FOR THE NEW YEAR

WE HAVE A WISH: Let travel be possible, easy and fun again!

Happy New Year to you all!

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all you Travelitas out there in the world, wherever you are!!

WE LOVE YOU!

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Marseille – port, sea and a crazy mirror in the middle of the town center

Welcome to Marseille, the capital of the famous region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in France. Only arriving there at the main station is somehow magic, as the building and it’s surrounding is already beautiful. From there, we suggest you walk directly to the port, the center passing a pedestrian zone.

You will see small fish and mussels markets everywhere, and the traditional Marseille soap is sold.

Arriving at the port, that’s U is forming the city center, you can see boats all around that area but – the best part of it is probably the huge mirror right above where you stand. It reflects you, the sea, the boats – or whatever you like, depending on the angle you look at it. You have to try, we had so much fun.

Try a croissant there or traditional french snails. But make sure you get some of the herbs within your food, it’s just tradition.

We recommend visiting la Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, not because we want you to be touristy, but because we loved the view of the city.

Specialty: try it over Christmas. The Christmas market is cute, the mulled wine is cheap and there is beautiful flower decoration everywhere!

Free your travels, be a Travelita! #travelita #iamatravelita

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Interview Beverly & Shams

1. Okay, Miss Beverley, what was the specific incident that got you to this interview

We have a passion to travel and love experiencing the cultures, traditions, foods, the history, and just learn as much as we can from traveling, but we also want to make memories that will stay with us for a lifetime. We want to make this possible for you, no matter what your circumstances are, simply by sharing our experiences and knowledge.

2. What has earned you the right to be an authority on this topic

In our opinion, we are experienced travelers, providing inspiration, budget tips, and advice, so you can travel more, and follow those travel dreams.

3. What is your brand, your topic exactly about?

Bev & Shams Adventures, are travel bloggers providing inspiration for your next travel adventure, but with a budget in mind.

As we travel, we aim to seek out the best places to stay, eat, visit, and how you can keep your budget to a minimum so you can still have a great travel adventure but won’t break the bank.

4. Why is it important

As we mentioned before, we love to travel, and know so many friends, family, and work colleagues that would love to travel, but do not have the finances. We realized that there are probably so many more people out there who are in the same boat.

We don’t want people to miss out on something they love to do. It was at this point that we realized, we could use our experience and put it to some use. The aim is to get more people inspired to travel and be able to travel, be that to some far-flung destination or somewhere within their own back garden.

5. Now that I know what it is, now that I know why it’s important and relevant, how are you implementing this on your travels? I mean like, is there a process, that you follow when traveling?

Yes, the first and most important thing we do is research. We can’t advise this enough. Once we have established where we want to go, we get online and research, we check fellow travel bloggers and search Pinterest for the answers we need.

Once we have done our research, we then set plans in place such as how much is our budget, where do we want to go (sightseeing), where to eat, are there any tours that are of interest, and of course where to sleep.

We now have a plan set up, we now put this into action, book our accommodation, and create our own itinerary on what we will do on each day, how much we intend to spend each day (budgeting), and apply for any visa where appropriate.

Once we have arrived at our destination, we check into our accommodation. We will often ask the receptionist for a local map of the area, and if they can give us any tips as a local, and any areas that we should avoid for safety reasons.

We will then head out and explore the city using our organized itinerary, taking notes as we go, especially any tips we have picked up from the receptionist, or as we travel.

We will then utilize our findings from our trip, to create an inspiring, helpful, and budget-friendly post on that destination.

6. What if people took advantage of your tips and steps you are providing? What will happen, how will their travel change?

We would love for you to utilize our tips and steps to have the best, organized and budget-friendly trip, allowing you to do something you enjoy, make those special memories, and travel more.

7. Now we would like to get just some general information about you and your travels:

– When did you start traveling?

 Shams traveled as part of her dance group in her 20s to Singapore and did a lot of traveling through Sri Lanka during the civil war years as part of her dance group. Later on, in life, Shams had the opportunity to come to the UK and study dance, and it was at that point that we met.

I (Bev) started to travel with my family when I was about 11. Our family were not made of money and would take a week or two’s holiday once a year to a caravan site on the coast, and just spent some time as a family, exploring the area. I have always wanted to travel overseas, and in my 20s I got the opportunity to travel to Australia on a working holiday visa as a solo traveler and loved the experience. It was at this point that the travel bug hit me, and all I could think about is traveling.

We have both done some solo travel but now come together and travel as two. We are both grateful that we met each other, and have the same passion and ambition to travel.

Do you remember how you felt when you traveled alone for the first time?

We both have similar stories to tell about our first solo trip, Shams was so excited for her new opportunity to come to the UK and study, not knowing how her life will plan out for the future. The emotions really hit home when she boarded the plane, the uncertainty of what her future holds, and leaving her family behind, in a war-torn country.

I had the same feeling as Shams when I was granted a working holiday visa to Australia. I was so excited, knowing that my life was going to change, but uncertain if for the better or not (definitely for the better). It wasn’t until I was at the airport with my parents saying goodbye that it really hit me, and my parents and I could no longer hold the emotions in. Throughout the flight, all I could think about was leaving my family behind. When I finally landed after my long 24-hour flight, and the weather in Brisbane was sunny that it all changed. I felt that I was starting a new life, and things were going to change, and so they did, I was no longer a naïve child, I had to stand on my own two feet and meet anything head-on.

