All posts tagged: Before you go
The Perfect Carry-On Packing List
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
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
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
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 >>>
My Packing List Pt. 1
There are a million and one packing lists out there for RTW backpacking trips, this is mine, and I hope (fingers crossed) that I’m taking the right things and that I can break it down in an easy fashion so as to help you. Here it goes. Countries visited: India, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Bali, Borneo Weather: Mostly hot, some cold nights Length of trip: 3-5 months Type of travel: Budget (hostels, sleeper trains and street food) NOTE: I’ve included some quick-buy links to some products to make them easy to shop. Some, but not all are affiliate links from which I make a tiny commission, this is at no extra charge to you. Please email me with any packing-related questions too. The Backpack I chose one based on price to be honest, I didn’t want to spend hundreds of pounds and I don’t think you need to. I bought a Karrimor backpack from Amazon for £53 and it had great reviews. Hopefully it will be in a locker most of the time. I chose a 65l …
Don’t Tell Me to ‘Be Careful’…
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 …
Movies to Get You In The Mood For Travel
I’m currently in that wonderful (sense the sarcasm) no-man’s land of waiting to jet off on my one woman trip to the world. Of course waiting means saving, and saving means no shopping, no Pret and no beers down the pub lest I drink away my air fare. So, what’s a girl to do with all this spare time? Netflix and Chill TO THE MAX of course. Here are my top 5 flicks to whet your appetite for travel… The Beach Firstly… WHEN IS LEO GOING TO WIN AN OSCAR?! Seriously, give the guy an award already. Anyway, this early Leonardo Dicaprio movie, directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) shows off the Thai backpacking experience wonderfully; the squalor, the noise, the new friends, new crushes, music, blue skies, blue seas, white sand… murder. Sorry for the spoiler. If you can watch the first three quarters of The Beach without wanting to book a one way ticket to Bangkok then you’re a stronger person than me. The Darjeeling Limited You’d have to be a cold-hearted, unromantic dullard to …
Why Going Travelling Nearly Made Me Have a Nervous Breakdown*
* 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 …
What That Coffee Can Buy You Around The World
Let me first level with you by saying that I have never, ever bought a coffee in my entire life. This is because I hate coffee – seriously, I’ve tried it about three times and the last time I had a sip it made me feel violently ill for DAYS. No exaggeration. It’s yukky. BUT I do buy tea, wine, cakes, all sorts of sh*t, so the coffee is a symbol for our mindless consumerism, okay? Now, a lot of people like to tell you that by skipping your weekly Starbucks you can save X amount in a year… blah, blah, blah. But we are the generation of instant gratification, we can’t sacrifice the little things for some unknown future reward.We need them! So with that in mind I’ve taken the liberty of showing you EXACTLY what the price of a Cappuccino (let’s average it out at £3) will you get you around the world. THAILAND £3 = 160 Thai Baht Your Frappuccino will get you a night in a hostel dorm in Thailand – …
Chez Shez 