About Me
Nice to meet you, I’m Hannah: owner of All About the Aprés.
My blog is where I write about my experiences of travelling, freelancing, and freelancing while travelling. Sometimes I talk about things that have nothing to do with either.
Originally from the north of England, I moved to London for work in my early 20s. My days were spent publicising books while daydreaming about travelling. Eventually, I saved up enough cash to quit my job (jobs – by this time I was juggling three of them) and escape the 9-5.
I swapped my room in a flatshare for a life on the road. Arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam, I spent the next eight months backpacking around Southeast Asia solo.
Swapping the desk for location independence
As we all know, money doesn’t grow on palm trees. I support myself by working as a freelance writer while travelling around a la digital nomad style.
Offline, I spent a little under a year living in New Zealand on a working holiday visa where I took on a number of classic backpacker jobs ranging from scrubbing loos and pouring pints to harvesting potatoes.
Another way that I’ve managed to sustain myself on the road is with work exchange programmes. My love of working outdoors and with animals opened the door to volunteering at a vegan animal sanctuary in the Southland and was a highlight of my time in New Zealand. There I tended to a menagerie of rescue pigs, sheep, and horses – plus a pack of demanding whippets.
My travel style
My method is to travel slowly and stay put in the same place for weeks to months at a time. This works for me as it means I get to connect with places (and people) rather than constantly chase down my next bus. I travel/live on a budget so I avoid tours, hotels, and posh restaurants. Rainy seasons excite me for both the slashed accommodation costs and the depleted number of tourists.
During my time in New Zealand, I bought myself a modest home on wheels to live in. That was dreamy until the 3°C nights started to take their toll on hashtag, vanlife. By the time winter rolled around, I moved indoors – courtesy of housesitting and threw myself into establishing myself as some kind of writer.
Things I like
Books, podcasts, and lyric-free music. I prefer rural to urban, and four-legged companions to two. If I’m outside, I’m happy. Especially if it involves hiking and clambering around ancient ruins.
I love swimming in the sea, snorkelling in the sea, scuba diving in the sea, and kayaking in the sea. I’ll happily sit and watch seals for hours at a time. I have a fondness for spicy food, red wine, and seashell-shaped chocolates.
What is All About the Aprés all about?
All About the Aprés is where I share snippets from my time on the road. Plus, a few travel tips along the way. Although I feel vastly under-qualified to pass over any actual advice.
I’ll try not to cringe every time I write the phrase ‘digital nomad’, and my apologies in advance for any use of clichè travel blog words such as ‘stunning’.