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5 tips when travelling to Fuerteventura

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1. To start with, Fuerteventura means “strong wind” and it’s not without a reason. It’s really really windy here! Maybe it’s a silly thing but it can be very annoying! ( especially when taking photos, omg haha!) My top tip is to either buy a beach windbreak ( I wish I did!) or “get settled” on the beach between rocks or bushes- see where the locals go. They know how to “hide” from the strongest wind! My favourite beach is Playa the Sotavento and Lagunas y Playa de el Cotillo.

2. Don’t forget the sunscreen! Fuerteventura sits in the Atlantic Ocean 100km off the north coast of Africa. The sun here is extremely strong, but you’re not able to feel it due to strong winds. It’s easy to get sunburned ( yup, it happened to me on the first day and I only had a little stroll on the beach!) I have been using the sunscreen all the time since then!

3. Go and explore. It’s my second time here and I have only been here for 7 days and I already visited so many new places I have not heard about last time I’ve been here! This island holds a lot of secrets. Rent the car and go off the beaten track. I promise you won’t regret!

4. Visit el Cotillo- this little town has such a cool, laid-back vibe that comes from being popular surfing destination. It has the most beautiful beaches and so many cute shops and restaurants. It felt a bit boho to me too so you probably know why I totally loved it! I’ve also witnessed one of the most magical sunsets here!

5. Pack something for the chilly evenings. The temperature here are really high during the day but it does get a bit chilly and even more windy in the evening).

XOXO,The Blonde Flamingo

Italian roadtrip with Hertz Europe

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I have always been dreaming of Italian roadtrip- yup, I’ve probably watched way too many movies, haha! This year I’ve teamed up my friends with Hertz Europe and decided to make it happen! What an incredible experience that was! But let me start from the beginning…

We’ve started our trip off in Naples- the capital of Italian region Campania located in the southern Italy, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. We spent the entire day strolling the beautiful streets with a little stop for an ice cream at Bilancione (omg if you ever go please trust me and order Ricotta & Pera ice cream!) We’ve also had a real, Italian espresso at Gran Caffe Gambrinus and watched the magical sunset in Posillipo. However what got us the most excited here is (let’s be honest!) – PIZZA! I am sure you’ve heard that Napoli is a birthplace of pizza. We went to the famous Antica Pizzeria Da Michele– known from the movie “ Eat, Pray, Love’ . The queue was massive and we were super hungry so we decided to order pizzas takeaway and enjoy them outdoors. I felt like Julia Roberts eating pizza with using only hands, surrounded by all shouting and gesticulating Italians!

The next day we decided to head to Positano. It was my fourth time there (it became my little tradition to go there every year as it’s my favourite place in Europe) and believe me- I still can’t get enough of the beauty of this place and counting the months down to go back! What’s also magical is the actual drive to this city. The views are absolutely breathtaking. The best part about renting the car and travelling on your own is being able to stop every time you see a cute spot ( and changing the outfits inside the car, haha). I swear we’ve been stopping literally all the time! So many Instagram perfect locations all around! Ahh, dolce vita!

We finished off this incredible day with a sunset cruise around Amalfi Coast with Bluestar Positano. I swear we all had tears in our eyes. It just couldn’t get more magical! The golden hour was absolutely unbelievable. I was surrounded by my favourite views and drinking champagne with people I love. At first, we couldn’t even take photos as we were all so overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. We just had to take a deep breath and enjoy every second. It honestly felt like a dream coming true. I highly recommend booking this incredible experience!

After the intense day and night driving around Amalfi Coast we decided to get a little sleep and head to Rome the morning after. It was also a very quick visit but we’ve managed to tick off all things we wanted to do- ate pizza with a view for Colosseum, tried traditional roman pasta cacio e Pepe (so simple and so good!), made a wish and tossed the coin in Fontana di Trevi, visited magical Vatican by night ( it was my grandma’s dream and I’ve done it for her) and ate the best tiramisu in a place called Pompi (please visit!). It was enough to fall in love with this city!

The last stop of our trip was visiting the beautiful city of Gaeta. I have been there couple of times and I can’t stop going back. There’s something very special about this little town. I spent the day walking around and admiring the charming and super colourful streets. We’ve also had a pizza in a famous place called Pizzeria Rustica. It was delicious! (Yup, we ate pizza everyday during this trip, haha!)

