FOLLOW US

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
    • PRs Work With Us
  • MEDIA
  • DIRECTORS CUT
  • Contact Us
Joleisa logo
  • Frugal living
  • Eat for less
  • Start a blog
  • Recommendations

Our Word of the Week is Travel

This post may contain affiliate links

It’s Friday morning and although I could do with some more sleep, I roll out of bed to write about today’s post as I didn’t do one last week. We love sharing in this blog linky where we try to use one word or so, to sum up how our week has been. This week we have chosen the word travel as it’s really what we did this week.

The easing of Covid restrictions in the UK, and the resulting ticket sales by certain airlines made us want to test out the waters again and do some traveling. So on a whim, we booked cheap tickets to Bulgaria! Why Bulgaria? No special reason. The tickets were cheap and we also found a cheap hotel stay and a lovely little Airbnb stay too. As it was just shy of a week’s stay, we crammed what we could into our backpacks so that we didn’t have to pay for extra luggage nor stand around at the carousel to wait for luggage after landing.

So off we went this week to check out Bulgaria!

 

The flight

The airline we went with is Ryanair. By the way, when we were leaving yesterday, we saw that Ryanair had another sale on, so check it out. Some tickets were as low as less than £20! Ours was a bit more expensive as it was half term.

The flight was completely full and there were a lot of kids with their parents or other guardians. Apparently, a lot of people go to Bulgaria at this time of the year for skiing, but we didn’t know it (until it was too late.)

The flight itself was just under three and a half hours from Birmingham airport and it, in itself was smooth.

We had decided that to keep ourselves safe, we wouldn’t remove our masks to eat or drink on the flight. But yes, they did sell the usual crisps and drinks and sandwiches. A lot of people seemed to have our thoughts too.

Instead of eating, we started reading the books we bought from WHSmith in the airport lounge. The books were The Twins and The Couple Next Door. Ever read those? I still have about 10 or so pages to read in The Twins and I am in shock and confusion! We might do a little book review on those later. But it was really good to get some time to get back into reading again.

I just found out that the books are much cheaper on Amazon so here goes:

 

Our stay

We stayed in the capital city, Sofia. For the first night, we booked into a really budget hotel called Easy Hotel Sofia. It was about £23 for the night. Why did we book that one in particular? Well, we are not good with Geography but on the map, it did look like the closest budget hotel to the airport. So we caught a cab to the hotel and settled in for the night. By the next morning, we took another cab to our Airbnb (which we found out was closer to the airport and about the same price).

The place was small and cozy and it was a 1 bedroom apartment in a high-rise building. It had everything we needed for our stay, except a stove. It even had a balcony with a new grill! As it was brand new and still in its packaging, we didn’t feel that we should touch it. So it was fast food for the whole week!

We went out during the days, had breakfast on the go, walked about and did some window shopping, then walked some more to check out the parks, palace of culture, etc. Then we bought dinner and headed home before dark. This was how we had to do it because the apartment was on the 5th floor of this building and there were no elevators! Of course, this wasn’t pointed out before we did the booking on Airbnb! So one time up those stairs each day was enough! Remember we are old?

Anyway, we enjoyed the long daily walks, the views, some of the fast food, and the time to read and just relax. Would we do it again? Maybe in the summer. It was cold and also one day we had to be indoors as it was rainy.

What we’ve learned about Bulgaria as a result of our travel

  • They drive on the right side of the road
  • Rose oil and rose water are produced there and exported. It’s from a special rose
  • The people can seem crass and short-tempered but that’s their nature. (You’ll notice this when you go to pay for something; the money is ‘snatched’ from you!
  • Food is fairly cheap
  • They only joined the EU in 2007
  • The capital is called Sofia
  • Most young people speak English with a lovely accent!

We had to do quite a lot of reading up and form filling and printing or storing on our phones to keep all the necessary documentation for our travel. That was a bit tedious and made us feel a little bit nervous about what if we didn’t have everything. For example, the flight on the way back actually left a young lady who didn’t have proof of her Passenger Locator Form! We also saw another lady running up and down and trying to find hers which was actually left on a seat she had sat on for a bit.

The travel this week just reminds us how much we enjoy it and getting our feet wet this way has set the passion alight for another trip hopefully soon. Watch this space.

ps. See our YouTube channel to see what we got up to for the week in Bulgaria. We’d love it if you subscribed too.

