Hi! My name is Zenobia (or Zen if you like). I’ve lived in Holland, the UK, Germany, Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan… before circling back to the UK, but I can frequently be found elsewhere as well.

On this blog I might share (budget) travel tips, stories about unexplored or under-appreciated places – and especially the history of these places. I am a trained historian and archaeologist and I hold a PhD in Near & Middle Eastern Studies, which means I do tend to favour the Near East and North Africa when it comes to travel. I also have an eclectic collection of training in humanitarian affairs, endangered languages, diplomacy and international security. At the moment I am a full-time researcher but I have previously been employed as cartographer, video game artist, Latin tutor and music teacher. I am also always learning a new language (currently mainly Arabic, French and Irish).

You can contact me at zententia at gmail dot com if you would like to work together on anything, I am generally open to suggestions, keeping in mind I also have a full-time job to keep up with.