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@lisamcgarrywrites

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***SIDE HUSTLE KLAXON***

Don’t book any holidays folks, because I’m here to do it for you. Be your right hand gal in a 1950s stewardess outfit, take you for Manhattans in Manhattan, and research all those boring safaris and hotels so all you have to do is make a call.

I’ll be sharing branding and website shortly, so give me a shout if you miss the days when booking trips meant going to flirt with the cute guy* (*insert preference here) in STA Travel, next to a chalk board advertising the latest round-the-world deals. Or just not having to beat your head against the wall after a calming 10 hours or so trawling the internet for a trip/hotel/flight, and still feeling unsure.

Travel is my thing and as a press trip veteran, I know all about living life on and off itinerary. Life is about the journey and not the destination - so they say - but getting the right destination, and getting it right at said destination, are key to enjoying the journey 🔑🏔️

So don’t let the daily grind get between you and your dreams … (and if you’re worried about carbon, I handle cruises & railways too.)

Kisses & Air Miles ✈️ 💫 💘

Donatella Draper xx 💋

#independenttravelagent #travelmore #comeflywithme #sidehustle by @lisamcgarrywrites

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3 months ago

I’m sorry this beach is private 🌺

Make it White Lotus but not sinister or cynical. And bring giant tortoises 🐢 taken in Denis Private Island by @lisamcgarrywrites

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8 months ago

A yoga teacher & a writer walk into a bar … and walk out with a travel business 🌍

Between us, we know a good story and a good trip - so let us plan yours ✈️

What’s your dream destination or cute escape? DM us and we’ll make it happen. With over 100 preferred partners and a can-do attitude, we can upgrade you, undercut them, and make your travel dreams come true ✨ 🌍

#independenttravelagent #travellife #wanderlust #travelinspi̇ration #wellnesstravel by @lisamcgarrywrites

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3 days ago

So this is me a year ago, and tbh looking at it, I’m not sure I’ve learned anything over the past year 😆 but also I look better than now! FFS.

Thank you everyone for all the premature birthday wishessss (totally my fault for Meta misinformation spreading across its apps. What a sad sentence 😆)

When was I born again? 22 July, on a Monday. Remember it well ❤️❤️❤️❤️

#thenightbeforebirthday #thebig52 #stillsexyhopefully #reflectingonlife #midlifediva by @lisamcgarrywrites

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4 days ago

Read our piece on @theixiangrand and why you shouldn’t feel guilty for going on a kid-free holiday this year.

With private pools in the suites you can swim from sun up to midnight, catch sunset on the beach & enjoy a choice of fabulous restaurants with the resort’s dine-around plan.

Furthermore, a day trip to Kallithea Springs and historic Lindos Old Town & Bay couldn’t be easier, and why not stop off in Stegna for a seafood lunch on the way back.

See you next time 🌊🩵🇬🇷

Link in bio 🖕🏼

#fqdadsmag #kallitheasprings #lindos #rhodes #kidfreeholiday taken in The Ixian Grand & All Suites by @lisamcgarrywrites

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8 days ago

It’s all about priorities 🤎🤎🤎

#singlemumlife #funny #teensofinstagram #breakfastbuffet #singlemoms by @lisamcgarrywrites

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13 days ago

A big arigato 🙇‍♀️ to @tokyonightsuk for an amazing night watching real Japanese sumo wrestling for the first time ever live! 💥💥 we are now, if not experts, no longer newbies ❤️‍🔥

The rikishi were incredible, so respectful and gentle with their offstage vibe yet so totally badass on it. Our section were cheering for Genbu, the black tortoise 🐢🖤 who just missed out on the overall win 🥇

I wasn’t filming when we were nearly squished by a sudden and dramatic ring exit, but suffice to say it would have hurt 🤣🩵🩵

It was also fab to visit Greenwich on such a beautiful day. Loved seeing my old favourite vinyl store @musicandvideoexchange alive & well - @dylan_molder had a good rifle though the metal section 🎸

Tokyo Nights is on for another couple of weeks, and it’s a hard recommend from us: VIP Dining tickets include a delicious 3-course Japanese dinner. Eating sushi & watching sumo: total happy place! 🥰🇯🇵

#tokyonights #sumo #japaninlondon #greenwich #teenageson 🇯🇵 taken in The Borough Hall Greenwich by @lisamcgarrywrites

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21 days ago

When you set up the shot, take the shot, star in the shot 🎥

When Gen X were younger & wondering what we’d be doing in the 21st century I don’t think anyone’s answer was: taking self portraits with camera phones.

We were like: bring us the flying cars, dude! And the shiny fits. And maybe some alien princesses. No one mentioned a selfie stick, which you’d brandish whilst inserting yourself dead centre of a cultural attraction, completely ignoring said attraction (I don’t have one just so we’re clear)

But if you’re travelling alone, weary of asking the person who turns out to have the lens skills of a drunk stag weekend (whilst composing framer shots for anyone who asks OCD you) - being able to “write the theme toon sing the theme toon” like tiny Dennis Waterman in Little Britain is blessings (and sometimes skills) indeed.

