The Suitcase | Travel Diaries # 4

Up until two days ago I was going to be using a rucksack for my hold luggage, but due to extra baggage circumstances I'm now taking a suitcase. So after an evening of re-packing and adding a few extra, not so essentials, I now have a suitcase ready for an unknown length trip to the other side of the world. After packing, unpacking and re-packing, I feel pretty well (though not fully) equipped to give you a few tips to make the most out of the pace you've got in the case. Particularly if you're using a rucksack as, although they're far easier to carry and fold away, they don't hold anywhere near the weight you're like to be allowed. With the rucksack I had 12 kgs of stuff fitting in, with the suitcase 22.5 kgs, so you can see the benefits.

Roll don't fold.
Particularly key if you're taking a rucksack. You'll fit way more in a rucksack by rolling your clothes up and stuffing them into every crevice, even into your shoes. In a suitcase this isn't as necessary as you have more space but rolling your underwear, socks and swimwear up means you can squeeze them into the gaps once you've got everything else in there.

Unbox.
If you've bought anything new for your holiday that's it in a box or packet, take them out. They might look like they're taking up less rom squeezed into a box or packet but out of the box or packet you can separate things and squeeze them in easier as smaller things than one large thing. Obviously if the item is breakable don't worry so much but if you can take it out.

Pockets = bathroom.
It's quite amazing how much space all that wash stuff and bathroom stuff takes up so use the pockets. I've got pills, contact lens solution, and all my wash bits in the pocket of my suitcase rather than in the main section. A) if it leaks it's less likely to ruin all my stuff, B) it's not taking up room for an extra pair of shoes.

A ribbon.
Accessorize your case, make it unique so you know it's yours when it's coming round the carousel at the arrival airport. Ribbons, material or even painting your name all over it. Whatever you fancy. Just make sure you can pick it out amongst the crowd.

Double Check.
Check your weight again and again and again on as many different scales as possible. You don't want to get to the airport and find your a little over because they WILL charge you the earth so make sure you're definitely within your weight limit right up to the minute you walk out the front door.

So they're my top 5 packing tips. Hope they're helpful, what tips do you have for packing the case?

Hand luggage packing | The Travel Diaries #3

Bag

I'm using a backpack purely for ease. Lugging a massive handbag around is not ideal and also I can use a backpack when I'm out and about doing outdoors things in Australia. I'm also taking a tote bag in my main luggage for days where I don't need such a big bag but for hand luggage this bag is the perfect size and really easy for carrying around busy airports.

Travel Wallet

I can't find the exact travel documents wallet I have but it's by an Italian brand called Sienna de Luca but I got mine in TK Maxx which is great shop for things like purses and travel wallets. Travel wallets are great for keeping all those important documents together, passport, boarding pass, money and anything else you need to carry with you. Definitely a good investment for travelling.

A Plastic Wallet

Whilst travel wallets are great, I need to take quite a lot of paper work for the bank and visa requirements so I'm also taking a zip close plastic wallet so all the paper work can be kept in one place and won't get lost or crinkled shoved in the bottom of my bag.

Notebooks, Kindles & Books

I'm taking a notebook with me to keep as a sort of travel journal and no doubt I'll want to write in it on the plane so it's going in my hand luggage. I got my notebook from Homesense (the home version of TK Maxx) and I love it. I'm also taking my Kindle, and two real books - The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. I've got loads of books on my Kindle to read in Aus (check out my goodreads for the full list) but the two hard books I'm taking are books I've had on my shelf for ages and really want to get around to and I thought the plane could be a good oppurtunity.

Purse

Again I couldn't find my exact purse but it's by a brand by Golunski and I got it in TK Maxx. I love my purse it's so bright and has plenty of space for everything I need in it. It's a really good quality and of course I couldn't leave the country without it.

Headphones

The bag I keep my headphones in came with my Louis Vuitton bag but it's really handy for keeping my headphone's in them to prevent them from getting damaged. I love my headphones, I think the colour is lovely and they're really comfortable. They're great for flights as earphones have a tendency to fall out and hurt my ears after a while they also help to drain out the noise of the engine which can make me a bit nervous if I can't distract myself from it.

