2018-06-29 05:00
Long time readers of this blog will know that in recent years, I’ve stuck firmly to the city break as my holiday type of choice. City breaks are perfect when you want to see a lot of t… Read More
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As The Sparrow Flies Blog
asthesparrowflies.com
A travel blog for curious wanderers, adventurous plans and excitement right on your doorstep.
2018-06-27 07:12
Despite my long held fascination with Germany since I was a teenager studying the language and history at school, I’d never harboured any great desire to travel south to the Bavarian p… Read More
2018-05-24 05:00
Holidays can be cruel and complicated. I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it is true – fraught with arguments over when and where, price, length, type and who with…before you k… Read More
2018-05-17 05:00
I remember as a child, we’d hop in the car (often with my grandparents and their awesome labrador Sam – I try not to take offence at that name…) and head off to lots of pa… Read More
2018-05-15 04:55
I’ve said a few times that I wanted to explore more places that are closer to home. Firstly, because as a part time traveller it can be hard to fit in even the briefest trips to Europe… Read More
2018-05-04 05:00
You might be fed up of my touchy feely posts about travelling. About how I burnout out last year, or how travel inspires positivity in me. Or even how I’m terrified of how my life migh… Read More
2018-05-02 05:00
I want to travel all the time.
Actually, that isn’t quite true. I love being at home, and I love my cats and my life in London. But I do wish I had the freedom to go where I want, when… Read More
2018-04-30 05:00
When you listen to this episode of the podcast, you’ll realise how much fun Emma-Louise and I had recording it. As the longest episode yet, it’ll take you through every emotion p… Read More
2018-04-27 05:00
Summer is almost here, well it is peeking around the corner being all coy. We know that’ll arrive and then flee in a flash of sun and rain, but more importantly we know that when it do… Read More
2018-04-20 05:00
I’ve become pretty practised at the humble city break, it being one of the best ways of fitting in lots of travel when you have a full time job. Jetting off for the weekend, exploring… Read More
2018-04-18 05:00
It’s the London Marathon this Sunday, one of the most famous sporting events in the world, and one of a handful of days where Londoners come together as one in the capital. With feats… Read More
2018-04-11 05:00
There quite possibly isn’t a person in London that hasn’t heard of or tried a bottomless brunch. It’s a trend that’s been gaining ground for at least the past four ye… Read More
2018-04-09 05:00
Walking. It’s something most of us do so naturally, without even thinking about it. Sitting. That’s also something we do very often without thinking too. As humans designed to st… Read More
2018-04-06 05:00
Holiday! Celebrate! Well no. Not quite…
So you’ve been handed the news that you are required to travel abroad for work. It might be for a night, it might be for a few days. It m… Read More
2018-04-04 05:00
As a Londoner, I recognise how important tourists are to my fair city. Heck I even went to university in Canterbury and saw that tourists (and students, obvs) made up a huge proportion of th… Read More
2018-04-02 05:00
It’s a complete honour to be chatting to Beverley Reinemann from the award winning travel blog Pack Your Passport. Beverley has been a massive name in the UK travel blogging scene for… Read More
2018-03-30 05:00
Sometimes, all I want to do is skip the airport, the flight and the long journey to the hotel and just get on with the holiday and avoid dealing withmy worst flight experiences. I used to ad… Read More
2018-03-28 02:30
If you love drinking gin as much as I do (and I can assure you, that’s a lot) and found something online that said “5 bars | 5 gins | 5 cocktails | gin carriage | gin guardian |… Read More
2018-03-26 05:00
Tulum is having its moment in the spotlight right now. Whether it’s the glorious beach, the carefree vibe or the buzzy yoga crowd, every tanned young millennial visiting Mexico’s… Read More
2018-03-23 06:00
I’ve already talked at length about how North West England has developed (and is developing further) a reputation for being the centre of British foodie culture. With independent eater… Read More
2018-03-21 05:55
You’ve got to the end of a hard week. You’ve been commuting like hell, and just yesterday you ended up in someone else’s armpit whilst riding the train to work. You spent t… Read More
2018-03-19 06:00
On this episode I get to chat to the wonderful Claire Robinson from the UK travel blog blog Weekend Candy. Claire’s mantra is “two days – make them count”, and I coul… Read More
2018-03-16 06:00
Over the past few years, as I’ve got older (and perhaps even a little more wise), I’ve become far more interested in making memories rather than having things. I’d prefer a… Read More
2018-03-14 06:00
If I’m on a slightly longer city break (stretch over four days or three nights or more), I’ll always look for options to get out of the city for a day and see what else is on off… Read More
2018-03-12 06:00
