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The Flyaway Girl

A Brit Abroad.

About the Girl

Hola and welcome to my blog! Thanks for visiting – I hope you’re enjoying it! I created this blog to provide inspiration on underrated destinations you need to visit, plus tips, tricks and itineraries for amazing places around the world.

I’m assuming that, since you clicked on this page, you want to find out who The Flyaway Girl is. Well, that’s me.

Exploring Chefchaouen

My name is Penelope Louise and I’m 30 years of age. I’m originally from the UK but live in Gibraltar with my fiancé and our two cats. I graduated in 2018 in German and International Management and now work full-time as a travel blogger and content creator here in Gibraltar.

I speak English and German fluently, as well as conversational Spanish. I absolutely love learning languages and always try to learn the basics when I visit a country. I’m currently working on learning Japanese!

I have currently visited 63 countries in the world and my current bucket list “to-do” is to visit every country in Europe. I currently have two left to visit, these being Kosovo and San Marino!

Countries lived in:

  1. Austria
  2. Honduras
  3. United Kingdom
  4. Germany
  5. Gibraltar

Countries visited:

  1. Albania
  2. Andorra
  3. Armenia
  4. Australia
  5. Austria
  6. Belarus
  7. Belgium
  8. Bosnia & Herzegovina
  9. Bulgaria
  10. Canada
  11. Croatia
  12. Cyprus
  13. Czech Republic
  14. Denmark
  15. Dominican Republic
  16. Estonia
  17. Ethiopia
  18. Finland
  19. France
  20. Georgia
  21. Germany
  22. Ghana
  23. Greece
  24. Honduras
  25. Hungary
  26. Iceland
  27. Indonesia
  28. Ireland
  29. Italy
  30. Japan
  31. Latvia
  32. Liechtenstein
  33. Lithuania
  34. Luxembourg
  35. Macedonia, Northern (FYROM)
  36. Malta
  37. Moldova
  38. Monaco
  39. Montenegro
  40. Morocco
  41. Netherlands
  42. New Zealand
  43. Norway
  44. Poland
  45. Portugal
  46. Romania
  47. Russia
  48. Serbia
  49. Seychelles
  50. Slovakia
  51. Slovenia
  52. South Africa
  53. South Korea
  54. Spain
  55. Sweden
  56. Switzerland
  57. Thailand
  58. Turkey
  59. Ukraine
  60. United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi)
  61. United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland)
  62. United States (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming)
  63. Vatican City

Territories visited:

  1. Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory)
  2. Guernsey (British Crown Dependency)
  3. Isle of Man (British Crown Dependency)
Hey! I'm Penelope, the Gibraltar-based travel blogger behind The Flyaway Girl. I spend my life looking for the most amazing hidden gems around the world.

My purpose is to help you find the most incredible underrated destinations and to share tips and tricks on what to see, things to do and what to know before you go!

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This is your reminder that Japan will look like th This is your reminder that Japan will look like this in just three months time 🤩
 
COMMENT ‘autumn leaves’ for my map with the best autumn 🍂 spots in Japan! 🇯🇵
 
Add these destinations to your Japan autumn bucket list 👇🏼
 
📍 Momijidani Park, Miyajima
📍 Eikandō, Kyoto
📍 Kiyomizudera, Kyoto
📍 Osaka Castle & Nishinomaru Garden, Osaka
📍 Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi (with Mount Fuji views!)
📍 Meiji Jingu & Yoyogi Park, Tokyo
📍 Koishikawa Korakuen, Tokyo
📍 Kurobe Gorge, Toyama
📍 Kenrokuen, Kanazawa
 
Autumn is absolutely one of my favourite seasons and it’s truly so beautiful in Japan!
 
Did you know that peak autumn foliage has its its own name in Japanese? ‘Koyo’ is the peak autumn colours, usually occurring in late October and through November 🍂 the iconic bright red maple leaves 🍁 are known in Japanese as momiji, and they’re truly incredible!
 
