2014 Travel Highlights

With grand plans for 2015 I couldn't help think back on the highlights of last year and pinpoint what made up the moments I hold so fondly in my memory. I visited so many places from Saigon to Kuala Lumpur, London to Oia in Santorini. Rome, Hanoi, Positano, Halong Bay, Naples, Langkawi, Nusa Lembongan, Singapore, Istanbul, Bali and Pompeii. Looking back on these photos I feel so lucky and even more so when I imagine I'll be seeing even more this year as well as visiting some of these places again soon. 

Vietnam was my first trip of the year and I think it was one of my favourite trips of the year. We travelled from the south of the country to the north over 4 weeks and the combination of the landscape, the culture and the history just kept me wanting to learn and see more, of not only that country but the world, long after we finished the trip. My favourite city I visited has to be a tie between London and Rome. Both were whirlwind visits - London for only 4 days and Rome for only 2 nights - but as soon as I had a taste I knew I'd be back (and plan to be in the coming months). 

I think with both places it was the combination of all the old buildings and points in history at every turn but meanwhile everyone is living their modern lives which just continues to enrich the culture of these ancient cities. I grew up watching british TV productions like The Young Ones and later Skins, The Mighty Boosh and QI, listening to bands like The Bealtes, Pink Floyd, the Stones and then later Bloc Party, The Kooks and The Arctic Monkeys, even reading Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter & Agatha Christie novels - without me being completely conscious of it, I had been dreaming about England since my childhood. Obviously 4 days was never going to be enough. On the other hand I didn't have many prior expectations of Rome apart from the obvious landmarks. We were only able to fit in one full day in Rome but that is all it took for me to be completely charmed by it's cobbled roads, lively squares and romantic little side alleys to get lost in. 

Some of my favourite moments that stick in my mind include jumping off a cliff in Amalfi Bay, snoozing in a private park in London before a 24hr flight, running up & down the spanish steps in Rome trying to find our tour, spending a day on motorbikes travelling through the country side in North-East Vietnam, trying fresh tropical fruit on a boat on the Mekong river, swimming all afternoon at a beach party in Langkawi, breakfast at The Wolseley in London, watching the sun set behind the cliffs in Positano, getting caught in the rain at the ruins in Pompeii and getting a private boat tour of the Bosphorus in Istanbul.

I could talk about this all day so I'll stop here but just say, thanks to everyone who's supported me along my travels in 2014, all the brands I've worked with, the people I've met, the locals and all my friends and followers on Instagram and all my readers here on this blog. 

emma