Like Italy, Morocco is a destination known for its cuisine but also known just as well for its tourist traps. While I agree that there is no such thing as bad gelato, there is such a thing a… Read More
2018-03-09 06:00
For many, gin is a sort of religion to them. For me? Well I arrived at the party a little late. I’ll be honest and say that it took me many years to establish any kind of refinement to… Read More
2018-03-07 06:00
It’s no great secret that my favourite city in the UK is Manchester. I have a lot of love for this buzzy and urban Northern powerhouse, despite being a born and bred Southerner. I spen… Read More
2018-03-05 06:00
I’m so excited to welcome Bee Clayton from QueenBeady.com onto The Travelust today. Bee is a travel, lifestyle and fashion blogger from Yorkshire, who spent many years in her early car… Read More
2018-03-02 06:00
When I knew I was visited Cuba, to be honest I was all about Havana. The Americana cars, the Tropicana Club and everything in between. And, speaking truthfully, it was all I really knew abou… Read More
2018-02-28 06:00
Although I don’t quite love planning my trips quite as much as being on them, travel planning comes a very very close second. I love putting together itineraries, even if I don’t… Read More
2018-02-26 06:00
My history of eating curry in Brick Lane, the most famous location for Indian food in London, if not the whole of the UK is patchy at best. When I used to work in the city, a curry in Brick… Read More
2018-02-23 06:00
When I visit a new city I always love to get up high and see the whole place from the clouds. I’ve dragged myself up some pretty tall places in my travels, just to get that perfect per… Read More
2018-02-21 06:00
I never took a gap year. I never even did that summer inter-railing around Europe that appears to be a right of passage for those in their late teens. It wasn’t that I didn’t wan… Read More
2018-02-19 06:00
This week I’m having a good old chinwag with Rhianna, a blogger, instagrammer and online lass from rhiannaolivia.com. Hailing from Yorkshire, we chat about the impact of her Dad’… Read More
2018-02-16 06:00
When I was 11, I went on the biggest adventure my childish mind could ever fathom. I hadn’t travelled too much as a child (unless you count many summer holidays in a VW caravan on the… Read More
2018-02-14 06:00
As the taxi driver drew up to our hotel in the early evening light, I glanced out of my window and caught my breath, hard in my throat. The taxi darted into the secluded road that led to the… Read More
2018-02-12 06:00
I’ve been extremely lucky these past few months and years – I’ve had the freedom to travel pretty much when I liked, where I liked. My work gives me a great annual leave al… Read More
2018-02-09 19:05
Spain is the home of fiestas and festivals. It is possible to travel around Spain and discover a party or celebration taking place in each town or village you visit. The Spanish love to cele… Read More
2018-02-09 06:00
There is so much to see and do in Cornwall, with it’s surf culture, incredible beaches and delicious places to eat and drink. But for my money, one of the most fantastic attractions in… Read More
2018-02-07 06:00
Being Lisbon’s oldest district (having survived great 1755 Lisbon earthquake), Alfama has much heritage and beauty to share amongst it’s winding back streets that climb… Read More
2018-02-05 06:00
On the podcast today I’m talking to Ellie from thewanderingquinn.com, who always seems to be away in an exciting destination and takes every single opportunity to travel. We chat about… Read More
2018-02-02 05:40
Alongside travel being a huge part of me, the other half of my beating heart belongs to music (just don’t tell my cats that). There is a soundtrack in my head for every single memorabl… Read More
2018-01-31 06:00
It’s been just over a year since I unleashed this space on the world. I’ve been blogging for almost two decades in various guises, right from the live journal days and the… Read More
2018-01-26 06:00
My love of food is long documented on this blog – I’ve already written so many food and drink guides to my favourite cities, and eaten so many incredible meals across the world… Read More
2018-01-24 06:00
I’ve always found it extremely hard to find authentic Spanish cuisine in the UK, and whilst we have a handful of Spanish chains, I’ve always known I’m not getting the real… Read More
2018-01-22 06:00
I’m so happy to chat to Sophie Cliff on episode two as she is a city break obsessive just like me. I’ve been following her adventures on sophiecliff.com and getting amazing city… Read More
2018-01-19 06:00
Towards the end of last year, I wrote about how I was dealing with travel burnout. How many weekends away, squeezing in city breaks had finally taken their toll on my travel enthusiasm and m… Read More
2018-01-17 06:00
Although I’m not a massive sports fan, I can appreciate a good stadium. The Olympic Park in London is an incredible place to explore (and watch the Olympics in!), and I’ve done s… Read More
2018-01-12 06:00
Much like my weekend in Liverpool, I ended up spending time in Manchester at the end of 2017 (and indeed the start of 2018!) because of football. Mr S is a Manchester United Season Ticket ho… Read More
2018-01-10 06:00
I’d woken, early. Earlier than I needed to, but that wasn’t unusual for me. My brain is now hard wired to give me way more time than I need to get anywhere. I’m a chronical… Read More
