GUEST EDIT: How To Travel Without Travelling At All with Madeleine

I’ll never forget the first time I heard the quote, “Travel is the only thing you’ll spend money on that will make you richer.” Too true. Whether it’s going 2 hours down the coast or across the other side of the world, travel can be the perfect escape and pick-me-up to recharge and revive yourself.

I’ve been lucky to have travelled my fair share in my life so far. With a love of languages and a partner that came to Australia for University and now travels home to Norway to visit family often I’ve set foot in a large amount of this lovely globe.

But what if you don’t have the opportunity to travel as much as you’d like? Life often gets in the way. Here are a few ways you can get the best of travelling without leaving the country.

1. Set Aside Some Time With a Great Book

Reading is such a great way to enter a different country or culture. Grab a book set in a different part of the world and delve in. Some great one’s to start you off?

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan will sit you right down in Singapore or if you’re into something a little darker the Stieg Larsson books will take you to the cold dark winters of Sweden.

2. Try a New Restaurant

Instead of hitting the same local, try a new restaurant a few suburbs over that you don’t often drive through or visit. The new streets and dining experience (especially if you try a cuisine a bit different to your usual staples) can be just like eating your way through another country, just with a shorter trip home.

3. Hit The Shops

If you’re a lover of the shops when you travel try heading to the mall and take a look around the shops that you usually just bypass. Pretend you were overseas and knew nothing about the brand or whether or not it was for you. You never know what gems you might just pick up!

4. Be a Tourist in Your Own City

I’ve heard so many people say that they’ve lived in Sydney for years and never once been to Bondi Beach. Think about what you would want to show visitors if they came over from another country in your area and make a day of being a tourist. Use public transport and take your camera. You’ll probably find your own home city is pretty amazing after all.

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GUEST EDIT: Refresh Your Favourite Drink This Summer With Madeleine

Fresh Fruit

Try adding some fresh fruit to your drink to bring it to life. Swap the cucumber or limes from your G&T with pomegranate, watermelon or cranberry for a fun, fruity take on this classic cocktail.

Only have the frozen fruit? These are perfect for drinks like scotch and vodka to add a splash of flavour and keep them cool through the warmer weather.

Add some juice or nectar to that glass of sparkling to not only dilutes those bubbles but also switches up the flavour.

Frozen Flavour Cubes

Add some frozen flavour cubes to your traditional vodka and soda. Super easy to make, simply pop some flowers, herbs or chopped pieces of fruit into your ice cube tray, top up with water (or juice if you prefer!) and pop into the freezer.

Perfect for parties these colourful pops of flavour are perfect for any drinks you’re serving and look gorgeous out!

Sangria Station

If you’re looking to make things relatively simple for a summer BBQ or party and want to offer one drink but still make it fun, why not try a sangria station?

Chill both your red and white wine and pop them beside a fruit juice or two and some cut fruit. Think limes, oranges, apples and berries and a big bunch of mint.

Cater for your non-drinking guests with lemonade or pre-sweetened iced tea available for mixing also.

Guests can then create their own flavour combination of red or white sangria, an easy and entertaining focal point for any party.

Summer Spiders

Perfect for kids (and adults!) a good spider always works well. If you’re entertaining adults and children, why not set up a sangria and a spider bar to keep every taste bud happy?

Keep the ice cream nestled in a big bowl of ice (or scoop them into a glass straight from the freezer and direct them over if easier!) and let them experiment with different cordials and candy. Everyone needs a treat now and again right?

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GUEST EDIT: Linen | The Summer Staple with Madeleine Burke

I love linen for a lot of reasons. It’s comfortable, it’s light, it’s ok not to iron it within an inch of it’s life.

A few linen pieces are the perfect staples for your Summer wardrobe. Mix them with other statement pieces to create different looks that can take you from a lunch out with the family, to the poolside for a drink with the girls or even a party in the evening.

Not sure how? Wilma and I have taken a few fun Summer selfies to show just how easy it is with two of the pieces from the amazing linen range in this season’s Katies collection.

Black Linen Pants

Who would wear black pants in summer? If they’re linen, I would. As a perpetual dropper of everything, I much prefer sticking with safe black over the traditional white linen pant even in the heat. 

The perfect lunch outfit, match them with a statement tee like the striped, shoulder zip tee and brighten it with a bold watermelon lip. Tuck along a light cardigan and you’re prepared for any weather we’re thrown. 

The perfect poolside cover-up the linen pants are quick to dry and can be rolled at the cuff to even dip your feet in. Bring these into an evening outfit by teeing them with a simple black top and statement necklace. 

White Linen Jacket

The perfect protection from the sun a white linen jacket keeps you cool and protected. 

Worn with patterned pants it becomes a simple, sleek outfit that will see you through many a summer lunch. 

For a casual day at the beach team this light jacket with a pair of denim shorts or skirt. 

For evening wear it with black wet-look jeans and a statement top to keep it light but still tailored.

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Meet our final Katies Collective Member

Hi Madeleine,  tell us a bit about yourself? 

I’m the editor of The Daily Mark a beauty, tech and lifestyle blog. I live in Sydney with my partner, Eivind and my Pug, Wilma. With a love of pink lipsticks, new gadgets and great dinners I offer reviews, easy how-to’s and inspiration for anything that will make a mark on your day.

What made you want to start blogging? (what inspires you to do what you do)

I’ve always loved sharing new finds with friends and family. The Daily Mark allows me to do that just on a bigger scale. My background in web design and development made blogging my first choice to get started but with meeting so many great readers and fellow bloggers already who knows where else it could lead!

Your online presence stretches across different platforms – how do you keep them all up to date and how do you differentiate between them all?

I use a plugin called CoSchedule to push my new posts to different social channels including Facebook, Twitter and Google +. They tend to be more of a reflection of the site directly, allowing people to subscribe where it suits them. Instagram is literally just me on my phone taking snaps so it’s a bit more of a behind the scenes look at TdM and I love checking into Pinterest whenever I’m relaxed on the couch to browse for some inspiration and beautiful pictures.

What is on your summer wish list?

Some great shoes. I wasn’t ever a real shoe girl (my vice is handbags and wallets!) but this year I really feel like finding a nice pair of flats and heels for summer. A great new pair of sunnies wouldn’t go astray either!

If you could raid somone’s wardrobe – who would it be & why?

I'd have to be really impractical and say Ashley Olsen. We have totally different body shapes but I've always adored her classic yet quirky style. Her love for monochrome and her absolute talent at rocking that "I didn't try hard to look this good at all" vibe.

If you could give our readers one bit of fashion advice what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to try something new. Just because you ‘never wear pants’ or ‘only wear black’ doesn’t mean you can’t swap it up some times. Try a new shape or colour every once in a while. You might just surprise yourself!


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