July on The Little Backpacker

Can I just start this post by saying thank you. July was the best month for views on this blog and although they may not be massive, to see them growing always puts a smile on my face. I hope you keep coming back, oh and if you are a new reader why not introduce yourself in the comments.

Anyway on to this month…

July

This month has been all about London adventures in the sun, well when it was shining anyway…

July started with a little party to celebrate the 4th of July. It was the first time we have properly celebrated since being at camp in 2011 and it was so much fun! After that I squeezed in a cheeky trip back home to the New Forest but since then my feet have been firmly in London. And my goodness are they itchy now.

I’ve climbed tall buildings, dined at a fancy restaurant, watched films under the stars, hung out with bloggers at multiple events, been to cricket at the Oval and canoed down the River Thames. It has been one busy month in London and I really feel like I’ve appreciated London in the summer. However, this month has felt so long especially with being in the city continuously for over three weeks. I’m not made for that. I cannot wait for August.

Where I’ve Been Travelling This Month

Well as I just mentioned I haven’t been abroad this month but lets talk about some of the ticks on My London List.

27. Duck and Waffle and 54. Go up the Shard

I finally got to eat at Duck and Waffle after being disappointed they didn’t have space for my birthday, JP surprised me with a dinner date there earlier this month. Thing is I thought Duck and Waffle was in the Shard (it isn’t), so we decided to trek up the Shard too that night. The weather was perfect and there were barely any visitors that evening, perfect decision.

outdoor cinema in london - the luna cinema

23. Go to Kew Gardens and 65. Go to an outdoor cinema screening

So JP and I booked ‘secret dates’ for each other, the only thing is we both booked outdoor cinema experiences – luckily at different venues and different films. We headed to both Kew Gardens by the Luna Cinema and Grosvenor Square by Nomad Cinema. They were both super fun and pretty different experiences, look out for the full post next week.

83. Watch a game of cricket at the oval and 100. Take a cocktail masterclass

And the final (completely unrelated two). On a sunny Friday in the middle of the month I headed over to Vauxhall for a game of cricket. I grew up in a tiny village where Sundays were saved for cricket matches between local teams. As a 10 year old I went on a cricket tour to Barbados and got to watch the West Indies team. This wasn’t quite that awesome but it was another nice experience of getting back to my roots. Finally I also completed a cocktail masterclass in north London, you know the day the tubes went on strike? Well I thought that would be a good day to go to central London. Never again. Still the cocktails were worth it.

What I’ve Been Writing

The blog has been busy this month, with all this time in London I have had plenty of time for writing blogs. I’ve written about so many different countries and experiences, well done if you kept you with every post.

I reviewed my fancy Airbnb apartment from my Portugal trip in June and talked about things to do around Lisbon.

There were then some random posts like this one of my random thoughts about missing camp america, the one where I talk about cruises and these tips for travel insurance.

I then took another trip down memory lane when I wrote about my tops tips for surviving Edinburgh Fringe and if you are heading for this festival next month, I’m very jealous.

My biggest adventure of the month was canoeing down the Thames River with Secret Adventures. I had an absolute blast on this trip and got my post up straight away. The Go Pro was in full swing that night.

Finally I have put together the best guide for anyone planning a road trip this summer. I have spent half of this month researching for our coming to trip to France and thought my planning process might be helpful for others.

What I’ve Been Listening To

I have had Lucy Rose on repeat all month and my favorite song has to be ‘Like an Arrow’

I’ve also fallen in love with this cover by Foxes of Photography by Ed Sheeran.

What I’ve Been Reading This Month Blog

One of my goals for this summer was to read, I have so much course reading at university that I struggle to find time to read fiction for pleasure. This month I’ve really struggled with reading though, I haven’t even completed one book! I am currently reading Invisibles by Ed Siegle – I’ll let you know when I finish it…

Posts I’ve Loved This Month

As I’ve had so much time this month I have been able to read a lot of blogs. Probably too many to share every single awesome read but I’ll try and share some new discoveries and old favourites.

Lets start with this post by Brenna talking about every single things she knows about travel blogging. Trust me when I say make a large cup of tea and get comfy before you read it.

Molly Bylett is a new blogger I have discovered this month and my does she know how to use a Go Pro. I loved this video she made while on location with them in Austria.

I think we should all take a moment t appreciate this Instagram, I know she has thousands of followers but she has inspired me the most this month. I’d call that winning.

This post on Thought Catalog by my friend Syd pretty much summed up everything I didn’t say in my post about missing summer camp.

Oh and finally I loved this Buzzfeed about awesome hostels around the world.

August…

Well Today I’m off to France on a road trip with some of my favorite people. Since beginning traveling a lot in 2010 I haven’t traveled out of the UK with my best friends. I’m so excited to change that by heading on a road trip with one of my best friend and our other half’s. We will be driving in a huge loop around Paris and even spending a day in the city. Can you tell I’m excited? I’ve really been in London for too long! I’ll being doing daily vlogs, so go subscribe to my YouTube. Also this month I will be heading to Greece on another holiday nanny assignment, just this one is better because I have 5 days to myself afterwards. I will be staying in Skopelos and then island hopping back to Athens. Currently I have done zero research, any tips/ideas would be highly appreciated! During August I will also be photographing a wedding with my Photography Business. You could say it is going to be a busy month… just how I like it.

What did you get up to in July? Comment below with your highlight of the month and any big plans for August.