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Experiences, information, Travel

Off Beat Path: 8 Pitstops Before Dirty 30 for Solo Female Travellers

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Off Beat Path: 8 Pitstops Before Dirty 30 for Solo Female Travellers

Guess whose back, back again… Question: The Himalaya’s , crashing waves,The Imperial Palaces and the City of Gold.. what do they all have in common? 

My Bucket List *Insert A Well Cool Emoji Here*

PSA: I am, by far in no means a well-travelled person. 

That’s a fact. What I am though, is hell bent on self-discovery and the sheer freedom of doing something incredibly exhilarating. Best places to travel alone for female travellers around the world is a compilation of destinations with liberating experiences straight from my bucket list. Solo women travellers are no longer an oddity and their brave ventures are a celebration of a freedom of women across the world. “Best destinations for solo female travellers” is a list of some of the safe havens for travellers where single women, travelling alone, are guaranteed the time of their life.

Hence, I give wings to this wide-eyed desire of solo women travellers with a list of 9 of the best places for single women to travel alone. And still, have a littttttty experience.

I’ve included hyperlinks, feel free to explore more on the links.

It’s a short life and a wide world. Fathom it solo, ladies!

  1. Kyoto, The City of Japanese Imperial Palaces

kyotoThis was a no-brainer for me. First on the list of best places to travel alone is Kyoto. This city of gorgeously styled temples, art galleries and master pieces of Japanese gardens is, against my better preference, best explored walking. For a solo female traveller, not just Kyoto but Japan, is a country that is considered the safest, thus walking through the beautiful corridors around the city with blooming cherry blossoms at night is not a problem at all.kyoto1

The ‘Kagai areas’ which literally means ‘flower towns’ of Kyoto are places where you can enjoy Teahouse plays with Geiko and Maiko, or apprentice Geisha (the traditional Japanese entertainers we associate with Japan) play traditional Japanese instruments.

Next up is…

  1. Vietnam, The Ultimate South Asian Experience

It’s safe. It’s cheap. Destination for solo female travellers can’t get any better. It’s an experience of otherworldly wonders with the most stunning beaches, Buddhist pagodas, rivers and an addictive heritage of the country must be thoroughly explored.

Vietnam

This made it to my bucket list because along with the quintessential hectic south Asian experience at Ben Thanh market in Ho Chi Minh City, there are hundreds of towns inhabited by energetic locals who love to LAUGH.

As a solo female traveller, Vietnam gives you a chance of a lifetime to dive into a culture influenced by Mahayana Buddhism. A visit to the Bat Nha Buddhist temple and other monasteries can give you an enlightening taste of Pure Land and Zen practices.

 

  1. Bhutan, The Land of “Gross National Happiness”

You’ve got a bucket list for a solo venture? And you don’t have Bhutan? Yep- add it in. Don’t think too long, just add it. Bhutan is one of the best places to travel alone. To make the most of this tour, I suggest you make your trip during the festivals, which are literally celebrated every month. It’s a chance to join all the locals in the celebrations who come from different parts of the country to the huge Dzongs (Monasetry/Fortress) and perform as masked dancers.

This Land of Thunder Dragon has the most beautiful trekking routes around the country. Druk Path Trek, Jomolhari Laya Gasa Trek and other treks to the high altitudes of Bhutanese Himalayas is the best gift of nature awaiting every adventurous soul.

Bhutan’s stunning mountain scenery is a hiker’s paradise, but Snowdon probably is a small heap of rocks. Compared to the colossal 24,840 ft above sea level compared to the mere 3,560 ft that we were huffing and puffing on. Read about my Snowdon experience here- if Snowdon was gruelling, climbing the Himalayan mountains should be triple the punishment. I cant wait!

  1. Auckland, For a Kiwi Perfect Vacation

AuklandNew Zealand. Based around 2 large harbours, is a major city in the north of New Zealand’s North Island. In the centre, the iconic Sky Tower has views of Viaduct Harbour, which is full of super-yachts and lined with bars and cafes. Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest park, is based around an extinct volcano and home to the formal Wintergardens.  While you soak in the beauty of the rolling greens of Auckland and the sunny beaches, stay assured that the Kiwis give no worries to a dreamy solo traveller. The awe-inspiring volcanic cones, Hauraki Gulf Islands & the amazing food tours, it’s simply a paradise for solo explorers.

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Horse riding (screams inside)(and if you know me, you know I’m obsessed!) is one joy of life and beaches are another. Auckland gives you a chance to take a horse to a beach. Could it be any better? HELL NO. 

