how to take better photographs

I once knew a guy who took the worst photos I've ever seen in my life - and he did it as a profession. He would spend thousands on equipment without knowing a single thing about how to actually capture good images, and his work suffered badly for it. Considering he'd quit his job to do it full-time, his family expected him to actually be able to make an income from it - and yet, most of his work would be unpaid and unwanted, and most importantly, goddam awful. Whilst good equipment is great, being able to take photos people actually want to spend time looking at is so much better - and so, I've pulled together some ways in which you can make your photos more unique and, more importantly, not absolute crap like that photographer.

how to stay safe with airbnb

On my recent post about Adeje, you guys were all so shocked about my Airbnb host and how they treated us, with y'all wanting advice on how to avoid having the same fate. Nearly being left stranded and homeless on a foreign island is something no one should have to go through with such a trusted home-sharing site, and so I feel as if I am now qualified enough to give you guys tips on how to avoid getting left in the dark like we were.

how i overcame my fear of flying

For those of y'all who don't know, I'm the worst when it comes to flying. Not because I still have a debilitating fear, but because my main coping mechanism is to ask questions and thoroughly understand everything that is going on around me. This sounds like a great anti-fear technique, but recently, I was sat in an airport departure lounge and was asking about what would happen if the plane got hijacked, and who takes over if the pilot got shot? A woman shaking out of her skin ended up approaching me and begging me to stop nattering about Final Destination-esque scenarios, because she has agonising aviophobia and what I was saying put her on the verge of throwing up. It turns out that there are actually a bunch of ways to deal with a fear of flying, and what may work for some may send others into full panic mode. Regardless, I've mentioned some of the best ways to deal with a fear of flying, and how I personally overcame mine.

how to survive a music festival

So I recently spent the best part of five days at Reading Festival, which to those of you who don't know is this massive music festival in Berkshire. It's like this younger, more reckless version of the famed Glastonbury, but full of chavs drinking Redbull and downing Ket, featuring vastly overweight girls trying to fold themselves into sequin pants. It's the sort of place you'd be lucky to come out of without scurvy, trenchfoot, or hepatitis. Most people there end up crying in the foetus position in their tents at some point (be it because of the cesspits of human waste regarded as the toilets, or the horse tranquilisers everyone's bent on trying), but alas, instead I've brought you a guide on how to not let it get that bad. 

How to Live like a Local in Warsaw, Poland

A couple months ago, I bought a guy I was kinda seeing a trip to Poland, merely because it looked pretty cute and I was also 90% sure he mentioned his love for cold countries. However, when the trip came up recently, I discovered that in fact, he actually really dislikes cold climates, and also - well, we were together no longer. 

Regardless, the trip was super cute and I had so much fun with one of my favourite people ever, and even though my Polish was so bad that at some point out security guard shooed me away shaking her head, I had a wonderful time. Although, to be fair, I did mess up. A lot. And so, if you don't fancy embarrassing yourself to buggery, I've compiled this list of super helpful tips, so that you don't buy dodgy tickets off an old guy or cause a sign to fly through a shop or eat a stick of butter thinking it's cheese (my friend coped horribly when he did that).

Visit Paris on less than £200

A couple of days ago it was my friend's 20th birthday, and so we decided to take a trip together to Paris for a few days to celebrate. The idea of Paris has never appealed to me (gasp), mainly due to the fact that I don't like London at all, and everyone told me that Paris was basically London but with more dirt and baguettes. However, I decided to visit Paris for the first time - and the result? I fell completely and utterly in love.

Imagine, little old French ladies with perfect hair and make-up carrying teensy chihuahuas under their arms, with men that oozed sultriness and seduction, imposing and ornate buildings on every corner, guys playing accordions and xylophones on the metro, delivery boys with massive bouquets of bright blue flowers going to the cream-coloured houses with the shutters on the windows. I couldn't fault a single thing - and even the beggars sat on their corners with little rabbits in their laps. We went into French cafes where we ate crepes, and roamed the streets where we bought quaint velvet bags and macarons, and spent the evening in restaurants where they brought out pasta and salads with grapes in and orange juice they added bottled water to (a delicacy apparently). We took photos with Mona Lisa, and saw Paris from the top (the best view was from the Centre of Pompidou - you're welcome), and gazed at the Eiffel Tower as snow started falling around us. Reading this, you're probably counting dollar signs in your head, working out how we could afford such a luxurious trip to one of the most famous countries in the world. The truth? It came as easy as breathing. 

Where to Escape Winter in La Palma

So this Christmas I went away to the beautiful Canary Island of La Palma, a lil place to the Northwest of Africa, and frankly it's easily become my favourite island ever. With a vast majority of the island made up of lava rock, resulting in striking black sand beaches and dramatic backdrops, it's a real surprise that it's not a  major tourist destination. Still, as more people learn about the existence of this island, tourism will hit it, hard. I doubt it'll look anything like it does now in ten years time, and that's kinda sad. But alas, the lack of holidaymakers was evident, which meant that I didn't have to passive aggressively wait for old Keith from the taaahn's ass to move out my shots like I usually do (I know, thank god). Only thing was, with the lack of English speakers I had to rely on my Spanish to talk to anyone, and whilst I adore the way the words feel in my mouth, I am pretty damn crap at it at times. But hey, at least their English was worse than my Spanish.

