My name is Momtaz

“As the child of working-class immigrants I never went on holiday. No vacations, summer camps or gap year. Travel was something other people did…”

I’m Momtaz. If you’re passionate about Colour, Crafts and Travel then you’re in the right place. I write about crafts, fashion and art & design inspired by my own travels and personal experiences.

From learning how to do indigenous embroidery techniques in Mexico to visiting some of the most creative museums in the world I’m changing the narrative of what it means to travel as a Bangladeshi woman.

Breaking the mould
Travel does not come naturally to me. As the child of working-class immigrants I never went on holiday. No vacations, summer camps or gap year. Travel was something other people did…

Growing up my parents covered our walls in photos of incredible locations – mountain regions, luscious lakes and natural phenomena, things they dreamed of seeing, but never did. They both passed away while I was in my 20s.

I deferred university to look after my mum when she became unwell then left full-time employment to spend more time with my dad after he was diagnosed with cancer.

This experience of watching them both suffer from health problems and experience financial difficulties was hard. At first I fell into an episode of depression which I thankfully got treated and I emerged with a a new energy and passion for life. I decided to go out, see and experience the things they never did.

My journey begins

With zero travel experience, I didn’t know where to start. When I began university, I had only been on a plane twice and both were family visits to see relatives in Bangladesh, trips my parents spent years saving up for. 

I was drawn to doing to studying for a Geography degree as it involved international travel and as I was one of the ‘poor students’ the trips were heavily subsidised. 

My main fieldwork was in LA and Las Vegas, and that project was the only First I was ever awarded – I clearly had a knack for travel writing : )

During that trip I didn’t want to go home so I extended by stay and went to Mexico – that was my first solo travel and I haven’t looked back, infact I’ve re-visited Mexico five more times. 

As of May 2024 I’ve visited 60 countries and I feel at ease travelling by myself though I sometimes travel with friends or on group excursions. I’ve even published a travelogue about my solo travels in India, available to read on Kindle. 

MY BLOGGING VALUES

I believe that as travellers, by exploring and learning about traditional and regional handicrafts we can better connect with local people, develop a better understanding of their culture which in turn leads to a more sustainable form of tourism, one where we support local people, shop locally, get guided by locals and in return have a much more authentic travel experience and that’s the most important part of travel for me, to know that I have been respectful to the places I have visited. 

Why I started my blog CraftandTravel.com

I started Craft and Travel to showcase traditional and contemporary crafts from around the world, it replaces my previous craft & lifestyle blog that I wrote for 10 years called Cos I Like Making Stuff. When I go travelling I’m most drawn to meeting local people by learning about local traditional arts and crafts.

I always have my radar switched on for handicrafts: it’s the aspect that most draws me to a destination as well as local fashion, good design and art.

Just call me a Rainbow Hunter

Most of what I see, spot and want to share involves colour so that’s why my blog is so colour focussed, there are some serious rainbow-vibes and they’re not just down to my ever-evolving hair shades : )

I live in London, UK, so you’ll also find local content too because when I’m not abroad I love discovering my city by visiting the latest exhibitions and colourful spots. 

Get in touch

I hope Craft and Travel will help you to make your globe-trotting plans as colourful as they can be. 

If you have any questions and comments or you’d like to work on a collaboration or commission, please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you. 

Momtaz Begum-Hossain
Email: momtazbh@hotmail.com

Follow me on social media:
Instagram: @momtazbh
Twitter: @momtazbh

About Me: Momtaz Begum-Hossain
I currently work as a Freelance Writer, Colour and Crafts Expert and am the author of the book Hello Rainbow Finding Happiness in Colour.

I’ve spent over 15 years as a Journalist including being Editor of the UK’s oldest crafts magazine Popular Crafts and have written for a number of leading publications including The Guardian, the i paper, Prima, Mollie Makes, Project Calm, Actual Size, Asiana and BBC Magazines.

In addition to my colour book Hello Rainbow I’ve had two craft books published and a travelogue, and have over 10 years professional experience travel writing, specialising in the luxury, honeymoon market. In 2019 was awarded ‘Fashion Journalist of the Year’ at the British Bangladesh Fashion & Lifestyle Awards.

In 2022 I trained to be a Walking Tour guide with Open House London and am now one of their Golden Key Academy trainees specialising in the Royal Docks area of East London. I also launched a podcast. 

You can find out more about me on my website:
www.momtazbh.co.uk

I’m always on the look out for my next Adventures in Colour…

COUNTRIES I’VE VISITED SO FAR (60):

Algeria
Bali (Indonesia)
Bangladesh
Belgium
Brunei
Bulgaria
China
Costa Rica
Cyprus
Cuba
Czech Republic
Denmark
El Salvador
Egypt
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece (incl mainland and Corfu, Mykonos islands)
Guatemala
Hawaii
Holland
Honduras
Hong Kong
India
Israel
Ireland
Italy (incl mainland and Sardinia)
Jordan
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malaysia (incl mainland Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo)
Maldives
Morocco
Monaco
Mexico
Nepal
Nicaragua
Pakistan
Palestine
Poland
Portugal (including mainland and Madeira)
Romania
San Marino
Saudi Arabia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Scotland
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Switzerland
Tunisia
Turkey
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
USA