All posts tagged: Backpacker

11 Ways To Make Travel Dirt Cheap

Published by

Going backpacking or travelling is very costly, no matter how you do it, but you can do things to be thrifty. I know people who have made £1000 last 6 months or a couple of weeks, it all depends on your travel style. So here are a few top tips to save mucho dinero (my Spanish lessons kicking in there, lol) on your trip… GO EAST The cheapest places to travel to are in the East (for us Brits at least), that means backpacker favourites Thailand, Cambodia and Laos as well as India. Europe is pretty expensive but Eastern Europe can be cheap – try Serbia, Hungary and Croatia. Places to avoid: Australia, New Zealand and America. How to save for a RTW trip >>> COUCHSURFING This is a website that connects hosts and travellers from all over the world. You get a free bed or couch for the night – all you have to do is create a profile and pay a subscription fee. Just be sure that your host has good reviews and …

The 7 Emotional Stages of Packing

Published by

Packing was invented by Satan to provide him with much entertainment from confused backpackers and holidaymakers – like why does everything fit in when you first pack, then once you’ve taken it out and try to re-pack it doesn’t? Anyway it’s a necessary evil so let’s go though the 7 emotional steps we all experience: 1. Totally Nonchalant I have months and months to pack. I’m not even going to think about it – I mean as long as I have some cash and a sexy bikini I’m golden, right!? 2. Lets Do Some Research *Spends 11 hours straight on travel blogs* Okayyyy, so I might need more than a bikini… what’s a microfibre towel? I need an adapter or 10 as well… 3. Sh*t!!!!!!!! I have nothing! Nothing. Nothinggggggggg… Why have I been so stupid? I need a torch, a headscarf, a sleeping bag, a 10 week supply of malaria tablets and a crochet dress. 4. Shopping is Fun *Amazon basket full of everything from penknifes to pop up tents* 5. Sh*t!!!!!! I’m spending …

The Perfect Carry-On Packing List

Published by

Your carry-on luggage is super important and it should be treated as such. Your bag needs to be organised and contain all your desert island items. I know everyone has different needs and priorities, so pack to reflect that. This is my carry-on but I hope it helps you to pack yours… Laptop, case (customised with SkinnyDip stickers) & charger Kindle, USB lead & cover Headphones iPhone & charger Travel adaptor Selfie stick Highlighter compact Glasses & case Sunglasses & Frame Chain Business cards Diary Notebook Pens Book (Shantaram) Large scarf Highlighter compact (Clinique) Makeup Bag (READ: WHAT MAKEUP TO PACK) Travel mirror Facial mist Cosmetic bag with sunscreen, tissues, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, bobbles & tissues Camera & memory cards Fan Tote bag PASSPORT!!!!!!!! Tickets & travel documents Money (take USD for emergencies) Earplugs Eyemask     So there you have it, all this fits into my Herschel backpack comfortably and I have tried to organise small bits into pouches and a tote bag to separate. Carry a travel pillow and you’re all set. Happy …

Backpacker Beauty: The Ultimate Edit

Published by

We must first discard any wild notions of looking like Kim Kardashian on the beach. This is impractical and will not happen. You will look more like Helena Bonham Carter in Harry Potter (or indeed Helena Bonham Carter in anything). And that’s okay, come to terms with that. While accepting a more low-key look is important, obviously there are a few beauty tips and tricks to ensure you make the most of your natural beauty while travelling… MY FAILSAFE KIT You only need a small, teeny makeup kit I have detailed every single product right HERE. As for the rest take multitasking products and lots of sunscreen. Other amazing products are: Eucerin Sun Creme SPF 50 Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Glossier Balm Dotcom Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Le Labo Santal 33 Solid Perfume THINK SKINCARE NOT MAKEUP Again, makeup in 40 degree heat is as much use as an ashtray on a speedboat. That shiz is gonna slide off your face like oil so focus of healthy glowing skin. You get good skin by …

Almost Time to Go? Get Your Affairs in Order

Published by

So you’ve booked your flights, paid them off, saved some cash and waited what seems like a lifetime. Suddenly the time is almost upon you and you’ve got a couple of weeks to get your shit in order. This can be pretty overwhelming, realising you actually have quite a few things to sort out before your trip, so here is a list of things you need to do so you can chill once you’re at your destination. PACK This might sound obvy but pack EVERYTHING in good time, you can always unpack if there are things you’ll need to use but pack up everything you plan to take in your backpack or suitcase to see if it fits. Also to see if you can carry it. If you can’t then at least you have time to edit. Also launder any clothes that need to laundered and purchase anything on your list that you don’t have yet. Read my packing list>>> GROOM Give yourself an epic grooming session before you leave so you can chill out …

