Hey, I’m Abbie – one half of acouplescalling! I currently live in North Wales with my partner Jack and this is our base, in between our holidays and city breaks around the world.
After meeting Jack in 2015 at university, we both discovered that we had this love for travel in common. Throughout our course, we saved as much money as we could and planned an epic trip around Asia.
That’s when we started our travel blog and we’ve continued writing every since. Of course, we’ve had some epic adventures since, and we’ve got plenty more planned too.
We’re not made of money, so we make our trips as budget-friendly as possible. However, we love sharing our adventures with you guys, and we’re here to show you that travel can be affordable.
If you want to learn a bit more about me, then keep on reading!
About Abbie
Throughout my childhood, I used to visit Scotland on a regular basis with my family. I think this led to my passion for travel, especially as Scotland is still one of my favourite countries to date.
Apart from a trip to Spain when I was a toddler, my first international trip was with high school all the way back in 2008. Since then, I’ve had a huge passion for travel and I’ve now been to 18 countries, along with exploring England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
When I’m not working on our blog or writing travel content for other websites, you’re sure to find me hiking a jungle somewhere or trying some delicious local food.
I live for exploring, and I have a bucket list as long as my arm. Follow along for my future adventures, as I show you beautiful destinations, wonderful wildlife, and authentic cultures.
10 Things To Know About Me!
Before we dive into my favourite travel destinations and experiences, here are some unique things you should know about me:
- I’m a freelance travel writer – As well as founding and writing for our own blog, I’m also a travel content writer and have written for several big travel blogs and websites.
- I grew up as a mum to two of the best pooches – Unfortunately, my two terriers; Phoebe and Izzy passed away recently, but they’re still the biggest loves of my life (as well as Jack of course!).
- I have a huge sweet tooth – Chocolate is my favourite, but I’m certainly a big fan of sweets too! It’s safe to say I’m pretty addicted when it comes to tasty treats.
- I absolutely love nature – Whenever we travel, I always look to visit places where I can spot the local wildlife. This could be a boat tour of the ocean, a jungle hike, or a safari!
- Autumn is my favourite time of year – Not only do I love Halloween, but Christmas is right around the corner. This is my time for hot chocolates, cosy film nights, pumpkin picking, and baking.
- Every year I have a Harry Potter movie marathon – I LOVE the Harry Potter movies! I’m a huge film buff, with my other top picks being Jurassic Park, the Hunger Games, and the Twilight series.
- I grew up playing games as a kid – In fact, I still love gaming today, as my Nintendo Switch is often to hand. Pokemon, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot are some of my nostalgic choices.
- It’s my dream to convert a campervan one day – I’d love to explore more of the UK by campervan, and one day, even ship it over to North America to explore Canada and the United States.
- I’m scared of flying – As weird as it sounds, I’m terrified of flying and have been ever since a dodgy landing experience in Borneo. I’m super scared of turbulence and frequently cry on flights haha!
- My dream is to have a farm – If I ever have the money, I’d love to save all the dogs (and other pets) from kill shelters, and give them a fabulous life on my cosy farm!
How I Prefer To Travel
I’m a budget traveller by heart and love getting into the nitty gritty of every destination I visit. You won’t find me staying in 5* hotels – unless someone is offering 😉 as I try to find the cheapest accommodation possible, so I can spend my money on experiences instead.
However, I’m not a hostel person now. I’ve been there and done that, and prefer to find somewhere cheap that offers a double room. Although I love meeting new people, my social battery can run out pretty quickly haha!
While travelling, I aim to always embrace the culture and try the local cuisine. I’m not really a tour person (unless I’m short of time and they offer great quality) and simply prefer to explore self-guided.
Also, I love to cram my itinerary and don’t really know how to relax while away. Not to mention, I’m a huge wildlife lover, and always like to centre my trips around this!
My Favourite Destinations
After visiting 22 countries (including those within the United Kingdom), it’s really hard to pick favourites. However, there are a few that stand out above the rest!
