My In-Flight Travel Essentials

Hello everyone! So I've been a busy bee recently and have just returned from a lovely holiday in Ibiza. It occurred to me that it might be interesting to see what my top hand luggage bits and pieces were, to help you if you're going away soon, or just to have a relaxing read.

For this holiday I took a small backpack. It's lightweight so wasn't too bad to carry around. I like the style of the bag, with its minimalist black and brown fabric. It has a simple magnetic popper opening, disguised as fake buckles. I do like that this means you can get into your bag easily, but sometimes for extra security, it'd be nice if the bag had a zip or did actually buckle down. Inside, there are two small sewn-in pockets, a small zip pocket and a large compartment at the front.

Ipod and Headphones

I placed my Ipod and headphones in the zip pocket so that the headphones and Ipod were easily accesible. I think it also helped my headphones stay un-tangled, a first world problem I'm sure many people have encountered.

Wordsearch Book

I have had this wordsearch book for a while now. It contains loads of word searches and so it keeps me well distracted whilst on the flight. It's also useful to have when on holiday, to use on the beach, by the pool, or just whilst you're waiting to do something.

Magazine

I love magazines. I am not the type of person to be able to sit down and read a full book. I find that magazines suit my lifestyle. I love to be doing things, going in the pool, playing a sport etc. Therefore, a short one page read, or a look at the latest trends for five minutes is great for me.

Sunglasses

I love my sunglasses. These were just around the £2.50 mark and came with their own travel sleeve which is really handy. I like to pack these for when I come off the flight when the sun can be quite dazzling, or even just when coming off the plane due to the change in brightness. I also like to carry these for tired eyes because often my flights are in the morning or late at night and so they can be a little more susceptible to being sensitive to the light. Also, an extra tip and reason to carry sunglasses is that they're great for hiding tired eyes/ eye bags, which I get a lot. And because I don't wear make-up on flights, you can at least still look human for a bit.

Tissues

Anyone who knows me, will know that I often carry tissue with me wherever I am. The air-con on planes can sometimes make my nose run, or eyes water and so tissues are just convenient to have. I tend to be sensitive to dust or strong smells also, so I'm normally the one sneezing. If don't have the above issues, still take a pack of tissues (yes, I know that rhymed), because you never know when an unexpected sneeze may arise. And they're multi-functional for spills too.

Camera

My camera goes in my carry on so that when I get off the plane, I can start my holiday snaps. On my recent trip to Ibiza, we had a short transfer and so I took a few pictures on the journey. I also just like to have my camera in my bag anyway....I don't really know why.

Passport/Travel Documents

This is a given. Without them, you're not going on any flight. However, I thought I'd mention them anyway, just to remind you that if you're going away, check they're in-date and that all your documents are ready.

Stress Ball

I'm afraid of flying. I have been going on aeroplanes since I can't even remember and have experienced flights with bad turbulance. I have also been on a long haul flight to America, which coincidentally was one of the flights with bad turbulance. None of these experiences even phased me and I actually found the jumpy flights to be entertaining. It wasn't until around four years ago that a little nerve kicked in. Firstly, I wanted to be sat next to my family, then I just didn't like flying and then last year, I just freaked out. Now I have found a way which really really works for me. A simple stress ball. This green, squidgy, foam, stress ball helped so much to the point where take off and landing was a doddle for me. If you're not a good flyer, I would highly recommend trying this out.

So these are a few of the things that I took with me in my carry-on bag. Obviously you may need to take more if on a longer flight and you can take liquids that are up to 100ml. I decided not to take any liquids with me, just for ease and you can always buy drinks once you're through security.

 I hope you enjoyed this blog and if you're going to be flying soon, where are you going? Leave a comment, follow my blog and see you soon!

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A Trip to Wales

A challenging year at university calls for a holiday!

After finishing what had been an extremely tough year at university for me, it was time for a break. During my break, I was fortunate enough to have a trip away to Wales.

I had never been to Wales before, or at least, never a time that I could remember. The drive down wasn't actually that long from where I live, so I managed to entertain myself for the journey. It was good to have a change of scenery, pester my boyfriend for conversation and sing along to some oldies but goldies with my parents.

I would recommend going for walks if you can. We did two long walks, with the longest being 7.5 miles. A lot of car parks and beach parking is free, so for a few days, we explored nearby areas. The places I enjoyed visiting will be listed below, along with some of the best attractions and restaurants from the trip.

