The Determined Traveller

No BS solo female travel

  • Travel
    • Asia
      • India
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Caribbean
      • Cuba
    • Europe
      • England
      • Italy
      • Poland
      • Ukraine
    • Middle East
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • USA
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Chile
      • Uruguay
  • Food and drink
  • About Me
  • Need an editor or writer?
  • Privacy Policy
  • Travel
    • Asia
      • India
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Caribbean
      • Cuba
    • Europe
      • England
      • Italy
      • Poland
      • Ukraine
    • Middle East
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • USA
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Chile
      • Uruguay
  • Food and drink
  • About Me
  • Need an editor or writer?
  • Privacy Policy

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • Travelling around northern Laos on the ‘vomit bus’

    February 7, 2021 /

    When I was dithering about whether or not I should travel to Pai, a small hippyish town in northern Thailand favoured by Western backpackers, one of the marks in the ‘no’ column was the fact that the bus ride there was pretty hairy. So much so that there are plentiful reports of hapless tourists becoming extremely sick during the journey, thanks to being crammed into a minibus that’s speeding around multiple hairpin bends. When I did eventually make the journey to Pai, I was amused to see sick bags tied to the back of each seat of the bus. Fortunately, no-one needed to make use of them. However, the same…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Lanna food: the flavours of northern Thailand

    January 19, 2021

    The Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

    August 26, 2017

    What to do in Sri Lanka: A two week itinerary

    October 28, 2019
  • Lanna food: the flavours of northern Thailand

    January 19, 2021 /

    I thought I was already familiar with Thai food. You know, green curry, pad thai and all those kinds of delicious things. Then I actually travelled to Thailand and found that I was so wrong. Yes, there’s plenty of green curry and pad thai in Thailand. But there’s so much more. I spent the vast majority of my time in Thailand in the north of the country and it’s there that I discovered the joys of Lanna food. This is the regional cuisine of northern Thailand, named after the ancient Lan Na kingdom. It’s hearty food with bold, punchy flavours and is one reason why I’m pretty much always counting…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Why you need to visit Pondicherry

    January 15, 2020

    Primates and pirates in Borneo

    July 17, 2019

    A houseboat in Kerala: How to relax like a pro

    September 27, 2017
  • 14 Ton That Dam Street: Ho Chi Minh City’s hidden cafes

    February 16, 2020 /

    I struggled to enjoy my time in Ho Chi Minh City. I found the combination of unrelenting humidity and traffic all a bit too much, plus I was in the grip of a depression which made everything that much harder. So I decided to take it easy and focus on things I enjoyed, rather than forcing myself to be a tourist. I had been looking for some (quite literally) cool cafes where I could escape the heat and throw myself into my work, so I was delighted when my Google research threw up a whole load of gorgeous-looking places. Then I noticed that they all had the same address –…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Six must-eat dishes on Jalan Alor

    September 10, 2019

    Lanna food: the flavours of northern Thailand

    January 19, 2021

    Esala Perahera in Sri Lanka: what you need to know

    August 13, 2017
  • Why you need to visit Pondicherry

    January 15, 2020 /

    Delhi. Rajasthan. Kerala. Goa. It’s a safe assumption that pretty much all of these places are on the “must see” list of most visitors to India. And rightly so because they’re all incredible in their own unique ways. I’ve been to India twice, spending just over three weeks there on my most recent visit, and I’ve still only seen a fraction of what this vast and wonderful country has to offer. So I completely understand why first (and second) time visitors gravitate towards the big names, the places they’ve already heard of. But I want to tell you about another part of India that you might not have considered visiting…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    W15 Escape: A Sri Lankan escape from the rat race

    May 14, 2018

    10 colourful photos that’ll make you want to visit Panaji

    October 12, 2017

    Five great things to do in Melaka

    August 22, 2019
  • Teaching English in Laos with Big Brother Mouse

    November 4, 2019 /

      Before I went travelling, if I had to think of a really random situation to find myself in, teaching English in Laos would be a strong contender. I didn’t know much about Laos and I had absolutely no desire to teach anything to anyone ever. Yet travel changes you and I arrived in the UNESCO-listed town of Luang Prabang, in northern Laos, a different person to the one who left London several months earlier. I immediately fell in love with Luang Prabang and its sleepy old town, sandwiched between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. I spent days wandering through streets lined with palm trees, past Buddhist temples and…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Three historic bars in Ho Chi Minh City

