Packing and Panicing.

April is almost over, next comes May; and for me this means my road trip to America with 3 of my best friends is just around the corner.

 

It’s only 31 days until we head off on what will (I’m pretty sure) be one of the most incredible months of my life. This upcoming month leading up to us heading off is mainly consisted of me (like the title says) packing and panicing.

It’s at the stage where it really is just around the corner, and we’re all wondering what exactly do we pack? Are we taking too much? Too little? Am I forgetting something? Not to mention my constant panic and worry about money. It’s something I’m not going to get into too much but let’s just say with it one month until I go I’m only just now starting to panic slightly less, although I’m not completely over the panic just yet.

 

How much is too much when it comes to packing?

One month in America, we’re taking suitcases because we’re driving and they will be in the car most of the time. I feel like we need all different types of clothes, we’re going from city to beach with everything in between. Honestly, I haven’t started packing yet. My suitcase is in another house and I really need to get it so I can actually see what I have room for and what I can take. I feel like I’m either going to take too much or too little, I’m hopeless when it comes to packing.

 

 

Apart from packing and panicing, we have pretty much everything ready. Motels, car, flights and a few other little things are booked. Dollars are being purchased (I have about half of what I want to take). Next on our list is we’re going to be making an Instagram account that we’ll all be uploading to as we roadtrip across America. When we’ve made it I’ll be posting a link so feel free to give us a follow as for a change you won’t just see things from me. You’ll get to see through the eyes of my friends also.

 

I really can’t wait to get going on this trip already. I can’t wait to get loads of amazing things to post about and experiences to share with you all.

 

 

I’ll hopefully have a post or two before I go to America and when I’m there I’m hoping to post as much as I can also. Leave me a comment as always, link me to any of your posts about trips you’ve been on or are currently planning. I love reading about everyone’s travelling adventures.

 

 

49 days from now.

It honestly seems like just yesterday my friends and I walked into STA Travel ready to discuss our trip and book our flights. But it wasn’t yesterday, it was the 27th of July last year. Almost 9 months later, we now have 7 weeks exactly until we board our plane.

I’ve pretty much since then been counting down. Every now and again I would pop onto the STA Travel app and see the days counting their way down.

In 300 days. 300 300 300.
And now, well it’s certainly not 300 days now, in fact no where near

To think how close it has gotten and how quickly. It’s mad. I want to have been on our flights, arrived in America, spent our first few days there and picked up our car ready to hit the open road (albeit nervous as fuck as we’ll be driving on the opposite side of the road, in the opposite side of the car).

I’m not going to lie, my posts from now on will pretty much be similar until I go as I’ll just be counting down the days. But come and join the excitement with me.

Are you planning any trips anytime soon? Has your countdown started? Leave me a comment and let me know, or just message me linking to your blog for me to have a look at.

Roadtrip Countdown.

With just under 9 weeks until we board our plane to Boston it is becoming completely real that this trip IS happening.

With all the important things so far dealt with; i.e flights, car rental and accommodation the conversation has turned to a completely new subject. What clothes are you taking? This has been the topic of our conversation so far today, because it’s never too early to start planning and I mean, just what do you take with you when you’re going to travel America for a month?? If I’m being completely honest though, I haven’t thought about it at all and probably won’t until about a week before we’re due to board our plane from Glasgow.

 

What I have been thinking about is the things that are next on our list. Now although all the main things have been booked there is still a few things we need to book (which we plan on doing in the next week or so) and they are things like, booking Alcatraz, escape games in Nashville etc. The little things we’re adding to our trip that we want to do and experience.

 

I just keep thinking ahead to this trip and what is waiting for us.

 

As some of you may know, it was my birthday about 2 weeks ago now and my best friends (that are coming on this trip) got me America related things. Dollars for a start and also a journal for our trip.

 

 

I’m so excited to get over there and start using it. It’s filled with pages full to record your trip details.

Things like:

• Who is travelling.
• What vehicle are you travelling in.
• Starting and ending points for that day.
• Your mileage start/finish.
• How many miles you’ve travelled that day and throughout the whole trip.
• Your stops. (Which city. Whether it is for food, gas or a sight).
• Any souvenirs bought or any other costs.
• Amount spent that day and throughout the whole trip.
• Which states have been visited that day and throughout whole trip.
• Licence plates seen that day.
• Best part of the day.
• Daily notes or pictures.

The thought of being in America, driving through the states with my best friends making some incredible memories. It makes me want this trip to hurry up something awful, but at the same time I’m seeing how quickly it is coming around and I know it’s going to have been and gone in no time at all.

 

 

For me, this trip is going to be one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Shared with some of the most amazing people in my life.

