You’ve made it! Months (or weeks, depending on your travel urgency) of planning have gone into this and you’re finally here… now what?
Following my previous article on how to get to Venice for a measly £27 here is a short follow up with 5 wee hacks that have made my trips far less stressful this year. Phones away, ladies, and remember…
Put your faith in a chap stick.
If any cosmetic travels well, it’s the chap stick. This humble tag along might not look like much, but this pocket size wonder can act as beautifier, moisturiser, sunscreen(er) and even emergency money holder.
If you’re confined for space going for a lip balm that soothes as well as adds colour is ideal. I’d really recommend Maybelline’s famous Baby Lips. Also adorned with SPF protection, it’s a cute shade that I can wear day and night. I’d happily Peach Kiss my way around Europe.
But it doesn’t stop there, oh no! Remember your parents telling you to separate your money when you’re out and about? By emptying a Chap Stick case you’ve created your very own secret money compartment. This could help you relax when it comes to travelling with a bit more cash than you’re used to.
Put it into a notebook
If your city break is to somewhere with a metro like Barcelona or Paris it might be a good idea to have your travel details stored elsewhere than just on your phone. On the whole you’ll feel much more comfortable getting out a notebook to your iPhone and it’s always nice to have somewhere to scribble. Buy a cheap postcard and whack it next to a few quotes of the day, you’ll appreciate looking back at it in the future!
· Make a (bucket) list
To stop yourself from wasting time once arriving, make a list in your notebook of what you actually want to get out of the trip. It can be as conventional or bizarre as you want. Grab a beer with a local, try not to be a hunchback at Notre Dame Cathedral, check. Check out the local cuisine, check CHECK.
Just a tip: try not to use Tumblr as an example for this one, although ‘live in New York’ is all well and good, we have 4 days, and a seminar on Monday.
· Invest in a fold away bag
Because Europeans give you the evil eye if you ask for a plastic bag. To save yourself traipsing around Pom-Bears in hand, grab yourself a compact reusable bag. Although I initially had my reservations, this year has been all about my store-berry. Yes, you heard right, store-berry.
· Choose a disposable camera (great for sporting or adventure holidays!)
Finally, if you’re snap happy like I am, you tend to spend a lot of your holiday innocently observing scenes whilst actually wondering whether X-PRO II or Nashville would enhance the view. To stop yourself from taking a million shots and to make the most out of the moment, why not pick up a disposable camera? With only 27-odd shots to play with you unconsciously filter out the rubbish, you’ll be less inclined to reach for your phone and also less inclined to annoy the hell out of your followers who have seen enough of your hotdog legs by the second day in. Give yourself a technology break- you can make memories without having to take pictures of all of them! Although they are a little pricier to have developed, the pictures come out great and if you really want to show the world those tanned pins, you may scan them onto Facebook on your return.
Sources:
http://www.boots.com/en/Maybelline-Baby-Lips-Lip-Balm_1365477/
http://travelsofadam.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/venice-notebook-trav…
https://manonamissi0n.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/manons-travel-bucket-list-11-11-12.png
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strawberry-Reusable-periodic-Recycling-Shopping/dp/B005NFX2QQ
Author’s own photos
Edited by Nicole Jones