Explore New Places with “Bridges and Balloons”

By
Josh B
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Bridges and Balloons is a travel blog that’s all about traveling to special places. The woman behind it is Victoria, a wanderlust soul from Bristol who has been traveling regularly for the past 17 years. She travels with her husband Steve, who is a VR developer and filmmaker, and their son Otis. They’ve been to 50 countries between them so far. 

“We love road trips, indy bookshops, glorious nature, farmers markets, street art and discovering the creative side of a city,” Victoria writes on Bridges and Balloons’ website. Their travel experiences help them create detailed itineraries and city guides for everyone interested in following their footsteps. Some of the words that describe their taste are creative, cozy, bohemian, slow, independent, characterful, boutique, and slow. If those words wake up something inside your soul, we’re sure you’re going to love their blog.

Follow the adventures of this lovely family on their Instagram page and let them be your inspiration for your next trip.

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I had a nice little break from Instagram for the past week, partly because I wanted to switch off and enjoy the last days of holiday with these guys. 💕 And the other reason was because, as I said a few months ago, I’m still not sure where I’m at with Instagram these days. I find myself less and less inclined to share my personal life, and now that Otis is nearly two, I’d like to share less of his little face on here as well. Time is also a precious issue and seeing as my heart (and business) has always been with the blog, that’s naturally where I focus my energies (and it’s paying off – traffic to the site has trebled in the past year!). I haven’t quite worked out my way with all this yet, but a few ideas are forming. And in the meantime, I’ll muddle along as usual! Thanks for your patience! 🙌

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Charleston is a pretty complex place to visit. On one hand, it’s one of the prettiest cities I’ve ever been to, filled with a dizzying amount of gorgeous, picture-perfect houses. Horses and carriages roam the streets, it oozes southern charm and a visit there feels like a step back in time to the 18th century. It’s hard not to be captivated by its beauty. But on the other hand, you have to remember that the city was built on slavery. Charleston was the busiest slave port in the USA and its thought that 80 percent of African Americans can trace an ancestor who arrived in Charleston. I live in a city (Bristol, UK) which was also a busy slave port, so I know it’s possible to love a city in spite of its history. But that said, I think it’s important to respect and acknowledge that history in the ways you can. Admire those beautiful buildings and the charming city it’s become today, but don’t forget the cost it came at.

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We came here to see the trees, but hadn’t realised that the Wormsloe ‘historic site’ is also an old plantation that held enslaved people. I’ve been really unsure about visiting a plantation as I’ve heard that many of them tend to gloss over the history of slavery and focus on the architecture and life of the colonialists instead. Even worse, I read an article about people who complain if slavery is mentioned on a plantation tour because it’s “depressing” and “reflects poorly on their ancestors.” 🤦🏻‍♀️ Sadly, Wormsloe seems to be one of the places that doesn’t confront its history head on. We didn’t do the tour as it was too long for Otis, but I read a post by @oneikatraveller who explained how mention of slavery is entirely omitted from it (post linked to in stories). We’re still considering a plantation visit in Charleston or New Orleans, but are trying to find one that gives the history of enslaved people the proper respect and acknowledgment it deserves. To me, that would be the point of the visit – to pay respect. Does anyone have any recommendations? Or would you say it’s better to skip plantations altogether?

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I’ve lost my Instagram mojo of late. I’ve never been a natural on social media. It’s something I adopted to help with the blog, and have fallen in and out of love with over the years. I intermittently struggle with the exhibitionist side of it – I’m an introvert at heart, so like some time in the shadows. As a blogger, I sometimes feel I have to be on here. But as time goes one, I’m not so sure that’s true. My focus is the blog itself (and SEO) and I’ve hit some good milestones there recently. It’s without a doubt Bridges and Balloons’ strength. So from a business perspective, I guess I could let Instagram go. But I don’t quite want to do that. I’ve been on Instagram for seven years and I love having this little space and community where I can share photos and snapshots from our lives. Although fewer and fewer people see my posts because of the darned algorithm, I’ll stay here because I want to, not because I have to. I just can’t promise I’ll be consistent. I’ll be that friend who you see every now and then, not every day, but sometimes for weeks at a time. And then we’ll holiday together and you’ll have a week of me on stories. I hope that sounds okay – and thanks for sticking with me through all these years. I’d love to hear about your relationship to Instagram? How often do you use it? How do you feel about it?

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One of the reasons I love Bristol so much is because it’s surrounded by gorgeous countryside and lots of cute little towns. The problem is I don’t make enough time for exploring it all. But this weekend we went to Frome, which was an absolute delight. We’ve been to the @fromeindependent before but never on a non-market day, and I was amazed by how many creative businesses there are there. It’s filled with cute boutiques, cafes and galleries. Have a look at my story highlight for more and there’s a blog post coming soon. We went as part of a campaign for @GWRUK so going on the train added to the adventure to make it the perfect day trip, plus it was easier as Otis definitely preferred it to the car. It’s made us start wondering about where we should head to next on the train. What are you favourite day trips from Bristol? And any more Frome fans out there? #ad (for GWR) #GWRADVENTURES

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We’ve been staying in such a wonderful place for the last three nights 😍 It’s like a cross between a retreat centre and the holiday camp in Dirty Dancing, and it has the most spectacular beachfront setting. Last night I watched the sunset from my bed. Our stay was hosted by the hotel, but my gushing is real. It’s a little slice of added wonder on a coast that has already overwhelmed me. I really underestimated how beautiful Monterey would be. It’s called Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds, but don’t let the word conference put you off (like it almost did for me). It didn’t feel business-y at all, but rather like the historic retreat that it is (it was started in 1913 by a group of women from the YWCA, and parts were designed by Julia Morgan who did Hearst Castle.) It’s also really reasonably priced, starting at around $160 for a room. If you’re in the area, I can’t recommend it enough. The beachfront setting alone is worth it. Just look at that sunset! 🙌 Have a look at my stories for more photos 😊

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