Being able to head off on travels and experience new destinations and cultures is something that I love, it fills me with a particular kind of joy. I love the feeling of arriving somewhere new, getting my bearings, discovering the best place for a delicious dinner or wandering around a market and soaking in the buzz of local life. It’s amazing of course to be lucky enough to jet off on a plane somewhere, but that doesn’t have to be the only way to travel and explore. I have constant wanderlust and it’s not possible with time and money to always head abroad so I’m equally a big fan of heading out and seeing what there is to discover nearby, somewhere that you can easily get a feel for within a day trip.
After everything that has sadly happened recently, I felt really different about being far from home and so I haven’t made any new major travel plans for the next couple months. I had been due to head off on a solo trip to Seville, which I was really looking forward to and had super exciting plans to share it all with you on the blog, but it was just a week after everything happened with Dad and cancelling the trip felt totally the right thing to do, I don’t think my heart would have been up for exploring especially by myself if I’m honest. However, now more than ever I do feel in need of an escape from home and London, I’m sure it would benefit my well-being and I feel like even a day away, somewhere different would help me get a bit of thinking space and some clarity. I’m currently trying to think of somewhere new we could go for the day that’s within easy reach of London. So far Camber Sands is top of the list, but I’d love to hear your suggestions too.
I’ve been thinking about how lucky I am to live on the boarder between London and Kent. It’s been an eye-opening privilege, as I’ve already been able to explore so much of what’s on my doorstep. I’d been so used to being a commuter and getting the train just to and from work; for years I didn’t really think much about the discoveries that could be made through the stops that come after mine. I always thought you’d need a car to explore Kent, or the areas around London, but that’s not the case at all. In fact I was a little blown away by just how much is within easy reach of London and how much you can see by jumping on the train for a day trip.
A little while back, I came up with a little project to explore more of the county I live in and I’ve been lucky to be able to combine that with some lovely family time with my mum and sometimes my brother too, which I really value right now. In recent years, Dad wasn’t as keen to wander around all day, and he liked his home comforts, but he was also a keen supporter of living in Kent and liked that we were heading out to explore. He couldn’t believe how many free peonies we came home with after our trip to the peony farm. I honestly feel that I’ve made just as many happy memories through a short train ride to the Kent coast or countryside as I have abroad. I discovered the most delicious lemon curd ice cream in Margate, sat and ate the best fish and chips with a gorgeous sea view in Deal, explored the beautiful little shops of Whistable and sampled the best seafood there. I’d love to share all that here with you guys over the coming weeks.
I hope that once things feel in a more positive place, I’ll be off exploring further afield again, but for now I’m happy to see what I can discover near me by just looking up and around me. But don’t worry I have lots of travel related content to share with you on the blog; guides from recent travels such as my trip to the Philippines earlier in the year and little city breaks. I’ve shared some little day trips already for our our trip to Whitstable or the peony farm, but I’m feeling inspired to get the Travel Tuesdays series back up and running especially after a few of you, friends and family commented that you hadn’t realised places like the peony farm were so easy to reach from London.
Over the coming weeks I’ll be sharing little guides to Deal, Canterbury, Margate and more as well as trips from more distant destinations like island hopping around El Nido in the Philippines. I’d love to hear about your favourite UK day trips or what discoveries you’ve made close to home in the comments below.