Who am I and why am I here?

Hi, I’m Tesni! (the taste bud traveller) Founder of this blog. Its aim for people to use my advice to travel better, cheaper, and longer.

Have you ever thought:

“Travelling is too expensive, I will have to wait till later in life”
“Where do I find good travel deals?”
“Flights, accommodation and food are so expensive, how do I save money on them?”
“How do I plan a trip?”
“How do I stay safe and healthy?”
“I want to travel more, but where do I start?”

If you have, This blog is for you!

All destinations, restaurants and attractions that will feature on this blog, will have personally been visited by myself and all paid for out of my pocket. I will be sleeping in hostel dorm rooms and budget hotels, eating from roadside vendors and using public transport. My aim, is to show you what its really like travelling the world from your backpack on a budget!

From Victim to Victor

Growing up in England, the feeling of going on holidays as a child brought with it a sense of escapism. Leaving the cold, rainy weather to be accommodated by a climate so different to what I was used to. Until the age of 19 (other than school trips) I had only been on family holidays. Several to the beautiful island Jamaica and also to Spain.

Vanessa, a close friend and I booked flights to Milan, to commemorate our 19th birthdays. We decided on a long weekend of shopping and of course eating in style. Our journey began so well, working our way through Gatwick airport seemed a breeze and we hadn’t left anything behind. Soon after landing in Milan, we got on a coach from the airport which took us to the station so we could take the ‘Metro’ (underground) to get to our hostel. I had just purchased my train ticket and put it in my purse which I put in the right outer pocket of my coat; inside it too was all my money for the weekend.

As our train rolled up, everything was so timely. Everyone moved with such precision, clutching their bags with every ounce of strength in them. (Not that I noticed at this point). My friend managed to get on the train and she was now facing me (who was awkwardly barricaded by two women). One was stood directly in front of me, so close I could feel the heat radiating off of her. (It was early December). The other was stood to my right, equally as close, it felt so uncomfortable. That was however overridden by the nauseating feeling that I was going to be left behind whilst my friend was transported elsewhere in Milan with no method of contact. I kept saying to the lady in front of me ‘excuse me, excuse me’ to which she told me she didn’t understand. I had a heavy suitcase and a heavy heartbeat at this point as the doors began to beep indicating that they were closing. Finally the woman in front moved out of my way. I was able to get on the train, and I breathed a sigh of relief!!

My relief was short lived as I watched Vanessa’s face drop, “Tes”’ she said “yes” I answered. “I think they’ve taken your purse.” She exclaimed with a look of helplessness plastered across her face. The racing heartbeat quickly became a deep sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I turned around, the train doors had just shut and I saw the two women smiling ear to ear, with my purse in their possession. The profanity I shouted on that train, was understood by all, in spite of the language barriers! But it was too late.

Even though we didn’t get off to a perfect start, the trip started me off with ‘the travel bug’. My definition of this, ‘the consistent urge to go and explore lands foreign from what you’re accustomed to’. From the moment I caught ‘the travel bug’ I have wanted to do nothing but travel, see more of the world and learn about all the different people and cultures it pertains.

I made my first lone traveller trip to Jamaica in September 2016, I spent my time going up and down the island, relaxing on glorious beaches, sipping on sweet homemade cocktails, tucking in to freshly prepared food, spending time with the locals and immersing myself in the culture. This really set in stone for me that, travelling and eating is what I want to do. I mean, who wouldn’t?

This blog therefore is dedicated to all my future travels and the foods I consume among them!!

Big Hugs.

Tesni x