Island Hopping Around Koh Lanta, Thailand

Back in February, while I was in Thailand I went on an island hop around Koh Lanta. It was my first ever island hop, during my first week ever visiting Thailand - you can imagine that I was completely amazed by the scenery, having just a few weeks prior never even left Europe in my entire life. I snapped some photos and filmed some clips, and just now put together a video showing the trip from my point of view - hope it'll inspire and add a bit to your Wanderlust!

London jan 16

I'm back

Uluwatu, Bali. Feb 2016

The day before yesterday I returned home after six weeks of traveling, most of which doing so alone. It involved many firsts - amongst other things it being my first time riding a plane by myself, my first time leaving Europe, and my first time traveling anywhere by myself.























Every year of my life up until now, my family and I have had two or three weeks of summer vacation together, which we spend going to Italy to visit my mother's side of the family. We would stay at the same house, go to the same restaurants, visit the same beach, see the same people as the previous year. And I had absolutely no problem with it. I loved, and still love, knowing a place so far away so well, being able to navigate around without a map or GPS, knowing where all the good, hidden places are, and having a network of people so different from my everyday usual which I can still talk to as if we say each other every day. This area in Italy, that house, is like a second home to me. And I am incredibly happy that we did go to that same place every year for my 20 years of life.

The Bed and Breakfast we visit two times every year, on the way to Italy. Germany. July 2015

Gaeta, Italy. July 2014

The Italian freeway, on our way home. July 2015

I am twenty years old. I graduated 'gymnasium' (a three-year primary education in Denmark) last summer. I worked two jobs for half a year just after, one full-time in a bank and one part-time as a waitress. My job at the bank ended as 2015 did, leaving me with all the money I had saved up throughout school and those six months and a way too much free time. My friends are still working, I will not be going back to school this summer, and nothing is really keeping be bound to Denmark. This is the time to try something new. And so I did.

Traveling to the other side of the world by myself has easily been the most exiting, rewarding, and self-building experience of my life, and if I had the chance, I would leave again tomorrow. I don't really do, though. But I will dream myself away through the pictures from my trip and look forward to next winter when I will be going back to Asia. Maybe do a little more reading of travel blogs and google-searching cheap flights and jobs abroad than usual. Expect some more badly-written posts about my experience and stories and dreams regarding travel, along with some semi-quality photos taken with my phone and compact digital camera.

Uluwatu, Bali. Feb 2016

(Just outside of) Kaoh Tang, Cambodia. Feb 2016

Ubud, Bali. Feb 2016

In the mood to leave the country

Pictures of Istanbul

London.

Paris 2013

As mentioned in an earlier blogpost, I went to Paris last spring with my friend Mette.
I recently made a little video with some pictures from our trip. They're quite remarkable if you ask me. It would mean a lot if you would take a look.

Thank you very much, hope you enjoyed.
- Melissa

Home no. 2

I recently arrived back from my family's annual summer trip to Italy, and I already miss it! It was great 2,5 weeks with amazing weather, beach days, and visiting my mother's side of the family.

The trip was a little different from what we have gotten used to the past years, because we didn't experience any new places, big cities or famous coasts - it was purely beach trips, family visits, dinner at our regular restaurant, having late-night ice cream at regular spots; really just enjoying nostalgia by doing what we have done since I was a baby. There's nothing better than that.

As always, I have come back to Denmark with a strong will and need to learn to speak Italian - which having a mother who is from Italy people think is super easy... is actually not. So whether or not that will happen depends on me taking a class besides regular school - which I will hopefully be able to do, even though I am about to take my driver's licence, and finding a job now that I am about to turn 18. We'll see!

Nonetheless, I am back home, the weather is great, and I have (a few) new pictures of the beautiful Italy on my computer to admire. Here are some of them:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone out there is enjoying their summer as much as I did those few weeks in Italy!

- Melissa