnaval!)

For the start of 2017, I wanted to visit somewhere warm and not too expensive. There are limited sunny destinations in February when you don't want to fly long-haul from the UK. The Canary Islands off the coast of north-west Africa are popular for just that reason, and after some research I discovered that Tenerife's …

Roman Aqueduct at Pont du Gard

Usually when we think of Roman ruins, we think of sites that have been… well, ruined. Most retain only a fraction of their original glory and have been compromised over time by war, looting of materials and mother nature. This context makes a visit to the Pont du Gard, just 30 minutes drive from Avignon, …