On the way back to Naples we passed this beautiful vineyard. I just had to stop to take a photo! It felt like a movie!

Ohh, it will be so hard to get back to reality after all we’ve seen during this trip! We had the best time and we’re already planning where are we going next! If you’re looking for a car rental I highly recommend booking your adventure with Hertz. Let them take you there!

Ciao!

5 things I struggle with as a blogger

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Hi guys,

Hope you’re having a great weekend. I started mine off  with a delicious brunch at Ffiona’s with a group of bloggers from all around the world. We had such a fun meeting talking about our careers,plans, trips, patient partners and friends behind the camera and all that inspired me to write a blog post about what I struggle with the most as a blogger and all real stories behind all that I am doing.

First of all- as many of you ask- I am not a full time blogger yet (even though it feels like a real full time job already!) I have a full time job as Social Media Coordinator. Many of you ask why I am still working full time. Is it because I don’t make enough money from the blog? Or because I am scared of change? Is it because I just don’t want it to be a full time job? The answer may be a little bit surprising- it’s simply because I like my job! I know it may sound a bit weird, but I do respect position I am at. I was fighting for this job for very long time and done all I could to get it. I am finally doing what I love and it’s extremely important to me. I used to have a job that I hated so much that every morning I was waking up with the thought that I don’t wanna go to work. Nothing was making me more sad and frustrating. And one day, I finally found the courage to quit and promised myself I won’t ever stuck at the job I hate again. As now I have a job I enjoy doing, I will try to do both for as long as I can.

However I am not going to lie- it’s extremely hard to work full time and run my own business. So my main struggle as a blogger is time. Since I think November, I’ve been working crazy amount of hours to make it all work. What my week really looks like? When do I shoot campaigns and content?  If you’ve ever seen a blonde girl rushing around South Kensington and Portobello with a bouquet of flowers, balloons, suitcase (clothes and shoes to change if I need to shoot few outfits) and a tired looking boyfriend or a friend at 7 am in the morning – yes- more likely you’ve seen The Blonde Flamingo. I always have to shoot campaigns before going to work – plus I always have to beg my boyfriend or a friend to wake up with me and take my photos (omg I know it sounds mad!) I am always on a run, even though I have my shooting locations planned in advance. So many times the locations I planned to shoot at are still closed- this is when I start panicking and nervously looking for another pretty spot. I know it may sound funny but it really stresses me out when I know I only have an hour or two to get it done. After the shoot I am running to work. I am editing and responding to my emails on my lunch break. After work I am running home or to the cafe to finish editing, to write captions, plan trips, book tickets, plan outfits and locations for the next day. Most of the days the only “time off “I have is watching a movie with my boyfriend but most of the times I don’t last until the end of it as I am too tired. Why am I not doing that all in the weekend? The answer is simple- it wouldn’t be enough time. I need to spread the shoots between the days to not get mental ( well, to be honest I get mental most of the times anyway haha!) Also- the crowds! Shooting at the cute cafes is simply impossible in the weekend- if I had to wait 2 hours to sit down at Elan Cafe to take one photo or wait for people to move out of my shot (perfect example is my favourite pink spot- Peggy Porshen) I would never ever get my work done!

Second struggle I have as a London based blogger is the weather. Those of you who were following me for a long time already know my colourful and cheerful editing style. I never struggle that much with creating content during my tropical travels- this is actually when I get super creative. It’s warm, sunny and magical. My head is exploding with ideas and set ups. The real struggle started when I came back to London and I realised that because of work I would need to be here for a while. I’ll be honest with you- I didn’t know where to start. Most of the times I had to push myself to get out of bed at 5.30/6am to get ready for a 7am shoot. Couple of months ago it was still dark at this time so I had to wait for first ray of sunlight to take a photo. Now it’s a little bit easier as days are getting longer, but it’s still freezing! Last weekend I was shooting campaigns in a total blizzard (I just LOOOVE deadlines!) and I was changing my outfits and warming up in the phone box hahaha ( I swear- this Instagram story had the biggest amount of views ever!) but seriously speaking- I’ve been so cold and so sick in the last few months because of all that. I can’t wait for the spring to finally arrive and make my work at least a little bit easier!