Have you been on an epic road trip or adventure with your friends? Leave me a comment and tell me all about your experiences.

First trip being 23

If you read my previous post you’ll know that yesterday was my birthday and I turned 23. Well today I’m off on my first trip being 23 and also of this year (out of Scotland at least).

Currently sat on a megabus heading towards Paris from London, having already travelled from Glasgow to London earlier on today. I’m really excited as I haven’t been to Paris since 2009 and even then that was a trip with my school so I didn’t get to fully experience it.

I’m only heading there for the day but I can’t wait to jam pack it with lots of sightseeing, wandering, eating and whatever else there is to discover.

A few of you gave me some great ideas on what to get up to in Paris on a previous post of mine and I’m thankful for the advice on where in Paris I should visit.

If you have any other advice of places I must go/see, little places to eat/drink etc then let me know!

Travel, travel and travel some more.

Whenever I mention a trip away I’m always usually met with the same reply, “travel, while you can.”

My auntie for example has said it to me numerous times over the years. She’s always said she regrets not travelling when she had the chance as she now has my little cousin to look after, a mortgage etc. Things that make the idea of travelling more difficult, albeit not impossible.

I’m very much someone who loves to travel whether it be a short journey or on a plane to the other side of the world. I will always suggest for people to travel. It broadens your mind, your outlook on life and I do believe it can and does change you as a person. You will discover new cultures, new ways of life and meet hundreds of new people.
People need to stop going on holidays, separate yourself from the ‘tourist’ views of everywhere. Go somewhere different and submerge yourself into the culture of the people surrounding you. Learn about them and their ways of life.

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” – Seth Godin

I struggle to understand why people wouldn’t want to travel? Why not? We live in an incredibly amazing world, full of so many amazing places and things. Travel, travel and see them all. Travel to share your experiences with future friends, family, your kids. Anyway all I’m saying is: no matter what age you are, whether you think you can’t do it, feel something is holding you back. Forget it all and Travel. Think of the memories you’ll make.

Discovering Scotland : Perth.

A day off work + 3 friends = the perfect day to encourage our sense of spontaneity and well, discover some more of Scotland.

Today has been one of those days where we woke up, decided to head somewhere and somehow stumbled upon the idea to venture out of Glasgow. The next decision was, where exactly do we go? It didn’t take us too long to decide on somewhere, in fact it pretty much consisted of one suggesting Perth and the other 2 of us agreeing. I think honestly we were all up for going anywhere but a not too long train journey to Perth sounded like a great idea.

So here we are. Currently on our train to Perth (wishing it was the other Perth Australia but hey we can’t be fussy. We certainly wouldn’t get there and back in a day).

I have no idea at all what we’ll find in Perth. Honestly, it’s one place I’ve never really looked into much so it’s exciting thinking of what we might discover.

Have you been to Perth in Scotland before? Maybe you’re from there? Feel free to leave me a comment below and let us know of anything interesting to see or do. Give us some inspiration of how to make the most of our day.

Travel starts at home

Travel.

When you think of travel, what comes to mind? Jetting off on a plane to some far away land is how most people would answer this, but not me.

Travel, to me, starts in your own town/city/country. There’s so much around about you to do and see, most of which you’ll probably have heard of or maybe been to once before and never had a second thought about going to again. There’s also so much you’ll never have discovered before, and all on your own doorstep. I don’t know about you but I can’t always afford to jump on a plane, train or anything else to somewhere at every opportunity. Sometimes you just need to take a break and discover where you’re from.

Get out there.
Take a walk, maybe it’s somewhere you’ve walked a thousand times before so switch it up. Take a right down one Street you’ve never been down before instead of taking the left to your usual destination.
Every place no matter how small has something for you to explore or discover, whether it be a church, a museum, a book shop. Explore these places.
Find a book on where you’re from or Google it. I always search through tags on here, mostly just the travel one, and I 100% always read ones associated with Scotland. What I’ve noticed is that other people discover things I never knew were there. I read posts on Glasgow and it amazes me at the things I didn’t know were right around the corner from me.

Maybe you want to venture out slightly further a field? Get a bus or train to the next town or city and start exploring there.

Over the next few weeks I have a lot of spare time as I’m on holiday from work so I’m definitely making it my mission to see more of Glasgow. I may venture out further, leaving Glasgow and seeing somewhere else but that won’t be my main priority.

Have you discovered things in your own place you didn’t know were there? Maybe you’re from or have visited Glasgow and have ideas of where I should go? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Paris is calling

What do you do with less than 24 hours in Paris? How do you prioritise must do’s and sees against the not so quite important things? I’m currently searching for the answer.

