Louise Wylie

Freelance Travel Writer, Travel Lemming

Louise Wylie is a freelance writer from Glasgow, Scotland. Her love of travel led her to live in Cartagena, Spain, and enjoy the Mediterranean way of life. When not ticking off bucket items around continental Europe, Louise is attempting to explore all the highlights of Scotland and eat the best vegetarian food on offer. She never travels with fewer than two books on hand and loves to swim outdoors wherever she can.

🏠 Local to: Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

🌟 Favorite Destinations: Spain, Italy, Ecuador, Norway, Ireland

🎓 Education: University of Glasgow (MA, Politics/Sociology, 2018), Edinburgh Napier University (MA, Journalism, 2019)

✔️ Fun Facts: I once accidentally swam with a penguin and a tiger shark on the same day. I make the most delicious vegetable lasagna known to man. I had to learn how to ride a bike twice.

Meet Louise

Louise Wylie smiling for a photo in Rome, Italy — Rome, Italy

Louise Wylie smiling for a photo with statues in Reykjavik, Iceland — Reykjavik, Iceland

Louise Wylie sitting and smiling for a photo in Seville, Spain — Seville, Spain

Louise Wylie smiling for a photo in Cliffs of Moher, Ireland — Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

📚 What was Your Favorite Travel Experience or Story?

I wasn’t a frequent hiker before I walked to Machu Picchu. In fact, it was my second hike ever. Despite this, I didn’t train much before the four-day trek. I was so ill-prepared I didn’t even bring a raincoat, much to my guide’s concern.

That hike was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life – I spent hours each day walking alone with only my thoughts and incredible, untouched nature. Food had never tasted so good as it did the nights after long, oxygen-scarce walks. And although the hike was challenging, I made it to the end.

A few hours after I reached Machu Picchu, I was in a club dancing to reggae music. Every time I bent my knees they froze and someone had to pull me upright again. My friends and I had to carry each other home at 2 a.m., and two hours later I was awake for another high-altitude hike.

Climbing Rainbow Mountain that day on a couple of hours of sleep, with locked knees and a sunburnt face, I was so tired that I began to hallucinate. The route usually only took an hour but there was unseasonable snow, and all along the path there were people offering horseback rides to the peak.

I was tempted to take the easy route, yet instead, I persevered. At the top of the hike, exhausted and sick, I realised the strength of my stubbornness and promised myself some empanadas – as soon as I could move my legs.

🗺️ What’s Your #1 Expert Travel Tip?

If traveling to a non-English speaking country, try to learn some basic phrases in the local language. It’s more polite to locals and can come in handy more often than you would think!

A simple hello, please or thank you can go a long way when you want to communicate. I’ve always found people willing to help with vocabulary and pronunciation, plus they might be more welcoming when they know you’re making the effort to try.

You can also avoid common mistakes by knowing some basic terms – like not ordering a latte (milk) in Italy when actually you want coffee!

📔 What’s On Your Travel Bucket List?

I want to tick off the three “J”s – Jamaica, Jordan and Japan. I plan on making it to see Petra in Jordan in the next few years as I’m sick with travel envy!

Closer to home, I have much more of Ireland to explore, and then I want to travel around Eastern Europe by train – Budapest, Bucharest, Ljubljana and Tallinn especially.