Weekly Wanderlust is AllSole’s summer-long series of interviews with our favourite travel bloggers. From unique travelling tales to tips on where to explore next and what to take with you, Weekly Wanderlust is a hub of discussion designed to intrigue and inspire you on to your next adventure.
Last week we caught up with travel blogger and YouTube sensation Charlotte Hole who spoke to us about her action-packed and story-filled adventures across Cambodia, the destination she would love to call home, and the things a successful blogger cannot do without on trips away. This week, we are chatting to travel, fashion and lifestyle blogger Charlie Elliot. Based out of London, Charlie has been blogging about her travels, latest looks and favourite foods for several years, becoming a respected and popular blogger in the online community. Her blog, Charlie Distracted, is a content-rich archive full of tips, inspiration and fascinating stories from her travels interspersed with news from the fashion world, interesting thought pieces and often envy-inducing food reviews.
- Question: What has been your most memorable travel destination and why?
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Answer:
This is near-on impossible to answer! Potentially Xi’an in China as I was totally on my own and very much the only western person in the city. It was a public holiday and I’ve never seen so many people, the pollution was terrible and I was so disorientated; I wondered why the hell I’d chosen to travel alone! It got better, but my survival instincts really had to kick in.
- Question: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
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Answer:
I have a real soft spot for Melbourne. It’s like a sunny East London; loads of great boutiques, bars and brunch spots – I feel totally at home there!
- Question: What is the strangest thing you have seen or encountered while on your travels?
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Answer:
Walking into a public toilet at the top of the Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery in Hong Kong and being greeted with a sign that said, ‘BEWARE OF MONKEY ATTACK’. Nothing like the fear of rabies to get you out of a toilet quickly!
- Question: If you could only listen to one album during your next trip, what would it be?
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Answer:
I have a playlist on Spotify called Good Things, and it’s literally just every song I like. It’s about 8 hours long, but it ensures I never get bored of what I’m listening to.
- Question: What was the tastiest/strangest food you have tried while abroad? Are there any foods you can no longer eat at home because you’ve tasted it in its native country?
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Answer:
Food is the reason I travel. I’ve eaten so many incredible things, but I think my favourites include murtabak from Little India in Singapore, Sichuan hotpot in Chengdu and seat trout in Bergen. I also only eat tofu in Asia; it’s just never done right in the UK, but it’s amazing over there!
- Question: What are three key objects you could not do without while travelling?
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Answer:
My camera with a whacking big SD card, my phone with a portable charger and spare tissues because I always spill things or end up eating with my hands in Asia.
- Question: What is your perfect book or magazine for travelling?
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Answer:
To be honest, I’ll read any old thing whilst travelling. I tend to scribble in a notebook most of the time.
- Question: How do you feel your travels informed your life?
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Answer:
It sounds massively cliché, but my love of travel has just completely shaped my outlook on life. There’s so much out there to see and I want to experience it all, there’s just not enough time!
- Question: You can only take one pair of shoes in your hand luggage; what are the one pair of shoes you cannot do without while travelling?
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Answer:
My Nike Air Max Theas. They are so comfortable and they go with everything.
- Question: What has been the funniest word/expression/language you have encountered during your travels?
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Answer:
I shared a hostel room with an American woman whilst in New Zealand and we had an hour long debate how you pronounce ‘aluminium’ and she found it hysterical that the British actually use the word ‘knickers’!
- Question: What is the perfect bag for travelling?
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Answer:
A medium sized rucksack with thick straps and plenty of pockets hidden inside.
Keep track of Charlie’s latest adventures on her blog, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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