Travel tips from a disorganised over-planner.

_{Travel tips from a disorganised over-planner.}

_{I'm not sure how I project myself to friends and acquaintances, I do hope it's the way I picture to be in the future.}

_{Someone with creativity and drive pouring out of her finger tips. An immaculate house without a speck of dust and no dead flies lying behind tv cabinets. Someone who always puts housework before TV and has an organised linen cupboard. Someone who folds her undies and has completed 15 tasks before dawn. Clearly when I talk about the future I’m talking about a utopian paradise because let’s face it, I’m a hot mess at the best of times. Interestingly (or weirdly) enough, however, I do fold my undies.}

_{There is one thing I can pride myself on though. I am a brilliant holiday planner. In fact I am the ultimate over-planner.} 

_{Holiday planning combines three of my most favourite things:}

_{·          Dreaming}

_{·          Spending money} 

_{·          Pinteresting}

_{I recently got back from an equal parts glorious and exhausting holiday through the UK and France. It was a bucket list trip that made me glow from head to toe. I thought I would share some of my tips and lessons for big adventure travelling that I trialled along the way.}  

_{1.                Packing cubes. These little scraps of netting and zips are worth their weight in gold. In fact, they weigh hardly anything so I would suggest they are worth far more! They are basically little pouches or square shaped net cubes that hold sections of your clothing together. You can pack your clothes in sections and then when you are whipping through your suitcase to find your favourite summer dresses not everything flies everywhere.}

_{2.                Laundry bags. I purchased a pack of 3 from IKEA for a good price. I use this as my washing bag. Ain’t nothing worse than dirty old clothes mixed with new. Also, it means you can quickly throw everything in the wash when you find a laundromat or when you finally get home.}

_{3.                Don't buy the tickets to everything before you go. This over planner did this and then had to rush from one town to another to make sure we made the most of our money and didn’t waste tickets. The savings of 10% ain’t worth the headache. Do however read up on the places you want to see and find out the prices before you go. My silly over-planning brain didn't check the tickets for Lyme Park House and didn't realise until it was too late that it would be closed on the day we were driving past. So sad to say I have, as yet, not seen that famous Mr Darcy in a white shirt lake.}  

_{4.                Be a freebie scab! Every town we went had free walking tours. They were amazing. We learnt about architecture and the great historical moments that happened right where we stood. We went on a ghost tour in Edinburgh and learnt about the terrible and gory past of witch trials and cannibalistic imbeciles. Sometimes the tour guides ask for a tip but it’s really so worth the time spent. We also found so many free and open museums in London with incredible artefacts and famous art works (Van Gogh, ever heard of him?)}

   Free giant sauce packets whaaat?

                                   Free walking Tour in Bath

_{5.                Wear good shoes. I failed here majorly. I ended up with blisters, a sore knee and aching feet because all my shoes are basically novelty shoes. Invest in a pair of boots for anywhere cold (that includes most of England in summer) and supportive sandals for hot places. Mum leant me a pair of crocks that don’t look like crocs and they were heaven until I broke them because they were a bit too tight, sorry Mum.  Also, sorry to the high fashion community that religiously follows my blogs for tips and tricks. I’ve crossed the line from fashion to comfort by recommending Crocs.} 

_{6.                Trust no one that approaches you. If you have ever been shopping with me then you will know that nothing makes my walls come up quite like a someone approaching me to sell me something. Nothing! Times this by a million if I suspect you are a street hustler. I am the Berlin Wall! Nothing is getting past me!}

_{If they are in a tourist area the straight up rule is that they want your money. They want to sell you something, con you out of something or pick your pocket. This is my hard and fast cynical rule for any form of street hustler. Nobody is giving you a free CD. Nobody is giving you a free friendship bracelet, nobody is getting you to sign a free petition and they probably aren’t actually deaf. If they have a talent and you stop and watch then give them some coin (from a separate bag that doesn’t have all your cash). If they are trying to trick you out of money then they deserve to be firmly told no, very very firmly. They are trying to hustle you, you don’t have to be nice. Girls I’m talking to you. you don’t need to be polite!}

_{I had a moment in front of the Eiffel Tower where someone tried to sell me over priced key chains, someone tried to con me with a friendship bracelet, someone tried to make me a sign a petition that states I will give them money then someone tried to pick pocket me all within a space of ten minutes. Oh man, the dressing down those young men got, let’s just say they were reconsidering their career pathways when I was free!}

_{7.                Eat cheap, experience hard. I mean it’s simple really. You can eat just as well on the streets as in the restaurants. Local street food is always the best food plus you pay local prices. Also, it's the best place to buy ice cream.
      Mum and I would often share lunch and agree to go back for more if we needed it. We did this a lot in Paris where we could share a delicious baguette filled with amazing meats, cheeses and salads.}

_{Eating the worlds best salted caramel ice cream in front of the Prince Albert Memorial}

_{Pay for the events that are going to be massive life highlights. You paid a lot to get there so make the milestone moments last. We took open top bus tours with live commentary, we went to West End Twice to see musicals, we toured famous houses and gardens and it was worth every pound/euro spent. The food, well that was just eaten.}

_{Bus tour in Edinburgh}

Bus tour in London 

Boat Tour in Paris

_{8.                Take photos and videos of the funny things not just the arty things. You will forget the silly little moments, the signs, the people. Capture that. The moment we were approached by a busking dog, The Gypsy singing on the train for tips. The steep fall of the escalator of the Underground while buskers played music. . The teenager who had climbed to the top of a famous monument to do a tap dance.} 

_{9.                Take memory moments. When you have taken a couple of photos of the thing you have come all the way to see, make sure you see it. Put your phone away and take photos with your memory camera. Take in the sights, smells, people, conversation, sounds. Catalogue them, be amazed by the fact that you are there in that space in time.}

_{10.           Prepare to bring up conversations starting with “when I was in London” and prepare for absolutely no one to give a rat’s arse about your trip. This is your adventure, not theirs. Don’t let this stop you however, you just went on a massive trip and you have now come back better than 95% of the people you associate with, it’s important they recognise this.}