2018-01-08 06:00
I’m thrilled to have Lucy Sheref from wanderluce.com as my very first guest on The Travelust, as I’ve been reading her incredible travel tips and packing guides for years. On thi… Read More
2018-01-05 06:00
I might not be particularly religious, but if there is one thing I love to visit when landing in a new destination, it’s a cathedral. And honestly, European countries give good church… Read More
2018-01-02 06:00
If 2016 was an epic year for travel for me, 2017 was indescribable. I was determined to make way for time for adventure last year – and it really was brilliant for adventure. I planned… Read More
2017-12-21 06:00
I love an amazingly quirky museum, and luckily in London we have our fair share of oddball things to see and do, many of which I’ve written about on this blog. But when I heard The Pos… Read More
2017-12-19 06:00
I’m a massive foodie, and you might have picked up from my Barcelona city guide tat food was very high on the agenda. With Barcelona being the capital of the Catalonia region… Read More
2017-12-14 06:00
I was 17 and I had never felt more grown up. I was being whisked off on a city break by my then boyfriend to Barcelona. A city break! How mature. How impossibly cosmopolitan. And it was on t… Read More
2017-12-12 06:00
I’m a HUGE fan of Christmas. I love getting into the festive spirit as early as possible, playing Christmas tunes and watching Love Actually at least 10 times before the day itself. Mi… Read More
2017-12-07 06:00
What I look forward to most on my travels isn’t the fact that I’m away from the 9-5, that I’m experiencing new cultures or that I’m wandering amongst centuries old ar… Read More
2017-12-05 06:00
On my recent weekend in Liverpool, I fell in love with a lot of the city – the cathedrals (plural!), the artsy, creative vibe and the food. Oh yes, the food. But the thing that got eve… Read More
2017-11-30 06:00
I stepped out of the terminal building and took my first lungfuls of warm Spanish air. I looked up and squinted a little, the afternoon sun hanging low in the sky, waiting to reveal a sunset… Read More
2017-11-28 06:00
Quite some years ago, I went on one of my dream adventures. In 2007, after years of saving on a very tiny charity sector wage whilst living in a one room apartment with my now husband I got… Read More
2017-11-23 06:00
I wouldn’t say I’m a naturally negative person, but I’m certainly the type to get bogged down in the minutiae of life. I get annoyed at a rubbish commute, I get frustrated… Read More
2017-11-21 06:00
Lisbon is a fantastic place to visit for many reasons, but its proximity to some great day trip locations is just one of them. In fact, the town of Belem is super easy to get to by train, ta… Read More
2017-11-16 06:00
I really love animals. I’m the kind of girl that has full conversations with her cats, is planning for the day I can have a dog and treats BBC’s Lonely Planet series like it&rsqu&hell…Read More
2017-11-14 05:15
Oslo was the first trip I took in my current “dash around Europe as much as possible in two years” game I have been playing with myself since January 2016. The flights were ridic… Read More
2017-11-09 06:00
I love to travel. Although I’ve only relatively recently started to explore my passion for seeing the world, on some level I’ve always loved it. Even when I booked a two week, be… Read More
2017-11-07 06:00
Have you ever felt like you are standing on top of the world, with no worries and concerns, a light wind whipping through your hair, the sun burning your eyes slightly and everything stretch… Read More
2017-11-02 05:55
When I choose to visit a city, as well as making decisions based on architecture, attractions and special interest (eg – quirky, unusual stuff that gets under my skin), food is fairly… Read More
2017-10-31 06:00
You can’t plan for the weather. It doesn’t matter how long you spend planning for a trip, the weather can come along and quite literally sweep you off your feet. It’s for t… Read More
2017-10-26 05:00
It’s no secret that Cyprus is one of my favourite destinations for a summer holiday, having been three times (which makes it my joint most visited destination). The weather is always p… Read More
2017-10-24 14:36
Liverpool has been in my blood for a long long time. I mean not actually in my blood, I don’t have any relatives or ancestors from the area, but it has certainly been a location of hug… Read More
2017-10-19 03:55
Until fairly recently, I had always dismissed a proper winter break due to my huge aversion to skiing. I have never tried skiing, but the thought of it completely terrifies me and my own bum… Read More
2017-10-17 05:00
Although I’ve been taking as many opportunities to explore Europe this year, my passion for visiting towns and cities in the UK is growing by the second. In fact, I’ve always lov… Read More
2017-10-11 04:15
Put in a pin anywhere in a map of the world, and I would want to go there. Even to places I’ve travelled to before. Even to a spot just down the road from my house. I’m a natural… Read More
2017-10-03 05:00
Whether you like archeological sites, ruined buildings or just really really old stuff or not, there is no denying the impact that ancient Roman civilisation has had on our lives. The Monty… Read More
2017-09-14 05:00