Want to Get Away? Here’s Your Inspiration

Published by

I bloody love a mood board, be it cut outs from magazines in my notebook, a file on the ole’ laptop or a highly curated Pinterest collection – they can sometimes help get me through the week. Since it’s hump day I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite travel-centric images. Maybe you’re planning a RTW trip of your own and want some inspiration, you’re counting down to a holiday or you just a break from looking at the grey UK skies. Anyway enjoy… Check out my Pinterest >>>

The Best Travel Budgeting App – Review

Published by

If you’re going backpacking for a few weeks or months then keeping on top of your budget is paramount, I know boring… but if you accidentally blow all your dineros in the first few days your trip will be cut short. Obviously while you do want to be careful with your cash you do not want to spend hours each day faffing around with receipts, spreadsheets and paper. There’s an app for everything and I thought I’d road-test some of the best money travel apps available. Which I did, and as soon as I started looking into it, it became abundantly clear that TRAIL WALLET is head and shoulders above the rest. So I’ll just tell you about that one… *Please note this in no way sponsored or affiliated with Trail Wallet, I just genuinely think it’s a cool and useful app. In a Nutshell “Trail Wallet is an easy travel expense tracker for iPhone and iPad. Designed to be fast, it takes the headache out of expense tracking so you can focus on the …

Girl wearing matador hat

Don’t Tell Me to ‘Be Careful’…

Published by

I’ve been planning my round-the-world trip for almost a year now, and without fail, the first thing anyone says to me when I tell them my plans is ‘Ooh, be careful’. Not ‘wow, that’s amazing’, ‘have fun’ or simply ‘why?’, always a warning about the dangers that await me out there in the big wide world. I have no proof but I could bet my bottom dollar that a male announcing a backpacking trip wouldn’t get the third degree. At first I wasn’t annoyed by all the negative ninnies but after the 100th time I just told the person expressing concern for my safety to f*ck off. It’s boring. It’s rude. It’s xenophobic actually. There are dangers everywhere, of course, but when someone tells me they’re going on holiday I don’t tell them that their plane could crash, they could get robbed or they could trip over, bang their head and die. If I did tell them that I’d be called many things, but definitely not caring. Though not the same, this faux-concern reminds me of …

Why Going Travelling Nearly Made Me Have a Nervous Breakdown*

Published by

* Not literally, obvs, but planning a RTW is hard! I had second and third thoughts before I even stepped foot on a plane (let alone another country). I pulled it back though and that’s the important thing, but nevertheless, I found that I had a bit of a wobble a few months before my trip… So, okayyyy, in the big scheme of things, a year or two spent travelling is a drop in the ocean, but when you’re in your twenties, a year is a long time. A whole lot can happen in a year (and often does) and that scared me, I thought ‘sh*t am I wasting my prime years?’. The answer to that is ‘no’, because like Jennifer Lopez, I will not reach my prime until my early 40s which leaves plenty of time for globetrotting. Financially travelling scared me too, this is because prior to actually committing to a year of travel I was a bit ignorant of the costs. I knew about flights and making sure that I had enough cash …

Travel Fiction: I Found Love on The Beach

Published by

It was the first time she’d stopped in a long time, here, thousands of miles from home, beer in hand with a breeze blowing the salt from her messy hair. She’d bloody made it! Thalia Thorpe, the reliable one, the sensible girl with her head screwed on right. The girl whose now-ex boyfriend cheated on her… that Thalia Thorpe was currently clutching a bottle of beer on a beach in Cambodia and life was good. She smiled to herself, a little buzzed from the cheap drinks she’d had after dumping her new backpack at the hostel and setting off into the night. What a thrill to step out in the dark wearing just a slip dress, the air so warm it felt almost tangible, with a weight to it, not like the cold London air she was used to. While life was good, and it was, Thalia had now run out of distractions to keep her from her thoughts. The break up was horrible, Luke had cheated, and she had known he had for a while before he told her, …