  1. Dubai, Spot for a Glitzy Holiday

So Yes, the big big City of Gold. Look beyond the mass hysteria about travelling alone in the middle east and realise that Dubai awaits every wide-eyed wanderer with open arms. Really does. The Palm Islands, Burj Khalifa, the golden Jumeirah Beach and hundreds of other futuristic modern marvels can leave you awestruck at every step.Dubai1

 

 

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Shop till you drop, ladiiiiiiiiies! Because we know that if there’s a solo female traveller out there in Dubai, she’s roaming with a serious purpose. Dubai realises and in fact celebrates your seriousness about shopping.

  1. Helsinki, A Wonderful Cultural Enigma

HelsinkiFinland made it to my list! Solo travel gives you a golden chance to meet new people and get a taste of unique cultures around the world. Rest assured; Finland is a country warmest at heart towards the visiting travellers with their local food leaving you deliciously directionless in the best walking trails. And if you are at a countryside during Midsummer celebration, chances are that you have a time of your life.

  1. Dharamshala, Where Silence is Beautiful

Dharamshala

Another beautiful Himalayan town and India’s hidden secret, Dharamshala has recently come on the real map for a lot of travellers around the world promising a uniquely distinctive experience. Various non-profit organisations give ample opportunities to volunteers from all over the world to teach and work with the Tibetan community here. Growing voluntarism makes Dharamshala a great destination for solo female travellers.

Dharamshala1Dharamshala is surrounded by the breath-taking Dhauladhar Range promising a scenic bliss throughout your stay and at the same time offering some of the best hiking and trekking routes around this small town.Dharamshala2

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Costa Rica, Where Green Cannot Get Greener

Costa Rica? Yeah, Costa Rica because if amidst the political turmoil in the Latin American region the country manages to officially be the ‘happiest country in the world’ and one of the best places for females to travel alone.Costa Rica

Costa Rica is also counted as the greenest country giving you a chance to be at the lush rainforests brimming with biodiversity.

My friends are certainly thinking I’m crazy for this one- nobody goes to this rugged, rainforested central American country alone. Its been ruled a safe haven, offering plenty of solo activities that will leave you in awe.

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The foaming pacific waters rest at the best seaside’s in Costa Rica where travellers find all kinds of water sports opportunities at quiet sleepy beach hamlets.

 

 

Have you travelled solo and loved your experience? Share your itineraries, photographs and videos with me and tell us about the offbeat spots you visited during your travels!

 

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Experiences, information, Reviews, Travel

The Worlds Longest Urban Zipline + Bonus Video!

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The Worlds Longest Urban Zipline + Bonus Video!

19 NOV 2018- 1PM

If like me, you’ve done the whole “fly for 6 hours, go to the mall, shop all day, sleep all night, go to the beach” thing and want some heart racing thrill and throat throbbing excitement in your life, listen I’m telling you… This. Is. IT. The crazy that is me, did a long-haul flight… landed and checked in by 11am, changed, and was at the XLINE booth in Dubai Marina Mall by 12.45pm.

As we step in, the signs are huge, so we wander around slowly, taking it in.

Men sit around in tailored suits, laughing richly over their latest lavish spends. Couples walk hand in hand, and small groups of Chinese tourists stand in the pathway, ignoring everyone having to walk around them.  There are white people, black people, Arabs, Asians, Hispanics and Europeans. Women in stilettos and high neck tops strutting along, looking too made up and plastic for so early in the day. Spa after spa, health centres and luxury hammams line the route. Ghost by Ella Henderson plays over the speaker. Is it normal to feel nostalgic already? Certainly feels like an upgraded version of Westfield, without all the Beckys and hoodrats that roam around day and night. Smells like warm melted chocolate, & it feels good… This aint London for sure.

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The booth is tucked under the escalator, and extremely easy to miss- so pay attention. We strolled up to the counter, still a little dazed, exhausted and jet-lagged. I’m not sure it had hit us yet that this was even Dubai. A lady approached us, weighed us in, took photos of our ID and paired us with a harness, helmet and trolley each. Quick safety briefing and were off to the point of no return…

 

 

A bus service chauffeured us to Amwaj Towers, a residential building 41 stories high and raises up a whole 170m off the ground and 558 feet away from civilization. For those in London, a good comparison is that it is a little under the BT Tower in Camden and 10m taller than the building with the Sky Garden. Imagine jumping off that?! Bloody hell, even that gives me chills.

I think it was much easier because I just didn’t know. I didn’t know how high up or which building until last minute. Then, the demons in your heads can’t play games with you. Murphy’s law can’t act up and whisper in your ear. You just don’t know. Legally Blind.

