Hi there and welcome back!

After a hiatus, Lily Wanderust has returned with a fresh look, exciting new content and fun adventures on the horizon. Whether you're new to this blog or just curious, let's get (re)aquainted. Shall we?

Back in 2009, I wrote about expat life and shared travel photos during my first year in Amsterdam. It was supposed to be a gap year but instead has transitioned into my real life. After a while, I lost inspiration for writing about expat life and needed a break. Sharing online is tricky when you lose direction and motivation so, I took a break. Now, seven years (!) have passed since I made the leap to Amsterdam. Living abroad is definitely still an exciting adventure but it’s also transitioned to my everyday life. Behind each charming canal photo or sunny boat ride, are the quiet moments like studying for Dutch exams or the tears of frustration and the every day struggles like tackling the dreaded task of apartment hunting. It’s not all picture perfect, that's for sure. The ebb and flow of life has emerged with many exciting highs and tragic lows. As the eight-year mark approaches, I finally feel at home in my adopted city. Even after all these years, those charming canals still make my heart swell. Sometimes, it’s like living in a little snow globe and I have to pinch myself that it’s real!

Moving forward, LilyWanderlust will be a creative space to share my own travel adventures and personal photography. If you are looking for my freelance work, check out my website and be sure to follow along on Instagram for everyday adventures.

Now, it’s time to take the plunge and start publishing new posts. I am excited to share new stories with you and I hope you enjoy them! Feel free to shoot me a message if there’s something in particular that you’d like me to share about Amsterdam, I am curious to keep exploring and report back here!

Happy travels!
xx Lily

Curious for more?

Check read more about me or take a peak at a few FAQs below...

What have you been up to? Time has passed quickly the last three years. A lot of positive growth and change has occurred, both in the Amsterdam as a city and here in my own little world. I grew up right alongside Amsterdam, having moved here in my early 20s and recently crossing intothe next decade. All the while, I've been actively taking on challenges and settling into my new chapter of independent life here. First, as a student when I completed graduate school all the while integrating into Dutch society. Yup, I passed those infamous inburgering exams! Then, it was onto another new chapter when I launched my freelance communications brand last year.

Why have you stayed so long in Amsterdam? I struggled for a while and went back and forth to Florida a few times. Building a life in Amsterdam was a huge decision and commitment. I needed to figure out the right reasons to be here and like all big choices, that took a bit of time. Now I have embraced Amsterdam as my adopted home and life has fallen into place. I’ve hit a nice stride where client work, personal projects, and my daily life feel more balanced. Looking back over all these years and how my experience in this city has shaped me, I have learned a lot. I transitioned a decade and kinda grew up with Amsterdam. I am also really proud to have built something for myself here - an education, a happy social life and a growing business. There’s a lot to be said about surrounding yourself with the positive people and experiences. The best thing I've heard is to surround yourself with people who reciprocate your own positive energy and friends who push you to achieve your dreams. I feel like I’ve ticked a lot of those boxes over the last few years and viola! Here we are!

Why start blogging again? I took a break from blogging because it wasn't fufilling me and I needed some redirection. However, I never stopped creating. Instead, I stepped away from the computer and gave to attention more hands-on activities, like painting, film photography. Recently, I began to miss having a platform to share my travel experiences, photography and creative projects. At this point, my adventure stories and photos are piling up and it’s really a shame to keep so many fun experiences all to myself and hidden in a hard drive so, now it's time to bring them to life.

So, what’s new? Everything! Well, just about everything. It was quite a task to create a fresh, new look for this site, manage the old blog posts (over 500 posts, woah!). Now, I can get back to creating fun, colorful content for you to enjoy! After weeding the garden per-say, I chose to hang on to a few old posts, like my travel adventure stories, a little bit about expat life for those who are curious and of course, my favorite things in Amsterdam. You can view the archives here.