Behind the blog: Jayne Gorman, the lovely gal behind the 40 Before 30 Challenge, commented on one of my posts and I have since fallen in love with her adventures. She gave me lots of tips for my London trip and did I mention she’s making it a point to visit 40 countries before she turns 30 and she’s already up to 35? You can do it, Jayne!
What’s in a name?: “40 Before 30 is about my personal quest to visit 40 countries before I turn 30. I started this year at 25 years old and having visited 30 countries I thought it would be a fair and fun challenge to set myself the 40 before 30 challenge. I have had an unexpectedly mad year of travel however and managed to knock off 5 new countries and revisit 7 favourites before I turned 26. I expect the pace will now slow down however and I’ll enjoy writing up my adventures from the last year to help get me through.”-JG
Why should you read?: “To find out what not to do whilst travelling! I have a habit of getting into ridiculous or embarrassing scrapes but I’m not afraid to talk about them– see ‘What not to do in Asia’ for the time I handed over my passport to a dodgy dealer or ‘Taking a risk at the Paris Ritz’ for why you shouldn’t lie to a concierge. I would also love to think that people would be inspired to travel to some of the places I have been to based on my tales, not all of which involve mishap– see ‘Dharvai- the real Mumbai?’“-JG
Favorite posts: “The most popular post on my site is one about my mixed reactions to visiting China for the first time. I like to think that people appreciate the honesty. I personally enjoy writing posts related to the traveling lifestyle. My favourite is ‘What not to do when you meet the love of your life,’ a field in which I have much expertise!”-JG
I also love her posts on the traveling lifestyle. Her post about getting sick in Australia is a good read because what’s worse than being sick on the road? And her post on the hip Croatian island of Hvar is good for anyone visiting for the summer. Last but not least, you MUST read about her what not to do list at the Full Moon Party.
What are your favorite blogs to read?: “I hate to admit I am not a very loyal follower of anyone :( I’m a bit fickle and tend to read whatever catches my eye on Twitter or StumbleUpon (which I am still trying to get to grips with!). I am of course a regular reader of this blog, and am honoured to be featured, thanks Caroline. I am also a huge fan of Andi Perullo and her Beautiful Adventures because she represents everything which is great about the travel blogging community. I’ve learnt a lot from her.”-JG
Aww, I love Jayne! Her China blogs really opened my eyes that not all travel experiences are always fantastic. This was definitely something I needed to keep in mind when I was in China this year as well!
Thank you for a lovely write up Caroline – I so look forward to reading these features so it is really exciting to be in one! It's also really interesting to hear what other people enjoy reading, I used to think I wrote only for myself but you and Connie have made me change my mind. Thank you both xx
Very fun blog to catch up on, glad you featured her! 40 before 30 is an ambitious goal, but I'll be rooting Jayne on!
Awwww thanks a million for the shout out, you can't imagined how touched I am. Much love from the Bahamas!!!