Google ‘Japan autumn foliage forecast’ to see the latest predictions of the best time to see the peak autumn colours! It’s a great guide on when to book your trip 🤩 currently estimations are the following:
 
• Hokkaido - early October
• Tokyo - late November
• Kyoto - mid to late November
• Yamanashi (e.g. for Fuji) - late October to mid November
• Osaka - mid November to early December
• Miyajima - mid to late November
• Fukuoka - late November to early December
 
The north gets the leaves changing earliest, while the south will be the latest. There are so many places from October to December where you’ll be able to see autumn colours in Japan!
 
Send this to someone you want to see autumn colours in Japan with ❤️ 🍂
 
Have you seen Japan’s stunning autumn colours yet?
 
#japantrip #japantravel #japanautumn #fallfoliage #visitjapan #traveljapan
In less than two weeks Málaga will look like 💃 In less than two weeks Málaga will look like 💃🏻🎡☀️🍷🥳 and this is what you need to know 👇🏼
 
📆 August 17th - 24th
📍☀️ Feria del Día: Málaga Centro
📍🌙 Feria de la Noche: Recinto Ferial Cortijo de Torres
 
The Feria de Málaga is unique in that the day Feria (Feria del Día) and the night Feria (Feria de la Noche) take place in different locations!
 
The day feria transforms the entirety of the centre of Málaga into a huge party and it’s amazing! There’s dancing in the streets, music, food and so much more 🤩 in my opinion, in makes Málaga one of the best ferias you can go to!
 
The feria will start with the Cabalgata (cavalcade) at 8pm on the 16th August, then an incredible drone show and fireworks show ay midnight at the Port of Málaga 🎆
 
Make sure to watch one of the Verdiales performances, a form of flamenco that originates from Almogía, a town to the north of Málaga! It’s amazing to watch 🤩
 
Have you been to the Feria de Málaga yet? 💃🏻
 
#malaga #feriademalaga #andalucia #visitmalaga #malagacity #costadelsol
Postcards from Cinque Terre 🏝️ 🇮🇹 which Postcards from Cinque Terre 🏝️ 🇮🇹 which photo or video is your favourite?
 
I wasn’t sure about posting the last one 🫣 but I kinda love it 😂
 
📍 Locations:
 
1. Riomaggiore Marina
2. Bagni Fegina, Monterosso al Mare
3. Coastal Path, Monterosso
4-6 Riomaggiore Marina
7-8 Via Visconti, Vernazza
9. Bagni Fegina, Monterosso
10. Coastal Path, Monterosso
 
On our day trip to Cinque Terre, we visited three of the five villages - Riomaggiore was stunning, but definitely more effort walking wise 😂 it’s very hilly with lots of steps, so not the best if you have any mobility impairments. In comparison, Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza were pretty accessible and step-free in most areas!
 
Have you been to Cinque Terre yet?
 
#cinqueterre #italytrip #italytravel #cinqueterreitaly #monterosso #vernazza #riomaggiore #5terre
If you only have one day in Cinque Terre, here’s If you only have one day in Cinque Terre, here’s the itinerary for you 👇🏼
 
This is a perfect itinerary if you don’t want to rush about all day trying to visit all five towns (I wouldn’t recommend it!) and also don’t have the fitness/mobility for the hikes between towns.
 
COMMENT ‘link’ 💬 for my full blog post with this itinerary in-depth!
 
1️⃣ Monterosso
 
Start in beautiful Monterosso al Mare! Admire the picturesque Bagni Fegina with its iconic orange and green beach umbrellas, before walking the coastal path from the train station to the Old Town. Grab a delicious gelato or caffè to fuel up for the day 😋 visit the two stunning churches in the old town and meander around Monterosso, exploring the beautiful corners of the largest town in Cinque Terre 🤩
 
Next, take the train or ferry to your next stop…
 
2️⃣ Riomaggiore
 
Enjoy a tasty lunch at Tutti Fritti (we loved their fried anchovies!) before walking up to the church and castle, which provide amazing views over the town and nearby hillsides.
 
