My husband and I decided to skip the chaos of a big family Christmas in New Zealand and escape to the UK for a traditional, white Christmas. The only time jetlag has worked in my favor, we got up before sunrise on Christmas Day and wandered the streets of Kensington, looking at the lights, interrupting a fox, and enjoying the novelty of snow (which was only just holding on given a snow fall 3 days before we touched down!). My favorite Christmas memory

Nothing quite compares to the beauty of these tiny Italian towns. I volunteered for a month with the Olive Harvest in this completely breathtaking Italian mountain town. Even after a month I was still awed by the views, the people and the history of the region. 

Sri Lanka is such a land of contrasts, from stunning mountains, to wide open  plains, to incredible surf beaches and world class diving. It's really difficult to select a photo that comes close to showing the depth of experiences that you can have in Sri Lanka. This photo came about by chance, I was at a guesthouse due to join a Safari the next morning and was invited to meet the fishermen coming in. Nothing fancy, cost nothing and yet stuck in my mind as such an example of Sri Lankan hospitality.

This was a whirlwind trip to meet up with a friend who was in Australia from the UK. We spent our days hiking, visiting breweries and the incredible Blue Mountain Sauna (highly recommended!). A special opportunity to connect with dear friends and create new memories is one of the things that makes travel so wonderful.