Another thing I am struggling with is finding the balance. Last few months all I was really doing was working, working and working. And all I can think of and talk about is work. This had a negative impact on my relationships. I’ve just been so busy! And I know it’s not really easy to be my partner right now. Building all that takes so much of my time and it’s something I think of 24/7. I am constantly reading, learning, researching, analysing, negotiating, planning and organising. Sometimes I get really stressed, down and tired and think of giving up as I know my lifestyle at the moment is not healthy but I promised to myself I’ll start working on it and look after my health and my family and friends better. I am so blessed I have them on my side!

Another problem is lack of real time off.  Since I’ve started to think of this blog more seriously, I’ve been devoting almost all my holidays allowance to building the content. I barely go home to see my family as I simply don’t have enough days to do so. The press trips are not really flexible dates wise so many times I had to decline because of not having enough holidays left ( always crying after that I swear! ) If I manage to make it, I work on every single trip that others call a “holiday” or my favourite comment a “free holiday” – nothing comes free and bloggers work days and nights to pay off the complimentary accommodation or trip they’ve been invited to. So may times my friends and colleagues were asking why am I so pale (after a tropical trip)- the answer is simple- I wasn’t on holidays! I went on a work trip!  At the beginning it wasn’t bothering me, but as now also being in London is so intense with work and shoots I started to dream of a trip or retreat that I could completely switch off. Turn off my phone, forget about Instagram, photos and simply lie down on a sun bed and do absolutely nothing for at least couple of days. I promised to my boyfriend we’ll do it this year- we both need it now more than ever.

And the last struggle – lack of space. Since I’ve became a blogger, I had a chance to work with a lot of amazing brands and designers so I became a lucky owner of so many beautiful clothes, bikinis, shoes, bags, accessories and cosmetics. Now, after not even a year our apartment (that we only moved to last year in May and it felt so spacious) is simply too small. I can barely close my wardrobe. My dressing table is totally full. The amount of shoes I have its simply unbelievable- I never though I’ll have so many pairs at this age ( but I am not going to lie it’s always been a dream of mine as I looove shoes!) so because of me and my business we have to change apartment for bigger. Isn’t that insane?

What do you struggle the most as a blogger?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 facts about The Blonde Flamingo

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Hi guys,

Slightly different post than usual, but I realised I don’t share enough with you (besides my travels) and would love you to get to know me better as a person! Hope you’re survive until the end, haha!

  1. I LOVE puppies I am literally a freak – all my family and close friends know that. I can play with puppies, touch puppies, talk about puppies, stare at puppies on the street and think of puppies all day long, haha. When I am stressed or in a bad mood- I watch videos of puppies and all my negativity and stress is gone in a second. I also have the names for my puppies chosen already! The only question is when am I going to have one?
  2. I am addicted to mangos– omg. I swear I can’t survive a day without eating a whole mango by myself. I prefer mangos more than any sweets in the world! I recently found that one shop that sells the sweetest and most juicy mangos I’ve ever had in my life( well maybe except those I had in Zanzibar!) and I go there almost every single day.
  3. I’ve always wanted to travel the world and move abroad At first, my parents were not very happy about it. They wanted me to finish off University in Poland – as every ‚normal’ person- as my dad called it. But deep inside I knew that following the system is not for me. I also wasn’t even sure what I wanted to study. All I knew was- I want to travel the world. During my last year at high school I was already working on the weekends (while others where partying) and saving money to get all courses and certificates I needed to be able to apply for an animator job abroad. I went for a casting- omg it was insane- I had to dance and sing in front of everyone on a proper stage, but I was one of the 17 people who got offered the job out of over 200. Signing that contact(my first proper job) was the happiest day of my life that time, haha! Imagine I was sitting on a plane to Greece one week after my final exams without even knowing if I passed them or not! The adventure was all I cared about.
  4. Blogging was always something I wanted to do Of course- 8-9 years ago it wasn’t as popular as it is right now and I didn’t think about it as future, dream job, but I just simply enjoyed it and had this idea in my mind. When I look back, already as a 15,16 years old girl I was going out with girls to take photos, shopping at second shops, doing some DIY, going on little summer trips abroad with my friends and I was sharing all my adventures and outfits on a platform called Stylio. However at 17, I had some personal issues and I’ve given up ( I wish I never have) and stopped working on it. It took me few years to get back to this vision of my life. Moving to London at 19 years old definitely helped me with that- it’s such an inspiring city! Here I started to believe that nothing is impossible.
  5. London is not my final destination Even though I love this city with all my heart. This is where my „real life” started. This is where all my ideas and dreams were born. This is where I’ve grew up, fallen in love, made friends, started my own business and I think the most important thing- this is where I found myself and started to believe in myself.  However somewhere deep inside I belong to the ocean breeze and sunshine. In the near future, I’d love to settle down somewhere more relaxing than busy London (where I run around all the time rather than walk) where I could wear summer dresses all year long, eat fresh seafood for dinner everyday and watch sunsets on the beach every evening. Not sure where that perfect place is yet, but I am not going to lie that Italy is the country that stolen my heart with all its beautiful traditions, delicious food, melodic language( have I ever mentioned I can speak a basic Italian? Don’t mind my bad grammar though!) and warm people and this is the place I am considering as my future home. Could I please have a little villa in Positano and a pink vespa, please?