Cables and stuff

I'm taking my chargers in my hand luggage so I can keep all my devices charged if I they run out and I'm sure something will run out. I'm also taking my earphones that come with my phone as if I want to skype or facetime someone when I'm away I can do it a bit more privately and also headphones aren't always appropriate.

Beauty Bag

For more information on what's in my on flight beauty bag check out yesterday's blog post. 

Cameras

I'm taking two cameras with me my DSLR, Canon 1100D and my compact camera, Nikon Coolpix S3100.  I explained more about why in my technology post but it's basically because of the possibility of not being able to keep both charged and also I won't want to be lugging my DSLR around everyday if I know me and Jack are going to be popping into a supermarket and that's it, or something. 

I'm also taking my laptop with me as hand luggage but purely because I can do so for no extra cost with Korean Air. I probably won't go near it on the flight but at least I know it's not being bashed around in the load. 

So that's it, my hand luggage done and dusted. What do you take in your hand luggage? 

The beauty bags | The Travel Diaries #2

We all want to carry on looking good when we're travelling but weight restrictions, and not wanting to pack your face with make up whilst trying to get a decent tan can make it a little tricky at times. When I'm abroad the last thing I want to be doing when I'm hot, and therefore pores are open, is putting make up on my face everyday, so quite frankly I don't. But there are a few occasions when putting a little make up is wanted to I always take a few bits and pieces with me just in case such occasion could arise.

I take two bags of beauty things with me, one for in flight beauty (but more skin care needs) and one for general make up. For in flight beauty bits a clear bag is necessary as a lot of beauty items are liquids, this also means they have to be under 100 ml. I got my clear plastic bag in Asda and it came with travel sized Nivea items which was handy. However, some plastic bags just come on their own or with empty plastic bottles. It can be a pain decanting lots of your full sized items for one flight so this is the time when samples come in handy. A lot of brands also now do travel sized products, all under 100 ml which is great.

In my handy little purchase I got Nivea Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes. These will be really handy just for a quick freshen up when I get on the plane but more for when we're landing and I just feel a bit gross and want a quick way to feel a bit less groggy. I also got a Sun Protect Lip Balm. I was going to get an SPF lip balm anyway as I don't want to take my Carmex because it will probably melt so the fact that this came with the bag was handy. The bag also came with the Smooth Nourishing Hand Cream and the Pearl & Beauty Roll-on deodorant. Both these items will be handy throughout my trip but also on the plane making sure I'm as fresh as possible and also that my hands aren't drying up. The whole bag with those items cost £5 so it was a great bargain cause there's no way I could have got all those things and the bag for that price otherwise.

In my carry on beauty bag I'll also be taking my Champneys Cleansing Milk, Superdrug's Vitamin E Eye Cream and a small pot of Nivea Soft Moisturiser (this didn't come in the bag). When you're on a flight, even if it's not a long one it's so important to keep your skin moisturised as the plane air will dry it out so much. Regular moisturising sessions throughout the flight will make sure your skin remains soft and well hydrated to avoid any break outs or horrid dry patches. Nivea Soft is my all time favourite moisturiser and I was so happy when I found a flight friendly size in Boots but I'll also be taking my regular 300ml pot to keep me going on my travels.

I'm not taking any make-up on the plane and I probably won't wear any to the airport, if I do it will be just mascara. However, I am taking a few bits and pieces in case I feel there's an occasion when I want to wear some. You never know Jack might surprise me and take me to a fancy restaurant.