1. Scotland – I’ve loved Scotland ever since I was little, as I used to visit nearly every year. It’s the epic landscapes, moody vibes, and majestic castles, that steal my heart every time (and Loch Ness of course).
2. Sri Lanka – Honestly one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to. The people are lovely, the food is delicious, and there are so many awesome wildlife-watching opportunities to be had here.
3. Ireland – After exploring both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, I would recommend them to anyone. I may be biased, as my grandad was from Dublin, but the country is absolutely jaw-dropping.
4. Peru – I’ve never seen a country so diverse – epic mountain ranges, coastal regions, and lush rainforests. Getting to see Machu Picchu was a highlight for me, as well as exploring the Amazon Rainforest.
5. Malaysia – Both the mainland and Malaysian Borneo have so much to offer, in terms of wildlife, culture, and food. Not to mention, there are so many fantastic places to visit in this country.
Some of Our Other Favourite Destinations
Getting my favourite places down to just five is extremely difficult. There are so many places that I’d go back to again and again, and I want to share some of these as well!
We spent 8 months travelling through Southeast Asia and some of these places really stole my heart. However, I’m a big fan of Europe, and Peru has now convinced me to explore more of South America.
You can read about some of my other favourite destinations on the blog. I’ll drop some links below to my top destinations:
- 4 Days In Singapore – An awesome city, with so many things to do!
- Berastagi – Found on the island of Sumatra, this small town is surrounded by volcanoes.
- Kefalonia – One of my favourite Greek islands for sure, it’s so beautiful.
- Vietnam – We spent 3 weeks exploring Vietnam and we’re planning to head back there!
- Barcelona – This was mine and Jacks’s first holiday and it still holds special memories to this day.
My Most Memorable Experiences
I’ve had so many fantastic experiences while travelling and it’s hard to narrow them down! However, there are a few that I will never forget, and would certainly do again.
1. Seeing blue whales in Sri Lanka – Whale watching in Sri Lanka is an experience I’ll never forget, especially as we got to see the largest mammals on Earth, among other marine life.
2. Having clear skies at Machu Picchu – We visited just after Peru had encountered political unrest, so not only was Machu Picchu very quiet (with no crowds) but there were no clouds in the sky!
3. Going on a river cruise in the Amazon Rainforest – If anyone has the chance to visit the Amazon Rainforest, take it. The wildlife here is insane and you’ll get to spend time in nature.
4. Seeing wild orangutans in Borneo – Visiting Borneo had been on my bucket list for so long, and we were lucky enough to spot orangutans during our trip on a river cruise.
5. Going on a tiger safari in India – Seeing tigers in Ranthambore National Park was one of my most memorable travel moments, and I honestly felt on cloud nine!
My Bucket List Destinations
Although I’ve been to over 20 countries, I have a bucket list as long as my arm (or even longer!). Here are a few of my top picks, just in case you were wondering.
1. Alaska – I’m dreaming of seeing Alaska’s national parks, epic mountain ranges, and wildlife. Honestly, I’d love to spend like two months here, but I think a lot of saving needs to be done for that!
2. Nepal – As well as hiking to Everest Base Camp, I’d love to spend a few weeks exploring Nepal. The mountain ranges here just look fantastic and there are so many awesome places to visit.
3. Africa – Vague I know, but I really want to go on an African Safari. It could be Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania or anywhere, but I want to see lions, which are my favourite animals!
4. The United States – There are endless cities and national parks on my bucket list and I could easily spend 6 months here (and hopefully I will one day). Road-tripping the country is my dream.
5. Japan – The culture in Japan looks insane and so does the food. Of course, I want to visit every Pokemon shop there is, but Mount Fuji is another huge bucket list destination for me.
Thanks for Stopping By!
So there you have it, you know now a little about me! Along with some random facts, I’m sure you’ve got an idea of how much I love travel.
If you want to learn more about the blog rather than its authors (me and Jack), then hop over to our About Us page. Here, we talk about our purpose for starting this blog and just how much it means to us!
I love getting to know our readers, so feel free to connect with us and drop a message on our socials. Instagram is what we use the most, or you can send us an email.