Welcome…
…to the adventures of a mildly confused individual who spends far too much time wandering around not really knowing where on earth she actually is.
Awkward.
(But also very true; and I’ve learned to embrace it)
I’m actually a singer by trade, don’t ya know.
(If you’re curious about what goes on onstage, have a peek at my Youtube channel.)
For the last few years I’ve been singing my way around the world on a cruise ship- which is a pretty handy way to get a glimpse of parts of the world I never even DREAMT that I’d see with my own two eyeballs. Don’t get me wrong pals, living on a ship is a bizarre experience which can be tough at times; there aren’t many jobs where you spend pretty much every waking hour with your colleagues, and don’t even get me started on the crew mess food, oh Lordy! But I LOVE working as a singer on a cruise ship and I LOVE exploring the world.
All in all, it’s a pretty ideal situation.
And travelling has clearly become something of an addiction for me.
Whoops.
In between each cruise ship singer contract, I try and explore as many new places as I possibly can, heading to more off-the-beaten-path locations as opposed to the tourist hotspots that I tend to see on my ship-journeys. (After stopping off for a cup of tea or two at home first obv.) I love seeing how people live in other places, discovering the stories behind each location and soaking up the history of a country or city or village. And whilst I’m no stranger to solo travelling, I also love to explore with pals; like I did when hiking through Germany, or on this recent trip to Vietnam.
Read my yearly updates:
2022: The Year of Many Countries
2023: Here, There and Everywhere
So here I am, little old Alex Coleman, collecting a great big web of tales from all the nooks and crannies that this big wide awesome world has to offer. The weird and wonderful human beings, the crazy and the beautiful concrete jungles, the ancient crumbling ruins and the majestic wonders of nature. Mountains and oceans and forests and deserts. Oh boy oh boy oh boy.
Let’s face it, the world is one spectacular place.
Here it is, in all its bloggy glory!
What you’ll find in these posts is a mixture of photographs, journal-style stories ranging from the thought-provoking to the awkwardly humorous (a lot of awkwardly humorous things tend to happen to me tbh), and as many tips and useful pieces of information that I can possibly think of to include.
I’d also like to hereby declare that my aim throughout all of this is to be 100% honest about my experience in each place I’ve visited, whether that’s positive or negative.
Furthermore…don’t get me wrong here- I’m very much up for taking a photo of myself in the amazing parts of the world that I’ve been lucky enough to see- but not if that involves airbrushing out the 632 other tourists in the photo, or climbing a mountain in a silk maxi dress because it’ll get more ‘likes.’
Ain’t nobody got time for that.
I love your blog, you’re a huge inspiration! Keep writing and thanks for the smiles 🙂
Thank you 😊 Glad you’re enjoying reading xxx
Well done!
Such a quality blog.
I am loving your blog!!! Thanks so much for sharing all your wanders, I just got back from Santorini and looking for some inspiration for where to go next so I know what I’m going to do on my lunch break 😀 xx
Ah thankyou very much 😆 You lucky thing, I’d love to go back to Santorini! In fact, Greece as a whole is a rather brilliant place let’s face it 😆🙌🏻 Xx
Alex, this blog is great & really well written in a not-well-written way 🙂 All this bombing Serbia stuff – well, one could go on forever about this sort of stuff. I’m sure Serbia may have bombed somewhere in the past & so on & so forth. The point is that today is today & yes all these things have happened in the past & there were bombings, slaves, wicked exploitation & unknowing exploitation too but one can’t be expected to pay for these things forever. Especially as I haven’t bombed anybody or had any slaves. I was born white in England which suddenly, seemingly puts me at a disadvantage when discussing these things. End of rant. Anyway, isn’t Greece lovely? Stoupa & all around that area. Small islands, little places on the mainland, it’s just a great culture. Love it. Keep going Alex- best to you 🙂
Hi Jef,
Thanks for taking the time to get in touch and yes, Stoupa (and pretty much the whole of Greece) is a brilliant place!
I’m guessing with the ‘all this bombing Serbia stuff’ you’re referring to a conversation I briefly detailed in one of my most recent posts? During that conversation I initially had the same reaction as you- ‘It was nothing to do with me!/ I didn’t do it!’
The Serbian government were indeed doing some atrocious things at the time of the NATO bombings in 1999- most significantly the ethnic cleansing of Albanians. An absolutely horrific act, to put it extremely lightly. NATO however, DID bomb some civilian buildings like schools and hospitals, killing hundreds of civilians in the process.
HOWEVER. As I said in the post, my point is not what happened or what your (or my own) opinion on that particular situation is- but the fact that I was oblivious to England’s involvement. By just shrugging my shoulders and declaring that ‘it had nothing to do with me’ I was not only denying myself a chance to learn about something, but by reacting so apathetically I was giving the impression that I simply didn’t care. Of course this wasn’t the case at all, particularly as several of my friends and colleagues had been personally affected by the 1999 bombings.
I’m really glad that I took the time to learn about it, and listen to their own perspectives.
I too am a white person born in England, however I have only ever felt at a disadvantage discussing our history when it’s something I know nothing or little about.
Of course we can’t ‘pay’ for the things our ancestors did, but having a well-rounded understanding of events throughout history (and not glossing over them or sugar-coating them) are, I think, key to understanding the present.
Although we don’t exactly agree, I really do appreciate hearing your opinion- so thank you, Jef!
Apologies for the delay (9 months – what!?) Alex – a good & honest reply. War is grim, even from a safe distance.You are right in what you say & I was perhaps a little more strident than I needed to be. You might like some of the Greece pics on my Instagram btw – Jefbarnes1306. Best to you!
Hello Alex, I was receiving your posts up until the pandemic. Then they stopped. Since you resumed posting, I no longer receive any. I have signed up on several occasions, but still receive nothing.
Hi there, oh no! I’m sorry you’ve not been getting them and thanks for letting me know. I’ve figured out the problem! I moved to a self-hosted site at the beginning of the pandemic and not all of my original subscribers transferred across properly. I’ve just re-added you to the list- hopefully it’ll fix the problem!