Chris and Kate are father and daughter from North Wales who have a shared passion for travel. Chris is Kate’s go to travel guide and always knows the top places to visit, hotels to stay at, and restaurants to eat in.
Kate moved to Dubai in December 2016 and decided to start writing a blog to share her travel insights and adventures in between applying for jobs. Chris was soon on board as well and the Guestbooks were born!
But it’s really been 7 years in the making as Kate explains below…
“7 years ago, Josh (then boyfriend now husband) and I decided that we were going to buy my Dad a website called the Guestbook (his name is Chris Guest so we thought it was meant to be). My Dad is a serial restaurant, hotel and general travel researcher, reviewer and all out fan. This has never been his day job but it certainly is his full time hobby.
From a young age I can remember trips to new places taking twice as long as planned so Dad could look at the menus in every restaurant along the way. As a child this was very boring, but it did mean lots of trips to new places so I can’t really complain too much. However this passion has become more helpful as I’ve got older. Although I’ve lived in London for 7 years, I’ve always relied on Dad for an update on London’s latest restaurant openings and places to visit even though he’s never lived in London and is based in North Wales.
Amazed by his passion and wealth of knowledge on his retirement we again thought about buying him a website to start a blog and share his travel wisdom but due to a variety of reasons it never happened. Until now!
Like father like daughter must ring true and slowly my interest and enthusiasm for travel and all things travel related has grown. From reading the odd copy of my Dad’s travel magazines to getting the subscription for my birthday and reading it cover to cover, it’s fair to say I’ve caught the bug.
So 7 years on…….
A recent move to Dubai with my husband Josh’s work has meant that I’ve had to give up my job and look for something new. In between settling in and applying for jobs, I kept thinking about travelling but also writing about where I’d been, not for any great success but simply because I enjoy it. My Mum always used to say I should write a journal of all the countries I’ve visited because you forget and it’s true, but when you start to write about them they all come back to life again. I’ve never really had time to stop and write (although there’s no excuse), so in the short space of time (hopefully!) before finding a new job I thought I’d give it a go and who knows it might also be useful to someone planning their next trip.
Back to Dad, he’s not getting off lightly. Having retired he’s got no excuse so it’s going to be a joint effort. We’ve visited lots of different places so we can hopefully share insights and tips and if nothing else at least we’ve given it a go. As the saying goes, better 7 years too late than never!”
Here’s a bit more about Chris and Kate…