So in my make up bag for Australia I've got Olay's BB cream with a touch of foundation. This blends perfectly to your skin tone so it's great for if you get a tan as you don't need to worry about buying something different when your face starts getting darker. I don't like wearing foundation in the heat anyway, I don't even like wearing it in the summer in England so this is great alternative because it's light and more like a tinted moisturiser than a foundation but with enough coverage to get rid of any redness. I'm also taking my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. This concealer is beauty staple and I'm just taking mainly for dark circles over blemishes just in case there's days where we're not slobbing in the van and I want to look human rather than zombie. I've got my Body Shop Baked Bronzer safely in my bag for a bit of extra glow and shimmer cause my skin is bound to begin looking tired and dull after a few weeks so this should help liven it up a bit if needed. And obviously I'll be taking my Rimmel Kohl Eyeliner in black and my Revlon Lash Potion Mascara also in Black. I literally look dead without mascara so I'll probably don a little everyday and the eyeliner is always necessary. I'll never forget watching America's next top model once and Tyra said all you need is concealer, mascara, eyeliner and lipgloss. So that's the theme here.

I'll also be taking a couple of brushes with me just incase and also for blending and obviously for the bronzer it is necessary. So I'll be taking my real techniques buffing brush from the core collection and powder brush (which I use for bronzer). I'll also be taking an eyebrow brush to tame those unruly caterpillars and my eyelash curler because it's essential okay.

So that's it my travel beauty bags in a few paragraphs. Let me know what you're taking on your holidays in your beauty bags and if you think there's anything I've missed.

Travel Essentials #1 | Tuesday Travels

It's just under three weeks until I leave for Australia and finally I'm allowing packing to enter my mind, although I can't let it take over just yet. As we're now getting closer to the day I get on that twenty-four hour flight, something that I'm definitely not letting take over my mind just yet, I thought Tuesday's (normally known as Tuesday travels) to become a travel essentials series. Only a few until I go detailing a few essentials that I feel are, well, essential for travelling. Of course there are things that I am taking because I'm going to Australia and wouldn't normally take so I suppose this is more of a long-haul/long-stay travel essentials but that's long a boring so we're going with travel essentials.

This weeks essentials is technology. The things we wish we could all live without, but when it actually comes down to it we can't. I'd love to go to Australia technology free but apart from anything else my mum would die if I didn't take my phone and I'd be a little upset if I didn't get any photos of this big part of my life. So here's a few gadgets and gizmos that I'll be putting into the bag in a few weeks time.

1) The Laptop
I normally wouldn't take my laptop on holiday with me. It's huge, weighs a tonne, and is simply an inconvenience. However, the laptop will serve as memory card free-er up-er over anything else. I.e. me and Jack can put all our photos onto the laptop as we want to rather than buying 101 memory cards that could end up getting lost or forgotten about. As well as this, although it's perfectly obvious I won't be able to continue blogging as regularly, I would like to get a few posts up every now and again and I also am doing a few posts for Travel & Trainers whilst I'm away and although iPhone's are great laptops are definitely easier when it comes to blog post writing.

2) Cameras x 2
Yes two cameras. Now you may be thinking, but Emily your baggage weight allowance will suffer so. Yes it probably will but as the owner of DSLR, and fellow DSLR owner's will understand, there are times when you really need your DSLR. Moments when a standard compact camera won't do the moment justice. However, there are other times when you think why have I bothered carrying this beast around all day, all I've got is shots of my family eating lunch. So for this reason, I will be taking my DSLR for those days when I know nothing else will do and my compact camera for those days where me and Jack are all day in the van eating, but memorable days none the less.

3) The Kindle
If you read my blog regularly and read Wednesday's posts you will know that I've always been planning on taking my kindle. It's great for the long plane journey in which I could potentially read two or three books, but with a kindle I don't have to lug around three huge novels sacrificing something else for them. It will also be good throughout the trip as I can easily buy new books when I'm done with what I've got without having to drag Jack into a book shop against his will. Kindle's were designed for times like these.

4) The iPod
Obviously. Since the early 21st century man has not travelled without some form of musical listening device. In the next few weeks I will deleting and updating my iPod to ensure it is fit for the long flight and expanse of time we will be travelling. I'm sure it will help pass any dull hours on the plane. I say any like it's only a possibility I'm going to be mind numbingly bored for a vast majority of the plane.

So there we are. My technology essentials for my trip to Australia and, apart from the laptop for all other trips you may undertake. Let me know if you have any other technological essentials you think I may have forgotten or anything that you take that's not on the list.