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Sunday, July 31, 2016

A GUIDE TO YOUR PERFECT TRAVEL EXPERIENCE

Ever thought how difficult it is to plan your travels? I've been through the whole experience and I thought I'd give you a few little tips to get you started to planning your ideal trip!
There are many factors to think about, some which don't really come to mind and some which are quite obvious...these are my main points to think about before the trip:

1. NARROW YOUR CHOICE DOWN 
Select one continent to begin with. It helps to print out a map of that continent with all the countries labelled on it; this is so you know where these countries are and what's right on their borders (just incase you want to travel to more than one country).


2. PLAN OUT YOUR TRIP BEFOREHAND
Unless you are booking a single flight out and just seeing where the journey takes you, then it is very wise to plan out your trip...make a rough itinerary so you know where you will be and when you'll be there (trust me, it helps you out so much). Both my trips this year (one to China, and one to America), I made itineraries for them so I knew where I would be at what point. Even though I had all the information on my phone and laptop, they aren't always accessible so it's better to have a hard copy with you; an extra little bit of paper isn't going to hurt is it?

 3. BOOKING YOUR TRIP
Advertised over every kind of social media these days are all these companies who offer massive travelling tours. There are millions to choose from and it can be a bit frightening at first. One factor that I always look at is reviews of the company. I also ask all my family and friends to which tours they have gone with or heard about. If you hear bad things about that company, then why book with them? Some companies can be a rip off and not be 100% to their words, therefore your trip will not be the best it could be. On the other hand, they can be extra cheap and there be a catch somewhere in the middle, which you normally don't find out about until you've booked it and too late to back out of, ends up being a nightmare. Sometimes it is a lot easier to book everything yourself. It can work out more expensive but you also can make it your own trip; you have the freedom to do whatever on each day. Another positive is you can book day tours out there to the popular attractions so you make sure you're not missing out.

4. BE REALISTIC WITH A BUDGET
Sadly, we all know that you need to have a reasonable budget for travelling these days. I speak from experience when I say IT DOES NOT COME CHEAP! Obviously your budget depends on where you decide to travel to and how long for. Some of you may be millionaires so it's not too hard to whack out a few thousand pounds for the trip. However, for me, I have to budget for most of my trips. To be really honest, I'm not the best at budgeting but I am working on it and I did quite well for my months trip in America. It's something which I am slowly working on but is very hard if you want to see every attraction out there and make the most out of your trip (what I tend to do).


5. TRY TO PACK AS LIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE
If you are backpacking and travelling to many countries in one go, with short stop offs each time, then I suggest you pack as little as possible. Again, this depends on how long you are going for, but hostels and B&Bs do have washing facilities so it's not the end of the world if you run out of t-shirts or pants. I've always managed to pack the perfect amount, sometimes a bit too much, but not so much that my bag is painful to carry. Even if your backpack is heavy, you only really carry it when changing destinations...

6. GO WITH SOMEONE WHO IS JUST ADVENTUROUS AS YOU
Travelling with someone else or a group of people can be a lot of fun. However, once you find out they don't enjoy half the things you do, you will find yourself compromising which then puts you on a downer for a bit. You need to go with someone who enjoys the same leisure activities as you do so you get the most out of your trip as you can.

7. ...OR TRAVEL SOLO
The thought of travelling alone can be daunting but a lot of people just assume it will be boring and stay away from the idea. I think it is one of those things where you cannot judge it until you experience it yourself. I know a few people who have travelled alone for numerous months and have said it was the best time of their life. It helps if you are an outgoing, adventurous person as you meet loads of people at your hostels, who are also travelling solo, and go on crazy, fun tours. I would love to travel solo and am currently thinking about travelling to Australia and New Zealand alone and maybe meeting friends out there.
Travelling solo can do a lot of good for yourself; it can allow you to get to know yourself a bit more. Without sounding too cheesy, it can be helpful to understand what sort of person you are, what your likes and dislikes are and how adventurous you are.
YOU MEET PEOPLE OUT THERE ANYWAY
You will always find others along the journey so you'll have company the majority of the time, that's if you want the company. That's another good factor about travelling alone; if you want some quiet time then you can just go out and wonder around by yourself or just chill at the hostel for the night...quite relaxing!
Every trip I've been on has been with other people but we've met people out there in hostels and joined them on their adventures for a few days. It's nice to hang around a fresh personality

NOW YOU CAN START BOOKING YOUR IDEAL TRIP! 

