advice

Our blogger, or should we say bloggers of the month for February are Becky and Graham (Gray) from Global Grasshopper, an independent travel blog with some of the best photography we’ve seen in a while! They have kindly shared their top travel tips and experiences with us, be prepared to get some serious travel envy!

1. If possible, tell us where your favourite place in the world is and why?

I've cheated a bit and chosen three places. I would choose Amsterdam because it's so open minded, Laos because it's the most unspoilt place I've ever visited (mind you, I did go 13 years ago, so it's probably changed a bit since then!) and California because it's the place I think about most when I'm sitting at home in cold, rainy London. My husband would say Tokyo for its neon lights, gadgets and super polite people (although not necessarily in that order).

2. If you could have your pick of anyone to travel with, who would you choose and why?

We'd have to say each other! Although if we had to say anyone else I would say Zooey Deschanel because she's adorable and I have a girl crush on her character in New Girl. Gray would take adventure survivalist Ray Mears because he'd come in handy if he ever found himself in the wilderness.

3. What is the one thing that you could never leave home without?

Aside from our laptops, Gray wouldn't go anywhere without his cherished Fuji X100 camera and I wouldn't leave without over-sized hand luggage - this is mostly down to my paranoia about the airline losing my main suitcase/backpack.

4. What is the most incredible sight you have ever seen?

Again I think it's impossible to just pick one. Stand out memories include looking out from Yosemite Park's Half Dome Vista, seeing hundreds of bats flying out of a cave at dusk on Koh Phi Phi island and watching dolphins swim in the wild in Portugal. Oh, and the views of the Amalfi Coast from the Italian mountain town of Ravello were also pretty hard to beat.

5. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?

I think we must be the two least adventurous eaters out there. I'm a vegetarian and although there are probably some people out there who think tofu stir-fries are pretty strange, I'm not sure it counts. Gray accidentally ate reindeer in Norway once, thinking it was a beef steak.

6. How many stamps do you have in your passport? Any favourites?

Between us, we now have a pretty good collection. I think I'm most proud of my Laos stamp probably because when I took my trip it was still a very secretive and restricted country. I remember having a really tense moment at the border control and then feeling a mixture of relief and achievement when getting through.

7. What is your top tip for people that are about to embark on an adventure?

Don't worry too much about how everything might turn out, you'll be surprised about how well you can cope if things don't go your way.

8. What is your most memorable moment whilst travelling?

Murdering a Bonnie Tyler song in a private karaoke booth overlooking Tokyo, stumbling across a pig sacrifice ritual in Thai Hill Tribe Village (for all the wrong reasons) and being stalked by a giant wrasse while snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef.

9. While travelling, do you miss/crave any home comforts? If yes, what are they?

If we ever decide to go camping (which isn't very often) I tend to miss nearly every home comfort. Otherwise the only thing we are miss are people.

10. What is the main reason why you love to travel?

Because it beats sitting at home. But seriously, anyone who has travelled will know it's one of the best things you can do in your life.

Check out the Global Grasshopper blog here