With my upcoming American road trip I don’t exactly have a vast amount of money to spare when it comes to taking trips and travelling at the moment. Hence the less than 24 hours in Paris part. I’ve managed so scrape the money together to get a bus from Glasgow to Paris. The way I see it is more of a birthday present to myself, (I’m 23 the day before I go).

I’ve searched the depths of the Internet (sometimes ending up in the deep, dark part of it), all to try and find the must see and do things while I’m in Paris. With less than a full day in the city I want to spend my time wisely to see as much as I can but without rushing it either.

I will obviously be a bit of a typical tourist visiting the eiffel tower, the Louvre etc but I also want to see the parts of Paris that the Parisians for the most part have kept so well to themselves. I want to discover secret, hidden away places that most people wouldn’t dare to take a second glance at and delve into to discover the wonders of. I have a few ideas of where to head to but would absolutely love to hear from you all on where I must go or what I must see.

Paris is somewhere I’ve been meaning to go back to visit for such a long time now. My last time there was 2009 on a school trip that didn’t end quite so well for me but that’s a story for another time.

Where are your favourite places to go in Paris?
Whether it be a park, a café or even a book shop. Leave me a comment and maybe I’ll be able to see the places that steal your heart in Paris.

Yasmin x

I found this beautiful picture through instagram. Credit to @marinaanicole.

They say when you road trip

They say when you road trip that there are certain things you should or should not do. 90% of the time we have listened maybe just the first one we haven’t, that’s what happens when you’re friend is slightly obsessed with knowing every detail of everything though.

Do plan, but don’t over plan.

Well.. I’m not particularly one to over plan I’m more of a ‘I’ll see what happens when I get there’ type of person. One of my best friends however, weeeellllllllll she’s very much a plan every small detail type of person. She’s in her final year at uni and had finished her dissertation for the first week in January. She’s very much a think ahead kind of person. Needless to say every small detail of our trip has been pretty much planned out but that’s who she is. We’re all used to it and for us it will work.

Don’t choose driving partners on a whim.

Even choosing on a whim to go with these 3 gals on a road trip it definitely wouldn’t be a poor choice. For the past 18 years we’ve been friends and I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of lads. The longest we’ve been around each other before is 2 weeks and now we’re doubling that time which shouldn’t be a problem. Although every holiday we usually seem to lose a friend and not in the they’ll find they’re way back more of a, “they done my head in why was I friends with them?” kind of thing.

Don’t wait until the last minute to do research.

Well if you’ve paid any attention you’ll have realised my friend would not let that happen. This road trip has been in the planning for 2+ years, we have well and truly researched the shit out of it.

Do decide beforehand how you will divide costs.

This has well and truly been discussed and we have already divided some costs. All motels have been split 4 ways and we will be doing the same with gas etc.

Do consider alternatives to pricey hotels.

Well we’re definitely not staying in pricey hotels (apart from in Las Vegas), it will be all motels along the way apart from that so we’ve definitely saved a whole bunch of money doing that.

Do take a cooler.

Top of the list of what to buy when we get to America. I’m part of the walmart family (asda) so as sad as it is I’m really excited to use my discount card in America.

Do relax and have fun.

This, I believe we can follow this one.

Our road trip is fast approaching and we are all more than excited. I just keep reading posts from people’s experiences and get so excited when they are about somewhere we are going check my previous post on where we plan or road tripping and leave me a comment and link me to your road trip posts.

Yasmin x

Cities in a hat!

Each year my friends and I pick a different city to visit for the weekend. So far we’ve found ourselves in:

• Dublin (twice).
• Newcastle.
• Amsterdam.

The question of course, was where do we go next? We decided to make it a little more fun and each picked a different place we wanted to visit.
So, Monday night sat in a pub in a pretty much drunken state for us all, we decided this was the perfect time and place (obviously) for us to make our final decisions and pick where we would be going. 

The 6 of us (well 5, as one of my friends didn’t make it). Needless to say she got a mail like, “where are you picking, we’re choosing now?!” So with her option chosen, it was down to the 5 of us to whittle down where we want to go. After much debating, we all chose:

• Stockholm, Sweden. 
• Oslo, Norway. 
• Prague, Czech Republic. 
• Dubrovnik, Croatia. 
• Budapest, Hungary.
• Kraków, Poland. 

It’s pretty much since we got back from Amsterdam in November we’ve been discussing doing this. Although anywhere I picked my friends didn’t seem to want to go, so as a last minute decision I picked Kraków, Poland.

Now it was down to someone picking where we went, the obvious choice was ask the bar staff to choose. And guess whose choice got picked.. mine.

Kraków here we come.
It won’t be until nearer the end of the year but even still, it’s exciting just planning these things.

Have you been to Kraków before? Or maybe you’ve been to one of the other places we were choosing between? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Yasmin x