Monthly Roundup: September & October 2015

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE BLOG THIS MONTH?

Ok, ok, my bad. I totally forgot to do the monthly roundup for two months running. But in my defence I’ve been seriously busy…

SEPTEMBER

September started off with a bang at the amazing Bestival on the Isle of Wight along with one of my fave travel brands, STA Travel. It was a pretty awesome experience getting the VIP treatment at STA’s on-site hostel and enjoying the delights of such a quirky festival. Catch up on my adventure in these posts:

STA Travel Hostel at Bestival This Weekend! A prelude to my long weekend of fun and frolics!
Hostel Review: STA Travel Hostel at Bestival. Everything you need to know about STA’s pop-up hostel from the morning yoga sessions to the live DJ sets at night!
Bestival: Bootcamp for the Mind and Body?! An alternative look at Bestival with all of the weird and wonderful activities you can partake in. Reggae Aerobics anyone?
Top 10 Moments From Bestival 2015. Everything else Bestival-related I could possibly fit into a single post.

Next up on my September adventures was a pretty cool cycling trip along with the Catalan Tourist Board. I spent some time in Catalonia in Spain with some other kick-ass bloggers exploring everything this beautiful part of Europe had to offer. Here’s what happened:

5 Awesome Places To Visit In Catalonia That AREN’T Barcelona. From the medieval town of Montblanc to the nature reserve of Delta Del Ebre. Bloody gorgeous.
The Best Gelato In Spain, And Quite Possibly The World… I’m not even exaggerating. I can’t stop thinking about this glorious gelato extravaganza in Girona.
A Girl’s Guide To Your First Cycling Trip. What to pack, what to wear, how to prepare… Basically how to be fabulous on two wheels.

I also reviewed a couple of travel books in September and threw in a ‘Life Lessons’ post for good measure:

Color This Book San Francisco: Cure The Wanderlust With Colouring! The therapy of adult colouring but focused on one of my favourite cities in the world!
Book Review: You Only Live Once by Lonely Planet. A cool coffee table book from the backpacking gods to inspire your next trip.
7 Life Lessons You Learn Whilst Travelling. From being more tolerant of other people to learning to look after number one.

OCTOBER

October was almost entirely devoted to a pretty awesome trip I took at the beginning of the month – my first ever visit to Italy, exploring Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence and Genoa. Yeah, I went a bit mental with the Italy posts…

How To Travel Italy By Train. Your guide to getting around Italy by train including my top tips as well as how much it should set you back.
Cheap Eats: Cavour 21 Trattoria in Genoa, Italy. A pretty strange dinner experience in a local restaurant which was amazingly cheap and had the best pesto ever.
Hostel Review: PLUS Florence. It’s a hostel with a sauna and a rooftop terrace. Enough said, right?
Backpacking Cinque Terre Part 1: Where To Stay. Your accommodation options, from staying in a villa nearby to a hostel right in the middle of the action.
Backpacking Cinque Terre Part 2: What To Do. A guide to the five gorgeous towns of Cinque Terre and what you can do in them!
La Picea: The 7th Best Pizza In The World. Spoiler: It was awesome.
Hostel Review: Hostel Pisa in Italy. The ideal ‘chill hostel’ with an all-you-can-eat buffet. It’s madness.
The Pros and Cons of Travelling with your Significant Other. My experiences of the Italy trip avec le boyfriend.
My Italy Trip in Gelato. A self-indulgent post full of photos of the gelato I ate in Italy. Because I can.

I also included a few product reviews in October from technology to fashion…

Book Review: Draw To Learn Espanol. A book to teach you Spanish via the medium of drawing! Muy bueno.
Product Review: The Smart Technology of the CalypsoTag. A smart luggage tag which gives you the ability to track where your bag is on your phone. The verdict is in…
Jewellery Update from Orelia. Some pretty little pieces from Orelia that I totally rate.

WHAT HAPPENED ON SOCIAL MEDIA THIS MONTH?

I’ve had a good few months on Instagram with my following really starting to pick up! Here’s my most popular ‘grams of Sept and Oct – a shot of a fisherman on the coast at Feliu De Guixols in Spain, and a selfie in front of Manarola in Cinque Terre, Italy.

WHAT HAPPENED IN MY WORLD THIS MONTH?

Getting a taste of the dream travel blogger lifestyle, of free festivals and adventures, has pretty much been my lot over the last two months! I mean I can’t really complain can I? *Praying it lasts*

Although I did have some awesome fancy dress group costumes going on at Halloween this year. I was Poison Ivy in a group of heroes and villains (although predominantly Batman), as well as Velma in the Scooby Doo gang with my BFFs! I really heart fancy dress.

CURRENT OBSESSIONS

I’m totally behind the times with my TV shows as I’ve had a pretty busy year so far, but I FINALLY got to finish season 1 of How To Get Away With Murder! Such an awesome show. I adore anything written by Shonda Rhimes basically. #GreysAnatomyFoLife

WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT MONTH?

I’m really just gearing up for Christmas now. I’m a big fan of this time of year, especially in the UK, so I’m going to be making the most of it with all kinds of Christmassy things!

I’ll also be planning my travels for 2016. Watch this space…