Welcome to the Blog
Real trips. Real costs. And all the stories in between.
Right so you’ve found the blog!
This is where I share our travels, how I plan them, what they actually cost and everything that happens along the way.
Some posts are practical. I’ll tell you where we stayed, what we spent, what I’d recommend and what I’d probably do differently next time.
Others are a bit more personal. The moments that stayed with me long after we unpacked, the things travelling has taught me and occasionally something that’s been playing on my mind.
I love a good itinerary. I also love sitting somewhere beautiful doing absolutely nothing. And I firmly believe you don’t need unlimited money, endless annual leave or a perfectly curated holiday to have an incredible experience.
That’s really what Suitcases & Stories is about.
Making more of the time and money we’ve got, travelling in ways that suit us, and collecting a few bloody good stories along the way.
So have a nose around. Hopefully you’ll find something useful, something that makes you laugh or somewhere that gets you thinking about your next trip.
Zo x
🌍 Fancy sticking around?
→ Read the latest story
Blog categories
Featured
-
Eurocamp Diaries – Part 1: Roussillon, South of France: The Campsite Holiday That Changed Everything
The summer of 2018. The kids were 9 and 14 — in my humble opinion, the perfect age for this kind of trip. Old enough to throw themselves into all the activities, but still young enough to want to hang with us. Truth be told, me and the… Read More
-
Luxury on a Campsite Budget – Why This Everyday Family Swapped Hotels for the Best Holidays of Our Lives
If you’d told me years ago that some of the most beautiful, high-end places in Europe — the French Riviera, Tuscany, the South of France, could be ours.. on a budget, I wouldn’t have believed you. Not for my family. Not without sacrificing comfort or fun. And if… Read More
-
The Neck Pillow Lies We’ve All Believed – Why U-Shaped Travel Pillows Don’t Work.
I need to talk about something real. Something that unites travelers across all backgrounds, budgets, and boarding zones: the U-shaped neck pillow. You know the one. Soft. Squishy. Memory foam. Looks like luxury. Feels like a promise. And then — ten minutes into the flight — betrays you… Read More
-
I Don’t Travel to Escape – A Personal Reflection on the Real Meaning of Travel.
I don’t travel to escape.I travel to remember.To reconnect.To feel the pulse of life again. People always assume travelling is running away from something — stress, routine, responsibility. Maybe for some people it is. There’s nothing wrong with that. For a lot of parents, the pool is the… Read More
-
The Most Expensive Thing We Spend
The most expensive thing we spend in life is time. A statement that is valuable beyond estimation. Yet, most spend time without thinking. A subliminal process. Spend time more wisely. Spend time preciously. Learn how to be self-loving with your time. Give it to who or what… Read More
-
Fire in the Sky, Love in My Heart.
Ten years married. Twenty years together.One trip we thought would be fun..and it was .. but, it turned out to be something else, too.Healing. Reconnecting. Romantic in a way that went beyond candles and cocktails. We came to Dubai for a celebration, his 40th, our anniversary, a break from… Read More