Dubai & Abu Dhabi, UAE
It was also great seeing Nige and Kristina again and the ‘softer’ side of Dubai (although we still managed a night out, an epic house party, and brunch – I was just in bed before midnight on all occasions).
Kuala Lumpur & Sabah, Malaysia
Perth, Australia
I’ve made no secret of the fact I really struggled after the miscarriage, and especially with no family in Sydney to give me the TLC I desperately needed. My parents offered to fly out from the UK, but they were already visiting at the end of March so I felt two visits just a couple of months apart would be unfair on them. Luckily I already had a ticket booked to fly to Perth at the beginning of March, and it was a welcome escape from Sydney and my sadness.
I was in desperate need of the golden sandy beaches and beautiful crystalline waters. I needed that feeling of ‘home’, and Perth is the closest place within a reasonable flight-time that gives me that feeling of home. My aunty picked me up from the airport, and when we got back to hers we just stood in the kitchen hugging and sobbing for the losses that had occurred in our lives in recent months.
The weekend flew by but was one of friends, hugs, beaches, and iced-chocolates. It soothed my heart and it felt good to be back at the beach my ex-boyfriend and I used as our ‘place’ to remember our first baby. I watched the sunset and stayed there until the stars come out in the sky, and felt my heart start to heal.
Roadtrip from Sydney to Great Ocean Road, Australia
Finally my parents arrived! My mum visited back at the beginning of 2017, but Dad had never visited me in Sydney before. We’d all been to Sydney as a family for my 17th birthday, so almost ten years prior, but only for a few days. They stayed with Joe and I and I gave up my bed for them and slept on the sofa for a couple of weeks (thankfully the sofa was a VERY comfy sofa).
I took them to my favourite places, and then we did a roadtrip from Sydney to Melbourne, and along the Great Ocean Road. It was one of the things on my ‘Australian Bucket List’, so I was pretty happy to tick it off. We saw wild koalas in the tree, the Twelve Apostles on the morning of Easter Sunday, and then went to mass Easter Sunday evening n Bendigo and witnessed mass taken by a famous singing priest!
Efate, Vanuatu
After a few months of no travel outside of Australia I jetted off to the South Pacific Islands with my Sydney friend Laura (who you first saw in my Dubai posts) in mid-May. In-between the Great Ocean Road trip and Vanuatu, I handed in my notice at my beloved media-agency job in Sydney, and got a new job working at Google in London. I was offered the Google role the day I left my other job, so naturally my leaving party was a little bit insane and my boss managed to capture me drunkenly falling backwards over a sofa in my favourite bar. Classy as always.
Anywho, Laura and I jetted off to Vanuatu the day after my leaving party, and had two days of staying in a luxury overwater villa, swimming in waterfalls, and drinking ALL the cocktails by the pool!
Viti Levu, Fiji
After Vanuatu we flew to Fiji, where we were treated like actual Royalty at the Royal Davui Island Resort! We were in Fiji for just two nights but it was a total whirlwind and so amazing! We even had a private picnic lunch on a deserted sand cay, which felt like an absolute dream.
Upolu, Samoa
And finally it was on to Samoa! We had three nights on the tropical paradise island, where we stayed at the Sheraton Beach Resort and drove around the main island of Upolu, swam in the famous ocean trench, and visited Robert Louis Stevenson’s home near the main town of Apia. We even had a wild night out in Apia and met a few of the locals 😉
Perth, Australia
After a few days back in Sydney (where I stayed at the BEAUTIFUL Langham Sydney), it was then onto Perth. As I took the taxi through the city of Sydney one last time, a message pinged onto my phone from my mum. My step-grandma had been taken to hospital and she would call me when I landed in Perth. My heart dropped, and as I said a bittersweet goodbye to the city that had been my mostly-happy home for eighteen months, I felt a longing to just get home and be with my family. I adored Sydney, and I adored my simple life and routine there, but nothing beats being close to family and being able to hug your loved ones during tough times.
Whilst living in Sydney I’d had regular trips back to Perth, as well as the six weeks I spent there before moving to Sydney. This would be my final trip back to Perth for at least a year and a half, which felt very strange after having it so close by for so long. I spent my few days there soaking up the brunches, beaches, and friends. Eating my favourite foods and just driving around and visiting my favourite places.
And then my Dad called on my last morning and told me not only did my step-grandma have days or weeks to live, but my Grandad had also been rushed to hospital and I had to get home ASAP to say goodbye to him. I raced to the shops to buy a tupperware container, and then to the river to collect sand to take back to my step-grandma in England. She’d lived in Perth for years and every time I visited she told me ‘say hello to the Swan River for me’. She loved it, and I wanted her to feel the sand between her fingers one last time before she passed away.
Dubai, UAE
Valencia & Costa Blanca, Spain
The week before the joint-funeral my family and I flew to Spain for a week of sunshine and relaxation after a stressful few weeks. We rented a villa in Moraira, in the Costa Blanca region, and spent the week lazing about by the pool that looked out over the hills, swimming in the warm Mediterranean sea, eating paella in Valencia, and eating ALL the ice lollies! It was just what we needed to rest and recuperate together before the emotional few days that followed our return.
Paris & French Riviera, France
After two nights in Monte Carlo we drove to Cannes via Cap Ferrat, had two nights in Cannes, and then drove to Nice via Antibes before flying back to London. It was the perfect week and we had the best time roadtripping the French Riviera!
Marrakech, Morocco
After years of dreaming, I finally made it to Morocco! Jemima and I spent 48 hours in Marrakech exploring the souks, eating lots of tagines and baklava, and staying in the beautiful La Sultana. I’m now desperate to go back for longer and explore more of Morocco! Next on my list is the Atlas Mountains, Fes, and Casablanca.
Bologna, Italy
My final trip of the year was Italy, for lunch. Yep, myself and nine friends flew to Italy to have lunch at the Best Restaurant in the World; Osteria Francescana in nearby Modena. We decided to make a weekend out of it and had a wonderful weekend eating all the pasta and cheese, visited the Lamborghini AND Ferrari museums, dranks A LOT of cocktails, and we even managed a Bologna night out! I’ll be writing about it all very soon, so keep an eye out for those posts 😉
I’ve made no secret that 2018 was not kind to me. In travel I was fortunate, but in general life it was without a doubt the hardest of my life after the 2010/2011 debacle. I lost so much – a second baby, one of my closest friends, two of my grandparents – and went through so much emotional trauma and heartache, that I really struggled through the year and just took each day as it came. But it has also taught me a lot about life and being grateful for what you have.
I have lost so many people in my 27 years, and the loss of my two babies especially has made me understand the fragility of life and how every single one of us is a miracle. So much can go wrong in pregnancy, and so many tiny things have to happen for us to be created, that the fact we are living and have choices and emotions should make us strive to live our very best lives and be kind to everyone around us.
So, go to the places on your bucket list, fly somewhere for a meal in a great restaurant, and do everything you have wanted to do but put off. Life is far too short and precious to not do the things that make us happy.
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