How to spend an 18th birthday in Glasgow, Scotland

So I recently turned 18, which means that I am now a super old responsible adult. At the time of writing, I've only been this insanely elderly for two days and yet am pretty sure my face is already wrinkling up, and I'm definitely feeling the aches and pains of old life. Regardless of this, to celebrate my big day in style my incredible friend Jaimie took me to Glasgow, in Scotland. No joke. He literally took me to Scotland. Insane.

Technically, I spent four days having walked on Scottish land, but as we decided to travel through the night I basically just spent two full days there. I live in London, and Jaimie doesn't like flying, so we decided to spend the nine hour journey on the coach, meaning we could sleep and save money on hotels. I also adore coaches, and easily spend the four/ five hour journeys I often take to Wales just listening to music and staring out the window. However, is it fun to do that at 2am when you have approximately ten inches of leg space? No. Not at all. Really, badly, awful idea. Don't do it. Especially in my old age the journey darn nearly killed me.

How To Plan A Budget Weekend Away

As Christmas season approaches, holiday prices skyrocket, and those of us who have an undying urge to travel and get away for the winter are left in, well, crap. For my fellow budget travellers who sacrifice luxury in order for longer, cooler trips on a regular basis, these holidays can be pretty tricky to work around. Do you not go on a sojourn to India, or do you not eat for a week? Priorities, priorities. However, with this handy little guide, you should be able to flourish away from your home country on a budget, even if only for a weekend. Happy holidays!

How to Make the Most Out of Your Trip to Tuscany, Italy (Pisa + Florence)

Often considered to be the City of Love (move out of the way, Paris), Florence is a place of pure grandeur, intricate architecture and enticing romance. Each street haunts you with eerie remnants of relationships gone by, and seduces you into falling in love with new places, people, and food. Whispers of Italian, well-spoken by gorgeous women in furs and older men with a dusted look about them, drift through the streets. But the locals don't express themselves through words alone - no, they communicate with body language and smooth hand gestures. Sounds, vague and vowel-less, draw you in, with the rich history of the city ever so alluring. And me? I adored it. I adored the pretty things, and the rolls of the Italian r's that you would catch from a passerby. The city, dripping in romance and antiquity, just waiting to be explored. Who did I go with, you ask? My ex-boyfriend.

How to See The Best of The Republic of Ireland in Three Days

Okay so we all know the band Kodaline, right? The band I was originally meant to see last year, before they rescheduled? The band I was meant to see on their new date, but couldn't because I'd accidentally bought a holiday to Germany? The band that I decided I was going to see this year, regardless of how much tickets may cost, or where in the world they might actually be performing? We all know that band, right? So this month, I decided to fly all the way up to Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, just for one evening of Kodaline. Was it extremely tiresome to travel cross-county to hear a couple sets? Yes. But was it also extremely worth it to get to see Ireland? Also yes. Definitely, definitely, yes.

Top 5 Things to See and Do in The Lake District

Last month I went to the north of England with a guy who would turn out to be a massive douche, and his family (who were all sweethearts), and I had a pretty good time. For someone who loves travel, experiencing new things, staying in a new house, and getting free food, the mini-break was perfect for me, especially as there were so many interesting things to see and do.

We stayed in Windermere in the Lake District, which is known for being an area filled with such vast natural beauty, that it's even a favourite place of my boss to travel to. We set off from Watford, a place relatively near to central London, so you can imagine what it was like spending a six/ seven hour journey in a tiny car with four other people and a dog. The outside scenery slowly changed from tarmac to tumps (no, not the US presidency candidate that we all thought entered as a joke), and made me feel more and more like I was embarking on my way to the Shire. From there, we went to Buttermere and Glenridding and Kendal, and spent a lovely eight days scouring cliffs and towns - my favourite five of which are categorised here. Warning: I took way too many photographs.

How to: take a trip to Dusseldorf, Germany on less than £150

A couple of weeks back, I was feeling very restless because I hadn't flown cross-country in a while, and so I went onto my #1 flight search engine site, Skyscanner, to book some cheap flights out to, well, literally anywhere. And weirdly enough, a little German town called Dusseldorf came up, offering flights for only £15 each each way, and I just couldn't refuse (despite not knowing a single thing about the town). Honestly, I thought it'd just be full of museums and art galleries - but it turned out to be so much more. Due to the fact that I'm still only 17, and this is the first international trip I'd taken without a family member, I had a strict budget to stick to - £150. Now I knew that this budget could be pretty difficult to stick to, with hotel rooms and food out, but I managed to do so, simply by asking around and figuring out how I could save the pennies. As it turns out, it's easy to get a 5* German experience.. if you know where to look.

How to make the most out of your trip in Rome, Italy

As y'all know, this month I went to Rome, Italy, and was kind of shocked at how insanely beautiful everything was. So naturally, I thought that for this month's post, I would talk about all the best parts, my recommendations, what to avoid, etc, and then next month I'd do a full-detail description of my experience. Enjoy!

~ Cobbled grounds, back-street ruins, warm winds and stunning buildings, everywhere ~

how to: redirect a blogger blog to a new URL

A few months ago, I made the drastic decision to change my URL - and everything that follows. This was potentially extremely risky because 1) all traffic could disappear 2) people could get lost on their way through redirects and give up trying to find this here blog and 3) Awkward Donkey was my baby, I'd had the URL for three-ish years, and it's what people had come to know me as. However, I had been unhappy with my URL for some time, and felt that a change of scene could only be a good thing.

I lost 4,500 readers in one month.