Places almost too beautiful for Instagram

Ah, Instagram, how you have changed the way we holiday and city break. I’d be lying if I said when I take photos on holiday, I wasn’t at least sometimes thinking of how it will look on the social media app, but equally, I like to print my photos for albums. You know, in case some mega virus comes and eradicates 15+ years of photos on my laptop, and also, I just quite enjoy spending an afternoon leafing through photos, just like we can do with our childhood memories and those from generations before.

Much like the beautiful beaches post, there are many other spots I’ve visited that really are breathtaking; in fact, I don’t think a photograph does them as much justice as being in the moment and drinking it in with your eyes. Here are my faves (ironically, with pics).

South Coast, Iceland

I’ve waxed lyrical to anyone that will listen about Iceland in the winter. I stayed in Reykjavik, which was lovely, but the real showstopper for me was the day trip along the south coast. Between snowcapped mountains, rough arctic waters, black-sand beaches and vast open spaces in pure white, I literally felt like I was between a James Bond movie and an intrepid explorer.

Key stops for eye-photos (anyone remember that guy in Hall Pass who blinks to take a mental image? lolol) are the hilltop village of Vik - to one side you have a beautiful black-sand beach with dramatic waters, and then the other side a steep mountainscape - Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon with its magnificent icebergs and icicles, and basically anywhere in between the two. When we stepped off the coach for a leg stretch, I literally couldn’t believe I was on the same planet as London.

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Another coach ride, another epic landscape stretching out toward the horizon; this time, the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, driving along the Amalfi Coast. We made our way from Sorrento to Piazza Flavio Gioia in Amalfi, around an hour and a half away. Throughout the drive, we passed beautiful hillside towns, more and more mountainsides that came into view at every turn, village churches and the like. The true gem is, though, the sea views! It literally stretched out towards the horizon and looked almost like a solid navy block - my phone and camera couldn’t capture its vastness. At some points, due to how the roads wound, it felt as if we were hovering above the ocean.

Vinales, Cuba

Straying away from the coast now, Vinales brought lush Cuban countryside into my life. Sitting on the rooftop of our casa, we took in the vineyards, the orange trees (which took some broken explanations between our hosts and ourselves, despite actually knowing the word ‘naranja’ lolol) and farms. Each time, it felt as if myself and my roomie had been housed in the furthest casa from our G Adventures pals, but this time, it definitely paid off as we had the most beautiful view. Even our host’s garden was gorgeous, bountiful with flowers and fruit. Of course, the actual village feel, salsa clubs and incredible rum are other things that just can’t be captured in a photo…

Chefchaouen, Morocco

Up in the Rif Mountains is the blue city, Chefchaouen, which is fast drawing tourists from all over the world. Many make a beeline for the same spots that they’ve seen on Instagram, but I can’t stress enough how beautiful it is at every turn - in fact, the best spots are where there are no tourists at all. Weave in and out of the calming blue-hued medina and you’ll find an intriguing doorway or alley not a stone’s throw away (as well as a cute stray cat).

In contrast to my point about tourists, head up to the Spanish Mosque at sunset (go a little earlier to nab a good spot) and watch as the sun goes down - like most sunsets, it’s so hard to capture on a phone, but in real life, the oranges and pinks over the blue town is gorgeous.

Ubud, Bali

From the monkey forest (take your camera out at your own peril) to the rice fields, Ubud is incredible, and somewhere you need to just open your eyes and immerse yourself in, rather than hide behind a camera or phone. Even dining at some restaurants, like Indus, the sprawling rainforest is before you and you can’t capture the sounds or scents with anything but your mind and eyes. We saw a thunderstorm in the distance (weird, when you’re sitting outside, dry) and it just looked so tiny and insignificant in comparison to the trees below. I took loads of photos when heading up into the rice paddies, but again, I really feel it doesn’t fully capture how we felt when we were there; we felt as though we were in authentic Bali - few tourists and locals at work.

A handy guide to interrailing

For many youths, a well-known right of passage is heading off on a 'gap YAH' in between college/sixth form and university.

As you know, I'm a massive advocate for parring off daily life for a bit of travelling, however heading off on a gap year was not an option for me when I finished sixth form. Had I chosen to defer university for a year, I would have welcomed a substantially larger student loan into my life, following the... ahem... lovely Tories' decision to hike up university fees.

Not one to miss out though, my best mate and I planned a little interrailing trip for the September after graduation, so we could hold onto our university years for just a couple more weeks, before starting our careers in the real world.

We donned our backpacks and headed onto the trains of Europe, two incompetent map readers, excited for adventure. If you're thinking of doing the same, here are a few tips to bear in mind.

How to pack

Think hand luggage, but less. You're going to be lugging this suitcase/bag/backpack cross-country for HOURS on end. I opted for a rather large backpack (and, at just under five foot, it looked particularly large on me) that clipped around my chest and waist, while my best mate opted for a slightly smaller one, just over her shoulders. Both faired us well.

In terms of packing, you're only gonna have the bare necessities:

- Being "made up" is going to be more about a slap of lippy, rather than a full face of bronzer, blusher and the like, before you get any Kylie Jenner ideas. Also, get teeny tiny toothpaste, shampoo sachets, and basically miniature everything.

- Roll clothes to make them as small as possible, packing just over the right amount of underwear for each night, but only half the outfits - try and keep it to around three bottoms, and maybe six, or seven, tops that you can wear on rotation, and mix and match.

- Choose fabrics that you can easily wash in a sink and that dry easily, just in case you need to give 'em a rinse at any point.

- Your main bag should hold a smaller day bag and muchas plastic bags (for dirty/wet stuff), and everything in your bag can act as a buffer for souvenirs. Somehow, we managed to carry porcelain masks from our second stop in Venice all the way home, keeping them in one piece.

