Travelling – Christina de Vries

Why I Decided to Not do VidCon This Year

When I heard that the 2019 VidCon Europe would be in London instead of Amsterdam (like last year) I got super excited!

It’s no secret that I was extremely disappointed by last year’s event. The tickets were expensive, they changed the venue to a smaller one, the food options were bad (and not included in the price), and it just felt like they themselves weren’t taking it seriously. It felt like a joke, a waste of money and a waste of time, unfortunately.

But when VidCon London was announced, it really did seem like they had decided to really go out all. They had booked a lot more YouTubers, and the ones that are scheduled to be there are more known than most of those from last year. The venue is huge, and the overall impression of the 2019 event is a heck of a lot better than what I expected.

I decided that I would go. I booked my flight, a bed at a hostel, but then I was kind of hesitant about booking the actual ticket. Like I mentioned, it is quite expensive, and for some reason I had a gut feeling that told me to wait a little longer. The backside to waiting is that the price for the ticket goes up.

Then came the time when I sat down to actually book my creator pass. I sat there, staring at the pay now button, and I thought about how interesting it was going to be to hear creators like Rhett & Link, and Patricia Bright share some of their secrets, but then I thought about last year. I went for a walk, and had a long inner conversation with myself about what it was that I felt like I needed in my life, where I was at creatively and what I really wanted to do.

I love making videos, and I want to get even better at it. I love expressing myself on the YouTube platform, and the BookTube and travel community there is awesome! I have big plans for my channel and for future content, but I also need to finish my novel.

I’ve been writing for such a long time, going back and forth with projects, started over, started new stories, gone back to the old ones, and round and round and round it goes. Now though, I am finally in a place where I don’t struggle with my writing routine. I ind words upon words, and I can see that my two novels are going somewhere. They are growing into something that I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little girl, and I love that!

Then I thought about the 36 hours writing trip I took to London two years ago, and not just how much I loved it, but also how much work I got done.

And that’s when I decided that VidCon could wait another year. I would still go to London, because I had my flight and hostel booked, and made plans to see some friends as well. But I would go there to work creatively for me. To write, film and take pictures. A four day writing trip.

That would also give me time to find out if the changes that they’ve made to VidCon Europe really make it worth the money, and then I can go next year instead.

I got home, closed the VidCon page, and I felt incredibly happy about my choice. It felt right!

So here I am now, at Oslo Airport Gardermoen, waiting to board my flight and to get back to city that I love.

London, I hear you calling, and I will be there soon❤️

Bucharest, Here I come!

Well, in about a week or so at least! But I am getting ready for it now, and have been for a little while already.

No, I haven’t started packing just yet, even though I so look forward to my next adventure that I kinda want to! But I have started researching a bit and found some information about Bucharest, and some places that I really want to visit.

When I travel solo, plans are rarely set in stone. I don’t want my adventures to be stressful in any kind of way, but taking notes on a few things that I like to visit and see is something that I always do.

The absolute best is to get recommendations from either locals or people you know who’ve traveled to the same destination. When I posted the featured picture in this post and wrote about Bucharest I got a few IMs from people I know that gave me lots and lots of fantastic recommendations! And now I’m even more excited if that’s even possible!

So I have a list of things that I might see and do, I’ve formatted all my memory cards and I’ve located a couple of vegan restaurants and cafés that I really want to try out. Will be interesting to see if they can live up to all the fantastic vegan food in Amsterdam. We’ll see!

Can’t wait to explore Bucharest and to share it with you guys! Let me know if there’s anything in particular that you want to see, or if you have any tips or recommendations for me to see/do while I’m there 💛

New Home ● POEM

It’s a curious thing

To travel away from home

And ending up

Feeling more at home

When arriving

☼

©Christina de Vries

Vegan in Amsterdam

Being a vegan when traveling can from time to time be a bit challenging, so it’s always interesting to travel to a new city and explore their vegan options.

When I was planning my Amsterdam trip, I had already done quite a lot of research around vegan places I would like to try out. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to all of them, but the ones that I tried was absolutely amazing!

Juice by Nature

Warmoesstraat 108, 1012 JJ Amsterdam, Netherlands

On my very first day in Amsterdam, while wandering around in the city, I stumbled across this place. I almost walked right past it actually, but I’m glad that the sign on the other side of the road grabbed my attention.

It’s not a big café, but it has a really calm and nice vibe to it. The staff that worked there made me feel very welcomed and at home.

I ordered a hummus wrap, black coffee, and a carrot cake, then I found myself a table and enjoyed the hell out of it! Up until that point, I had eaten the vegan options from Starbucks and local stores, which were surprisingly good (kudos to Dutch Starbucks for serving vegan food options), so it was to sit down somewhere quiet and have a proper meal.

The hummus wrap was good, but it could’ve been a bit more spiced up. But the carrot cake was divine! A vegan, no bake, no sugar cake that just melted in my mouth! Holy moly was that a wonderful experience!

I left the place feeling very satisfied and happy, and I went back several times for juice/smoothies (which were amazing!) and salads.

A really good spot for a lunch or a snack. They did have soups and other hot dishes too, but I did not have time to try them out. Next time!

