My annual digital detox

Gosh, 2015 is just flying by! The past six months have been amazing, with trips to some of my favourite places in the world:

Helsinki, Finland

My first trip took place quite soon after the start of the year… to a wintry Helsinki in Finland, where I attended the Nordic Bloggers’ Experience and MATKA tourism trade fair. I was thankful for the ‘mild’ winter (by Finnish standards) and enjoyed exploring Helsinki for the first time. I loved the city’s eclectic architecture and my favourite experience was definitely the Finnish sauna in the woods and plunge into the adjacent icy lake! Read about more of my experiences in Finland.

Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean

My next trip took me to Curaçao in the Caribbean Sea: one week of sun, sand and fabulous cocktails! Read about my trip to Curaçao.

Berlin, Germany

After my holiday in Curaçao, I went to Berlin, Germany for the ITB Berlin tourism trade fair where we created travel blogging history by having the first-ever travel blogger stand at a travel trade fair.

Dublin and the Wild Atlantic Way

Several weeks later, I was in Dublin to give a series of seminars on travel blogging and social media marketing. This was followed by an unforgettable road trip along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.

Cape Town, South Africa

My Ireland trip was quickly followed by a four-day trip to Cape Town, South Africa, where I delivered a keynote and participated in a panel discussion at the World Travel Market Africa. While I was there, I was also interviewed by News24 in their studios – a cool experience!

The Social Travel Summit, Hamburg, Germany

Upon returning home from Cape Town, I had a day to do my laundry and pack my bags for the Social Travel Summit (STS) in Hamburg, Germany. STS is a conference for professional travel bloggers, organised by my company, iambassador. The two-day conference was a huge success with awesome feedback from all delegates. I left Hamburg feeling incredibly excited and inspired!

South Africa

My next trip took me back to South Africa! I flew into Cape Town again and met my fellow travellers. Together, we explored Cape Town and went on a spectacular sunset cruise before flying to Durban where we continued on our journey to the stunning Phinda Game Reserve. We saw the Big Five within hours of our arrival! After a few days at the game reserve, we made our way back to Durban where I spoke at Indaba, Africa’s largest tourism trade fair.

Rhine cruise

Several weeks after returning home, I found myself cruising down the Rhine on a luxurious Viking Cruises long-ship. After all that travelling, I was happy to sit back and enjoy the passing scenery! And it was absolutely gorgeous!

Emilia Romagna, Italy

My last trip of the first half of 2015 took me to the region of Emilia Romagna in Italy. It seriously is one of the best places in the world for an amazing food experience! I spent the first few days strolling around the stunning city of Bologna before heading to the town of Reggio Emilia for more foodie experiences. Watch this space for my upcoming posts! 🙂

And now… it’s time for a break!

Five years ago, I went on my very first digital detox. No laptop, camera and though I bring my phone along, I don’t carry it around with me. There’s no blogging, tweeting and facebook posts! It’s something I do every year and it works wonders for me. It’s my ‘me-time’ – time to dream, explore on my own or just do nothing at all.

My next post will be published on 16th July.

Take care, travel safe and see you in a few weeks! 🙂