From Atitlan to Antigua, Guatemala

Pacaya Volcan

Find out why travelling from Lake Atitlan to Antigua in Guatemala is a wonderful journey.

We spent a few days close to Lake Atitlán. It’s a picture postcard view with the bold blue of the lake contrasting against the volcanoes and mountains around. Small towns are dotted on the sides. We stayed in Panajachel – a hippie market town with lively nightlife. The handicraft and jewellery stalls stretch for miles, and with a bit of bargaining you can get a very good deal! Specialities include woven fabric rugs and scarves, jade and precious stone jewellery and leather bags and shoes.

Wanderlust Chloe Guatemala Atilan Boat1

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I’ll Only Be 5000 Miles Away…

Bocas Del Toro, Panama

How does it really feel to set off on a solo travel adventure?

“Speak to you soon – I’ll only be 5000 miles away.”

What a strange feeling.

A few weeks ago I left the UK to set off on a three month adventure. I left behind a job in the music industry which I’d found creative and exciting, but often very stressful. I spent one year managing pop artists and the year before working with stars from The X Factor. The day I boarded my flight to Mexico, I felt a million miles away from it all. It was very liberating!

I tucked into scones with jam and cream on my British Airways flight and enjoyed working my way through several films. After almost ten hours flying I was tired but excited, anxiously practising the Spanish I would need to use to buy my bus ticket. So… you can imagine my surprise when I go to collect my luggage in Cancun and bump into The X Factor crew, complete with host Dermot O’Leary and guest judge (and colleague from my days as a radio producer) Emma Bunton! The world I thought I was leaving behind appeared to be following me! Flight cases full of instruments and camera equipment marked ‘X Factor’ and ‘Judges Houses’ circled around the luggage belt. I couldn’t quite believe it! What are the chances?

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Solo Female Traveller: So What Is It Like To Travel On Your Own?

Taking in the incredible view of sunrise from Mount Batur, Bali

Planning to travel solo but feeling nervous? Find out what it’s really like to travel the world as a solo female traveller.

Since I started travelling, a lot of people have asked what it’s like to be a solo female traveller. As a girl, if you tell people you’re going off to Mexico or South America on your own, they think you’re crazy. They assume it’s impossible to go to these places and not end up in Mexican jail, trafficking drugs, or worse!

Before university a lot of friends disappeared off around the world on gap years. It didn’t appeal to me, partly because I was so career-focused, but also it seemed very daunting. Then, a few years into my working life, I reached a point when I wanted to see what was out there and gain some life experience.

I booked onto a group tour run by Trek America. In reality, while I did go ‘on my own’ in that I didn’t go with anyone I knew before, within a few hours of arriving in Mexico I was in the safe hands of an experienced tour leader. As I was working full time and only had limited holidays, it was the simplest way to guarantee I’d see the best places, get from A to B safely, and make some new friends along the way.

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