Yesterday I put a video up titled ‘Breaking the Silence’ where I spoke out about a video that KSI did where he joked about me in a sexualised manner. 

For the record, KSI was joking and many took it as a joke - probably because this type of humor is commonplace on YouTube and in the media. We all know women are objectified at large, from rap songs to pool parties and from the catcalls we get when simply walking down the street. So I knew that what KSI said about me was a joke. However, I wasn’t comfortable with it and when I spoke up it quickly became apparent that many others felt the same. 5 hours later, it had gained a lot of attention, some of which was directed negatively at my brother Caspar.
As you can imagine, family is the most important thing to me. The two of us spoke for hours last night and decided to ask KSI to remove his video, which he did immediately because he realized that myself and many others found it offensive. I then took my video down to put the particular situation to rest. This doesn’t mean that I no longer believe in what I said in the video. I hope you can respect my decision to remove it. In the end, I think this may have done us all the world of good. 

Here’s why: 

People watched my video and spoke loudly about the topic. Proving that women want to see a change in the way they are treated on YouTube and in real life. 

KSI made a public apology within a very short space of time, showing his maturity and acceptance of his mistake.

I forgave KSI. And I hope it set an example about forgiveness, and how important it is to accept that people are not perfect - but we can all learn from our mistakes. 

Both KSI and Caspar (and hopefully others!) will be more mindful in the future, especially when it comes to pushing their jokes too far. 

I want to urge people to forgive KSI if you haven’t already and me for removing a video that you may wish to see or watch again. Because at the end of the day, the most important thing was making a change, and in the end BIG changes were made.

Hello Lovelies,

Although getting back into the swing of regular life has been challenging, I cannot deny that the way I see the world now has changed somewhat. Most of the following things may seem obvious, but before I left for Asia, I didn't really know this stuff, well I certainly didn't practice it in everyday life. I'll be forever grateful Contiki gave me the opportunity to rethink my lifestyle and become more mindful.

So among many other things, this is what Contiki taught me:

You can do a million and one things in a day.

Saying, "that's too much" and "I don't think we'll fit that in," is silly and boringly negative. There's always time in the day if you plan it right. Which Contiki DOES.

Sleep isn't the most important thing in life. 

Before Contiki, I valued sleep way too much, to the point that it was ruling my life *yawn*. When I arrived in Asia that 'sleep when your dead' rule applied, and for the first time in my life, I became an advocate of it. When there are places to be and things to see, sleep can wait! And I'm trying to keep this up at home by not freaking out when my sleep is cut into by events, the kinds that I would usually miss out on.

You can make life long friends in two weeks. 

I used to think friendship was something that took time and nurturing, but if you make an effort you can make the greatest friends in just a few days. The people I met on Contiki were the *raddest* and we still speak to each other pretty much every day. I think it's about experiencing such incredible things at the same time, and being collectively open to meeting people and making amazing memories with them. At home, I was somewhat shy of making new friends, but this trip has given me the confidence to go out there and meet new people.

You can fit your whole life into one bag. 

Well, if you dive onto your suitcase and get somebody else to zip it up for you. But seriously, why do we have so much stuff if we can live legitimately out of a bag? Crazy I tell you.

Travelling is a worthwhile thing to spend your money on. AND a great motive to work hard.


I don't think I've ever been as happy as when we were on the road traveling from one place to the next. And at one point on the trip, I realised how I'd previously undermined the value of travel. I suppose in my busy life I'd just forgotten how great it is. In my mind, it seemed like too much money, or too much of an effort to plan. But now I know that travel is one of my top priorities and I feel more motivated than ever to work hard so I can travel more.

Living in the moment is possible.

One of the things I did on Contiki was not look at the schedule and just find out on the day what we were doing and where we were going. It was a fantastic idea because I didn't find myself worrying about the next thing before the current activity was over. This is so luxurious and something that can only be done on a packaged tour like Contiki. Everything is sorted for you and you can, for two weeks (or however long you go for), switch off your mental calendar and just LIVE.

Life is beautiful.

We become so accustomed to the life around us, that we start taking it for granted. I mean I live in Cape Town for heaven's sake and sometimes I don't even look at the amazing mountains because they kind of just blend into the backdrop. But when you leave home, you gain perspective by looking at the world and all the different cultures with fresh eyes. Asia was unbelievable for this, opening my eyes to how different we all are and how beautiful it all is. And when I came back home, the first thing I did was look out of the airplane window to see the mountains and indulge in their beauty.

I could go on and on, but essentially what I learnt was that there's more to life beyond the bounds of what we think life is. Travel is raw enlightenment that cures all boredom. And travel is essential to anyone who is hungry to learn.