PS: if you have mobility limitations, Riomaggiore is very hilly, so you may want to spend less time here and more time instead in Monterosso and Vernazza, which have fewer inclines!
 
Make sure to head to the marina for that iconic Riomaggiore photo 🤩
 
Next, take the train to…
 
3️⃣ Vernazza
 
Walk through town and down to the beach. Visit the church of Santa Margherita d’Antiochia and walk along Via Visconti for scenic views of the town and harbour.
 
If you have the time/energy/ability, head up to the impressive viewpoint above town for amazing views of Vernazza (approx 15-20 minutes each direction).
 
Enjoy a gelato at Gelateria Dal 1968 and do a spot of souvenir shopping. Make sure to grab some trofie pasta!
 
Go back to the train station before heading back to Monterosso al Mare for dinner (Pizzeria La Smorfia is highly recommended) or heading back to wherever you’re staying 🥰
 
And there you go - the perfect itinerary if you only have one day in Cinque Terre!
 
Save this for future trips or send it to a friend who wants to go 🤩
 
Have you been to Cinque Terre yet?
 
#cinqueterre #cinqueterreitaly #italytravel #tripplanning #liguria #italyvacation
Did you know that Pixar’s animated film ‘Luca’ was inspired by the towns of Cinque Terre? 🤩
 
The town of Vernazza (pictured) inspired the main square of Portorosso, the fictional town in Luca! 🇮🇹
 
The film’s director visited the towns of Cinque Terre while they scoured locations for the film, and they decided not to base the fictional town off of one single town, but rather take inspiration from the different towns of the region 🤩
 
The animators travelled to Cinque Terre to see and experience the beautiful towns, and then applied those experiences and views to the film’s location 🥰
 
The iconic red building at the marina in Riomaggiore features in the films as well!
 
Did you know that Pixar’s Luca was inspired by these towns?
 
Have you watched Luca? 🎥
 
#pixarluca #cinqueterre #cinqueterreitaly #filminglocation #movielocation #italytrip #italytravel
This is how much a week in Italy cost us 😱👇🏼
 
Here’s an exact cost breakdown of how much we spent on a 6-day trip to Italy, including flights, hotels, activities, attractions, transport, food and more! I’m a massive nerd and tracked everything we spent money on 😜
 
This was a mid-range to splurge trip 😂 as we were travelling for my best friend’s birthday! You could absolutely spend less than this by staying at cheaper hotels (or in hostels) and not spending as much on food. We definitely didn’t limit our food spending 🤣🤣 and I’m happy to announce we spent a total of €71.50 on gelato between the two of us 😂🍧
 
FLIGHTS ✈️ cost us €107.09 each, which was really good! Also did you see those plane views?! 🤩 we actually partly decided our destination for this trip based on flight costs, and flying to Milan was one of the cheapest options!
 
HOTELS 🏨 cost us €469.37 each, which for five nights (two nights in Genoa, two nights in Rapallo and one night in Milan) isn’t too bad. We did stay at mid-range accommodation, and our Milan stay was the most expensive (which makes sense - it’s not the cheapest city 😁)
 
TRANSPORT 🚊 cost €191.05 each, which also included our taxi to Málaga airport as our flight was at 6am 😂 We also took some first-class trains, which were surprisingly affordable 😱
 
ATTRACTIONS 🎟️ cost €56 each, including things like museum tickets, cathedral entry fees etc!
 
ACTIVITIES 🚤 were a total of €207.46 each, including our boat trip of the Italian Riviera, city tours etc 🛺
 
FOOD 🥘 cost us €283.81 each, or around €48 each per day 😳 we definitely splurged on food, and also had a lot of coffee and gelato breaks 🫣 however, we barely spent any money on alcohol, which did keep this cost down!
 
SOUVENIRS 🎁 cost us €32.25 each, which was mainly postcards, pasta and pesto 😂
 
MISC 🧺 €18.50
 
In total, we spent €227.59 per person per day - which is quite a lot! Italy was definitely not as affordable as I’d expected, and we spent more than I would have anticipated.
 
