I Have Some News

Hey Owlets,

You may have noticed that for the last month or so I've been a little quiet - I know it was easier to blame lockdown but that's not the entirety of the story. If you follow me on Instagram you'll probably have noticed that I've spoken about working on a project that I can't talk about yet, and if I'm honest I'm a little concerned that I've overhyped it, but for me it's a huge deal and it's going to be quite a big part of my content going forward. So, the news... ( and no, I'm not pregnant or engaged before that enters your mind)

100 Days in Lockdown: Learning to Love the "In Between"

Hey Owlets,

I can't believe I'm even writing this but we've passed the 100 days in lockdown mark - given that the government said it would be for 3 weeks initially I think a lot of people weren't prepared for it to last this long. I realise that just sitting down and chatting isn't something I tend to do much of anymore, and because of this I've neglected my blog pretty badly over the last three months. In all honesty I've found it hard to think of anything to write because I'm not doing anything - at the start I still had loads of ideas of articles to write, loads of topics to cover & behind-the-scenes stories from trips to laugh about as I shared them with you, but when most days have blurred into one it's been hard to find the motivation to write. As well as this, my boyfriend has always worked really long hours so I was being a bit selfish by making the most of having every day together while my blog gathered dust.

Lockdown Date Ideas

Hey Owlets,

Welcome to week 10 in lockdown - at this point it feels like I should be saying "in the Big Brother house". Since lockdown began I've been in a constant battle of slipping into a routine, that routine turning into a rut and doing everything I possibly can to break out of it. One of the toughest challenges has been adjusting from seeing Jack a few times a week when we both have busy jobs, to living in one room and being together 24/7 for 3 months. Before lockdown, on our days off we would try to have one rest day and one day where we do something nice together. Lockdown turned every day into a "do nothing day" whenever I wasn't working, so we wanted to find ways to do something different within the confines of the current situation. So, if you're struggling too then here's a few lockdown date ideas; I've tried to make them isolation-friendly, so if you're not living together you can still try some of these dates out, and of course these ideas are also great if you're single and want to treat yourself.

Follow Me To: My Lockdown Birthday

Hey Owlets,

In case you didn't see my previous post where I pretty much had a meltdown about feeling old, it was my birthday last week. I know I'm not the only person that had a birthday in lockdown, but it's one of those weird situations that not everyone has experienced, so I got a lot of questions about what it was like. So many, in fact, that I thought I'd go back to "old Owlet" style with a follow me to post. It feels weird writing one of these, but the whole world is weird right now so I feel like that makes it OK.

I can't lie, I was dreading my birthday this year - partly because the thought of being in my mid-twenties was terrifying, but also because I was prepared for a lockdown birthday to be totally miserable. From the start of lockdown I was hoping the world would pick up on my thoughts and ease lockdown before my birthday - it kind of happened, but not really. I'd pretty much decided that I was going to cancel my birthday and have another year of being 23, but the boyfriend talked me into accepting my fate, and between him and my parents they were determined to make it special.

I Guess I'm Mid-Twenties Now

Hey Owlets,

I'm officially 24 years old. Looking at my audience stats I realise that statement is going to get a mixture of reactions ranging from "bloody hell, she's getting on a bit" to "what's she on about? She's just a baby" but for me turning 24 was absolutely terrifying.

I have never been good with ageing - I hate change and I hate thinking about the future because in the future things change, so getting older and having to learn to adult a bit more is absolutely terrifying - am I ever going to pay off my student loan? Does anyone ever pay off their student loan? Why did no one think it was a good idea to teach us anything useful in school?

Working from Home: A Freelancer's Guide

Hey Owlets,

For the last two years I've been lucky to call The Owlet my job - as long as I have a camera, laptop and internet connection I can work anywhere in the world. At times it has it's drawbacks, but as the rest of the world has suddenly been thrown a taste of freelance life (all be-it without the sending shouty emails about not being paid & wondering how you'll pay for the weekly shopping!), we suddenly have the upper hand because we're so used to having to work from home. However, I know there are a lot of people struggling and I'm getting daily messages from you asking for advice, so I thought it would be good to share a few tips about how I work from home so it can hopefully help you too.

Lockdown from the Perspective of a Travel Blogger

Hey Owlets,

At the beginning of 2020 I sat down to start planning out my year. It's something I've tentatively done before, but this year was going to be the big exciting one. I've been fortunate that in the last year my blog has really taken off and I've started being invited to some incredible trips which meant I actually needed to plan what I was doing, where I was going and when. 2020 was going to be an incredible year for me - I had some amazing collaborations lined up and it was looking like, after my first international press trip last July, I was going to be going on a few more this year to places I'd not have chance to visit so I was going to be able to bring you some really unique content. Then Coronavirus happened.

In the blogging world people have switched from reviews and destination guides to articles on what to do at home and tips to help your mental health, which is great, but for someone who's completely and utterly travel obsessed, it's hard to write something that you don't get excited to talk about. The one massive taboo that seems to have been introduced, however, is that travel bloggers should absolutely under no circumstances talk about how the lockdown has affected them and their job, so guess what I'm doing?

My Work from Home Morning Routine

*This post is in collaboration with Bathrooms Direct Yorkshire, retailers of Waters Baths*

Hey Owlets,

While working from home is pretty normal for me, a lot of you have said how going from working in an office to working from home is a real struggle. Even though I'm freelance, I'm used to working in cafes or while I'm travelling, so even I'm struggling a little. If you've read my tips for working from home article already you'll know that one of the most important things that helps me is getting ready for work each morning; even though I'm not going anywhere getting ready for the day physically makes me feel ready to be productive. As I know we're all struggling at the moment I wanted to share my morning routine on a work from home day, to hopefully help you and give you a little inspiration and advice.