how i overcame my fear of flying

For those of y'all who don't know, I'm the worst when it comes to flying. Not because I still have a debilitating fear, but because my main coping mechanism is to ask questions and thoroughly understand everything that is going on around me. This sounds like a great anti-fear technique, but recently, I was sat in an airport departure lounge and was asking about what would happen if the plane got hijacked, and who takes over if the pilot got shot? A woman shaking out of her skin ended up approaching me and begging me to stop nattering about Final Destination-esque scenarios, because she has agonising aviophobia and what I was saying put her on the verge of throwing up. It turns out that there are actually a bunch of ways to deal with a fear of flying, and what may work for some may send others into full panic mode. Regardless, I've mentioned some of the best ways to deal with a fear of flying, and how I personally overcame mine.

why you should explore your town at night

Considering I've only lived in the student town of Aberystwyth for a couple of months, I'd say I've fallen in love with the place pretty quickly. Filled with history and stories and nationalism (and Vodka Tuesdays), Aber tends to draw you in completely. In some ways, it's relatively similar to my hometown of Swansea with its beaches and hills and castles, but something about this sleepy seaside makes it completely foreign. So far, I've basically only been out during daylight to go to lectures or to walk back home after a long night out, but I wouldn't have it any other way as I've had some of the best adventures at midnight. From stargazing to skinny dipping, towns like this are so much better when darkness falls.

my favourite myths and legends (and bath bombs)

For those of y'all who don't know, I'm completely obsessed with folklore. Just give me a book on Greek gods or European legends and I will be gone for hours, engrossed and absent from the real world. Having recently started university in my favourite country in the world, Wales, I'm pretty damn hyped to spend my time doing modules on Greek and Roman epic and drama and the like, wasting nine grand a year on doodling little Kronos' and Zeus' in textbooks. Strangely enough, at the same time that all this is happening, my dear friend Michelle at Ascent Bath and Body released a new box all based around myths and legends.  The set is completely perfect, and gives me an excuse to rant about some of the best lore around.

why cold countries are underrated

Here I am in London, where we've only just reached fall (although it’s hard to tell as it's already pouring with rain and freezing) and yet I can’t stop myself from reminiscing the days last winter when I was back in Poland. It's a pretty random place to miss when you think about it, especially as I slept in the tiniest dingy little room with my newly demoted ex-boyfriend, only $200 to my name and without any grasp of the language - or warm gloves. It was a massive culture shock being served vodka and blocks of butter with my lunch, with the flight home consisting of the plane falling out of the sky several times as it fought against a storm with everyone on board screaming. It's the sort of trip most people would look back on and grimace, and yet here I am craving the disorientation, the new language, the beautiful backdrops, and just how everything completely disconnected me from the stresses of home life. If I'm completely honest with you, this one wacky little sojourn introduced me to the wonders of cold countries, and may have even started to turn me from a summer person to a cold, wrap-up-warm-lest-you-freeze-your-arse-off person - and here's why.

how to survive a music festival

So I recently spent the best part of five days at Reading Festival, which to those of you who don't know is this massive music festival in Berkshire. It's like this younger, more reckless version of the famed Glastonbury, but full of chavs drinking Redbull and downing Ket, featuring vastly overweight girls trying to fold themselves into sequin pants. It's the sort of place you'd be lucky to come out of without scurvy, trenchfoot, or hepatitis. Most people there end up crying in the foetus position in their tents at some point (be it because of the cesspits of human waste regarded as the toilets, or the horse tranquilisers everyone's bent on trying), but alas, instead I've brought you a guide on how to not let it get that bad. 

recovering from the reading festival under my mermaid blanket

So for those of y'all that don't know, I recently went to one of the biggest festivals in England - the Reading Festival. It was five days of mud, bad music, and a diet consisting of candy and packets of Lays chips. I've spent the past couple of days trying to recover from some weak sunburns and memories of the human waste cesspit, and it feels so great to be able to shower, sleep in a normal bed, and eat actual food again. The journey back from Reading was insanely stressful, and living on three hours sleep over several nights has really caught up with me. And so, I've taken some time out to recuperate - with the help of the super adorable mermaid tail blanket sent to me by Everything AF.

checking off #85 from my bucket list - swing through the air on a trapeze

Turns out that I obviously dented enough brain cells in the air to make a graphic for this post

Unlike most people I didn't start trapeze lessons because I wanted to overcome a fear of flying, heights, or jumping off of things with only my hands stopping me from plummeting to the ground. I didn't do it because I'd recently gone through a bad break-up and wanted to rediscover myself, nor because of a crumbling mortgage, mid-life crisis, or horrendous divorce like a bunch of other people that take it up. No, my reason for starting trapeze lessons was much more reasonable and practical than that. I started trapeze lessons so that I'd have a solid back-up plan if I failed my exams - join the circus.

why you should never visit wales ever

You know what I hate? Wales. London is incredible in regards for the three things it's good for (auditions, The Hard Rock Cafe, and Instagram photos), so in comparison you can only hate Wales and all the things it has to offer. Imagine, the businessmen don't look dead inside! People apologise when they run into you! People don't hate their jobs and livelihoods! If England had more sheep, I might consider it a better contender for #1 place to avoid at all costs, but alas, I am Welsh after all.

