NEW Europe Bucket List!

Over the past 5 years I’ve been luckily enough to visit Europe 6 times and I’ve just returned from 4 months of travels across the continent. So, I’ve been super lucky to see a lot so far! However, something you learn when you travel is there’s way more to still see that you haven’t seen before – you hear stories from fellow travellers and your bucket list just keeps getting longer. While I’m based in London I’ll be spending a lot of time travelling Europe (well, fingers crossed!) so I’ve put my thoughts on paper and made a little bucket list of things I’d like to do over the coming years also taking into account the discounts available with the ISIC.

Brussels for the Winter Wonders & Christmas markets

Between 24th November till the end of December the Grand-Place is lit up & cheery thanks to the Winter Wonders & Christmas markets. While in Brussels I’d also like to check out museums such as Muziekinstrumenten Museum (musical instruments museum in a beautiful building with a lovely view) and the Palais du Coudenberg right next door – the ISIC Westpac Student Discount Card has discounts for both!

Sicily & Southern Italy

I’ve visited Tuscany, Rome, Naples and the Amalfi coast of Italy however I’ve always wanted to explore the south of Italy. Not only does Sicily have well-preserved ruins and some of the most charming coastline towns, photos of the light blue sea water there makes me want to drop everything and book a direct ticket there right now.

Madrid

I spent a lot of time in Spain this year in both Pamplona and Valencia and I can’t get enough. I’ve never visited Madrid but it’ definitely on my bucket list! Madrid is the capitol of Spain and boasts a unique bohemian culture and lively nightlife!

There is no better way to explore the city than a walking tour – the ISIC Westpac Student Discount Card provides 10% off student guided tour rates by Sandemans. Actually, Sandemans offers guided walking tours in 18 cities including Copenhagen. Which brings me to…

Scandinavia

I’ve never visited any of the countries in Scandinavia so there’s a lot to tick off there! I think Copenhagen would be a good start though. Wherever I go I always check out the nightlife and I’ve found that you can get a 30% discount on the Pub Crawl CPH with the ISICWestpac Student Discount Card. Another thing I love to do is hire bicycles and ride around exploring more of the city (Bim Bim bikes offers discounts to those is a Westpac Student Discount Card ISIC in multiple cities).

So that’s just a few of the adventures on my near endless bucket list! If you’re keen to explore the discounts available with the Student Discount CardISIC, Westpac provides a complimentary Student Discount Card to those under 31 who open a new Westpac Everyday bank account. To find out more head [here]

emma

The LONDON Challenge

These days, travelling has become a massive part of my life just like a lot of young people around me. Westpac has helped to make it more affordable & enjoyable for students & people under 31 by offering those who open a new Westpac Everyday bank account, which comes with a complimentary Student Discount Card. The discount card is recognised all over the world & offers a bunch of different discounts whilst away including tours, food, accommodation & even discounts on flights to get there through STA Travel!

Westpac challenged us to test out as many activities as we could to make our travel spending stretch further & what better city to test it out than London - a place I've visited many times but always has something new for us to experience. 

First stop was the view at The Shard! The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom at almost 310m high! It was only completed in 2012 so it's something rather new to add to your bucket list. Not only does it have a viewing deck but also features a handful of bars & restaurants if you'd like a sneaky bite or drink in case you're a little anxious when it comes to heights. We got in for student rates by using the Student Discount card.

We then caught the tube out to Grosvenor House at the Park Room, which overlooks Hyde Park - the perfect spot to experience the traditional British Afternoon Tea complete with cucumber sandwiches & a glass of bubbles! Also in the area are the March Arch, Paddington and Kensington gardens. All are just a short walk away from the beautiful Natural History Museum. 

Before the Westpac challenge I'd only ever walked past Westminster Abbey, but with 15% off through the student discount card, we were able to book tickets to walk through the historic Abbey. It was at Westminster Abbey that Queen Elizabeth II had her coronation, her wedding and of course the wedding of her son Prince William to the lovely Kate. It is the burial place of Charles Darwin and it also held the funeral of Princess Diana. 

The highlight for me was the intricate detail in the Henry Vll Lady Chapel at the far end of the Abbey. Not only the pendant fan vault ceiling but also the monuments dedicated to past nobles and rows of banners of the knights of the Order of Bath. 