 

 

We took a lift to the 40th floor and walked up 2 flights of stairs to get to the roof. One guy, Australian fella, had come alone, and you could see his heart pounding with evident sweat. A fat grin plastered through his ginger beard. He was perhaps no more than 26, travelling through Dubai for a day or two. He’d be going to Thailand next he told us, and we’d mentioned we’d be going too. He’d said he’d be near Phuket, staying at Phang Nga Bay. The conversation was short. The view on the rooftop of the 40th floor is breath-taking. The crystal, sapphire-blue sky is cloud-less for early afternoon. It was mesmerising, how simple it looked, yet it seemed to hold every one of our thoughts, dreams, our secrets. The space was a vast thing, stretching out for infinity over our heads. It was terrifying and yet so affectionate, daunting yet friendly. If you stared at it for a long time, watching everything come and go, you would think, maybe, it was all talking to you. It was communicating in a language you couldn’t begin to understand. I got lost in thought before they called for the first two volunteers.

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Of course, I volunteered. The worlds longest urban zipline- twice the distance and lasts twice the time at twice the speed as the last one. And I volunteered to go first.

My ginger beard friend volunteered to come with, and slowly, we made our way to get strapped into the superman harness. The guy high fives you, attaches you onto the cable that your trusting with your life, and makes you lie down horizontal onto a launch bed. Once you’re in, the bed is lowered and your hanging, mid-air, 40 floors up, A WHOLE 558 FEET AWAY FROM THE GROUND, ready to fly.

I nearly shat myself. I nearly cried and yelled right there to get me off. Whenever I get myself into moments like this, silence is my friend. Someone once said, “Feel the fear, and do it anyway.” Often, we think, “I’ll do it when I am not so afraid.” But in reality, it works the other way around. The ‘doing it’ comes before the fear goes away. The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go and do it. So, we diiiiiiiiiiiiiiid it baby! We done flew through the sky, over land and water, at up to 80km/h and from 170m down to ground level. I FLEW, did the Michael Jackson moonwalk mid-air, imitated wonder woman, became a local super hero. I FLEW. And it was amazing. The marina water glistens, and yachts bob up and down below you. Everything is so saturated this time of day, full HD colour.

 

You supposed to be streamlined. like a bullet. They told us if you start turning to one side, pull your weight to the other. I nodded. Easy. I’m not sure what juice they drank to not tell us how strong those winds would be. Wind veered me right, my weight got pushed to the left. I almost flipped, slipped and tripped mid-air. You still move forward, and the helmet provides some sort of aerodynamic vacuum for you. But lard haffi mercy, I could’ve been a leaf in the wind the way I was twisting up in here. Lasted a few seconds though. So, prepare for it. You will be twisted.

If you go, maybe don’t pick the right rope out the two. As you draw closer to ground level, you come awfully close to the brick corner of the mall building. Its quite the scare at the speed your going at- an uncomfortable but safe distance. The whole thing is recorded, and photography is taken for you by the XLine team. The goPro strapped to your helmet gets the best shots of the experience, and so, feeling more alive than ever, we made our way to our lockers to update the world.

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The experience felt super safe, built and operated by highly qualified and globally certified teams. They carry out daily testing and regular maintenance of the line, making sure safety is always first. Id like to hope so anyway! The company have strict requirements for the experience; You need to be between 12 and 65 years of age, taller than 130cm, weigh 50 to 100kg and in good medical health. Loose clothing can’t be worn, and footwear is preferably sportwear or boots. Closed. They take off every single day from 9am till 5pm and are situated inside the Dubai Mall.  You can click here to book it or visit the booth at the Marina Mall or visit any of the Platinumlist partner merchants across the UAE.  The entire experience lasts for approximately 90 minutes, from registering at the XLine booth until you complete the zipline ride.

 

 

So, if your looking to go… get ready to hang tight and I’ll see you someday to applaud you. It isn’t for the weak hearted, that’s for sure.

Definitely going to do this again… perhaps this time in Ras Al-Khaimah for the entire world’s longest zip line. A whole 2.83 km long, the Jebel Jais flight is 1,680 meters above sea level and has a glass bottom suspended floor. Um… YES PLEASE.

Experiences, information, Reviews, Travel

Hot Air Balloon – 24th Birthday Gift

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Hot Air Balloon – 24th Birthday Gift

21 NOV 2018.

BY far my favourite, and the one I was most excited for leading up to it. On the morning of my 24th Birthday, at 5.25AM, an Indian man dressed in dungarees, donning an overgrown moustache, picked us up. We drove 36-minute to the take-off site, where the largest Hot Air Balloons in the world are being inflated, glowing in the predawn darkness. Although still dark, the world of Dubai is still lit and roads still busy, we can see filtered bits of light looming in as birds awaken and stir. It’s just before sunrise, and we take off to meet the sun as it rises over the Arabian desert and the sky fills with light. Early morning provides the best flying conditions. The tent is filled up with hot air using a burner, which somehow manages to get bucket loads of sand all over us- so wear a hat. The shower of sand only lasts whilst you’re on the ground- don’t look up during lift off or your teeth take a grit bath and your eyelashes are coated in a blanket of fine granular rocks.

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