Now the summer has come to a close (and what a changeable and odd summer it has been), my mind isn’t turning to cold, stinging winter, mulled wine and Christmas fayre. Instead it&rsquo&hell…Read More
2017-09-12 05:00
If you’ve read any of my previous festival content, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of music festivals. In fact, they’ve become a massive part of my life and in many ways… Read More
2017-09-07 05:00
If you are a regular reader of this blog, or have met me even just once, you’ll know I’ve got a not so guilty pleasure – I’m nuts about the tube! Whilst I find commut… Read More
2017-09-05 05:00
It’s no accident that my most written about country on the blog is Italy. Somehow, even though I only made it there when I was 33, it has seeped completely under my skin. I’m spe… Read More
2017-08-29 04:00
Sleep has been pretty much a fluid concept for me for as long as I can remember. I think I became a bona fide early riser in my mid-twenties (although I was never one of those roll out of be… Read More
2017-08-21 05:00
If you’re British and longing for some last minute sunshine (especially with our almost non-existent Summer this year), you often need look no further than Spain to provide great hotel… Read More
2017-08-17 06:00
It is a phrase we all hear time and time again – it’s all about appreciating the little things in life. But when all the big things seem to be raining down on you, when life is n… Read More
2017-08-10 06:00
I was 15 years old and waiting eagerly in my GCSE history class for my first essay back. I was a hard worker – not always the smartest in the room, but I always took extra time to ensu… Read More
2017-08-08 05:00
I’ve spoken before of my love of the Eurostar, and how it can whisk you to a new destination and different culture much more easily than flying ever can. Inspired by my day trip to Bru… Read More
2017-08-03 05:00
I quit! A phrase no one wants to be pushed into exclaiming at work. Ideally, you want to plan your exit smoothly and professionally without burning bridges, and indeed without… Read More
2017-07-31 05:00
If you were to ask me to tell you my favourite city in the world, I wouldn’t need any time to ponder my answer. Despite its reputation, its busyness and its expensive nature, for me th… Read More
2017-07-20 06:00
I’ve spent the best part of this year dashing about Europe with a carry on in one hand and a guidebook in another, not stopping for breath or in some cases a nap between cities. I&rsqu&hell…Read More
2017-07-18 06:00
Today is my 8th wedding anniversary. Eight years ago today I married my best friend (BARF), my partner in crime and the yin to my yang, so what better time to reflect on the love in my life… Read More
2017-07-13 06:00
For many of us, life can be hectic at the best of times. Adult life is packed with seemingly endless responsibilities, and you can easily feel as if there’s always something important… Read More
2017-07-11 06:00
I can remember exactly where it happened. I was half way up the Arc de Triomphe on my Paris city break, huffing and puffing with every step. My knuckles were white from the pressure of my gr… Read More
2017-07-06 06:00
As you’ll know from my Amsterdam city guide, as well as chilling the hell out, wandering the canals and just floating around where the wind took me, I also got stuck into some absolute… Read More
2017-07-04 06:00
Love. The unrequited kind. We’ve all dealt with it, either in our adult years or with that high school crush which, at aged 15 was actually THE love of your life. You loved that c… Read More
2017-06-29 06:00
Although I’ve been focussed on city breaks this year, when June rolls round my mind wanders to lazy days based on beautiful beaches, tropical cocktails and luxury summer breaks. In fac… Read More
2017-06-23 06:00
When Tammy Wynette wrote those ever eternal lyrics sometimes it’s hard to be a woman, I’m sure she didn’t imagine the context we’d be using them in now. Sure, as well… Read More
2017-06-20 06:00
Amsterdam is one of those places that has a reputation – and a seedy one at that. Stag parties, the red light district and marijuana cafes seem to come first when you ask someone to de… Read More
2017-06-17 07:00
The last year has been an interesting and often exhausting one in the UK, and as someone who is passionate about travel and sharing that online, I’ve thought a lot about my responsibil… Read More
2017-06-13 06:00
It’s Glastonbury Festival in a weeks time. Ever since tickets went on sale in October (in fact even before then – even when ticket sale day was announced) festival goers have bee… Read More
2017-06-08 06:00
When I arrive in a new city, the first thing I love to do is pull out a map and get my bearings. How far away are we from the things we want to do? Where’s the closest coffee place or… Read More
2017-06-06 06:00
As I get ready to head off into the fields later this year to get set up for Reading Festival, I’ve been making a list, checking it twice and inevitably adding a heck load more bo… Read More
2017-06-01 06:00
I think festivals are one of the best ways to spend your summer, but even if you’ve got all your festival essentials sorted, have stayed safe with festival alcohol and have dressed for… Read More
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