About

First off, a huge hug and a massive thank you, from both of us, for checking out our blog, Hand Luggage Only. Seriously, it means the world to us, so thanks for stopping by.

The beginning: Hand Luggage Only

Hand Luggage Only was born back in April 2014 on a surprisingly warm afternoon in Yaya’s college room at the University of Cambridge.

In what seemed like an oasis of calm between assignments, Yaya and Lloyd (that’s us!) were talking about sharing our travel stories and photos with other like-minded travellers on the internet.

We’d already been doing this for a while and (almost competitively) sharing our stories on Facebook but what we really wanted was to connect with other travellers across the globe and have a two-way conversation about travel.

On that fateful day in Cambridge in true Yaya style (i.e. impatient), we started writing blog posts, using photos we’d already edited and within a few hours, Hand Luggage Only was online and ready to go!

Who’s Yaya?

Let’s see…. How would I describe myself? T.D.H. (Tall Dark and Handsome)… just kidding!

I would probably describe myself as someone who knows no limits with his favourite foods (I can literally eat to the point of shame). I am a swirling mass of contradictions, I love a good boogie but I have the worst taste in music (example 1) and some people describe me as smart/clever (due to my grades) but on the other hand, I’m incredibly clueless about a lot of things (like how I couldn’t point out where Singapore was on a map until the day I actually moved to Singapore – example 2). I am working on the cluelessness part though and I’m hoping you can help me out with that one.

What else is there about me? I’m a dog person but I would quite like to get a cat as well (another contradiction perhaps?), I’m not a huge fan of chocolates but I love anything strawberry flavoured! (Yes, I’ll even eat strawberry-flavoured ham (if there was such a thing)).

Who’s Lloyd?

Hmmmm… firstly, unlike Yaya – I am a total chocolate fiend! Dip, cover or smother anything in chocolate and I will be your best friend for life… oh and, of course, eat it!

So, how would I describe myself? I love to explore new places, it has been my passion since I was a little boy. I always wanted to be a pilot but my colour blindness prevented that dream from happening – Boooo! Then I found something equally as exciting…. travel blogging.

I love anything cute; kawaii-style animation, bite-sized fudge, shetland ponies and puppies. If it’s cute, it’s best to expect that I will either want to touch, eat or photograph it!