Phew.
This has been a crazy couple of months - evidenced by the fact that the month in review post we intended to write for March, quickly got rolled into a double post and then, well, it's the 11th of May, and you're only just reading about it.
So yeah, we've got a lot to catch you up on!
Back to Puglia
Unless you've only just discovered us or don't really listen to anything we say (don't worry, we both know that Andrew has a tendency to go on sometimes...), you may be aware that last year we fell a little bit in love.
And her name was Puglia.
This charming little region of Italy (the heel in the boot) was everything we could hope from an Italian dream, and after spending the final days of summer on her shores, we vowed we would return.
What we didn't expect was that it would be quite so soon - six months later to be precise. We got to escape the dreadful British winter, the snow, and our thick wooly jumpers and go spend a week in a terribly fancy villa, just outside the delightful city of Ostuni.
It was wonderful!
Having a base for one whole week meant that we had the opportunity to visit a number of smaller towns to which we were unable to venture previously - which means a whole heap of new posts for you guys - and return to a couple which stole our heart before.
A new adventure
In February, we announced that for 2018 we had been selected to join the G Adventures team as one of 12 blogs to become G Adventures Wanderers - and our first role? Only a bloody overland trip in Africa!
23 days, five countries, 18 days in a tent, 1000s of photos, multiple currencies, an untold number of international beers, and hours on a big purple bus called The Lando to take us all the way from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Nairobi, Kenya via Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania.
It was our first time in this part of the world, having only dipped our toes into the north of the continent on previous travels, but will certainly not be our last (with trips to Namibia and Botswana already being discussed amongst ourselves). In fact, we're only just now waking up from our 'African dream'. Not sure what we mean? Check out this article!
We have so many posts and guides in the pipeline from this trip; so keep your eyes peeled.
And the winner is....
So, in our last monthly round-up, we mentioned that we had been shortlisted for the 'Best UK Travel Blog 2018'. Well, the awards ceremony finally rolled around at the end of April, and incredibly, we're sitting here telling you that we only went won the damn thing!
We were so excited by this news, that we actually wrote an entire article the morning after (well, Andrew wrote it - Emily couldn't move that far from the toilet...). Just in case you didn't read it, we just want to say thanks again or helping make the start of 2018 all sorts of wonderful.
And thanks to dobell for supplying Andrew with a tux for the evening; it's the closest he's ever felt to being 007.
Family Time
Once the sore heads had subsided (and by God, were they sore...), it was time to see the family. This meant a reunion in London for Emily, and a short flight back to Scotland for Andrew.
Being on the road for so long previously, we returned to the UK determined to get in more family time. A weekend here or there, a few days mid-week - it might not seems much, but making an effort to reconnect every month or so now means that we won't feel so bad when we inevitably disappear off again for months at a time. It's certainly one of the downsides of making a living from this lifestyle, and something we'll inevitably struggle to balance in the future. The worst thing though? There's never enough time to see your family as much as you'd hope.
Off to the Caribbean
You may recall that last year we spent an amazing week in Menorca as part of Traverse's mini-conference. Well, this year, the same conference took place in none other than Antigua!
So that's where April ended - on the coast of a tiny, yet stunningly beautiful Caribbean island. We can't wait to share with you what we got up to in May's round-up.
Our Favourite Blog Posts
You can probably imagine that such a hectic couple of months on the road meant that this travel blog didn't actually blog that much in March or April. In fact, we only managed to publish six articles (note to self - we'll try to do better, we promise).
One of our absolute favourites is something close to both our hearts: how to use less plastic on the road. Even a little eco-conscious? This is one post you have to read!
Upcoming Travel Plans
To be honest, we have so much planned for the next couple of months. After returning from Antigua and a few days bunkered down working, we're off to Tenerife for a few days to explore the island's alternative active side. After months of too little exercise and too many gloomy days we're looking forward to stretching our legs and trying out some awesome activities we've never done before - and one we're not entirely sure we actually want to do...
Then, at the end of the month, we're off to Rotterdam for Traverse, a great blogger's conference which sees us giving a talk (yes, we're scared, and no, it's not written yet) and exploring a city we've never visited before.