 

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Thursday, July 28, 2016

GAME DAY - ROCKIES VS YANKEES || USA TRAVELS

DAY 25
With very little sleep because of excitement, I was up and ready to go! I was so unprepared for what I was about to experience in the next few hours. I probably sound ridiculous but America is known for it's big sports such as baseball and I was so lucky that we were able to fit it in just before I left. 
For starters, the stadium is so much bigger than I thought it would be, so overwhelming. We got our tickets and headed in. At this point, the stadium was packed and there were people everywhere. The thing I learnt with baseball games is how relaxed the atmosphere is. It's not like Basketball where there are people shouting to the players and cheers constantly...of course there is cheering but not as intense. It is a family sport so there were lots of families around which was so nice to see. For the first hour, we walked around the stadium and had lunch. We managed to get up to the rooftop where all the bars were (sadly I couldn't get a drink) and get a perfect view of the whole pitch.

We wondered around a bit more as were weren't ready to sit down and just embrace the heat, it was 38 degrees on this day!! For lunch I got a pulled pork burger which was unbelievable. It is normal for stadium food to be at a low standard or just average but the majority of the food places at the stadium are gourmet standard, SO GOOD! If I could, I would've had another but it filled me up so much and I would've felt like a massive pig. 

We went to find our seats after getting my third bottle of water, drinking like I've never had water before. We were about 12 rows from the front so had a great view. To be honest, any seat is good in this stadium so I wouldn't have been fussed either way. I was apprehensive to who I should be supporting but I stuck with the Rockies as I was in Colorado (and they were winning at the time hahaha). 


We decided to leave about 20 minutes before the end so we could get away from the crowds quickly. We were all dying by this point anyway because of the heat so it was for the best before one of us got sun stroke. This was by far one of my highlights from the trip. They say you should go and see a baseball game, or basketball or one of these big sporting games if you ever get to America and I'm so glad I was able to go. I couldn't recommend it enough so get it on your list as a priority when you go to America...you won't be let down!
DAY 26
Sadly, Penny was leaving me today to go to Chicago for a wedding so I had to say an early goodbye to her but I'm adamant that I'm coming back in 2 years time so I'll see her soon. I was quite scared to be left in this stupidly massive house for a few days but I managed to survive. Going to bed at 8pm just to avoid walking around the house in darkness definitely helped.

DAY 28
After the last few days of just chilling and getting all packed up, it was sadly time to leave this beautiful place. I was so sad and knew that in a few weeks I would be reminiscing about the whole trip (which I am doing so right now). I keep looking at all the photographs and getting upset that I'm not there still. I will be back in a few years time though Colorado, with me x2 (my sister).


 

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Monday, July 25, 2016

FOOD POISONING CATASTROPHE || USA TRAVELS


DAY 22
Sadly, this was the last day Josh was with us as he was heading off travelling for work. While he played golf, me and Penny took a trip to the mall to do more shopping, there's always time for a bit of shopping! On our way back from the mall, we made a visit to Taco Bell (a must-do according to Josh and Penny) and I'm not going to lie, I wanted to go anyway. I got two tacos and they tasted absolutely incredible! When we arrived back home, we waited for Josh to come back so he could take me and Penny tubing on the lake. We were both apprehensive when we got onto the boat as there was thunder and lightning in the distance but we went ahead anyway, why not?! We were out for about 45 minutes and it was the highlight of my weekend; honestly so much fun. We were convinced Josh was trying to flip us off but we managed to stay on the whole time...our hands were very red from the hard gripping. I'm not going to put a photo up as they aren't the most flattering of photos I must say...let's just save the embarrassment.