    April 11, 2018

    Lanna food: the flavours of northern Thailand

    January 19, 2021

    Monk chat and the pursuit of happiness in Chiang Mai

    April 26, 2018
  • What to do in Sri Lanka: A two week itinerary

    October 28, 2019 /

    Let’s be real. Two weeks isn’t long enough to experience all of Sri Lanka. However, it’s certainly possible to cover a fair bit of ground in this amount of time. This itinerary means you’ll get to experience tea plantations, beaches and even a safari – making your two week trip feel like a lot longer. Isn’t that what we all want from our holidays? Days 1 – 3: Negombo Here’s a not very interesting fact: Colombo airport isn’t actually in Colombo. It’s in the town of Negombo, just to the north. It’s worth knowing this not very interesting fact because Negombo is actually a much better place to stay than…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Teaching English in Laos with Big Brother Mouse

    November 4, 2019

    Monk chat and the pursuit of happiness in Chiang Mai

    April 26, 2018

    Lanna food: the flavours of northern Thailand

    January 19, 2021
  • Yala National Park: Is it any good?

    September 24, 2019 /

      Sri Lanka is justifiably famous for its wildlife and one of the best ways to spend a few days while in the country is to go on safari. There are three national parks to choose from – Yala, Udawalawe and Wilpattu with Yala being the most popular thanks to its leopard population and its location in the more visited south of the country. But does popular equal good? Not necessarily… I visited Yala as part of a wider trip throughout the south of Sri Lanka. Wilpattu is in the far north so it wasn’t practical to visit on this occasion. Udawalawe is the place to go to observe elephants…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Six must-eat dishes on Jalan Alor

    September 10, 2019

    Searching for wild elephants in Munnar

    November 19, 2017

    Three historic bars in Ho Chi Minh City

    April 11, 2018
  • Six must-eat dishes on Jalan Alor

    September 10, 2019 /

      The hawker centre of Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur is street food heaven and a destination that’s on every tourist’s must-do list. It’s sensory overload in one street; the pungent smell of Durian fruit fills the smoke-filled air as a myriad of traders furiously grill satay sticks or steam juicy dumplings. You can’t walk more than a few minutes without someone waving a menu under your nose, asking you to take a seat at their restaurant. With so much going on and with such a vast array of choice, how do you even begin to decide what to eat? Here are my top recommendations: Roast chicken wings from Wong…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Yala National Park: Is it any good?

    September 24, 2019

    What to do in Sri Lanka: A two week itinerary

    October 28, 2019

    Three historic bars in Ho Chi Minh City

    April 11, 2018
  • Five great things to do in Melaka

    August 22, 2019 /

      There are a few places in the world whose name alone conjures images of adventure – steamy, tropical weather; intriguing spice-laden food; dimly-lit shops filled with strange and unrecognisable items. Melaka (or Malacca), in the south-west of the Malay peninsula, is one of those places. Coveted by the Chinese, the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British, this former trading hub became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Despite this it’s often eclipsed by its glitzier neighbours, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Here are five reasons why Melaka should be on your travel to-do list: Soak up the history Melaka was once one of Asia’s greatest trading hubs and it…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Yala National Park: Is it any good?

    September 24, 2019

    Monk chat and the pursuit of happiness in Chiang Mai

    April 26, 2018

    Teaching English in Laos with Big Brother Mouse

    November 4, 2019
  • Primates and pirates in Borneo

    July 17, 2019 /

      “It will take us about an hour to travel to Turtle Island – unless we see any pirates, in which case we’ll have to go a little bit faster…” Hahaha, a pirate joke from our guide while we’re on a boat. Good one. Except, as we found out later, he wasn’t actually joking. We’d been in Borneo for less than a day and it was already shaping up to be quite the adventure. Borneo is one of those places where just the name alone plucks at the imagination and stirs up thoughts of intrepid exploits through dense, steamy jungles filled with all manner of exotic beasts. Yet, for some…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Six must-eat dishes on Jalan Alor

    September 10, 2019

    What to do in Sri Lanka: A two week itinerary

    October 28, 2019

    Monk chat and the pursuit of happiness in Chiang Mai

    April 26, 2018
12

Follow me on:

Recent Posts

  • Chiloe: witchcraft, mermaids and saltwater
  • Travelling around northern Laos on the ‘vomit bus’
  • Lanna food: the flavours of northern Thailand
  • Steak, sunsets and the magic of Montevideo
  • 14 Ton That Dam Street: Ho Chi Minh City’s hidden cafes
Booking.com
Ashe Theme by WP Royal.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT