August in Review: From Finland, to Cuba, to University!

I walked out of my apartment this morning and I could already smell that crisp autumn air. It’s hard to believe how quickly summer came and went, but I’m excited for what this next season will hold. The blog was a little quiet over the last two weeks while I went off to Cuba and then moved into my new home for the year, but I’m back with this little end of summer wrap-up.

Back from the Honeymoon

Cuba was amazing! After getting hitched earlier this summer, Sam and I just took our much awaited honeymoon to Cayo Santa Maria. Even though we’ve been ‘travelling’ for the past year and a half, this was our first vacation from blogging and video-making. It was a week of no Wi-fi, no work commitments, and we did nothing but spend our days alternating between the beach and the pool…mostly the beach! Those photos of turquoise waters are what’s going to get me through winter.

Revisiting Finland

I had no plans to go back to Europe this summer, but when I got invited to come and take part in some summer fun around Southwestern Finland, it was something I couldn’t pass up. The focus of this trip was on experiencing the outdoors and that meant I got to take part in activities like biking, hiking, and midnight kayaking – the best! I’ve already written a summer guide to Helsinki and a post on my visit to Nuuksio National Park, but you can expect more Finland posts in the coming weeks!

Going back to school!

This week I strapped on my backpack, but not to go travelling – I actually just started university again! During my year working overseas in South Korea I discovered that I really enjoyed teaching and that it’s something I’d like to do at some point in the future. Over the next 8 months I’ll be earning my BEd at Queen’s University in Canada so that I’m qualified to teach internationally. It’s going to be a drastic change from country-hopping every few weeks, but I know I’m investing in my future and I’m excited for the possibilities this degree will open up for me overseas! Plus Queen’s has a beautiful campus with old stone buildings covered in ivy, so it’s hard not to feel inspired here.

A taste of designer travel wear

I’ve never been a big fan of travel wear because it seems every time you add the word ‘travel’ to a clothing line, what you get are cargo pants with a gazillion pockets and vests that put Crocodile Dundee to shame. I don’t want to look like I’m going on an expedition to the Sahara unless I’m going on an expedition to the Sahara.

I was happy to try out a few pieces by Anatomie Style during my trip to Cuba because their idea of travel wear is that it should be fashionable and versatile. Their pieces are stylish, comfortable, breezy, and everything else you could want from travel wear. But what I really liked is that their clothing line is something that you can wear on a trip overseas or even back at home; it doesn’t matter if you’re in Monte Carlo or Los Angeles, Ubud or Miami. They’ve taken travel wear and turned it into something that works even when you’re not travelling. (Bonus – they’re having a sale at the moment!)

What I’ve been reading

To Hellholes and Back – This is a book that I read over a year ago, but since I ran out of reading material while on vacation, I snatched it from Sam as soon as he was done with it and I read it again. Chuck Thompson is hilarious and this book is a stream of uncensored thoughts on places and people. As a seasoned travel writer, Chuck has ventured off to all 4 corners of the world, but there are 4 places he has purposely been avoiding; this book is about visiting his personal ‘hellholes’, including: Africa, India, Mexico City, and Walt Disney World. It’s a great read and I enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

The Kite Runner – I finished reading Khaled Hosseini’s second book A Thousand Splendid Suns earlier this summer, and after devouring that one in a matter of days I started reading his first book The Kite Runner. I really don’t know why it took me so long to pick up this book – it has been around for a decade! – but if you’ve been putting it off, you really need to read Hosseini’s work. He paints such a vivid portrait of Afghanistan and his people’s struggles, and his stories are filled with themes of love, friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness that we can all relate to wherever we come from. His depiction of war-torn Afghanistan will break your heart, yet his writing has so much hope for the future.

Last week to enter the giveaway

And lastly, there are still a few more days left to enter the Versalette giveaway HERE. Just fill out the Rafflecopter box and leave me a message at the bottom of the post telling me where in the world you’d take your Versalette, and you’ll be in the running for this prize. (U.S. and Canadian residents only!) The giveaway is open until September 6, so you just have a few more days!

I hope you all enjoyed your last few days of summer. 🙂