If you want to know more about Juice by Nature, you can visit their website here:

www.juicebynature.com

VEGABOND

Leliegracht 16, 1015 Amsterdam, Netherlands

When I came across Vegabond while doing my research, I knew that I had to visit the place! First off, it looks super cozy! Second, VEGAN DONUTS!

I had been craving donuts for weeks but did not have the time to go in search of them here in Oslo, so Amsterdam was donut time!

Vegabond is located in a quiet area, with a view of one of the many canals. It’s quite small though, so don’t go there and expect to get a very private table. But I loved that part too. It was a great way to meet new people and easily interact with fellow vegans.

Vegabond is not just a café, it’s a shop too. You can buy lots and lots of vegan products like snacks, food prep ingredients, sodas and more.

I was met by a kind, smiling and welcoming staff that had plenty of recommendations for food and cake options.

So let’s talk about the donuts! It was well worth the wait! I think it’s actually the best donut I’ve ever had, and that’s not even an exaggeration. When vegan donuts taste that good, and they’re sprinkled with good conscience, why would one ever opt for having any other kind??

The first day I was there I had a wrap, the second day I went there we tried a “mozzarella” sandwich, “brie” sandwich, spinach pastries and several cakes, plus snacks, coffees, and sodas.

Their vegan mozzarella and brie tasted so like the real thing that if I didn’t know that everything they serve is vegan, I would’ve thought that it wasn’t! Amazing!

It’s fair to say that we stuffed our faces and had absolutely NO regrets!

I got to enjoy the view from the table at the window both times, and I got to meet and talk to some really amazing people while I was there. It’s a great place to go as a solo traveler, or to enjoy food/desserts that will make your taste buds have a proper party! And don’t leave the place without having tried the donuts! You can thank me later!

Vegabond is definitely my favorite vegan spot in Amsterdam, and I can’t wait to go back there for my next visit!

If you want to know more about Vegabond, you can visit their website here:

www.vegabond.nl

I found Amsterdam to be a city where it was easy to be a satisfied and happy vegan traveler! As long as you do a little bit of research, then there are quite a few places that are completely vegan, or at least has vegan options on the menu.

I also found that being a vegan on the go was quite easy too. Most of their food markets/retail stores had a good variety of vegan options and every single one that I tried was tasty.

I already miss all of the wonderful food and the vibe, and I can’t wait for my next trip there❤️

ClinkNOORD – HOSTEL REVIEW

When I first decided to go to Amsterdam for VidCon Europe 2018, I initially booked a hotel. It was cute, had a library in it and looked like a great place to get some interesting video footage.

But as life and situations often do, things changed and I decided to do something a bit different. I wanted to rent a houseboat and travel with a group of friends, but when the departure date was approaching, the friends that I had hoped would join me couldn’t make the trip this time around. By then, all the houseboats were rented out for the period when I was going.

So I sat down and started browsing the web for an interesting, but also an affordable place to stay. There were some interesting apartments on Airbnb for sure, but I started to think back on my two recent trips to London and how much I enjoyed staying at St. Christopher’s Inn. And then the search for interesting hostels in Amsterdam begun. The one that popped up most frequently with high praise and rating was ClinkNOORD.

I clicked my way into their website and as soon as I started to look through the pictures, I knew that this was the perfect place for me to stay!

It’s a big hostel situated in the Noord district. It sits on the bank of the river IJ, and is just a few minutes boat ride away from the Amsterdam Centraal Station. Oh, and the ferry runs 24/7 and it’s free!

With colorful open spaces and lots of social events going on, I knew that this was my best bet for a social and unique experience while I was traveling alone.

As soon as I got there I was welcomed by a charming receptionist that gave me all the information that I needed to get situated. I got there a few hours before check-in, but they welcomed me to either store my luggage in the luggage room or to use a padlock (you can buy one from them (€6), or bring your own) and lock my things in one of the many storage lockers that they have in the reception area. I locked up my valuables and headed into the city to explore.

Later that day, I got back to the hostel and could find my bunk. I was sleeping in a 14 bed shared facility. I met my bunkmate, a wonderful 68-year-old woman from Canada, and instantly bonded with her. There were lots of stories to be shared throughout the time I was there.

Every bed has its own locker, so you can easily store your valuables while you’re out and about. There’s also a reading light, power outlet and 2 USB charger ports over each bed so you can charge your gadgets. The beds were comfortable. The showers and restrooms were right outside of the room, and it was clean and inviting throughout my whole stay. You can rent towels from the hostel for €3.

They have a kitchen that you can use if you want to make your own food, or you can order food from the café or bar. They have a good range of vegan options for both breakfast/lunch and dinner. I had the falafel sandwich for lunch and it was delicious!

I think what makes ClinkNOORD so special is all of the activities. Cider pong, quiz, solo traveler meet up, yoga, secret concerts, beer tasting, free guided tours of the city and more. There’s always something to do, and if you just want to be social, then you can head to their bar (Zinc Bar) and use the 2 for 1 voucher that they hand you when you check in. Buy a new friend a drink and chat away!

All in all, I had an absolutely fantastic time! ClinkNOORd is hands down the best hostel I’ve been to so far! I highly recommend it, and I can’t wait to go back!

You tempted to try ClinkNOORD out? Click on the Hotels.com logo below to read more!

Tag: Travelling