Dharavandhoo, a small island in the Baa Atoll of the Maldives, is a hidden gem for travellers seeking incredible wildlife encounters, pristine snorkelling, and a relaxing island vibe — all without breaking the bank. While it’s not the most luxurious island resort, it’s perfect for nature lovers hoping to explore Hanifaru Bay, snorkel on vibrant…
Spoiler: Yes… but be prepared to accidentally blow it when you see manta rays. Before we came, I had the same thought you probably do right now: “Is backpacking the Maldives actually possible, or is it all honeymoon villas and £1,000-a-night resorts?” And historically, yes — that was true. Until 2009, tourists could only stay…
I was so excited for my trip to Ecuador! I had booked the trip initially more than 2 years ago for April 2020, and was finally able to rebook for this year April 2022. A holiday was long overdue! However, one big benefit to having my trip cancelled and rebooking, was that I was able…
From Tulum we drove in land to Vallodolid where we were staying for just one night to allow us to get up early to visit Chichen Itza. On the way we stopped at Coba, another Mayan archaeological site, famous for it’s huge pyramid, Ixmoja in the Nohoch Mul complex, one of the highest Maya pyramids…
Pete and I had flights to Mexico booked almost the minute we landed from our 3-week adventure to Thailand, New Zealand and Bali. After a ridiculous 60+ hours in the air on this holiday, one of Pete’s stipulations about our next holiday was that he wanted just 1 flight, that’s it… Fortunately, you can get…
The next day when we woke at the beautiful Menjangan Dynasty Resort, the clouds had cleared and it was a glorious day. I had Whatsapped a small company called West Bali Explorer to take us on a snorkelling trip to Menjangan island. The trip was about 1/3 of the price as the resort and the…
After a great day on Pete’s birthday on Nusa Penida, we decided to actually spend time on Bali today 😂 I have been to Bali before, and although everyone says that Ubud is supposed to be the Balinese capital of culture and beauty, to be honest, I don’t feel this way. Ubud is commercial, busy,…
Stage 3 of our Big Easter Adventure! It’s Pete’s birthday on 5th May, which was in 2 days, so for his birthday, I suggested upgrading our 9-hour direct flight from Auckland to Bali to business class. We’ve flown business before with Etihad by using their bidding service, we bid £100 each for the upgrade and…
Leaving Queenstown was quite sad actually, but we had certainly maximised our time there and only really had 5 days in New Zealand because of where the flights fell. I think we made the right decision to leave Queenstown after just 3 days there, because it meant we have a full day in Auckland, but…
For the last day in Queenstown, we had originally looked at driving to Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki, but after a super long day of driving to Milford Sound the previous day (read about that amazing day here) we decided to have a more chilled day. We first headed over to Arrow town, a small town…