Adventurous Kate

It's monthly recap time!

This month, I hit up a fermented foods festival, traveled to Bristol, the Cotswolds, and the Cheese-Rolling, and I read Belle Burden's Strangers and have A LOT OF THOUGHTS.

You can find the link to the monthly recap in the comments.

Here are some shots from our UK trip last week — part one!

We flew into London Heathrow, picked up our rental car, and because it was lunchtime, we drove to the nearby town of Henley-on-Thames, just 30 minutes away.

Henley is so pretty, and it actually feels like a local town for locals. (It’s also SUPER expensive — we nearly fainted after looking at the local real estate ads!) Highly recommend stopping here if you’re ravenous after leaving Heathrow.

We grabbed lunch at a waterside pub with ACTUAL SWANS, then strolled the town before hitting the road again.

Our first destination for this trip was the Cotswolds! I’ve been to this storybook-looking region before, but we were visiting all new places.

First up, we dropped into the town of Stow-on-the-Wold. Honestly, it seemed like a very shopping-oriented town and we were there after the shops had closed (they close at 4 PM), so I would recommend going earlier in the day.

Next up we visited Bourton-on-the-Water, which has a canal running through the town, and plenty of waterside pubs. This place was very touristy, but the vibes were IMMACULATE!

That night we stayed at the Slaughter Country Inn in the quiet town of Lower Slaughter.

More details in the captions.

The TRUE story about the Cooper's Hill cheese-rolling, and everything you have to know? I have written about it right here!

This is such a crazy experience -- I'd say it's THE wildest thing I've ever done in the UK, but I've done Up Helly Aa, so this is probably the second wildest?

I tried to write the definitive guide to the event: what it's like. What it FEELS like.

The fact that you need to climb a super-steep hill on your hands, as your feet sink in loose dirt around you.

The fact that not everyone gets to race. They cap each race at 25. A lot of people are disappointed.

The fact that there's a cheese rolling-themed pub that you can visit afterwards, complete with its themed beer.

All that, and why I would NEVER stay in the hotel where I stayed, and the place I would actually want to stay instead.

I hope you enjoy this post!! I worked so hard on it the last two days.

The link is in the comments.

🇪🇸 Madrid is for city connoisseurs. 🇪🇸

I consider myself a city connoisseur, and Madrid has so much of what I think makes a city great.

(Comment "link" and I'll DM you my Madrid post!)

⏰ The city moves on relaxed timing. Lunch at 2. Dinner at 9. Streets buzzing at midnight.

🌳 Greenery galore. El Retiro is one of Europe's best urban parks, with a crystal palace and a rowing lake.

🖼️ Art and museums. The Golden Triangle of Art hosts the Reina Sofia, the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza.

🍖 Outrageously good food. Hit up Mercado de San Miguel for tapas or one of the city's Michelin-starred restaurants.

⛲ Chic, interesting neighborhoods. Head to Malasaña for vintage shops, Chueca for LGBTQ hotspots, La Latina for the Sunday market.

💖 And that's just scraping the surface. Comment "link" and I'll DM you my full Madrid post!

Is Madrid your kind of city?

[Paid Partnership with Visita Madrid]

Here's what NOT to do in Uzbekistan!

I absolutely love writing about what NOT to do in different destinations -- and I knew that would be my first thing I would write about my Central Asia trip!

Here's a few of them:

Don't book your train tickets at the last minute. They sometimes sell out THE DAY they go on sale!

Don't go souvenir shopping until you get to Bukhara. They have the best quality and most extensive selection of the major cities.

Don't freak out if there isn't a working seatbelt in your car. Yeah, that one...that was weird.

And most importantly: Don't assume Uzbekistan is an intimidating destination best for expert travelers. I am still blown away by just how easy it was to travel here. It was one of my smoothest trips in years!

The link to the blog post is in the comments. I hope you enjoy it!

I'm Adventurous Kate. I teach women how to travel solo safely, and one of my non-negotiables is to always have an eSIM on my phone.

The eSIM brand I use is , and it gives me such peace of mind! (Get 5% off with code HOLAKATE)

When I'm in a new country, I need to be able to navigate my way with Google Maps, call taxis when I need them, and communicate with my loved ones at home. And with my Holafly eSIM, I can do this without having to constantly look for wifi.

Back in the day, you had to go to a local phone shop to get a SIM card. Those days are over! With Holafly, I just buy one on my phone before my trip and it starts working as soon as I land.

Unlike most eSIMs, Holafly gives you unlimited data -- so it never runs out when you need it the most! Holafly has fast local speeds and works in more than 200 destinations.

As a travel safety educator, I love Holafly's benefit called Always On. Every Holafly eSIM automatically provides 1GB of emergency data per month in more than 70 destinations. If you have a delayed flight or unexpected layover, you're covered.

You can get 5% off your eSIM purchase with the code HOLAKATE, and 10% off monthly Holafly plans (for the first 12 months).

Because you deserve the best trip ever. Holafly keeps you connected.

Get an eSIM now for your next trip! See the linktree in my bio.

When has an eSIM saved you while traveling?

📱 My non-negotiable: traveling with an eSIM 📱 I’m Adventurous Kate. I teach women how to travel solo safely, and one of my non-negotiables is to always have an eSIM on my phone. The eSIM brand I use is @Holafly, and it gives me such peace of mind! (Get 5% off with code HOLAKATE) When I’m in a new country, I need to be able to navigate my way with Google Maps, call taxis when I need them, and communicate with my loved ones at home. And with my Holafly eSIM, I can do this without having to constantly look for wifi. Back in the day, you had to go to a local phone shop to get a SIM card. Those days are over! With Holafly, I just buy one on my phone before my trip and it starts working as soon as I land. Unlike most eSIMs, Holafly gives you unlimited data — so it never runs out when you need it the most! Holafly has fast local speeds and works in more than 200 destinations. As a travel safety educator, I love Holafly’s benefit called Always On. Every Holafly eSIM automatically provides 1GB of emergency data per month in more than 70 destinations. If you have a delayed flight or unexpected layover, you’re covered. You can get 5% off your eSIM purchase with the code HOLAKATE, and 10% off monthly Holafly plans (for the first 12 months).  Because you deserve the best trip ever. Holafly keeps you connected. Get an eSIM now for your next trip! See the linktree in my bio. #HolaflyTraveller When has an eSIM saved you while traveling?

I am really itching to write about Central Asia -- which means I need to get my photos edited pronto.

Today I edited everything from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Here are some shots of the beautiful metro stations I took with my big camera.