DAY 23
Josh was sadly leaving us today so I had to wave him off until next time. I'm adamant that I will be returning in two years time so it's not too long to wait.




Yet another trip to the mall, but this time it was  a proper shopping trip and it was very successful. I just want everything in all the shops here, damn you money!

 The weather was very indecisive, one minute it was pouring it down, the next it was 35 degrees and we were dying. As we were returning home, we could see the storm approaching in the distance; it wasn't looking nice. Of course with the thunder and lightning in the background, me and Penny thought it would be a good idea to watch a horror film, The Boy; I got very little sleep that night. It was scary but the story plot wasn't very well made.


DAY 24
Early morning start as I was woken up by the two dogs coming into my room...it happened every morning but I would only ever hear their little paws, never actually see them, so funny!
Me and Penny were heading off to Boulder this morning to walk around the town, seeing the famous Pearl Street Mall which had loads of shops and restaurants, and ending the day with a beautiful hike up towards the flatirons.

Unfortunately this day slowly took a turn for the worst...
We decided to have lunch at the Cheese factory, yet again. I know we had already been before but the first time I had such a cold that I couldn't even taste the food so the whole experience was ruined. Penny had a "lunch sized" portion salad which we both agreed was definitely NOT a lunch size portion.
I had the same thing as last time which was Salmon and it was delicious! However, something was clearly wrong with it when I started to get a very bad stomach pain and became very ill very suddenly. Because of this, we weren't able to do the hike (without me being sick every few minutes), so we made our way back home. Val, bless her, went to the shops and bought every possible medicine for my stomach which helped and I was fine the rest of the evening. Penny slightly scared me as she said when she had food poisoning it lasted a good few weeks, I must've been quite lucky...just imagine the plane trip back home!! 
Regardless, I'm happy we made it to Boulder and had a good day exploring the town as it was soooo lovely, definitely recommend visiting the town if you ever get to Colorado.




Finally feeling back to normal, we went to the sports shop in the evening, along with some art and crafty shops, to find some presents for the family. We went down the main street at Cherry Creek which was all lit up with lights and looked so beautiful. The picture was taken on my phone so it isn't too great. Two very tired girls headed back to the house and had a lovely chilled evening and headed off to bed reasonably early so we had enough energy for the baseball game the next day (I couldn't sleep too much because I was so darn excited!!)






 

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Tuesday, July 05, 2016

BOTANICAL GARDENS IN 40 DEGREE HEAT! || USA TRAVELS


Day 21
We're off to the Denver Botanical Gardens today. Me, Penny and Val decided to choose the hottest day during my time here to walk around the Botanical Gardens, around 40 degrees all day! However, it was such a lovely day and so many people visiting the gardens. These sort of places are so relaxing; you can just take a day out by yourself and enjoy the surroundings without having to be rushed.



We walked around the gardens for about an hour and slowly started to feel ourselves deteriorating because of the heat. We finally found a cafe to grab a bottle of water each and started to head towards the exit. Just before the exit was an inside conservatory which was beautiful, mainly because there was air-con inside!! We decided to head back to the car to go and have lunch before we pass out.
We had a beautiful lunch out at a restaurant called Hillstone's but still haven't managed to cope with the American portions so couldn't quite manage the whole meal...pathetic I know!


After lunch we headed back to Vals to pick up the doggies and I finally got to meet Katie properly (Katie is Val's dog, a border collie). She can be unpredictable but she was a sweetheart. However, that house is a mad dog house with 4 dogs in it, they definitely take over the house!! 



After collecting the dogs, we got back to the house and went straight into the pool as we couldn't bare the heat. Managed to finally get on one of the swans which was a challenge but I managed to get on without falling off!!
I also took a kayak out because clearly I thought it was a good idea in that heat (it definitely wasn't as I came back looking like a tomato).




 

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