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Category:

Dating and Relationships

    Dating and RelationshipsLifestyle

    My Month Without Alcohol… and Men (Week One)

    by Brenna Holeman January 8, 2017
    written by Brenna Holeman
    January 8, 2017
    64 comments
    0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • Dating and RelationshipsStories

    The Last Time I Saw You (Part Six)

    by Brenna Holeman January 2, 2017
    by Brenna Holeman January 2, 2017

    The last time I saw you, we said goodbye casually, like new friends. We were surrounded by other people, everyone hugging each other goodbye, and you and I hugged just once, brief and unfamiliar. I kissed you, a quick one, on the side of your mouth. I don’t think you were expecting it.

    “Have an amazing time, whatever you end up doing,” I said to you, looking up. You were always one of the tallest in the group. You smiled at me, your eyes crinkling, but your mouth stayed tight-lipped, not showing your teeth. You nodded once, and turned to hug someone else, my last image of you being one of someone else’s embrace.

    5 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • AdviceDating and RelationshipsHighlightOpinions

    On Ghosting (and what to do if it happens to you)

    by Brenna Holeman August 8, 2016
    by Brenna Holeman August 8, 2016

    The first time I was ghosted, I didn’t understand what I had done wrong.

    I met Chris in a little cocktail bar one rainy night in London (sidenote: my best friend has demanded that I never again date a guy called Chris… I’m cursed with guys called Chris). We had a fantastic date, one of my best ever, and it culminated with both a passionate kiss and an invitation to a second date. He texted me on the way home.

    “I can’t stop smiling…,” he wrote, and oh my god, there is no better feeling than getting that text after making out with a ridiculously hot, ridiculously intelligent journalist named Chris, let me tell you.

    Over the next couple of days, we texted back and forth and made plans for our upcoming dinner date. And then, the day before, I texted him to confirm what time we were meeting. No response. That seemed a bit strange, but I tried not to let it bother me until the next day. By lunchtime – I would assume we were meeting only a few hours later – I texted again. Yes, oh yes, the dreaded double-text. But I was kind of worried, and very confused.

    “Hey,” I texted. “Are we still on for tonight?”

    And that, dear friends, is when I encountered my first ghost.

    140 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • Dating and RelationshipsStories

    The Last Time I Saw You (Part Five)

    by Brenna Holeman July 11, 2016
    written by Brenna Holeman
    July 11, 2016
    61 comments
    5 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • Dating and RelationshipsOpinionsStories

    On Being Dumped, Or, Why I’m Glad That Guy Dumped Me

    by Brenna Holeman February 14, 2016
    by Brenna Holeman February 14, 2016

    While this is primarily a travel blog, I’ve never been shy about writing about other aspects of my life, including romance. If you’ve read this blog long enough, you’d know that I haven’t been in a serious relationship for a very long time. I’ve dated here and there, and met some absolutely lovely people. I have never considered myself unlucky in love, not at all; in fact, I consider myself extremely lucky in love, simply from the fact that I’ve had the chance to get to know some absolutely wonderful people from around the world. Because I don’t put much pressure on myself to get married or have kids (nor am I sure that I want either of those things), I’ve been able to date around, have fun, and figure out what it is I truly want out of a partner.

    And then I met Scott.

    3 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • Dating and RelationshipsOpinionsTravel

    The Benefits of Travelling While Single

    by Brenna Holeman September 9, 2015
    by Brenna Holeman September 9, 2015

    Just last week, I wrote about the benefits of solo travel, that is, travel you do on your own. As I mentioned in that post, solo travel can be one of the best things you can do for yourself – it causes you to learn, to grow, to reflect, and, well, to have a ton of fun.

    But what about single travel? I’m defining this as travelling while single, whether you are solo or with a friend or in a group. What are the benefits of travelling while single?

    1 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • AdviceDating and RelationshipsOpinionsTravel

    How Do You Choose? Relationships vs. Travelling

    by Brenna Holeman February 12, 2015
    written by Brenna Holeman
    February 12, 2015
    126 comments
    7 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • Dating and RelationshipsStories

    Vietnamese Baby

    by Brenna Holeman June 19, 2014
    by Brenna Holeman June 19, 2014

    We met on a sweaty night in the middle of Hanoi, high up on a balcony full of backpackers. In the middle of the balcony was an old bathtub full of ice; staff members from the bar kept refilling it with bottles of beer, trying to keep up with the raucous crowd. For some inexplicable reason, everyone was wearing pink sombreros, and the place was filled with kids barely old enough to drink, sunburnt, be-hatted, throwing their heads back in drunken laughter. And then: I saw you.

    1 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • Dating and RelationshipsStories

    The Last Time I Saw You: London Edition

    by Brenna Holeman May 12, 2014
    by Brenna Holeman May 12, 2014

    The last time I saw you, you were standing under the bright lights of the big city. I only knew you for a few hours. You had a superhero name and crooked teeth and you had never tried an old fashioned until you met me.

    These are the details I remember most. I can’t remember now if you have one sister or two, or what your job entails, or what you studied at university.

    I met you by chance in one of the biggest cities in the world. Our chemistry was palpable. Within five minutes of meeting I knew where the night was headed. I watched you standing at the bar, waiting for our drinks, and you turned and looked at me just so. You knew it, too.

    7 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • Dating and RelationshipsStories

    The Last Time I Saw You (Part Three)

    by Brenna Holeman February 13, 2014
    written by Brenna Holeman
    February 13, 2014
    25 comments
    2 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
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About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Brenna

After travelling to more than 100 countries over the past 19 years, many of them solo, I write about travel a lot but I write about other things, too: break ups, buying way too much jewellery, and whisky, for example (none of those things are related, I swear). You’ll find a mix of advice, opinion pieces, and stories on this blog, but either way, I hope to make you want to read more. And up next? I'm now a single mom to a beautiful little boy, the biggest solo adventure I've ever been on. For more about me and what you'll find on This Battered Suitcase, click here.

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Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

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AFFILIATE POLICY

Please note that some links on This Battered Suitcase are affiliates (at no extra cost to you); I only recommend products I use and love. This Battered Suitcase is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Currently in

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA

Last Stops: Phoenix, AZ & Vancouver, BC

Up Next:  Curacao

 

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This Battered Suitcase is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com. For the full disclosure/privacy policy, please click here.

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This Battered Suitcase
  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Around the Web
    • Contact
  • Start Here
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
    • Asia
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Mongolia
      • Myanmar
      • Nepal
      • The Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • South Korea
      • Thailand
      • UAE
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Cyprus
      • Czechia
      • Denmark
      • England
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Latvia
      • Liechtenstein
      • Lithuania
      • Luxembourg
      • Malta
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • San Marino
      • Scotland
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
      • Vatican City
      • Wales
    • North America
      • Antigua and Barbuda
      • Barbados
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Grenada
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Jamaica
      • Nicaragua
      • Mexico
      • Panama
      • St. Kitt’s and Nevis
      • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
      • USA
    • Oceania
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