I only gave the idea of writing a blog serious consideration during the current lockdown. About a week before Christmas 2020, while completing a photobook for our last holiday to India at the end of October 2019. Yes, I know – a whole year to do a photobook? Really? Well, I didn’t have time (apparently) or I was lazy (probably).

Why do this?

I have always enjoyed sharing our travel experiences with others and have used Facebook mainly to do that, however there are a growing number of friends and family who are moving away from social media platforms – various reasons, but mainly because its full of Covid related stories and annoying fake stories of a celebrity being dead when they aren’t – that kind of thing.

So, in the absence of any mainstream travel, starting a travel blog seems a bit silly…and maybe it is, but I do think these are the times to get creative, to plan for when the world reopens (I have loads of plans!) by still being thankful and appreciative of what our local areas offer and what we may not have noticed before– even if it’s your own backyard. (cue, the recently found hedgehog which lives behind our shed 😊)

This is one of the reasons that the blog is called ‘Routes of Happiness’. A route as in a direction or path, so it’s not necessarily only travelling that makes us happy as people. Everyone is different. It can be anything that gives us fulfilment and makes us feel positive about being us!

Someone I know posted this picture on social media. It sums up the current situation with lockdown travel quite well and the extent of our travelling experiences. Everyone can relate to it, except maybe the publishers of these guides, who might not find this very funny 😊

Hopefully this blog has a bit of something for everyone who is curious about the world – hikers, regular city breakers, amateur palaeontologists / archaeologists or just anyone who wants a travel experience through our eyes (which by the way can be very amusing sometimes!) We hope it inspires you! 😊

Travel can be as near or far as you want it to be. Happiness comes from within.