Hiking the Incredible Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

There's something beautiful about seeing mountains in winter, when the snow is fresh and thick, the skies are blue but the air has a bite. The cold seasons in New Zealand, and especially on the South Island, transform the rolling green landscapes we all know from those films into icing sugar-dusted peaks instead. I was told that 60% of hikes going up onto Franz Josef Glacier are cancelled due to poor weather, so as we drove to the area, my eyes were firmly on the skies.

My Three Favourite Brunch Spots in Melbourne, Australia

Brunch has become a staple part of my social life at home in London, but the Australians really nailed it first. I'm not a smashed avo on toast cliché, but early mornings aren't my thing either so this new tradition means a lie-in followed by coffee and carbs, and the people of Melbourne sure do know how to start the day off right.

Travelling by Ferry Between New Zealand's North and South Islands

The day I boarded the ferry over to New Zealand's South Island, I wasn't feeling too pretty. A 6am departure meant getting up super early, but it also meant leaving behind beautiful Wellington - a city that I had shown some serious love the night before in the form of many, many gin and tonics. I don't know what it is about boats but they make me much more nervous than planes. A few weeks before I'd travelled on an overnight ferry from Tasmania to Melbourne and remembering those 11 hours of rough seas certainly didn't put my mind at ease.

Nine Amazing Foods to Try at Salamanca Market, Tasmania

The incredible Salamanca Market in Tasmania is, without question, the best food experience I have ever had. To open a post with that line is one hell of a statement, but the variety of foods on offer meant we literally spent an entire day walking from one end of the market to the other with the aim of trying as many things as possible.

Why I Felt at Home in Wellington, New Zealand

I absolutely adore New Zealand. The month I spent there flew by and I feel like I hardly even scratched the surface of what there is to explore. However, despite recommending it to anyone who will listen to me, I struggled to imagine myself living there. That is until I arrived in Wellington.

The Nevis Swing, Queenstown (or, The Most Bloody Terrifying Thing I've Ever Done)

By the time I reached Queenstown in New Zealand, I'd already spent three weeks in the country exploring various tiny towns as well as large cities. The country pulls in adventure tourists, promising adrenalin-rushing activities for wannabe thrillseekers, but to be honest, I was visiting for the stunning scenery more than anything else. Over my time there I had been caving, hiked on a glacier and been on many a boat trip, but the more I saw my fellow travellers indulge in increasingly crazy shit, the more I found myself wanting to try something too.

The Amazing Street Art of Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is my spirit animal. It is a city that I fell in love with immediately when I first visited in 2014 for it's London-on-Sea vibes. The people have soul, the food has feeling and the streets are truly alive. No matter which suburb you're in, Melbourne's street art adorns every surface from walls to lamp posts.

The Best Street Food in Seoul, South Korea

When I travel, I always research the restaurants I want to try, but when I'm in Asia it's more what I'm going to eat rather than where. Street food is the staple of local life but to tourists it could be deemed a bit risky to eat from a tiny stall perched up on the side of the road. Most of Asia's most famous delicacies can be found in this way, from hamburgers in Xi'an to satay in Singapore, so during my visit to Seoul I sniffed out everything I could to find the best of what South Korea had to offer.

Three Reasons You Should Add Hobart, Tasmania to Your Australian Adventure

When I arrived in Hobart, the capital of the Australian island of Tasmania, I literally had no idea what to do. We had a rough plan for a road trip along the eastern coast after a few days, but as we had time to kill in Hobart, we picked up every leaflet we could find the tiny airport arrivals lounge.

The Markets of Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Once I've finished stifling giggles at the name of this area (yes, that's my level of humour), a day in Mong Kok is one of my favourite things to do in Hong Kong. The area is known for its shopping, and as I certainly don't have the cash to splash in HK's row-upon-row of designer stores, this is much more my sort of place. But it's not just fashion on offer, Mong Kok attracts tourists because it has a variety of markets to explore; some much more for browsing purposes than others!

Three Places to Embrace Your Sweet Tooth in Sydney

One of my overwhelming impressions of Sydney is how health conscious it is. Maybe it's because both times I've been I've stayed in Bondi which, although beautiful, has more places to eat avocado on rye than you can shake a stick at.

The Islands of Hong Kong: a Photo Diary

Having been to Hong Kong in 2014, this time around I wanted to see more of the lesser explored areas that I hadn't taken advantage of previously. Sadly both times I've visited I haven't had great weather so I haven't been able to really make the most of the islands around Hong Kong, except for Lantau - the home of the giant seated Buddha that I fell in love with one my first trip.

A Beautiful Japanese Lunch at Tsuru, Shanghai

The fact that I've never been a huge fan of Japanese food, especially sushi, goes down as well with people as when I tell them I don't like avocado or lemon drizzle cake. I get looks of 'who even are you?' when I turn it away. However (and here's a pretentious warning alert), some foods taste better the closer you are to their origin.

Five Places to Explore in Wan Chai, Hong Kong

My trip to Hong Kong this year was my second time in the city. I've already done a lot of the obvious tourist destinations and as my best friend lives there, I wanted to get to know the place a little better. I took to picking an MTR station at random and just walking; guide book in my bag, a local SIM card in my phone and camera prepped. Stepping off at Wan Chai, I picked a direction to walk in, hoped for the best

How to Spend a Long Weekend in Seoul

I'm more accustomed to spend long weekends in a quaint British village, or maybe hopping over to somewhere in Europe like Barcelona. But when I was flying from China to Hong Kong, it seemed a good opportunity to add another country to my itinerary by dropping into South Korea for a four day stint with my best friend.

Cycling the City Walls of Xi'an, China

I knew precisely zero about Xi'an, the city closest to the Terracotta Warriors, before arriving there. With some basic research, I realised there were two things I needed to experience: the Muslim Quarter for dinner, and the surrounding city walls.

Dinner in Xi'an Muslim Quarter, China

Xi'an was an unplanned part of my Chinese itinerary, but as I'd been to Beijing before it seemed to make more sense to head there for a few days before leaving for Seoul and visit the Terracotta Warriors. I wasn't sure what else the city had to offer aside from being the gateway to the famous world heritage site, but a bit of guide book snooping made it clear that eating at the Muslim Quarter was top of the list.

Visiting the Incredible Terracotta Army, China

Let's get this out of the way up front: Terracotta Army, bucket list, once in a lifetime blah blah. You'll have heard all those cliches before when it comes to one of the world's most famous manmade wonders. I was skeptical about visiting but I was damn curious, and although it wasn't on my original itinerary, I decided to make a detour to Xi'an and drop in on those infamous soldiers.

A Day in the French Concession, Shanghai

The French Concession area of Shanghai is a bizarre contrast of traditional Chinese life within a setting that looks distinctly European. Aside from Macau, which used to be Portuguese, I haven't been anywhere in China that actually resembles anything western, so this totally threw me. Interspersed within the characteristic browns and greys I was becoming accustomed to, there were sudden pops of colour, and a whole day of exploring the area revealed so many hidden gems.

Steak and Whiskey at The 1515 West Chophouse, Shanghai

I rarely cook steak at home, but then I often feel it's a wasted order in a restaurant too. Very few places do steak perfectly and I certainly didn't expect to find somewhere that would nail such a challenge in Shanghai.