Life is in the detail

Lake Annecy in France is unbelievably beautiful, really quiet (too much rain for a lot of tourists) and surrounded by mountains making it the most perfect spot for wild swimming

Ella - Original Traveller

Ella Mawson

Original Travel Expert

I have extensive travel experience throughout France, Italy, Hong Kong and UK.

My travels

Travel Things I Want To Do Before I Die

Go to Copenhagen in the Autumn and get some first-hand experience of the famous Danish hygge. Sit by a roaring fire, eat lots of pastries, play boardgames...the full works!
Travel around somewhere, anywhere, by campervan. Canada, New Zealand, Australia...I'm not fussed.
See the Northern Lights and experience proper stargazing
Go on an African safari

Best Moments

Going for a night swim in Lake Annecy, France. The water was freezing, the only light was from the car headlights and it was completely exhilarating
Weathering a T10 typhoon in Hong Kong and looking out of our window at the usually packed street below to see an abandoned taxi, smashed glass everywhere and some very foolhardy locals struggling to stay on their feet as they battled the wind
Being ridden around the backstreets of Aswan on a horse and carriage and scraping the sides of the narrow streets as we went

Toughest Travel Moment

Celebrating getting through the typhoon unscathed only to realise that the water pipe in our bathroom had ripped clean off the wall (unrelated to the storm amazingly) and for five minutes we had water gushing into our apartment. Rang up our landlord only to be instructed in broken English to "take a picture" to which we responded rather hysterically, "we can't take a picture, our flat is flooding!"

Weirdest Travel Moment

Travelling back from work on the MTR in Hong Kong and chatting to the tallest man I have ever seen in my life only to find out that he was a professional basketball player and the tallest man in all of Italy and Malta (7 ft 5 in). Safe to say we had a lot of people looking our way that journey!

Explore my blog posts

A First-Timer’s Guide to Travelling on the Eurotunnel

If you're desperate to travel post-lockdown but the prospect of flying fills you with dread, we're here to offer an alternative: the Eurotunnel. Board this fantastic futuristic train (big enough to hold a full-sized lorry as well as a full fleet of family-filled cars) and you can whizz under…

The Original Travel Quiz: Week 7

If there's one thing that the lockdown has taught us, it's that old-fashioned fun has become the new norm. A thousand-piece puzzle? Piece of cake. Knitting? A Friday night favourite. The Original Travel Quiz? Highlight of the week. We hope you've brushed up on your travel knowledge because…

Philantourism: The Countries Most Reliant on Tourism and Why we Can’t Wait to go There Once Lockdown is Over

At Original Travel, we're big believers in the power of tourism to help sustain captivating countries around the world. Many countries rely on tourism, whether it's because their economies depend on it, or because the lack of tourism during lockdown has led to an increase in illegal…

The Original Travel Quiz: Week 6

It's week six of the Original Travel quiz. That means that you've already got five weeks of travel trivia training behind you and you're well on your way to becoming the next pub quiz champion when your favourite brewery throws open their doors once again. This week we're not going easy on…

The Original Travel Quiz: Week 3

If you're feeling a little (or a lot) stir crazy and the travel bug is really starting to bite, we know how you feel. There's nothing like a dollop of healthy distraction to keep us dreaming about the future adventures we'll go on once the lockdown is lifted and that's where our weekly…

Our Favourite Gardens From Around the World

At the risk of sounding terribly middle-aged, we love a good garden. But where can you find the best (apart from at Monty Don's house, obviously)? Lucky for you, we've dug up (sorry) a list of some of our very favourites gardens from around the world…

Epic Ways to Come out of Lockdown

In a time of travel restrictions and lockdowns, face masks and flight cancellations, it can be difficult to imagine what our future travel plans will look like. At Original Travel, we like to think of ourselves as forward thinkers, and that's why we're already daydreaming about future…

Best Places for a Multi-Gen Holiday - Reconnect With the Wider Family After the Lockdown

With the world on lockdown and fun family get-togethers a thing of the past, we're willing to bet that the moment the restrictions are lifted, families far and wide will be desperate for a foreign holiday, bringing together the whole clan for a sunny escape. While we may not be able to go…

Tips to Avoid Overtourism

Overtourism: too many of us going to the same places at the same times to see the same sights. With harrowing images of long queues to get to the summit of Mount Everest, swarms of holidaymakers descending on the world's most famous (and Instagrammable) spots, and islands and beaches having…

Eight of the Best Alternative Destinations to Escape the Crowds

If your idea of holiday hell is visiting a famous tourist hotspot with crowds jostling for the perfect shot and you'd much rather spend your precious time exploring under-the-radar hidden gems that are away from the masses, then may we introduce Undertourism. Aspiring Undertourist and…

Babymoon Destinations for Every Season

A little one on the way means big change is on the horizon, and your sights may be set on heading off on one last holiday hurrah before you swap cocktails for cots and happy hour for afternoon naps. Enter, the babymoon. For parents-to-be this is the perfect time for a blissful beach break, a…

Getting Hygge in Copenhagen

Cosy cafes, snug pubs and candle-lit restaurants combine to make the Danish capital of Copenhagen one of the top destinations for a hit of hygge. The Danish word that sums up feelings of cosiness and contentment, hygge encapsulates everything from a good old-fashioned games night with…

Top Honeymoon Destinations in Europe

Venue - check. Rings - check. Cake - check… What's missing? The honeymoon! Let's be honest (although we may be slightly biased), it's one of the most important parts of the whole wedding process. If you're seeking inspiration for that perfect post-wedding getaway, why not look a little…

Valencia's Fabulous Foodie Culture

For a bitesize break bursting with fabulous food and heaps of culture, Valencia is hard to top. This pocket-sized port city on Spain's south-eastern coast is overflowing with cool cafes, lovely local restaurants, buzzing tapas bars and a pulsing nightlife. Read on to discover why Valencia…

'His Dark Materials' Animals and Where to See Them

Imagine a reality in which your soul existed outside of your body in animal form. This is the world created by Phillip Pullman in his best-selling trilogy, His Dark Materials, which was recently adapted into a hit BBC drama starring the likes of Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson and James McAvoy. From…

The Beauty of Balance: Holidays to Detox and 'Retox'

Luxury holidays tend to fall very squarely into two very different camps. On the one hand are the health holidays: lung-busting hilltop hikes by day, healthy farm-fresh meals by night and a smattering of smoothies and spa treatments in between. They'll leave you feeling great but perhaps a…

Skip the Queues at These Secret Galleries and Museums Around the World

With the world-renowned Louvre in Paris bursting at the seams with visitors and New York's mecca of modern art, MoMA, soon due to close its doors for a four-month renovation, museum lovers will have to get creative when it comes to planning their next cultural circuit. Not to fret, we have…

Travel Like Marie Kondo

"Spark Joy". A wonderful phrase that's become synonymous with the Japanese tidying expert-turned-bestselling-author-turned-Netflix-star Marie Kondo. Her method is satisfyingly simple - go through each of your belongings and ask yourself the question: 'Does this item spark joy?' If the answer…

Rwanda: Beyond The Gorillas

Rwanda...where you go to see Gorillas, right? Wrong! Well not exactly wrong, as this is the country that's home to more than half of the world's entire gorilla population, but there is certainly more to see and experience in the 'Land of a Thousand Hills.'

The Most Beautiful Train Stations Across the Globe

In an era of direct flights and last-minute bookings, the 'getting there' part of your holiday can often feel like an inconvenient addition to an otherwise relaxing trip, rather than an exciting part of the adventure in its own right. However, if you're looking to slow things down (which, as…