One Girl One Rucksack One World

18/06/2026

This may sound cliché, but life really is too short.

Today I attended the funeral of a lass who was just a year older than me. Just one year. Sitting there, it really hit home how quickly life can change and how none of us should take tomorrow for granted.

We get so caught up in work, routines, and waiting for the “right time” to do things. But the truth is, the right time isn’t always guaranteed.

That’s why I’ll continue to travel as often as I possibly can and see as much of the world as I can. Not because I want to escape life, but because I want to live it. To make memories, experience new places, meet new people, and appreciate how lucky we are to have the time we do.

If you’ve been putting something off, whether it’s a trip, a dream, or simply spending time with the people you love, don’t wait too long. Life has a way of reminding us that time is precious. ❤️🌍✈️

Tomorrow, I’m heading to Lloret de Mar, the very place my friend and I went on a coach holiday to when we were 15. After saying goodbye to her today, it feels especially meaningful to be going back. I’ll be raising a glass to her and all the memories we shared. ❤️🥂

18/06/2026

Facebook Memories is basically an ex who gets back in touch purely to be spiteful.

“Remember when you were in Ostuni after a €2 bus ride from Martina Franca, drinking wine in the sunshine?”

Of course I do.

“And where are you now?”

Three coffees in before 6am, mentally preparing for a Teams meeting that could’ve been an email.

A year ago I was wandering around one of the prettiest towns in Puglia with a glass of wine.

Today I’m rehearsing phrases like:
“Sorry, I was on mute.”
“Can you go back a slide?”
And everyone’s favourite:
“I’ll give you five minutes back.”

For anyone travelling around Puglia without a car, the STP bus from Martina Franca to Ostuni takes about 50 minutes and costs around €2.

Quite possibly the best value journey I’ve ever taken.

Certainly better than the one I’m about to take into this meeting. 🍷🇮🇹😂

17/06/2026

Apologies if I’ve not replied to messages this week. I’ve been buried in Excel and today I’ve got a team-building day 😭.

So instead of doing my actual job, I’ll be spending the day telling people I’ve worked with for years my name, what I do, and a fun fact about myself.

My fun fact is that I once spent 10 minutes looking for my phone while using the torch on it.

Which tells you everything you need to know about me.

I’ll catch up with everyone on Friday at East Midlands Airport before going off-grid for a few days on our Spain and France adventure.

The family deserves some quality time to be fair. Italy has had that much of my attention this year that I’m pretty sure my family think they’re competing with a country for my affection.

Every conversation recently has gone something like:

“How’s work?”
“Fine. Speaking of Italy…”

“What shall we have for tea?”
“Well in Italy…”

At this point I’m one mention of Italy away from being removed from the family WhatsApp group.

And if you’ve seen any of my reels featuring my mum, you’ll know I’m not going on holiday. I’m basically following a one-woman entertainment package around Europe for five days.

Wish me luck. If I come back without at least three new family stories and a reel that embarrasses my mum, I’ll consider it a wasted trip.

17/06/2026

16/06/2026

Woke up at 4am missing Italy. By 4:07am, Ryanair had been notified. Apparently my coping mechanism comes with a boarding pass. 🙈✈️🇮🇹

15/06/2026

💡 Peak Season Travel Tip: Zoom Out Before You Book

A friend needed to get to Bologna between late July and mid-August, right in the heart of peak summer holiday season. The direct flights he found were around £600 for two people.

I suggested looking at nearby airports instead. Flights to Milan were showing at around £60 return, and for roughly £20 you can catch the high-speed train and be in Bologna in just over an hour.

✈️ Travel tip: When flight prices make you quietly close the browser and decide you’ll “have another look later”, don’t just search your destination airport.

Sometimes airlines price direct routes like they’ve spotted you need those exact dates and have decided to take it personally.

A quick search of nearby airports can make a huge difference. In this case, the alternative route was hundreds of pounds cheaper, and the train journey from Milan to Bologna is barely longer than the queue for a coffee at the airport.

The moral of the story? When peak season prices start behaving like they’re powered by lottery numbers, zoom out on the map. Five extra minutes of searching could save enough to pay for a good chunk of the holiday. 💸🚄🌍

15/06/2026

🚨 Breaking news for Bergamo visitors: Getting to Lake Iseo just got easier thanks to a new bus service. Fewer transport puzzles, more lakeside aperitivos. 🍷🚌

Scopri e utilizza l'Iseo Express!

Fino al 13 settembre 2026 il nuovo servizio bus “Iseo Express” collega in modo diretto e senza cambi il basso Lago d’Iseo con l’Aeroporto Internazionale di Bergamo Orio al Serio, andata e ritorno.

