Stuff I learned on the road...

I do love exploring! I've never been one for feeling homesick and I've always loved going to new places. As a child I was lucky that my parents took me on plenty of holidays all through the year, whether it was flying away somewhere hot or camping in the rain. My Mum is a bit of a bargain hunter so we never really did package holidays or all inclusive - "off the beaten track" she calls it. I've grown up with the same mindset if not worse and Ryan is the same! Our journey this Summer was extremely loosely planned, even my Dad was shocked at the lack of organisation. Here is what we've learned from our laidback adventure...

From My Kitch Instagram

You can travel FAR and wide with a lot less money than you would spend on a package holiday. I dread to think how much it would have cost for flights and hotels for a month in France and Spain. We both spent just over £500 each and that included ferries, petrol, camping, food and everything else that we did over the last month. The maps below show the route that we took and the main places that we stayed - it was so long that google wouldn't let me put it on one map!

England to France to Spain

A - York

B - Chelmsford

C - Calais

D - Fontainebleau

E - Limoges (Limousin area)

F - Gorges du Tarn

G - Avignon

H - Aix en Provence

I - Finca Slow (Ginestar)

J - Villa Davison (Albox)

Spain to France to England

A - Villa Davison

B - Basque country seaside

C - Bordeaux

D - Poitiers

E - Calais

F - Chlemsford

G - York

Being the frugal pair that we are, we only bought one saucepan and a small bottle of gas to cook with. I have learned that it is in-fact possible to cook for two people using just one small pan. We had to get a little bit creative with our meals such as boiling pasta, tipping it into a mug, making a sauce and then adding the pasta back in. It was a challenge walking round Carrefour and Intermarche trying to plan our meals!

Spending a fortnight in Paris or the Costa del Sol doesn't give you a true reflection of what the country is actually like. If I thought all of Spain was like Benidorm then I certainly wouldn't be returning! I've been to France and Spain before but seeing so many areas of each country by road has changed my perceptions of them. It's amazing that all the pictures below are taken in France - each place is so different from the English channel to the rural heart and Mediterranean south coast.

Staying with friends and family is really handy! It's always nice to see a familiar face (even though I don't get homesick!) and to have a catch up with your loved ones. We were lucky to have so many people to visit on our journey; those stops are some of my favourite memories. I loved our crêpe party with Claire, watching my Grandad battle the waves and eating tapas in the sunshine with all the family.

Your car does suffer. Poor Fred (named after his FRD registration plate) has driven more than a fair few miles. We have pretty much lived in Fred, he's carried the tent, our clothes, toiletries and most importantly the food box! He definitely needs a service and new tyres. Here he is chilling with me in Fontainebleau...

You can learn stuff even if you can't really read the language. It's worth visiting museums and stuff rather than just sitting on the beach - improve your tan and your general knowledge. We didn't spend our whole holiday geeking out but it was fun to explore and learn new things when we could :)

Always try new things! For me just driving on the other side of the road was a big new challenge. Whether it was canoeing down the Tarn, playing on a green gym, building a sauna out of mud or eating fish with eyes, it was all exciting, fun and new.

Now I want to go further afield! All that we have seen and done in just two countries has now inspired me to get out and about way more. There has been talks with Ryan about visiting Germany, Marrakech and India so watch this space :)