My name is Brenna Holeman and I’ve been writing about my life on the internet for 15 years. I know, I know, you’re thinking three things:
a) how do I have so much time on my hands (answer: I’m single, I work from home, and I live alone. I got time, OK?)
b) why am I not the most successful blogger on Earth by now (answer: I’d rather write about getting drunk on whisky than write about anything that might rank in Google)
and c) just how old am I (answer: old enough to remember having to wait for my photos to be developed from my film camera and then use a scanner to get them onto my very first blog)
Through those 15 years, I’ve travelled solo, lived abroad, fallen in and out of love, studied writing, learned to take a shot of tequila without grimacing, and made many regrettable fashion decisions. I’ve also become a full-time blogger and freelancer, and couldn’t be happier that I was just emo enough to start posting angsty poetry online all those years ago (before you ask, that blog has been hidden from the Internet. Trust me… you’re welcome).
Originally from Winnipeg, a city in the Canadian prairies, I have lived in Halifax, Toronto, Copenhagen, Yaroslavl, Edinburgh, Osaka, and London, and I have travelled to almost 100 countries. Now my life is devoted to writing: for my blog, for my book, and for my career. Other than travel, I love whisky, window seats, old cars, new books, 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 (read: broke), and without a home for many years; I now split my time between London, Winnipeg, and the road, but either way I’m happy, and I love my life. I’m passionate about empowering women to realise that, whatever we want to do – travel solo, write a book, learn how to take a shot of tequila without grimacing – we can fucking do it.
This is not like most other travel blogs – my posts are not in any way chronological and I prefer writing about getting dumped on a beach in Thailand than writing about the best places to stay in Brazil. Although I travel a lot, I also enjoy writing about other things, too, and you’ll find those topics under sections like Opinions, Fashion, and Lifestyle. But, OK, if you really want to read about me getting dumped around the world, you can find all of that right here. I consider the bread and butter of this blog to be its stories, because above all else – above trying to rank in Google or trying to sell you something – I would just really like to post a good story whenever I can. I hope you’ll give them a read.
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.