💰 TOTAL trip cost (2 people, 6 days): €2,731.07
 
Would you have expected this to be less? Or more? 😁
 
#italytrip #italytravel #travelplanner #visititaly #cinqueterre
Don’t go to Cinque Terre without knowing these F Don’t go to Cinque Terre without knowing these FIVE things 😱👇🏼
 
Is Cinque Terre on your bucket list? 🤩 save this for your trip!
 
1) How do you pronounce it? 👀
 
It’s not ‘sinky tare’ or ‘thinky terry’ - it’s ‘chin-kweh terr-eh’. I apologise to any native Italian speakers, but I tried my best 😁
 
2) Don’t go by car! 🚗
 
Parking is very limited, and the roads are narrow and winding. Many of the roads are also open to locals and deliveries only!
 
The best way to travel around Cinque Terre is by train, by boat, or by foot. While I haven’t hiked Cinque Terre, I can absolutely recommend travelling the area (a national park, in fact) by train.
 
3) If you do choose to travel by train, get the Cinque Terre Pass!
 
The cost of a journey between any two stations (Monterosso al Mare - Vernazza - Corniglia - Manarola - Riomaggiore) is €10 in peak season.
 
The cost of the train pass varies depending on whether it’s peak or low season (peak season cost us €32,50 each) and covers all train travel in Cinque Terre for the day!
 
4) The ferries don’t always run 😳
 
And yes, we learnt this the hard way 😂 the seas were quite rough when we visited and all the ferries were cancelled 😳 make sure you have a backup plan just in case!
 
5) Don’t try and visit all five villages in one day 🙅🏻‍♀️
 
Believe me, you won’t get to experience any of them if you try! We visited three in one day, and even that was pushing it - our stop in Vernazza wasn’t long at all.
 
I would recommend picking two or three (maximum!) and exploring those, rather than trying to cram all five in on one day. If you want to explore all five, spend 2-3 days visiting Cinque Terre instead!
 
BONUS TIP:
 
Cinque Terre is NOT cheap 💰 to keep costs down, I recommend staying instead in Rapallo, La Spezia or Sestri Levante. The trains run regularly from early til late, and it’s so much more affordable to stay than in Cinque Terre itself.
 
Is Cinque Terre on your bucket list?
 
#cinqueterre #cinqueterreitaly #italytravel #italytrip #traveltips
This is one of the best experiences you can have o This is one of the best experiences you can have on the Italian Riviera 🤩👇🏼
 
COMMENT ‘link’ 💬 for a link to the exact tour we booked 🥰
 
We had the most incredible experience in Rapallo, and it was the perfect way to see the Italian Riviera! [AD]
 
We booked our tour on @getyourguide, which had a variety of amazing boat trip options! We chose this one as it had evening options and departed from just 3 minutes away from our hotel.
 
We sailed from Rapallo, past Santa Margherita Ligure, Baia di Paraggi, Baia Cannone and finally to Portofino.
 
It was such a unique way to see the riviera and the beautiful towns along it!
 
Who would you go on an Italian Riviera boat trip with?
 
#italianriviera #boattrip #italytravel #visititaly #getyourguide @getyourguidecommunity
This is one of the best experiences you can have o This is one of the best experiences you can have on the Italian Riviera! 🤩 AD
 
Swipe ➡️ to the end for what I think would be a stunning wedding reception venue 😍
 
When you visit the Italian Riviera, you can’t miss taking a boat trip to see all the towns from the water! We took a boat trip on our first night in Rapallo, and it was such a great way of getting a sneak peek of the places we were going to be visiting 🥰
 
Seeing all the incredible architecture was amazing! We booked our tour via @getyourguide, making it so easy to compare the different boat trip options! 🛥️
 
COMMENT ‘boat trip’ 💬 for a link to the exact tour we did! ❤️
 
Who would you take a boat trip on the Italian Riviera with? 🤩
 
#italianriviera #rapallo #portofino #italytravel #traveleurope #getyourguide #boattrip
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