On one of the walks 

We walked all the way to that point. This was also where we saw a seal, which explains the grainy, zoomed photo

A meal with a view

On our first full day we walked along the seafront. We discovered on that journey, a very nice restaurant called Bryan Williams at Porth Eirias, so we decided to make a reservation for the following night. Once we got there, we were welcomed by a really friendly waiter. The service he gave was first class and it made our experience even better. The restaurant was placed on the beach front and so when the sun set, everyone was getting out their cameras. I had the fish fingers, which was simply a posh version of the traditional. The food was cooked to perfection. My boyfriend had the lobster to start and that was one of the meals that stood out for me. Therefore, if you enjoy posh nosh and excellent service I'd go there for a meal out.

The view out of the window of the restaurant

Trams, tourists and taste buds

Llandudno was another nice seaside spot. And when at the seaside, ice cream and chips are a must (not at the same time obviously). I was very happy just scoffing those to be honest. Before this treat however, we went on the Great Orme Tramway, that takes you to the top of the Great Orme summit. Once we were at the top, the wind was immense, the rain hailed down and yet, this seemed to add to the character of the place. It's full of history as its tower has had many uses over the years, including a ww2 radar tower. There is also a small nature reserve and educational cove with lots of interactive things to look at.

That looming grey cloud didn't stay for long. This was the view on the tram from Great Orme

Llangollen Explorations

The aqueduct at Llangollen was a bit scary- if heights aren't for you, then maybe skip the walk along the top. If you aren't phased by heights or the narrow walkway next to the canal, then you'll definitely enjoy the views. However, once over the bridge, there is an interesting information centre and I'd say the experience was worthwhile. Llangollen itself was nice to walk around and we ended up having a tea break at the Cottage Tearooms. The cuisine in Wales allowed me to discover some new dishes that I hadn't had before, such as Welsh cakes and something that resembles a Cornish pastie called an oggie.

The viaduct (the train version of the aqueduct) 

You see why I felt a bit scared? Great views though

Conwy Castle, Knights and Chips

Conwy is the final place I would recommend on my North Wales tour. On the outskirts of Conwy lies Conwy Castle. It's castle walls stretch and encircle the small sea-boarded town. The castle has seen its fair share of fights, captures and seizures and so the history here is also vast. For me, I was more interested in exploring the towers, to gaze on the views of Conwy harbour and beyond. The castle offers student discount which is always a positive for me, however, I felt the pricing was a little steep for what you can see and for how long you spend there; however, it's about the experience isn't it. After this we explored the harbour which allowed us some relaxation time; to look at the boats, the sea and enjoy a mouthful of fish and chips at the same time. There is also fresh fish sold on the front in small cups, which I always enjoy. The town is host to a knight shop, the the smallest house in Great Britain and a selection of lovely cafes.

Conwy Castle

I hope you enjoyed this blog post

Comment and let me know if you've been to Wales or where you'd recommend to visit. 

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Holiday Essentials

Hello! I'm back with another blog post! Hopefully it's not too late for me to do this post and that people still have holidays to go on! If not, I'm sure there will be a few of you going for a long weekend or something of that nature so......Here's my 'Holiday Essentials' blog post!

I've chosen a few of the things I took with me on my last holiday. Many of these things have been featured in previous blogs so if you'd like further information about them then go check them out! The items I will feature are also more on the cosmetic/hand luggage side of things so if that's what you enjoy reading about then here you go!

Number One

Hand Sanitiser....
So you might be thinking, 'this girl is a clean freak', or you might be thinking 'yes! Someone else that likes to feel clean'. I bought this in a pharmacy in Cornwall, however they are sold in so many places. The Bodyshop has its own collection of fragranced hand sanitisers in fruity scents and I also saw Soap and Glory had brought one out, so I think the demand for these is on the rise! They're super handy for if you're going on a flight and need to freshen your hands before eating or after touching hand rails and I also found that these are handy in public situations e.g. public toilets if the soap has ran out because you wont be caught short and can always stay nice and hygienic! This one was £1 so they can be quite cheap, but prices can vary. I got this in the bubblegum scent so.....YUM!

Number Two

Glasses! A must have to prevent frowning which creates the weirdest tan lines. I got these ones from Primark (I love Primark if you haven't noticed). They were around £1.50/£2 and came with their very own material case which has been really handy because it isn't bulky and prevents scratches! I just love the tigers eye print on these

Number Three

Make-up wipes.

Now...the beauty guru's of this world will tell you how bad these face wipes are for your skin, that they don't properly cleanse etc... But it's a bit difficult trying to take cleansers and shampoos etc in hand luggage because of the airline/airport security rules, and rightly so. Therefore I don't really see a problem in using these for the duration of your travels. If you still would like to take liquid cleansers then go ahead, but I still find these really useful for freshening up for example, if it gets hot it's ideal to just wipe these over my neck to freshen up! I picked up the boots brand cleansing wipes and I think these ones actually get my make-up off. Inexpensive, super quick and won't take up too much room in your bag!

