My name is Brenna Holeman and this is a travel blog that focuses not only on the where and the how of travel, but the who and the why. I write mostly about what it feels like to be a traveller, and the lessons and self-reflection that come with that role. I hope that this blog can be both inspirational and informative, meaning I would love to both inspire you to travel and to show that it can be a feasible, attainable dream. For a good introduction to the kinds of articles and stories you’ll find on this blog, click here.
Originally from Winnipeg, a city in the Canadian prairies, I have lived in Halifax, Toronto, Copenhagen, Yaroslavl, Edinburgh, and Osaka, and I have travelled to over 90 countries. Now my life in London is devoted to writing: for my blog, for my book, and for my job. Other than travel, I love red wine, window seats, scuba diving, and buying ridiculous amounts of cheap jewellery. Oh, and hot dogs. I really love hot dogs.
I have been on the road since April of 2006, travelling through all of the continents but Antarctica. In 2013 I moved to London, England, to complete a master’s degree in Creative Non-Fiction writing. I am now finishing up my first book, a travelogue told in a series of letters to those who have inspired and influenced me to travel. I made a life of being single, unemployed, and without a home for many years; I’m now more or less settled in London, but either way I’m happy, and I love my life.
This is not like most other travel blogs – my posts are not in any way chronological and I’ll probably never write an article called “Top 10 Places To Stay In Brazil” (if you just found my site because you googled that, I’m sorry). I hope to inspire you to travel, in whatever way you feel comfortable; whether it’s a luxury weekend away or a round-the-world budget adventure, I believe we all have the right to travel the way we’d like, so long as we are being morally, culturally, and environmentally responsible. My goal is to create a fun and interactive website centred on all that travel stands for: new people, new cultures, new landscapes, new food, new outlooks on life. This blog is for stories, yours and mine.
You can contact me at brenna@thisbatteredsuitcase.com, but if you’re looking to work with me, please read this first.
For all of my (very old) travel posts from my previous blog, click here.