Since traveling as a couple, we always face some challenges along the way.  We both have to consider the other person thoughts and feelings on traveling to certain locations, how much we will set as a budget, are we both going to be interested in the same thing, etc., We both now sit and discuss what we both want out of our chosen travel destination, if we are both going to be satisfied, and plan. Communication is key to keep the relationship balanced, and for us to enjoy our time together and enjoy traveling as a couple.

How did you, or do you deal with fears?

Hahaha, well how about the time I nearly lost Shams in the Grand Canyon, or Shams lost me depending on how you look at it.

To cut a long story short…..

We had gone on a tour from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon on a bus with a friend of ours. The bus driver dropped us off at the first checkpoint, and made it clear to us that we had to get back to the meeting point at the bus on time, or they will leave without us. Off the three of us went, we found ourselves a spot to take pictures, and do a time-lapse. The friend and I decided, we would leave Shams to do the time-lapse and we would walk a little further up and return.

On our return, we couldn’t find Shams where we had left her. Time was running out, and the friend and I headed back to the bus and meeting point, but Shams wasn’t there. I ran back to where I had left her but still couldn’t see her. At which point, I was very concerned about her. I ran back to the bus, to see if she had made it back, but she still wasn’t there. I was thinking of my options when the bus driver said they really must press onto the next stop and will have to leave us behind. It was luckily at this point Shams comes running back to the bus. We were both glad to see each other, and I was glad she had arrived just in time.

We both look back on the incident and comment that it was a scary point in our life. We both remained calm although we didn’t know where each of us was. We both knew the severity of the situation, which drew us back to the bus point. We say communication is key, and it clearly is in this story.

Is there a place where you have been and you would definitely not recommend it for women on their own and why?

As female travelers, we have never encountered a country that we feel we couldn’t recommend.

Do you still have this excitement, when you go for a trip?

Yes, we don’t think that excitement could ever end for us, just exploring somewhere new and learning something different just excites us.

What are your top 5 destinations and why?

We think the top spot has to go to Sri Lanka, I guess we are a little impartial when it comes to Sri Lanka, being the fact that we have family and friends there. Aside from this, the people are so kind, friendly and welcoming, and what can we say about the culture! It is so colorful, Sinhala and Tamil New Year has been the most beautiful celebration we have the experience together. Apart from the celebrations, there’s such a variety of things to do, such as sunbathing on the glorious sandy beaches, wildlife watching on land and in the waters, ancient cities, tea plantations, scenic train rides, and so many more to mention. If you’re up for an adventure, on a budget, then Sri Lanka is the next best place to come.

The second spot would have to go to Poland, we both fell in love with the country the moment we landed. The people are so friendly and helpful, so much history from Krakow being the former capitol, to Warsaw that was destroyed during World War II and since been rebuilt. The architecture is just incredible, and not to mention friendly on your wallet, it won’t be long before we will be back in Poland, exploring the country.

The next would have to be Co Wicklow in Ireland, the landscape was so beautiful, the people are so friendly and polite. We are an active couple and loved climbing the Great Sugarloaf and wandering around the Monastic city and Glendalough. Ireland has a very relaxed atmosphere.

The fourth place goes to Australia, the way of life is so different out there, the people are so laid back, friendly, and very sociable. The landscape is so different, the coast is surrounded by golden sandy beaches, surf spots, and the famous red and yellow flags on Bondi Beach. In the outback, however, is completely different, in some areas it feels like a ghost town in the middle of a desert, sacred aboriginal sites, and rock formation. We believe this should be on anyone’s bucket list of places to visit in their life.

It is not possible to leave our home country of the UK off our favorite places to visit. It is so important to us, that not only should you visit other countries, but you should also explore places within your own back garden. You’ll be surprised at what you will discover! London, of course, is a must with the city steeped with so much history, amazing medieval architecture, and visiting the Queen at Buckingham Palace, well, it is unlikely you’ll meet the Queen, but you can still visit her residence. Outside of London, you can discover quaint little villages, medieval castles, and beautiful coasts especially Durdle Door, in Dorset, are just a few to mention.

The funniest story that happened to you when traveling?

Neither of us can think of funny stories at this point, but I am sure there must have been plenty.

8. Call to action – What do you want people to do?

We would like people to just get out there and travel more, follow their dreams, have an adventure, and make lasting memories.

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Christmas Travels

The most beautiful time of the year comes along – and in this very special year, all the travel restrictions within. It is very difficult to write a recommendation for travel, as we feel like this is a choice that everyone has to do on their own. 

Do you want to travel? If yes, and you do not travel for visiting relatives, you might choose a place with fewer restrictions, for your own joy. We don’t believe it too much fun to be in a place where everything closes at 8 pm, and one spends the rest of the night alone in the room. 

For details about restrictions concerning the country where you would choose to travel to the country where you are coming from, check the local embassy websites, it will also tell you about the local rules you have to adapt. 

Also, what we did not cover so far, but had been a witness of at the airports, please make sure you check if you need a Covid test prior to your flight and that you are within the given time window. Add a bit, in case the flight gets delayed to make sure you travel without any additional interruptions in these strange times. 

We wish you a great time planning. If you think about it. And a safe trip! 

Free your travels, be a Travelita! #travelita #iamatravelita

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