 

New Year in the Maldives

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Hi guys!

Those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I have celebrated the New Year with my bestie in my favourite place on Earth- Maldives. I still can’t believe it actually happened.  It passed soooo quickly! But we had absolutely the best time and would love to share more with you!

So Siobhan and I were trying to meet each other for like a year. We’ve connected via Instagram and something really clicked between us and we continued talking to each other every single day since November 2016 –  when I was in Maldives for the first time and Siobhan was getting ready for her trip there. We kept in touch all these months. We even had a dinner in Zanzibar arranged once and her connecting flight got cancelled – can you imagine how unlucky we were? That was February. Then in May we were meant to see each other in Mykonos where I’ve celebrated my birthday and Siobhan at the end and very last minute changed her mind and flew to Aruba. Again we didn’t meet, but kept in touch and kept inspiring and motivating each other through the year. Until Maldives, our dream trip. Together. Our favourite destination on Earth! It was all very last minute and chaotic but when we had our tickets booked I thought “Omg, this is destiny! It was meant to be”

What I mean by chaotic is that I have almost missed my connecting flight- we both flew from different cities- Siobhan from Dublin and myself from London and we were meant to meet in Turkey and catch our connecting flight to Male. My flight was over an hour delayed and when I looked at my phone and time when I landed I realised I had 10 minutes to departure time! OMG. I have never been so stressed- sorry to all people I pushed that evening but I just didn’t think- I HAD TO MAKE IT. I literally flew through the whole airport to the gate and saw this little girl in a pink fur (she looked like a flamingo I swear to God!)- the only person standing there as everyone was already sitting on the plane. Omg, I couldn’t breath! But I made it. We hugged like old friends all ready for our first adventure together! As it was all just crazy we didn’t even think to buy the seats next to each other and our tickets showed Siobhan in the front and myself in the back of the plane – brilliant. But we decided to sit next to each other anyway haha, we literally pushed it, I am still laughing when I think about it- big thanks to the guy who changed his seat for us and let us talk and laugh all flight! Yup, we were exhausted but talked and laugh all 9 hours flight. I felt like I knew her all my life! Isn’t crazy?

We were literally dead when we got to the Maldives- zero sleep, jet lag and hunger haha, but I knew I am not allowed to sleep as we were getting on the seaplane straight after and it was my deepest dream! WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. I can’t  even find right words to explain how incredible that was. You HAVE TO experience it yourself. The view was just unbelievable. Yes, we were in paradise. My heart was beating so fast, I had tears in my eyes the entire time and I was holding Siobhan’s hand as I couldn’t believe this was really happening!

The first hotel we checked into was The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi. This is where we were celebrating New Years Eve! We have fallen love straight away! Take a peek!

The last night of 2017 was absolutely incredible. At midnight, we just stood by the ocean, watched fireworks and cried from happiness. We were just so happy and grateful for what we have achieved so far. It’s been an extremely hard working and stressful year for both of us and we felt like this was a prize for all these struggles and hard work- celebrating the New Year in paradise. We danced, we laugh, we cried, we had a swim at the ocean at 3am, loads bubbles and chocolate! What a night. The most magical New Years Eve in my life so far.

Hello 2018!