All posts filed under: Tips + Tricks

The Most Inspirational Travel Quotes Ever

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“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill “I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher “To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” – Anonymous “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – …

The Ultimate Guide to eBaying

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Going travelling? Want some extra cash? Then eBay is a great way to make some mullah by selling your old clothes… let’s face it we’ve all got a lot. It can be a/ a ball ache and b/ difficult to master, so here are some tip tips. As a fashion blogger I not only bought a lot of clothes, and I mean a lot, I also got sent tons of freebies too. If I’m honest even when I was at my most prolific I probably only regularly wore about 15% of my wardrobe. Some stuff was too small, and no amount of running or wishful thinking would remedy that, some stuff too big (from the college years), and some stuff unworn, unwanted or unfashionable. I found that I was quite ashamed of the amount of clothes I’d accumulated and only worn once or not at all, I had so much stuff that even if I wore a new outfit each day it would take me years to get round to wearing all of it. Disgusting consumerism …

Hey Ladies, Don’t Forget Your Sports Bra!

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If this sound like the most random article ever then I’m sorry, but it’s not. This is me imparting some knowledge that will seriously improve the quality of your backpacking life. I’m totally alive with excited energy as I type this because I simply believe this is one of the greatest lessons I have learned in my, ahem, twenty-something years on this earth. Okay, a bit OTT, but read on for why you need to embrace the sports bra… THEY LOOK PRETTY GOOD THESE DAYS They’re an actual, legit fashion item now. Forget those grey elastic over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders, today’s sports bras come in myriad colours, patterns and designs and they’re really flattering on most people. This means you can wear it as a fashionable crop top as well as a bra. Score. I love a multi-tasking item. YOU CAN SWIM IN IT Speaking of multitasking, your sports bra will double as a bikini top, and you won’t look weird, I promise. In fact there are bikinis that specifically and truly double as sports bras these days …

7 Amazing Tips For Staying in Hostels

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Let’s face it, staying in a hostel is no one’s dream situation. Ideally I’d be staying in 5 Star hotels every night… but until they become free, or I become rich, then it’s not going to happen. So hostels it is. These days there are actually some super cool, chic hostels that combine great design and great prices – admittedly most of these are in western Europe or more westernised places – but hostels can be seriously fun! Plus you’re way more likely to meet fellow young travellers in a hostel than the Four Seasons. Here are 7 golden rules for happy hostelling. 1. Take Earplugs My Dad runs a clubnight with a very loud soundsystem and a lot of people complain it’s to loud when they go, the obvious response would be ‘well, if you can’t stand the heat…’ but the staff dole out earplugs. And they work! Don’t be a moaner, just stick a plug in it. You can buy them mega cheap off eBay. 2. And a sleep mask I’m a great …

6 Inspiring Books to Load on to Your Kindle Before a RTW Trip

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What would life be without books? Boring probably. What would an eight hour flight be without books? Unbearable! My Kindle is the only travel partner I need and my number one backpacking essential. Here are six inspiring books I read this year that you should definitely download… Animals by Emma Jane Unsworth This book is like the anti-Sex and The City, it’s gritty (ish) realness appealed massively to me as did the fact it’s set in Manchester and not London. It follows two twenty-something girls who are best friends and housemates. Despite being highly educated and savvy the two are still pretty juvenile and working dead-end jobs whilst navigating unfulfilling relationships. I like it for the fact it’s a truer depiction of twenty-something life than anything I’ve ever read and that the girl’s friendship, not the men in their lives is the strongest theme. How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran If you’re anything like me then columnist, feminist and all-round super hero Caitlin Moran’s first book How to be a Woman is your …

The Worst Things About Planning a Round The World Trip

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I’m going to, in this article, try to cover everything I wish I’d known when I started planning my Round the World trip. Full disclosure, there’s a lot of admin and crazy amounts of planning that go into travelling for an extended period of time… which probably doesn’t come as a shock. I think that a lot of travellers like to perpetuate the ‘pack your bags and go’ myth, but there are quite a few loose ends you’ll need to tie up before you leave. Everyone’s got an opinion You will have to deal with your friends, family and colleagues questioning your decision, constantly. And until you fly away from home, this will probably be your sole topic of conversation. Which is sometimes nice but when your Dad just won’t quit giving you murder stats for female travellers and your mates are talking about how you’re so ‘brave’ (read mental) for giving up your WHOLE LIFE… it gets a bit old. My suggestion is to memorise a small speech about why you’re going on a …

Why Travelling In Your Twenties Is Never A Bad Idea

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As someone who has already made this monumental decision, I can fully vouch for the old clichés about travelling like; ‘If not now, when?’ ‘Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.’ The one about the world being a book and if you don’t travel you’re always on the same page… or something to that effect. They’re true, so true, but you might sound like a tit when you start spouting off quotes from carefully curated Pinterest boards. For me, the travelling began the moment I decided that I wanted to go. Even though I was still in cold and rainy London. Making that choice put everything into perspective. As a twenty-something you have literally NO responsibilities, none at all. No partner, no kids, no house – I realise a select few twenty-something’s might have some of these things (yay for them) but for a lot of us they’re so far out of reach. This used to feel like a bummer but actually it’s incredibly freeing – we’re free as birds, not tied …

5 Tips To Keep You Motivated Before Your Round The World Trip

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So you’ve booked your ticket, you’re going to travel the world. Goodbye life, au revoir, see ya later suckers… oh, wait, you have to work for a year/six months/ however long to save for the trip and it may well kill you… Whenever the going gets tough and you feel as though you’ll never make it through this time of waiting with your sanity intact, here are some tips to help you overcome. You can do it!