I’ve been sat here for a while now wondering how to start this very first blog post of mine. So, let’s just start with the basics. Hi, I’m Lolly (formal name, Lauren)! I’m 33 years old, I live in the East of England with my partner and our feisty little black cat named Moo. And I’m also hoping that my Austin Powers-related blog title was received with at least a little chuckle (?).

My Passion for Travel

I have a passion for exploring the world, so much so that when I’m not traveling, I’m constantly planning my next trip in my head. (My notes app is a mess). But traveling wasn’t always a big part of my life. The desire was always there from a young age, and I wish I had pursued it back then, but an unhealthy relationship and a lack of financial freedom just didn’t allow it.

I remember pining for places I had never been, and in some ways, I still do (though these days, I can eventually turn those dreams into reality). I would sit and scroll for hours on my laptop, researching destinations, learning about cultures, cuisines, and landmarks in faraway lands, building a never-ending mental bucket list of places that I wanted to visit.

Freedom at 24

Some years later, at 24, I left said unhealthy relationship. I had so much freedom, and as my financial situation improved over time, I was finally able to start on that list! Over the last (almost) decade I’ve done an “okay” job with that list, all while dealing with the challenges of retail work, the dreaded pandemic, and a fair few health issues along the way. I think 10 countries in 9 years isn’t too bad.

A Drastic Life Change

In the past three months though, I’ve made some drastic changes to my life. For the last 15 years, my career has always been tied to beauty in some form. I trained to be a makeup artist at 17 and quickly landed a job with a well-known French beauty brand. And, over the years, that role opened doors for me to work for other brands.

It was in 2015 that I discovered the world of luxury fragrance, and I immediately fell in love with the art of perfume and its memory-evoking qualities. Eventually, I became a retail store manager, and then time just seemed to fly by.

Relationships came and went, and I lost a parent in 2022. Essentially, I’d been going through the motions, with one or two trips a year when I could use my holiday allowance. But in the past year, I’ve felt that overwhelming feeling of wanderlust creeping in again.

(A change of hair colour & many tattoos later, at Uluwatu Temple, Bali in 2024).

I’m not exactly sure what changed in me this year, but something definitely did. I started the year with a redundancy, which involuntarily pushed me out of my comfort zone in luxury fragrance. I got another retail management job, away from beauty and fragrance, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. But something still didn’t feel right.

My Solo Trip to Bali

Immediately after that redundancy, I took a solo trip to Bali. But with my new job waiting for me, I had to make it a short two-week trip. It felt rushed but freeing at the same time, and though it wasn’t my first solo trip, I felt so proud of myself for visiting a place that I had put on my list all those years ago.

A few more months passed by, and while I enjoyed my new job, something still felt off. I knew I needed to change something, and that something was obviously my career. It now felt like the right time for a complete career shift.

Discovering TEFL

Around the same time as when I was wanderlusting and endlessly scrolling all those years ago, I stumbled upon the world of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). I felt instantly curious and drawn to it, but at that time, I couldn’t afford to quit work to study. So I tucked that dream away—until a few months ago when it resurfaced, meeting a new version of Lolly (maybe version 3.0 at this point). After some research, I quickly realized that now it was an achievable goal.

I could see myself teaching English from home, and it felt safe. No more worrying about redundancies, cold early morning commutes, or strange customer interactions. It looked like freedom. I quickly enrolled in a 200-hour, self-paced TEFL Level 5 course. But I soon realized it was tough to juggle that alongside managing a store. It had to be one or the other, and ultimately, TEFL had to win. I wouldn’t let myself give up on this.

After a supportive conversation with my partner, I got my ducks in a row, made a plan, and prepared for the changes. I was giving up a stable management career and a steady income for the unknown—but for some reason, that didn’t seem to terrify me. A few days later, I handed in my notice, and my notice period flew by. Before I knew it, I was recording a welcome video for my Preply tutor profile.

The Present

Which brings us to the present day—new to Preply with a few students each week while I finish my TEFL course and do a bit of ad hoc agency work covering beauty counters in department stores (I’m still not quite done with that part of my life yet).

So now you might be wondering—what does any of this have to do with traveling? And why start a blog? The short answer is: I’m no longer restrained by a sad holiday allowance, and I can work from anywhere in the world now. If I want to take myself abroad for a few days, I can still work from my laptop in a hotel room. Which is exactly what I plan to do once I’ve settled into teaching and found the right platform that fits me.

As for the blog—why not? I’ve always loved sharing every thought that’s entered my head, ever since I was a teenager. At 33, I’m part of the generation that experienced the internet when it was still fresh. I had a Piczo website, which I treated like a blog and photo album. Later, I used Myspace as a personal diary, moved on to Tumblr after that, and now use Instagram and TikTok in a similar way (although I’ve lost the writing side of things). I’ve always loved reading blogs, especially travel blogs—they were how I learned about the world all those years ago, after all. So it feels exciting and natural to start one of my own.

Looking Ahead

For now, while I’m still studying and getting my teaching career off the ground, I probably won’t be traveling again until 2025. But until then, I’ll be sharing stories and memories from my past trips (both recent and older ones) and I may also branch out into content related to my other hobbies and interests (such as reading and beauty).

So to round things off, thank you for being here and I hope you stick around. Locating me for the next few months will be easy... I’ll be at home.

With love,
Lolly (Lauren) x

Allow Myself to Introduce… Myself