Through the early-morning haze, against a backdrop of exhaust fumes, beeping horns and music piped through loud speakers, you can spot the morning exercise crowd gathering around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. Shuttlecocks sail back and forth, runners diligently circle the water’s edge, groups of lycra-clad women bust out aerobic moves and bizarrely, couples can be seen practising their waltz. For lack of green space in this city, Hanoians have made the lake into their oasis of calm amid the chaos of life in the Capital.
22 November, 2014 /
So, you want to teach English abroad? In that case you’re probably wondering what kind of qualifications you need, which country you should move to and how you’re going to find a job, right? At least, these were the things I was most concerned about when I decided to step into the world of English teaching. One of the first decisions I made was to take not one, but two TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) courses - here’s why.
15 November, 2014 /
No matter which corner of the world you call home or what type of life you lead, we are all constantly moving forward through the pages of our own story; movement is the very essence of life, but this is quite literally true if you’re a traveller. The kind of freedom I experience when we’re on the road facing everyday afresh, often in a brand new place, is exhilarating. I crave that freedom but strangely, I also fear it. A part of me constantly longs for routine, familiarity and the chance to stand still and pause for breath - right now we’re taking the opportunity to do just that here in Hanoi.
07 November, 2014 /
When we set off to travel the world in 2013 I never imagined that I’d end up teaching English to five-year-old kids in Vietnam. Back in London I worked as an online writer and continued freelancing during the first six months of our travels through New Zealand, Australia and Asia. I am more used to offices and computer screens than noisy classrooms and the feel of chalk on my fingertips, so just how did I end up here? What's it actually like to teach English in Vietnam?
31 October, 2014 /
Built over 1,000 years ago, Hanoi’s Old Quarter is perhaps the most famous, historical area of the city.  It certainly seems to attract the most tourists, particularly around Hoan Kiem lake, where you can catch Hanoian’s exercising every morning and evening.  We live just a 15 minute walk away from the Old Quarter and go there often, mainly to eat in our favourite cafes or pick up some groceries from one of the delicious French-style bakeries.
25 October, 2014 /
When we decided to teach English in Asia we had a lot of decisions to make. Which country did we want to live in? How easily could we find a job? How much money would we make? What qualifications and experience did we need? We wanted to choose a country we felt we'd enjoy living in but with our travel fund running low we also had to consider where we could earn the most money and take into account visa issues.
16 October, 2014 /
Yes, I know what you’re thinking, isn’t it a little bit early to be deciding where we’ll be this time next year? Not for me. I know that some people enjoy going with the flow and making spur-of-the-moment decisions but I’m not one of those people. Andrew and I have been making travel plans for 2015 ever since we moved into our apartment here in Hanoi and we’ve come to some surprising decisions about where we want to go next.
09 October, 2014 /
Our initial 15 month trip ended with three weeks in Taiwan; a tiny island in the east of Asia not to be confused with Thailand and certainly not part of China! We really liked the cleanliness, orderliness of the Taiwanese, especially in the capital city Taipei where we stayed with a fantastic Couchsurfing host Jackie. Take a look at our Taiwan video for the highlights of our trip.
04 October, 2014 /
We’d had high hopes for Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan. We’d visualised something similar to Laos' Luang Prabang; old colonial buildings, narrow streets, local markets and stunning temples - a complete contrast to modern Taipei.  Instead, when we got off the train we were greeted by an identikit Taiwanese city full of tall, glass buildings, malls, chain cafes and traffic. Confused, we tried to take a taxi to our hotel but despite showing several drivers the address in Chinese and getting a kind Taiwanese man to translate for us, everyone refused to take us.
24 September, 2014 /
There are two contrasting sides to Taiwan: the modern, high-tech cities which are sprinkled with colourful temples and the lush, mountainous countryside.  We spent roughly half our time in Taiwan exploring the bustling cities of Taipei, Tainan and Taichung and the other half hiking around in the National Parks, where we got to see some of Taiwan’s most amazing natural wonders.
20 September, 2014 /