Il servizio è attivo sette giorni su sette e unisce Bergamo con le località di Iseo, Clusane, Paratico e Sarnico e Val Calepio, con fino a 14 corse giornaliere e un tempo di viaggio di poco superiore all’ora, ideale per turisti internazionali, visitatori italiani e residenti.

scopri di più: https://visitlakeiseo.info/info-per-il-turista/iseo-express/

15/06/2026

Social media usually gets the blame for everything these days.

Bad moods? Social media.
No attention span? Social media.
Bought something you didn’t need at 2am? Definitely social media. 🤣

But every now and then it deserves a bit of credit too.

This week I woke up to messages from people who’d taken their first trip abroad, booked family holidays, or finally found the confidence to travel solo after following my adventures.

Then I heard about two ladies who ended up sharing a taxi in Sicily.

Somewhere between the airport and Erice, one mentioned she’d booked the trip after following a travel page.

Turns out they were both talking little old me 😂

So there they were, complete strangers at the start of the taxi ride, spending the day together, eating pastries, exploring Sicily and making memories.

Meanwhile, I’m just over here posting pictures of sunsets, wine and the occasional travel disaster.

Funny old world.

For all the nonsense social media can bring, sometimes it puts two strangers in the same taxi, in the same corner of Sicily, at exactly the right moment.

And that’s actually pretty amazing. ❤️🌍🎒

14/06/2026

I didn’t take many photos during my stay in Bergamo yesterday because I was absolutely shattered and operating on the energy levels of a half-dead phone battery.

For everyone asking whether Bergamo is worth visiting: yes, it bloody is.

Since my camera roll from yesterday is embarrassingly sparse, here are a few photos from a previous trip to prove I wasn’t hallucinating when I said it’s gorgeous. 🇮🇹🍷

14/06/2026

Now that I’m functioning like a semi-competent adult again (emphasis on semi), here’s the A-to-B breakdown of my latest Northern Italy budget adventure. 🇮🇹

Thursday 11th

✈️ Manchester to Milan Malpensa
£16.99

After landing late at Malpensa, I stayed at Morpheus and Friends Guesthouse in Ferno. I booked through Airbnb, although it’s also available on Booking.com.

🏨 Morpheus and Friends Guesthouse, Ferno
£46 for the night

This place is ideal for late-night arrivals. It’s located just a few minutes from the airport and offers a 24/7 airport pick-up service, making it a stress-free start to the trip.

Friday 12th

🚂 Ferno to Porto Ceresio
£4.72

A quick 10-minute walk to Ferno station before catching the train to Porto Ceresio. The journey involved a change at Gallarate and a short bus connection for the final stretch.

🏨 Hotel Il Canneto, Porto Ceresio
£60 including breakfast

Nothing fancy, but clean, comfortable and perfectly adequate for a short stay. Since I was out exploring most of the time, it was exactly what I needed.

⛴️ Evening Ferry to Morcote, Switzerland
£16 return

After dinner, I took the ferry across Lake Lugano to the beautiful village of Morcote. The crossing takes just 10 minutes but feels far longer thanks to the stunning scenery. Easily one of the highlights of the trip.

Timetables and tickets: https://www.lakelugano.ch/en/top/timetableticket

Saturday 13th

🚌🚆 Porto Ceresio to Laveno Mombello Lago
£3.99

A bus to Varese followed by a train to Laveno Mombello Lago.

🚠 Laveno Funicular
€14 return

Just a 10-minute walk from the station to the funicular. The ride takes you up Mount Sasso del Ferro in open-air buckets with spectacular views over Lake Maggiore. Worth every penny.

🚆 Laveno Mombello Lago to Bergamo
£10

The longest train journey of the trip, with changes at Milano Bovisa and Milano Centrale. Despite the connections, the route was scenic and relaxing.

🏨 Sleep Easy 2, Bergamo
£56

I’ve visited Bergamo several times, so this trip I stayed in Città Bassa rather than the historic Città Alta. Being close to the train station made the early airport transfer much easier.

Sunday 14th

🚌 Bergamo Station to Bergamo Airport
€3

A quick and inexpensive bus ride from the station straight to the airport.

✈️ Bergamo to Manchester
£21

And just like that, the Northern Italy adventure came to an end.

Trip Total 💰

✈️ Flights: £37.99
🏨 Accommodation: £162
🚆🚌 Local Transport: £18.71
⛴️ Ferry: £16
🚠 Funicular: €14
🚌 Airport Bus: €3

Travel tip 🚆: All of my train tickets were booked through the Trainline app. It makes planning multi-leg journeys really straightforward, and it also tells you whether your ticket needs validating before travel, which takes away a lot of the guesswork when using regional trains in Italy.

A brilliant long weekend exploring lakes, mountains, charming Italian towns and even a little slice of Switzerland, all without breaking the bank. 🇮🇹🇨🇭✨