Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

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Below you’ll find all our blog posts in chronological order of publishing. Looking for something specific? Try the search at the top of the screen, or head over to our destinations page to explore the world!

Day Trip to Bath From London: Our Perfect One-Day Itinerary

Published: 16th June 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

Pulteney Bridge autumn light Bath by Laurence Norah

We spent four years living in Bath, which means we’ve done the city in a single day more times than we would like to admit. Usually it was with a friend who had taken the morning train down from London and wanted to see everything before the last train home. So we know which parts […]

2 Days in Manchester: A Complete Itinerary for First-Timers

Published: 15th June 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

Manchester United Old Trafford Stadium Tour and Museum

I lived in Manchester for a summer back in my twenties, and a couple of years ago Jess and I came back and based ourselves in the city for two full weeks. We walked the centre end to end more times than I can count, ate our way through Ancoats and the Northern Quarter, and […]

2 Days in Bath: The Perfect Weekend Itinerary

Published: 15th June 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

Pulteney Bridge Bath

I lived in Bath for four years, in Weston, a couple of miles out from the centre, and in all that time I never quite got over walking into the city on a clear morning and seeing the whole honey-coloured place laid out below me. Most people give Bath a day on the way to […]

Best Memory Card for Photography: A Working Photographer’s 2026 Guide

Published: 13th June 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

Best camera for hiking and backpacking

I’ve worked as a professional travel photographer since 2010, and in that time I’ve shot to almost every type of memory card going, from CompactFlash in my early DSLRs to the CFexpress card sitting in my Canon R5 today. If you’ve just bought a camera and you’re staring at a wall of cards labelled UHS-I, […]

Best Rome Pass: Roma Pass vs Omnia vs Go City (Which Is Worth It?)

Published: 13th June 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

Coliseum Rome Roma Pass

We bought the Omnia Vatican & Rome Card on one of our many trips to Rome (it cost us about €130 at the time), and on another visit we bought a Roma Pass on its own. So this is not a desk-research comparison. We’ve held these cards, used them for public transport, and stood in […]

2 Days in Florence Itinerary: What to See, Pre-Book, and Skip

Published: 13th June 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

Florence Duomo blue hour by Laurence Norah

Florence is the city in Italy we keep going back to. We first visited in 2015, staying in a small apartment a few streets from the cathedral, and we’ve returned several times since, most recently stepping off the fast train and walking ten minutes to our hotel with the Duomo already crowding the skyline. I’m […]

Visiting the Unclaimed Baggage Store in Scottsboro, Alabama: Is It Worth It?

Published: 12th June 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

We’ve now visited Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama twice, most recently this June on the long drive home from visiting Jess’s family in Ohio. We live in Alabama and regularly drive the Huntsville to Chattanooga corridor, so this odd and rather brilliant store has quickly become a favourite stop whenever we’re passing through. If you’ve […]

One Day in Chester: Best Things to Do

Published: 2nd June 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

Chester main street by Laurence Norah-2

I’ve been coming to Chester since I was a child, and as a professional photographer I’ve since shot most of its landmarks on countless trips, on my own and with Jess. It started with my parents bringing me here for shopping days out: a lot of standing around while clothes were tried on in one […]

Best Travel eSIM 2026: Which One to Actually Buy (We Paid For Five)

Published: 31st May 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

We’ve paid full price for five of the big travel eSIMs and used them on real trips: Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad and aloSIM. Those trips have run from East Africa to the Caribbean to mainland Europe and the US, and our full Airalo review has been live for over a year now. I still keep […]

3 Days in New Orleans: The Perfect Itinerary for First-Time Visitors (2026)

Published: 31st May 2026 by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

3 day New Orleans itinerary

If you’re planning a long-weekend trip to New Orleans and you have three days to work with, the question is rarely what to do. It’s in what order to do it, what to book before you fly in, and which evenings deserve a sit-down and which deserve a walk. Jess and I first visited New […]

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About Us

Laurence and Jessica Norah

Hi there! We're Laurence and Jessica Norah. We've been running this site since 2010 as full time professional travel bloggers. We visit all the places we write about personally, and all our content is based on our own first hand travel experiences. We also take all the photos you see on our sites. So grab a drink, dive in, and read on! You can also find out more about us here. Comic included.
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