After working up an appetite we headed to Bella Italia, we couldn’t resist the 2 for 1 cocktails for cardholders on selected days! Lucky for us it was a lovely day in London & the sun shone down on us in the square - we even had a great spot for people watching & spotted Ellie Goulding with entourage in tow & followed by a mob of paparazzi.

To find out more about Westpac’s Everyday Bank account and what the complimentary Discount Card can offer you during your travels head here.

emma

Ultimate Byron Bay Road trip

Ah, the drive from Sydney to Byron Bay is one I'm now familiar with and welcome as an easy adventure! Every time I visit I find something new and this trip was no exception as we strived to explore places unseen as well as the old favourites. We had the new Holden Spark to road test for a week so it was pretty much a no brainer! After checking into our charming AirBnB in the middle of town we had a solid feed at Bayleaf and watched the sunset illuminate the clouds from the beach. The next morning brought a visit to The Farm for breakfast and a stroll through the sunflowers before heading off inland to Protestors Falls - a short walk after a solid drive out of Byron that I would highly recommend if you've got a spare day. 

I had never been snorkelling out at Julian Rocks and after hearing that they regularly have sea turtle sightings I was hooked on the idea - you can see footage from swimming with turtles in the road trip video released soon on my youtube channel - visit here & subscribe to see it as soon as it's live! Island Quarry was a spot I had visited with a bunch of friends about 5 years ago so it was on the list for this trip. Such a beautiful place but no longer the locals 'secret spot' that it used to be, which was interesting as I believe it's being developed further for community events in the future. In between beach swims & cafe hopping we also made a trip to Stone & Wood brewery for a good ol' brewery tour! On the way home a picnic was packed which was enjoyed on the docks at Coffs Harbour while the sun set.  

Over the whole trip we were on the road A LOT and the Spark made it super easy to zip around town once in Byron - not to mention it managed to fit a surfboard in the back with ease! If you want to check out the little beast for yourself Holden currently have a pop-up at Westfield Chatswood (plus Holden as joined by Gelato Messina & their limited edition flavour inspired by the Spark!) - so get down there before 22nd May!

emma

Autumn Palette

As a bit of a change from my usual travel posts I've put together a little Autumn lookbook thanks to the amazing folk at Grana! I love the range of chinese silk they offer because not only is it heavenly soft, the colours are so rich and perfect for autumn. So I went for a matching two piece (silk top & shorts) and I dressed down the rust ensemble with a (japanese) denim shirt. Now usually an outfit that involves cashmere would be regarded as pretty damn luxe but in typical Emma style I've gone and grunged it up just a tad for my second look with my greek fisherman hat & DIY choker... thoughts though? At the end of the day it's still quality Mongolian cashmere so pretty luxe in my books! Paired with Emerald silk shorts.

Hope you guys liked the little lookbook post! I also have an exclusive Grana promo code which gives you guys a 10% discount and free shipping! Just enter EMMAxGRANA at check-out. 

emma

My African Adventure in KENYA

I had never been to Africa before. When you think of Africa, what comes to mind? For me, the first thing has to be the animals. And my goodness, there are animals! … but we’ll come to them later. Next would be the epic landscape, the open plains, the flat top trees and then the dense jungle like something reminiscent of Out of Africa or even the Lion King (you know when Simba runs away and everyone breaks out into Hakuna Matata). If this image comes to your mind too, what you’re probably thinking of is Kenya! 

Upon arriving in Nairobi, I hit the ground running and learnt there’s actually a lot the capital has to offer. Despite the frustration of my bags being lost on the way to Africa I forgot my worries for the day due to what I was able to experience as soon as I arrived. First stop was a visit to an Elephant Orphanage run by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust where you can get up close with baby elephants that have been rescued by the organisation. If that isn’t enough, Nairobi is also home to the Giraffe Manor, which accommodates tourists in the stately hotel alongside a number of endangered Rothschild giraffes that will join you for breakfast, sticking their heads in your bedroom window or the dining room each morning. Other interesting activities in Nairobi include a tour of the Kazuri Factory where they produce handmade beads or if you’ve got a wild appetite a visit to Carnivore is in order, where you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat meat buffet! More posts from Kenya and my time on Safari to come next.  

emma