I’m bored… here’s how I’m adding more adventure to my day-to-day...

And everything else that happened in March

Apr 01, 2026

Hey! I’m Emma from Where’s Ems? 👋🏼 I’ve been travelling full-time since 2023 while building my freelance writing business. Join to receive my monthly roundups: a behind-the-scenes look at where I’ve been, what I’ve loved and learnt.

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Coastal view of a sandy beach with waves rolling in beneath a clear blue sky, alongside a grassy cliffside overlooking the sea. — Porthleven, Cornwall

Welcome to everything that happened in March.

So, a little change around here. Up until now, these monthly roundups have been a mix of free and paid content in one place. I’m splitting them into two.

This one, the travel roundup, is now free for everyone. My spending and earnings diary is moving into my Becoming a Travel Writer series, which is also evolving into a broader freelancing roundup. First one goes out tomorrow, upgrade here if you want it!

March travel roundup…

3 days house sitting in Dublin, Ireland
17 days with family in Cornwall, UK
11 days house sitting in London, UK

A lot of people describe me as adventurous. And I’d normally agree. But lately? Not so much.

As a full-time house sitter, I move location every couple of weeks. I’d been craving a longer sit, so when I got one in Dublin, I was excited to get to know the city better. But instead of using the extra time to explore, I got comfortable. Too comfortable. I fell into a routine, stopped going out as much (I’m going to blame the bad weather a little here) and that feeling has been hard to shake ever since.

It seems the longer I stay somewhere, the less I do. The less I do, the less I want to do. Turns out I’m not alone in feeling like this:

So I'm putting my adventurous pants back on and making a proper effort to do more fun stuff again. And before you say it, adventure doesn't have to mean trekking up to Everest Base Camp or a six-month backpacking trip. Sometimes it just means saying yes when you'd normally stay home and watch another episode of something.

Some adventurous ideas I'm adding to my routine…

Cycling once a month. I fell in love with cycling last year and want to make it a regular thing wherever I am. I’ve also been wanting to build my confidence in cycling around London, and I’m here for most of April, so no excuses.
A Tourist Day. Inspired by a reply from Clare Belmont. She made a really good point — I always skip the touristy stuff because I've convinced myself I'm basically a local everywhere I go. I'm not. Time to actually do the things.
A “last night in town” dinner. I usually spend my last evening at a house sit packing and cleaning. But in Dublin, I got a little dressed up and took myself out for dinner instead. It was really lovely, and it also solved the very real problem of having nothing left in the fridge to eat on the last day.
At least one social event per month. My socialising has really taken a hit lately. I did a trad music tour in Dublin, which was fun, but then nothing at all in March. Going to use this post for inspiration: 20 ways to meet new people in real life.
A Sunday routine. As someone who moves around a lot, I don't really have rituals or routines — I think I miss that sometimes. So wherever I am on a Sunday, I want to find a cafe with a good window seat, grab brunch and read the latest issue of National Geographic Traveller.
Photography walks. I've had my camera for a few months and still don't really know how to use it properly. So I'm going to start taking myself out for a couple of hours with a loose theme — a colour, a landmark, something to focus on. Maybe followed by a pub lunch to review, because that feels like a fair reward.
A Friday espresso martini at 3pm. I love an espresso martini, but rarely order one because I'm very aware I'm not in my twenties anymore and value my sleep. But one on a Friday at 3pm feels doable.
Farmers markets. I went to one recently and remembered that I absolutely love them. Going to make it a regular thing and use it as an excuse to try something new each time.

If you have any other ideas, please send them my way!

Things I loved in March…

Do you have a Revolut account? It's a global banking app, and I only recently discovered they have a paid plan called Metal. It's £14.99 a month and comes with a bundle of perks like ClassPass credits, a NordVPN subscription, Financial Times access and about 14 other apps and other benefits that’s too much to explain here.

But the one that really got me was the monthly WeWork pass. WeWork are co-working spaces you'll find in most major cities — basically stylish offices you can drop into for the day. I used one here in London last week and it was exactly the kind of thing I needed to get out of the house. Free barista coffee, free beer on tap from 3pm, fast WiFi. A day pass there normally costs £72 and I paid £14.99 via Revolut! I’m honestly considering upgrading to the next tier to get even more perks like free airport lounge access. This isn't sponsored, but I do have this referral link if you want to sign up at no extra cost to you.

I got given a free £30 Everyman Cinema voucher (more on that in tomorrow's freelancing roundup) and went to see Project Hail Mary. I loved it! Go and see it if you haven't already. It also made me realise how fun solo cinema dates are, especially at Everyman, where you can get yourself a cocktail and a huge box of popcorn that you don’t have to share, delivered to your seat.

While I was in Cornwall, I came across Matt Nott, who runs a brilliant little workshop in Helston called One Blue Eye. He collects plastic waste from local beaches and communities and turns it into fun things like surf accessories, keyrings, soap dishes, artwork etc. I'm writing a piece about him soon, so more on that to come. I know his specific workshop won’t be near you, but when I spoke to Matt, he made a really good point that sustainability doesn't have to feel overwhelming, and that the best place to start is local. There's probably someone doing something similar near you… maybe it's worth seeking them out.