 

Word of the Week linky
loopyloulaura

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Related

Filed Under: Frugal

About Joleisa

« Old Age!
Spring Has Sprung »

Comments

  1. Kim Carberry says

    February 25, 2022 at 7:03 pm

    Ahh! I am so glad you got to have a break and do some travelling. You have been wanting to for so long. It sounds like you had a great time, well apart from the stairs at the apartment. hehehe x
    Kim Carberry recently posted…(Ad – Gifted) No Longer Last On The List! A self-growth guide for tired, busy women!My Profile

    Reply
  2. Anne says

    February 26, 2022 at 2:09 pm

    How lovely to get away. My friend’s daughter is called Sofia so I knew that was the capital of Bulgaria. It sounds like you had a great time and can’t wait to see what you get up to next.
    Anne recently posted…Don Quixote, a Fantastic BalletMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Unwanted Life says

    February 26, 2022 at 3:00 pm

    I’ve always been reluctant to travel to eastern Europe due to some areas having issues with the LGBT+ community and minorities. It’s nice to know you had a pleasant and safe trip

    Reply
  4. Kalpana says

    February 27, 2022 at 4:11 pm

    I’m glad you had an adventurous time in Sofia. It must be such fun to be twins and do things together, which one might feel a little nervous doing alone. The Airbnb was on the 5th floor? I quite understand why you didn’t want to go up and down too many times.

    Reply
  5. Louise (Little Hearts, Big Love) says

    February 28, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    How lovely to get away for a break and to visit Bulgaria. So glad that you had such a nice time. Sounds like it was a good plan to make the most of getting out and exploring and to minimise those stairs to once a day – five flights is a lot! #WotW

    Reply
  6. Annette, 3 Little Buttons says

    March 5, 2022 at 4:47 pm

    I love that you decided to go to Bulgaria on a whim! It’s amazing how many fantastic places you can discover by chance. We’ve never been, but it sounds like there’s so much to see and do. The 5th floor with no elevator sounds like a long walk up…ekk! You did well to enjoy being out and about and limit how many up and down the stairs you might have had to do. Thank you for joining us for the #DreamTeam x
    Annette, 3 Little Buttons recently posted…*NEW* #DreamTeam linky – 27th February 2022My Profile

    Reply
  7. loopyloulaura says

    March 5, 2022 at 9:00 pm

    I am in awe of your spontaneity! There are so many places I would like to visit and our UK bucket list is huge! Sadly I don’t fly due to anxiety but I’m hoping to go to Italy one day. Love your updates about the Covid travel measures and Bulgaria sounds fab. Thanks for joining in with the #DreamTeam

    Reply
  8. Jake says

    March 20, 2022 at 5:50 am

    Bulgaria sounds so interesting! As travelers ourselves we love reading about new places like this. Enjoy (-:

    Reply
  9. Neomi says

    January 19, 2024 at 7:26 pm

    I am so glad you got to have a break and do some travelling.I am so glad you got to have a break and do some travelling

    Reply
  10. Fasial says

    February 25, 2024 at 7:04 am

    Discover the enchanting beauty and rich cultural heritage of Bangladesh’s top tourist destinations. From the serene beauty of the Sundarbans mangrove forest to the historic landmarks of Dhaka and the breathtaking landscapes of Cox’s Bazar, embark on an unforgettable journey through this diverse and captivating country.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hey guys and gals!

Hi, we're Jo and Leisa, twin sisters and authors of Joleisa.com. Originally from the sandy beaches of Jamaica we now reside in England where we followed our calling to teach. But sometimes that call changes and our new passion is writing. We're here to give the ups and downs of it all with our lifestyle tips and tricks to help you avoid the sour lemons that can get in our way of frugal budgeting, intentional living and happiness. Join us and learn more about how we found the simplest ways to achieve easy living. Read More…

AS SEEN ON CHANNEL 5’S

We are Sociable

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Our Word of the Week is Break
  • Easter is our Word of the Week
  • Our Word of the Week is Grateful
  • Adjust is my Word of the Week
  • Hyperkalemia is my Word of the Week

MOST POPULAR POSTS

Why we left teaching

  • Be your own boss
  • Set up a blog
  • Making money from your blog
  • Using Pinterest to help your blog
  • Fixing sleep problems
  • Frugal family fun at half term
  • Having to plan a funeral!
  • Let’s show you how we save money on food
  • Our time on Channel 5’s Shop Smart, Save Money
HIBS100 Index of Home and Interior Blogs HIBS100

Copyright © 2025 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2025 ·Tasteful Theme · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in

YOUR PRIVACY

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...