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Tag:

Giveaway

    Travel

    GIVEAWAY: Thinking About Gratitude With Trover

    by Brenna Holeman November 12, 2017
    written by Brenna Holeman
    November 12, 2017
    36 comments
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  • Lifestyle

    Book Review: Miss-Adventures by Amy Baker (plus GIVEAWAY)

    by Brenna Holeman July 30, 2017
    by Brenna Holeman July 30, 2017

    There’s a moment in Amy Baker’s Miss-Adventures: A Tale of Ignoring Life Advice While Backpacking Around South America that made me realise I was going to fall in love with this book straightaway.…

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  • Travel

    Best of London: “Ride the Slide” at ArcelorMittal Orbit

    by Brenna Holeman September 13, 2016
    by Brenna Holeman September 13, 2016

    “What is that thing?” I thought to myself for the tenth time. I was on a bus to Stansted Airport; being an East Londoner, this is the most convenient airport to fly from when I go abroad. Looking out the window as I passed the area of Stratford, I saw a tall structure, red metal coiled around it. I had seen it every time I was on this bus, and yet I never thought to, you know, Google it, or ask someone, or figure it out. Not until that day a couple of months ago, when I did indeed whip out my phone and Google it.

    “It’s a giant SLIDE?!” I thought to myself, and I stared at the structure again. Because just when you think London can’t get any cooler, or interesting, or full of things to do, it turns out that the city now holds the longest and tallest tunnel slide in the world.

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  • Lifestyle

    A Quick Thank You (and a small giveaway)

    by Brenna Holeman March 13, 2016
    written by Brenna Holeman
    March 13, 2016
    84 comments
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  • Lifestyle

    That Time of Year – with lots of giveaways!

    by Brenna Holeman December 23, 2015
    by Brenna Holeman December 23, 2015

    I love this time of year, I really do. It’s not just the food and the decorations and the smell of the pine tree, it’s the time spent with family. This year, I feel incredibly blessed to be able to see all of my loved ones on Christmas day; my dad and sister Zalie, who both live in Winnipeg, my mum, who lives in Toronto, and my brother, who lives in Vancouver. We’ve already shared tons of laughs (and drinks) together, and the festivities will continue until I fly back to London on the 29th.

    But OK, I’ll admit, I love the presents, too. Which brings me to the point of this blog post – I’d like to send ten gifts out to say thank you for another wonderful year of your comments, emails, messages, likes, and general support.

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  • Writing and Blogging

    Five Years of This Battered Suitcase: What Next?

    by Brenna Holeman May 12, 2015
    by Brenna Holeman May 12, 2015

    The memory is a vivid one: I’m sitting on my bed in Osaka, looking out the windows to the low, grey buildings sprawled out as far as the eye can see. I’m wearing a dress – I think it is black with little red and yellow flowers. My hair is up, of that I’m sure. My fingers are resting on the keyboard of my laptop, hesitating, hesitant.

    My days of Livejournal were waning. That platform had hosted my first blog, back when I called myself Chapter Fourteen for no other reason than I like how those two words sounded together. I needed a new name, a new online persona. My Livejournal blog was almost solely about travel anyway, and at this point, 2008, I had already decided that I wanted travel to be a permanent and prominent part of my life. I remember that I tried to find the right words and then, like that, they appeared – This Battered Suitcase – and I registered my new blog immediately.

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  • StoriesWriting and Blogging

    A New Adventure: I’m Writing a Book (& a giveaway)

    by Brenna Holeman February 22, 2015
    written by Brenna Holeman
    February 22, 2015
    168 comments
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  • FashionStories

    The Story of El Camino Bracelets (plus a giveaway!)

    by Brenna Holeman March 31, 2014
    by Brenna Holeman March 31, 2014

    If you’ve read this blog long enough, or have ever glanced at my Media/PR page, you know that I get very suspicious of companies. There is no paid advertising on this blog, nor are there any sponsored links (not even hidden ones, what you see is what you get). While I’m willing to work with companies and tourism boards for complimentary trips and tours (like my visit to London Cru a few weekends ago), I have no desire to participate in anything that does not keep up with the theme of This Battered Suitcase, or that I think would not be beneficial to readers. I also almost always turn down product reviews.

    So when Tom emailed me, I responded politely but firmly. “I won’t write a post specifically about your bracelet, or even guarantee that I will put El Camino in the title of a post,” I wrote. And yet here I am, two months later, doing both of those things. Why?

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  • Lifestyle

    A Thank You (and a small giveaway)

    by Brenna Holeman March 11, 2014
    by Brenna Holeman March 11, 2014

    Some of you are brand new to This Battered Suitcase, and some of you have followed it for years, maybe even since Livejournal (hi, Naomi). This is just a thank you for being such a supportive, creative, incredible group of people. As a small thank you, I have a copy of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air to give away; fitting, perhaps, because of my last post. I haven’t read it yet, only Into the Wild, but I’ve heard it is absolutely amazing. I will also throw in some treats from London (I hope you like tea and chocolate). I have some other exciting giveaways coming up in the future, but, on this slightly cloudy day in London, I felt I wanted to do something right now.

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  • Lifestyle

    Holiday Giveaway

    by Brenna Holeman December 9, 2011
    written by Brenna Holeman
    December 9, 2011
    17 comments
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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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INSPIRATION

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

 

Disclosures

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
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  • Start Here
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
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      • Malta
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    • North America
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      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Grenada
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
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    • Oceania
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  • Topics
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