Priya Mehta

Learning to dive safely was much harder - and much more rewarding - then I imagined it would be. I read that people often felt nervous to begin but on top of the world after they mastered the art... but I didn't find a great deal about how people felt in between. So below are some highs and lows I went through during our 4 day course in Koh Tao, Thailand. While I hope you enjoy this slightly dramatic post about my RAID Open Water 20 journey, if you're thinking about diving for the first time please know that I finished on an incredible high and absolutely cannot wait to dive again. A huge thank you to Matt Lewis and all the team at Roctopus Dive; you guys are amazing. Thanks to Crossfit Tommy for the recommendation! Certified and smiley!   Thoughts on Day 1: Introduction & Induction It's like being back at school; there's a classroom, a teacher, study material, homework , and quizzes Oh god. A 6am start? Is that even allowed? Should I men...

For us, Dubai was predominantly about indulgent eating and drinking, having some down time after the wedding, and spending quality time with friends. We both had such a brilliant time! We wouldn't have been able to do what we did here if it wasn't for our school friend who moved to Dubai a few years ago, who put us up and hosted us - thanks so much Shyam!  Travel Wallet:  CCY: AED  Visa (British Passport): Not needed if trip is less than 1 month Vaccinations: Not required Backpacker budget: £££   Peaks in pictures:   View this post on Instagram Stop 2 of our trip: #Dubai 🇦🇪🎒 I’ve just finished looking over our photos and summarising these 4 days on the blog - it’s been fun to realise who I visited one of Dubai’s most romantic spots with 🙊 #thanksShyam #MineshandPriyaTakeaBackpack ——————————————— #mydubai #travel #wonderlust #travelgram #femaletravelbloggers #burjkhalifa #dubaimall #o...

I had intended to blog as a way of keeping in touch while we were away, but as soon as we started our trip I realised that I had no intention of spending any time on my phone (or on social media) at all, woops   Now that we are back home and settled, I am posting what I reflect on.  I hope some of this is helpful to others looking to do a similar trip!  Where? Our route: 0. London > 1. Edinburgh, Scotland > 2. London > 3. Dubai > 4. India > 5. Sri Lanka > 6. North Thailand > 7. Laos > 8. Vietnam > 9. Cambodia > 10. South Thailand > 11. Singapore > 12. East Coast Australia > 13. New Zealand > 14. Fiji > 15. Hong Kong >  16. Day Tour in Seoul, South Korea > ***. London! How did we plan our route? Start off by having our sabbatical applications accepted  "WAHEY 6 months! Let's go see the whole world!" List out our top 10 destinations  (...