Travel Wishlists and 2018 Plans - January #Travellinkup

As I write this, we have nothing planned. Nada, zip, zilch, nothing. And that's really exciting. 2017 was the first year that we actually (accidentally it must be said) ticked almost everything off our wishlist, so who knows what 2018 might bring...

2017 was awesome, travel-wise...

Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018

I always spend the last post of the year looking back over the previous 365 days. I think it's important to remember where we've come from, as much as we look forward to where we are going.

This is the year that I quit my job and launched a business, it's the year that I did a cross-globe four-country trip on my own (but hung out with and stayed with good friends and wonderful family along the way) and it's the year that I realised a few different dreams both on- and off-line.

8 Hidden Secrets of Temple, London

Normal Londoners will rush through the Temple area of London, race along Fleet Street and possibly settle into a cosy chair somewhere delicious along The Strand.

Instead of doing the above, the next time you find yourself with a spare half an hour or so fancy a 'London Kiwi'-style tour of the area instead? For medieval history, cats, Hollywood movies, Charles Dickens and a decent cup of tea read on. 

Merry Christmas to all - and to all, a good night!

This year we have the strange and uniquely wonderful situation of Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday. This means that by 5.02pm on Friday London was half-empty with expats zooming home and most everyone else clomping off to the countryside for family gatherings around groaning tables. (Another quarter of the population will be frantically racing up and down the aisles of the nearest shop even though they could just avail themselves by perusing this annual charity gift guide.)

Instead of disappearing off to the other side of the world to cast off our shoes and swelter - by choice - in Christmas jumpers in the New Zealand sunshine (not to mention swimming with wild dolphins (sorta)) we are cozying up at with family. We have a wealth of cheesy movies lined up, more snacks than we'll ever need and a few of our nearest and dearest next to us.

What do you buy someone who has everything? How about a goat? (A Charity Gift Guide.)

'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house,

not a creature was stirring, not even a clickety PC mouse. 

That's because all of the organised shoppers are sitting smugly with a glass of mulled wine in hand (clearly they read my blogpost celebrating some amazing small businesses), and all of the disorganised ones are leaving gift buying to the very last minute, and are braving the crowds on the Saturday morning before Christmas. Because they like to live life in the crazy lane.

Well.

Carrying on my annual charity tradition (est. 2014) I want to pay forward some of the amazing karma I've received over the years and give something back to those less fortunate. Blogger gift guides are pretty well established now but as ever I couldn't just do a normal one - it needed a slightly Adventures of a London Kiwi twist (I even spotted a couple of little sheep fellows - hey, you can take the blogger out of New Zealand...)