Number Four

Make-up! These are my staples that I use a lot of the time and they don't take up much room at all. I use the number 17 metallic eye pencil in gold as a base and then use my Rimmel natural bronzer as an eye shadow by building up the colour which makes it into more of a natural brown which looks really nice with the gold accent. I then use my blusher brush to apply my bronzer over my face giving me a healthy glow- one product, two uses!  I use the concealer under my eyes as I have dark circles and I think this just makes me look awake, hence the name 'wake me up'. This is by Rimmel and is in the shake classic beige. The lipstick is Miss Sporty 210 in Pearl Nude. I have featured this in a previous blog but it's just a peachy nude colour if you wanted to add a bit more elegance to an outfit in the evening times and smells like melon!

Number Five 

Smellies! 

I thought I'd speak briefly about these because it's pretty self explanatory but I enjoy taking a body spray and a deodorant on holiday and this body spray doubles up as a nice scent for the evening. The deodorant is a miniature, which makes it super handy and works just the same as any other deodorant-I really like it. 

Number Six

Hair bits and bobs if you need them!
Just a small assortment of bobbles (a few because they have a mind of their own), hair grips
 (also have a mind of their own), scrunchies to jazz things up a bit and maybe a headband, nothing major but in the heat, tying your hair up is very helpful.

Number Seven

Magazines
I'm not saying take this many. I just thought I'd show you some of my collection....looks like I hoard magazines haha! I like Glamour because it's cheap but even despite the price, is one of my favourites. My other favourite is Cosmopolitan which is a bit more money but if you're not a book person like me, magazines are easy to pick up whenever, and put down when you want. Easy to roll up and are pretty flat already.

Number Eight

And finally nail polish
This is the LP nail polish in an orange-y colour, great for tans! The gel finish makes the nails really shiney and it doesn't chip. A matching mani/pedi looks really great on holiday and saves you having to take more than one colour

And that's everything! A bit longer than usual because obviously you need to take more than two things if you're going away! These are only recommendations and aren't everything you might take. If going somewhere hot, remember that suncream, have a great holiday if you're going on one and I hope you enjoy this read

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Places to visit #1 Jersey

I recently went on a 3 night spontaneous holiday with my parents and my boyfriend to Jersey. I thought I'd share my opinions on the island as I would recommend it to many people.

So first off, the flight is very short. I'm afraid of flying so for a flight to be 50 minutes long was great! As soon as you have lifted off, bought a drink and read a book, you're descending and preparing for landing. I would also like to include that I bought myself a colouring book. This might sound strange as I am not a child, but there is a new collection of colouring books for adults (art therapy) and I figured since I was afraid of flying, it'd take my mind off it. The book is thinner than the Game of Thrones book series that I'm reading at the moment, so it was the right size to fit into my small hand luggage bag.

Jersey is strange and interesting in itself. It is part of the Channel Islands between England and France and has therefore adopted both a French and English feel to it. I also felt at times that I could have been in Spain, due to the weather, the people and the music. The scenery was fantastic with its vast beaches, churches, castles and bunkers.

Jersey has many historical sites

This was not my first visit to Jersey. During my last visit I went to a World War Two army hospital which was really interesting but very cold as it was far underground. This time, we decided to go to the bunkers which were also from World War Two, when the island was under German occupation 

If history isn't really your thing or you're a bit like me and enjoy it in small doses, then there are other things to do. The beaches as I have mentioned are lovely, with soft sand, green/blue clear sea and the gorgeous weather to go with it. And if you find beaches a bit repetitive or want to get out of the sun, then you could always go to; the cinema, shopping, Jersey adventure park or Aqua Splash water park! For me the water park stood out as I love swimming and it looked like great fun and at £6/7 each, I didn't think it was too bad if you compare it to prices in the UK.


Jersey can sometimes be expensive. It is a tax free island, but sometimes prices of other things are higher. They use English pounds but also have their own currency. This makes it less complicated as you don't need to get money exchanged before you go, but just make sure that you spend your Jersey pounds as they cannot be used in England. Food prices vary. Their ice creams are around the £1.80/ £2.00 mark and I know it might seem strange that I'm adding this, but they have the best ice creams and you definitely get your monies worth. There were varying prices in restaurants, so you might just need to 'shop around'. The thing I found funniest was that they had a Cornish Pasty shop (the same company as the one in Cornwall) so it was nice to relax with a pasty and look out to sea.

So that is my Jersey review! I could go on and on about this place. I haven't even mentioned the hotels and there are some absolutely amazing ones right on the seafront! Hope you enjoyed the read

Stay tuned for more blog posts  

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