Life is in the Detail

There is a tiny, hidden beach on the southern tip of Kefalonia in Greece. No one knows about it and you can only reach it on foot. The towering grey cliffs that surround and hide it are made of a clay that works wonders on your skin, after you wash it off in the sea. It’s a little slice of Greek paradise.

Olivia - Original Traveller

Olivia Lee

Original Travel Expert

I have extensive travel experience throughout North America, Singapore, Borneo , Greece, Italy, France and Switzerland.

My travels

Travel Things I Want To Do Before I Die

Sail around the Galapagos islands, exploring above the sea and below it
Swim with Humpback whales
Ride mustangs from the Mexican to the Canadian border
Come eye to eye with Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda

Best Moments

Riding my favourite horse, Sioux, while pushing a herd of 125 horses home across a gigantic pasture at 5.30 in the morning, watching the golden pink sunrise crest the ridges that were next to me. Mist was hanging low over the river and the morning silence was broken only by the water bubbling over rocks and the horses hooves.
Watching Orangutans in Borneo. We saw a mother being handed fruit by one of the guides and sharing it with her baby, while an unruly teenager dangled above the suspended platform trying to steal the fruit (and her attention)
Seeing a lone wolf trotting across the snow in Yellowstone National Park. It was the last day the park was open before it would then shut for winter. Snow was falling heavily and there were no other cars for miles. It was truly magical.

Toughest Travel Moment

Getting lost skiing in a storm at the top of Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler. The snow was so thick I couldn't see my hands, the wind so strong I couldn't stand upright and it was so cold that my breath froze on my face protector.

Weirdest Travel Moment

Finding a leech burrowing into my (very thick) glove in the rainforest. I was told, very casually, to 'pick it off, roll it and flick it away'

Explore my blog posts

Summer Loving: The Best Places to Visit in September for Couples

For many, September heralds a return to the school run as the lazy, hazy endless summer days are replaced with the hustle and bustle of back to work and school. If you are thinking about escaping for a late summer break, Europe in September is always a good idea. For some, September is akin…

Remote Island Holidays: Our Favourite Exotic Hideaways

Fancy escaping reality for a moment? Us too. Lockdown lows might have reached their trough a few weeks ago, but now the world is starting to open up again and we are beginning to regain some sort of normality in our lives. In this new normal, all of those daydreams about far-flung exotic…

Our Favourite Sabbaticals for 2021

So far, 2020 has been a year that no one is going to forget in a hurry. Many of us have had to adapt to working from home, rethink how we travel, and consider that age-old question of work-life-balance which has been brought to the forefront of people's minds by the coronavirus crisis. The…

Dogs on a Train - Top Tips for Travelling to Europe with Pets

A road trip to Europe is one thing (it's an epic thing if you ask us), but taking the whole family, including your favourite four-legged friends, along for the ride is a recipe for an even more epic European adventure. The bonus? You don't have to think about who can pet-sit for you when you…

Remote Rendezvous: Alternative Honeymoon Destinations

If you and your betrothed are not the type to yearn for a cookie-cutter honeymoon - perhaps the shimmering shores of the Caribbean, or maybe the rousingly romantic rue's of Paris are not calling your name - may we take the liberty of serving up some delightfully alternative honeymoon…

The Original Travel Quiz: Week 8

We know you've been waiting for it all week, it's time for Original Travel's weekly travel quiz! It's week eight, so you've got more than a few weeks of travel trivia under your belt, now its time to hit the big quiz leagues. Being the world-class travel nerds that we are, the team at…

How to Travel Green

Green travel, or responsible travel as we like to call it, is becoming increasingly important as we all become more aware of the environmental impact of travelling. Don't worry - this isn't intended to be a preachy blog about how to be the 'perfect traveller'. In fact, an absolutist attitude…

The Original Travel Quiz: Week 5

Here at Original Travel, we like to think of ourselves as world-class travel nerds. That's right - no one loves a spot of travel trivia more than us, but since everyone is staying at home at the moment, we have lost our chance to flex our travel muscles. The solution? Our weekly Original…

The Best Places In The World To Channel Your Inner Cowboy

Who hasn't, at some point, imagined themselves galloping across a prairie, Clint Eastwood-style, decked-out in leather and a Stetson? Just us? The popularity of ranching holidays would suggest otherwise, as people swap the nine-to-five for a bit of Western wish fulfilment and the chance to…

Enrol Into The School Of Life

It might sound clichéd, but travel is one of life's greatest teachers. Whether you want to encourage your kiddos to learn by taking them to see the frescos in Florence, or by meeting the cast of The Lion King and understanding their habitat on a Big Five safari in South Africa, our travel…

Best places to see Fall Colours in North America

Off the back of our seemingly endless summer, here at Original Travel we're getting excited for woolly jumper weather, pumpkin-spiced lattes and apple and blackberry crumble. As autumn fast encroaches on the last of the summer rays, Mother Nature's russet blanket is starting to descend upon…