- Spray deodorant IS YOUR FRIEND.

- My friend also had the smart idea of bringing non-perishable snacks, which are great for in between meals, or late night snackage.

- Chances are, you'll be travelling with a fair bit of dollar on you. Split up your pennies into different parts of your bag and, also, ALWAYS keep some, along with your passport and EHIC, on your person. See if you can get one of those money cards, if you're not taking your credit card with you (though you may need it for proof of ID at your hotel). We also had a little book where we noted down our hotel info and key phrases in the different languages.

Be mindful of the check-in and check-out times of your hotels/hostels/b&bs. If you have a particularly early check-out, or particularly late check-in, you may end up lugging your bags about on your sightseeing adventures for a bit. It's worth finding out if you can store your stuff anywhere, for example, at the lockers in Gare Du Nord in Paris.

View from the train between Austria and Switzerland

Trains

Obviously, when interailling, trains are a massive part of the whole shebang. Unfortunately, unlike the Interrail Pass would have you believe, it isn't as simple as just buying the pass and heading on your way. Boo.

On the Interrail website, you'll find a comprehensive list of the rail services across Europe that partake in the Interrail initiative (click here to go directly to the PDF). South Londoners, you'll be pleased to know Southern Rail isn't on the list (lolololol). For the ones that do take part, yes, all you'll need to do is buy the pass, and fill it out with your intended destination before you set off on that leg of the journey (make sure you do fill it out before you step on the train, though, otherwise you could get fined by a ticket inspector).

Don't fret if you require a train that doesn't appear on this list, though. It just means you a) may need to buy a separate ticket, or b) need to buy a ticket AND make a reservation. Erm, why am I going to pay MORE money after the pass, I hear you ask? Well, the majority of local and international trains you will take are covered once you hit the continent, but the additional costs you incur will be things like overnight trains. Avoid these and avoid fees. Seriously; avoid night trains like the plague, if you can. Our first train journey, Eurostar aside, was the overnight train from Paris to Venice. I had visions of The Tourist - that 2010 film with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie - as we boarded the train to make the same journey. Ah, cute, they have little cabins. Hmmm, sweet, the lounging sofas turn into beds. Err, shite, it's a bit claustrophobic. OH FUCK, BED BUGS. Mmmhmm. That's how it went down over the course of 14 hours.

Our beds for the night... (Paris to Venice train)

Bonus, the tickets did come with pillows and blankets, and the rocking to sleep was quite soothing. That free-falling feeling you get when you're overtired, but actually happening in real life because of the train stopping? Not so much.

Hotels vs hostels

After the journey to Venice, we were SO grateful to be in a proper bed for the night. There is a common misconception that to travel 'properly', you have to slum it. Nah, mate. Not for us. And it doesn't have to be for anyone else either. The hotel in Venice was a simple 3-star abode, but we found it to be more than satisfactory. Scratch that actually - it was great! Staying in 3-star accommodation keeps costs down (so you can spend on actual experiences) and the majority put on breakfast as part of your room cost. You only need a base anyway, because you're out exploring all day, but you don't have the worries, or the reservations, of staying in a hostel.

That said, though, we stayed in two hostels while on our trip: one in Switzerland and one in Paris. The one in Switzerland was on Lake Brienz and the only accommodation we could find that didn't cost an arm and a leg. We spent an hour looking for it in the rain to find that, actually, we had passed it about ten times - I told you: we were not good with maps! Once inside, there was such a good vibe. The rooms and bathrooms were SPOTLESS and the staff were so friendly and helpful. Our time in Brienz was so restful (and so picturesque); I cannot recommend the village and the hostel enough.

Now, Paris... a slightly different story. I love the capital of France SO MUCH but, let me tell you, that love ceases with its hostels. The last night of our trip was spent in the noisiest, dirtiest place I've ever laid my head (and you read about that train ride above). For someone who is known to be unable to get into bed without showering first, whether drunk, sober or physically maimed, I vetoed stepping in that shower, even WITH FLIP FLOPS. It was nassssssssty. Defo go hotel in Paris. Or b&b. Our b&b in Innsbruck was so lovely. You get your own room, but just had to share a toilet and (very clean) shower room.

Beautiful Brienz

Must dos

We did SO MUCH on our travels, but my personal highlights include the following:

- Generally just being in Venice, Italy: I had wanted to go to Venice for years. I love water and love Italy, so a combo of the two was perfection. We ended up getting so lost at one point, but the city was just so perfect and picturesque that it didn't matter. Well, it kind of did because we had a boat tour booked, but we just blagged our way onto another one later that day. Don't listen when people say it smells. We were there in the midst of a September heatwave and it didn't smell at all.

- The Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, France: Kimye spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend part of their wedding celebrations there and I can see why. The Palace of Versailles was exquisite and it was nice to get out of central Paris for a while (again, note that you'll need to buy a Metro ticket for that trip).

- Heading to the zoo in Innsbruck, Austria: Heading to the highest zoo in Europe was exciting in itself, as we passed all the huge coloured houses on our way. What I loved about Innsbruck as a whole was the feeling I got from the mountains that towered over wherever you stood. It felt like we were protected in a (massive) cove. The zoo itself was quite blase about their Health and Safety, but I loved it as you could get pretty close to the animals.

- The train ride between Austria and Switzerland: Just look at the beautiful view above! Like the train in Oslo, it pees all over the Central Line.

I could go on for hours and hours, and thousands and thousands of words, about my interailling trip, but it's commendable that you've got this far! If you have any questions about interrailing, or need any tips, just hit me up.