You still get some funny looks, even in 2026 influencer land (which is not as dope as Back to the Future, unfortunately.)

Most days I’d rather have a Delorean than the internet, but here we are 🙌🏼

#selfportraits #genx #travelwriter #backtothefuture #solotraveller ☀️ 🌊 🏝️ 🏰 taken in Kalithea Springs, Rhodes by @lisamcgarrywrites

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25 days ago

You’re in paradise, you’re practising self-care, you’ll be home sooner than a Labour government can eat itself from within, yet you can’t keep the intrusive thoughts from killing your vibe.

1) Horrific shark attack in the Med 3 feet from the shore: it’s very unlikely, but rather like food prices decreasing, not impossible. Stoke this particular fear by genning up on the 4 fatal attacks in Australia in 2026, paying particular attention to eyewitness accounts. Finish with some Californian drone footage of Great Whites cruising around the legs of oblivious surfers 🦈

2) Your life is going to shit, and while that’s the main reason you’ve run away from it, details of your impending bankruptcy/home repossession/divorce/custody battle/social death are never far away. Yay!

3) That couple on the next sunbed are judging you harshly. And you can’t help agreeing with them: you’re a massive wanker.

4) There’s absolutely no way you’ll be returning home to a viable property. Something will have moved in; whether it’s squatters, squirrels, moths, or Love Island contestants who got mugged off. Better pick up some vapes at the airport.

5) You can’t leave this resort without tipping, so time to figure out exactly who gets what in the Venn diagram of everyone who’s looked after you this week

6) Incipient melanomas and crinkly décolletage: all this time in the sun is doing you no favours, babes. Sort yourself out before you turn into a Lay’s potato chip

7) God loves a trier, but if Heaven exists, you are well and truly screwed. Better start working on that karma (see tipping)

8) You are running out of time quicker than Kate Bush can scoot up a hill, so exactly when is this novel you were supposed to be retreating to write going to show its literary face, huh? More like “Book ‘em Danno” than the Booker Prize (Gen X joke) or even Kindle Unlimited

9) Your kid’s kids will have no water/jobs, and it’s your fault for using Chat GPT to write complaint emails and get compliments.

10) You are 💯 scheduled to die alone (and potentially soon if you carry on like this)

Did I miss any out? 😆

#holidaybants #intrusivethoughts #singlewhitefemale #travelwriter taken in Rhodos, Ixia by @lisamcgarrywrites

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a month ago

Breakfast smiling at the couple you befriended after 2 margs at the Blue Parrot Bar last night, which needs to convey a) you’re not after the guy b) you no longer require their friendship services c) warm regards for the future & to the kids x🍸

#singletravelfemale #solotraveller #travelwriter #comedywriter #holidayfriends taken in Rhodes by @lisamcgarrywrites

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a month ago

Self care is a delicate destination; we may arrive here if we’ve quieted our looping mind chatter and not merely pursued brattish hedonism.

They say single mums deserve this mythical state, and it’s true … but contrarily, I wish my son was here, the beloved young man on the edge of his adulthood, so sensitive, so stroppy, with his ever-changing Vinted wants and playlists, ready to swoop but clinging to the edge of comforting childhood.

On the journey, my thoughts were with him almost tearfully (to paraphrase Zoolander: so hormonal rn). Imagined him waking up bleary for 4am departure, tired but pliant for adventure, patient through delays, earphoned up in the seat next to me, snaffling my window, sniffing the air of Greece, soaking it in, wading into the welcome fruit & baklava, dipping into the private pool, taking pics. Just learning, and me getting to watch and knowing: I did that. I made it happen.

Because this was exams year, end of secondary school, and though I’ve been (massively!) looking forward to the next phase: school’s out forever, it hit me on the plane, as we flew over the peerless Aegean and I dreamed about life and what I yearn to do with the rest of mine.

Magical Rhodes and the stunning Ixian Grand could not be a better place to start figuring it all out … & solo trips are a chance to put your shadow self first, and let her into the light ✨✨✨✨

Shine on, you crazy diamonds (but that’s another song). Shine on, and embrace the awks of it all. Hold your heavy hearts, and turn them into feathers. Fly across the Aegean like that other impetuous teen, Icarus, but don’t fumble the landing 🩵 🪽

(Always grateful, always emotional, always searching and usually at least one margarita down whilst On Holiday 🩵🩵🩵)

#ixiangrand #singlemumsontour #noAI #rhodes #selfcare taken in The Ixian Grand & All Suites by @lisamcgarrywrites

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a month ago

Sometimes you lose a dad and you gain a dad, and they end up being your son’s grandad, the only one he’s ever known. He was so happy with his pint glass saying legend, but he really is. Happy Father’s Day Pops 💝 taken in Great Staughton by @lisamcgarrywrites

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a month ago