Great to meet you!
Hello! I’m Larch, the traveller, writer, photographer and drone pilot behind The Silver Nomad.
I am an over-50 avid traveller, content creator, qualified drone pilot, house sitter and amateur explorer. I balance my home and work life with my passion for travelling to new places, revisiting old haunts, seeking out interesting adventures, experiences and being an all-around Silver Nomad.
I am not one of the usual lean and lithe travel bloggers whose honey-coloured limbs are seen in endless bikinis or skimpy dresses, but I am a real woman with cellulite, the occasional hot sweat, weight fluctuation and encroaching silver hairs.
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While my contemporaries are making plans for their retirement, I am making plans for my next adventure, next place to visit, language to learn or cuisine to try.
My aim is to inspire people to explore the world, discover the less well-known places and to experience travel on a deeper more meaningful level.
My Travelling Style
My travelling style is mixed. I take a lot of solo trips, either here in the UK or abroad. I also travel with my partner, my son and in groups of other bloggers.
While solo travel can seem to be a bit lonely, I find it pushes me out of my comfort zone and makes me mingle more and meet new people and seek out new places.
You will find me wandering around a museum or art gallery, stravaiging* round the streets or trying out the local food and living like a local.
My Travel highlights
I have been lucky enough to have some amazing adventures around the world over the years. Some of my travel highlights so far are:
- Hair modelling in Tokyo for a week
- Moving to Portugal for a 7-week job and leaving 4.5 years later
- Two weeks spent in St Petersburg in the ‘90s
- A 3-week road trip around Bali on the back of a scooter
- Living for 3 months on Guanaja, an island off Honduras
- Visiting the beautiful island of Barbuda
- Travelling to Ceará in Brazil
- Having a 6-day safari in the Okavango Delta
- Learning to cook Balinese food in Lovina
- Travelling around Rajasthan without an itinerary
- Climbing Mount Ijen in Java and seeing the sulphur lake
- Sailing in Gibraltar and gaining my Competent Crew qualification
And My Name “Larch”?
Yes, it is my real name and you can make all the tree jokes you want (or Monty Python, if you are familiar with their sketches).
I sometimes say that my dad is a tree surgeon and my mum is a lumberjack (surprising how many people believe me!) but I was actually named after my dad’s friend’s niece.
I do have nicknames, but you have to know me pretty well to reveal them. In Bali, I am known as Mama Lusi, which will be the name of the warung or guesthouse I open, when I get to that stage.
Let’s keep in Touch!
I love hearing from my readers and followers, whether it is a comment, a suggestion or just a hello!</p
If you’d like to connect with me on social media, I share photographs of my travels on Instagram. Or if you I am also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
You can always drop me a line on this contact form.
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* – stravaiging – a quaint Scottish word for wandering aimlessly
Excellent website, lots of interesting information.
Can you advise if one is free to fly a drone over the Wiltshire White Horses? No commercial interest in this, just some images for my photo club.
Thanks
Rod Stowell
Hi Rod, glad you like the site. I did all my due diligence and followed the drone code, though there were a couple I couldn’t fly at due to restrictions or too many people. Fly safe!
hiii this is ur friend from Delhi, India
#Great time with u both guys
Hi Richie, it was great to meet you in Delhi!