In September 2015, I took a mini European travel break through Budapest, Paris and Amsterdam with my best friends Cloé and Lyd. The trip was a spontaneous decision. We knew we didn’t have much money or time to spare but wanted to get a taste of places we’d never been before. We chose to travel to our three destinations because they were all so different- different locations, languages and cultures. Flying between each country, we had a lot of pressure on our hands to organise our money, dates and all the paperwork required. It was the first time any of us had travelled without a responsible figure to look after all the important bits, a scary but exhilarating thought. We planned to meet two other friends on the last leg in Amsterdam and the whole travel planning process was exciting for everyone.
The day before we flew to Budapest I was extremely anxious, thinking about all the things that could go wrong. I kept thinking why am I even doing this?! I couldn’t understand why I had chosen to leave my comfort zone where I would be safe and happy at home. I wanted to see the world, yeah, but that could wait right? Another year, maybe?
Arriving in Budapest and creeping up the large, stone staircase to our hostel, an eerie feeling came over us all. It was dark, we didn’t know what to expect or what to do if no one was there to welcome us. We felt extremely alone and lost in a strange, foreign country. Thankfully, there was someone to welcome us at the desk and we were shown to our rooms, where 5 other people were already safely tucked up in their beds asleep.
Everything seemed to change the next morning. The sun, the freedom, the independence, it was all overwhelming. I realised how much I loved navigating the city with a map, circling places to visit and hunting them down. I found a new love for photography, capturing the aesthetic and the ambiance of the country became an obsession. I felt incredibly capable- capable of choosing what to do, where to go and capable of just doing it.
I love travelling because it allows me to become a childlike version of myself, without hesitations and boundaries, led by spontaneity, doing whatever you want; wide-eyed, lost and curious. I’m so glad I didn’t let my apprehensions stop me from going on that trip as it helped me discover what I wanted to do. I’m never as happy as I am when I’m exploring. And now I have this blog so you can all explore with me!
Now I’ve finished telling you all about my last year’s travels I’m going to start a series called ‘Outside London’ where each week I’m going to focus on somewhere in Britain, that isn’t London. I think tourism in Britain is focused way too heavily on London and the aim of this series is to create awareness of the many other beautiful places around these countries. These will happen once a week and will be interwoven with stories from my other travels earlier this year to Iceland and Lanzarote as well as a few more personal posts.
Hope you enjoy what is to come on Worldinsidemypocket!
Much love <3
22 Comments
Divya Deepak Rao
May 19, 2016 at 4:21 pmHi Natasha
I’m a recent travel aficionado as well, my husband being the main motivator and loving it so far. It’s great to connect with like minds here on wordpress!
I’m eager to read about your journeys in Britain!
Hugs
Divya
pagetoworld
May 19, 2016 at 4:23 pmAnd that’s how it happens! So glad for you as well that you went anyway and came out richer with curiosity to see the world. The travel bug bit me in Italy, and now I am enjoying wandering around South East Asia. Look forward to reading your Outside London series.
worldinsidemypocket
May 19, 2016 at 6:13 pmThank you! Hope your adventures go well 🙂 xx
natalyadrian
May 19, 2016 at 5:49 pmI totally agree with you. There are so many gorgeous places in Britain and everyone only goes to London.
worldinsidemypocket
May 19, 2016 at 6:13 pmI know its so sad there’s so many lovely places to visit! xx
Creative Junkie
May 19, 2016 at 6:03 pmYour words cling true to my own self. Jealous to the point of inspired by your adventures. I can’t wait to read more!
worldinsidemypocket
May 19, 2016 at 6:12 pmThank you so much xx
rebbit7
May 19, 2016 at 8:57 pmLovely! I’m very looking forward to your posts about the rest of England. Truthfully, I didn’t love London very much when I visited, and would like to discover more of the rest of the country (as the only other places I’ve been to were Canterbury and Dover). Can’t wait!
worldinsidemypocket
May 19, 2016 at 9:09 pmAh great! I’ll be writing a lot about the North so stay tuned 🙂 xx
michaelamanningtravel
May 20, 2016 at 3:23 pmExcited to see more of non-London posts! I visited York in Feb, and want to see Liverpool and Manachester – i’ve never been ! :O
worldinsidemypocket
May 20, 2016 at 3:24 pmOoh Manchester is awesome, never been to Liverpool would love to though! How did you find York? Hope you like my posts to come 🙂 xx
tomg1992
May 20, 2016 at 4:44 pmAny future travel plans? Once the bug bites it’s hard to stop!
worldinsidemypocket
May 20, 2016 at 6:27 pmDefinitely! Going camping in Wales in a few weeks, then three weeks in France and hopefully an Eastern Europe tour in August 🙂 What are your travel plans for this summer?
tomg1992
May 21, 2016 at 8:59 amNice! I need to get to Wales. Fly back from China at the end of July, catch up with everyone in August, move to Spain in September!
cerisedg
May 21, 2016 at 7:53 amI like your idea of the outside london series! Sooo many places to see in Britain alone!
worldinsidemypocket
May 21, 2016 at 10:25 amThank you!! Hope you like it xx
The Frugal Wanderess
May 22, 2016 at 11:32 pmGreat read and incredible photos!!! The travel bug is something serious haha. Nice to meet a fellow “newbie.” 🙂 happy traveling
sonthego
May 23, 2016 at 3:00 pmGreat post! I can’t wait to see your post about Iceland
Amanda Afield
May 26, 2016 at 6:59 amLooking forward to reading your outside London series for some weekend trip inspiration!
worldinsidemypocket
May 26, 2016 at 12:40 pmThank you! I have one post up already 🙂 xx
HCIM
July 10, 2016 at 5:10 pmI have nominated you for a Liebster Award! Check it out here: https://maivmainevni.com/2016/07/10/liebster-award/
Travels of a beauty addict
August 7, 2016 at 5:00 amAwesome post! I always say the more you travel, the more you want to travel.
I live in Bangkok now and the travel possibilities are just endless! But I do love reading all about Europe though, and all the fab places to visit when I come home every now and again!
xx