8 tips for female travellers going solo

For a bunch of us, solo travel is one of the most intimidating things we can imagine. And when you factor in the idea of travelling alone as a woman, it suddenly becomes downright terrifying. As a female, I've grown up with the mindset that going out on my own is scary and unsafe in the places not too far from me, let alone if I were to start striding cross-country. 

a stressless move with ascent bath bombs

Right now, I sit in a very beautiful home that's lacking paint, furniture, and my dog's bed, as I am literally fleeing England. Later this year, I will be studying in my favourite country ever - Wales - meaning that my family and I are currently packing up our whole house to move cross-country. So far, I feel great about the move, as I really can't stand England (just thinking about London makes me ache), and have so much love for Wales that I'm relieved to finally go home. 

why you should visit a buddhist temple at least once in your life

A year ago marked my fifth year living in London, and it was killing me. The mundanity of life in the city with its endless stream of grey people with grey lives always rushing to be somewhere, was really getting to me. Considering I'm from Wales (think beaches, cute lil communities, mountain views, lots and lots of cake), the big sights of London really started to grate after a while. And so, I decided to set out to explore the more hidden parts of the city, that would be devoid of both tourists and mundane businessmen with little black briefcases. This is when I found the Buddhapadipa temple.

why you should add burano to your bucket list

Located in the Venetian lagoon, the small fisherman island of Burano has all the charm of the city of Venice, just without the bucketloads of tourists. Swap the hustle and bustle for this sleepy village filled with boutiques, cafeterias run by generation after generation of families, and local villagers with stories to tell.

How to stay protected as a blogger with AVG Antivirus

Due to the sheer amount that I spend travelling, I often find myself blogging on coaches or on apps I found on my phone, and frankly, it's a tad dodgy. So you can imagine how chuffed I was when I came across a free antivirus app called AVG Antivirus - which I've already fallen completely in love with.

Venice and Verona - A Photo Diary

Venice. None of it has been unexplored, nowhere is void of tourists. Everything has been said.

The Best Weekend of my Life - Sedlescombe Golf Club

So I've always thought that golf was this insanely boring sport for old men to play at their weekly social gathering, meaning that when I was faced with the opportunity to stay at the Sedlescombe Golf Club for a couple nights getting fed and watered and taught golf, I was a bit anxious. However, what followed were some of the most incredible days of my life, where I was situated in their luxury lodge, eating wonderful food at their clubhouse restaurant with chefs that do anything for you (and make truffles for dessert!), and taught golf by a professional who rendered my group aching from how difficult, but also insanely fun, it was.

The founder of the golf school (and man who generously let me have this experience), James Andrews, approached me on my first morning in order to introduce himself, and he couldn't stress enough that when I write about them he'd really appreciate it if I were as honest as possible. Having only arrived five minutes before and not seen anything as of yet, I was thinking that was probably a bad move as it gave me permission to be brutal. In my 100% honest opinion, however, I felt like I'd won the lottery at the end of my stay as I'd had such an incredible time. If I were to be completely honest, I'd say that the only downside was the fact that they didn't offer fair trade decaffeinated green tea in my room - but even then, the minute-walk to the clubhouse had that sorted. It was a perfect stay, which means that this post is mainly just going to be me bragging about having the time of my life.

How to Live like a Local in Warsaw, Poland

A couple months ago, I bought a guy I was kinda seeing a trip to Poland, merely because it looked pretty cute and I was also 90% sure he mentioned his love for cold countries. However, when the trip came up recently, I discovered that in fact, he actually really dislikes cold climates, and also - well, we were together no longer. 

Regardless, the trip was super cute and I had so much fun with one of my favourite people ever, and even though my Polish was so bad that at some point out security guard shooed me away shaking her head, I had a wonderful time. Although, to be fair, I did mess up. A lot. And so, if you don't fancy embarrassing yourself to buggery, I've compiled this list of super helpful tips, so that you don't buy dodgy tickets off an old guy or cause a sign to fly through a shop or eat a stick of butter thinking it's cheese (my friend coped horribly when he did that).

Visit Paris on less than £200

A couple of days ago it was my friend's 20th birthday, and so we decided to take a trip together to Paris for a few days to celebrate. The idea of Paris has never appealed to me (gasp), mainly due to the fact that I don't like London at all, and everyone told me that Paris was basically London but with more dirt and baguettes. However, I decided to visit Paris for the first time - and the result? I fell completely and utterly in love.

Imagine, little old French ladies with perfect hair and make-up carrying teensy chihuahuas under their arms, with men that oozed sultriness and seduction, imposing and ornate buildings on every corner, guys playing accordions and xylophones on the metro, delivery boys with massive bouquets of bright blue flowers going to the cream-coloured houses with the shutters on the windows. I couldn't fault a single thing - and even the beggars sat on their corners with little rabbits in their laps. We went into French cafes where we ate crepes, and roamed the streets where we bought quaint velvet bags and macarons, and spent the evening in restaurants where they brought out pasta and salads with grapes in and orange juice they added bottled water to (a delicacy apparently). We took photos with Mona Lisa, and saw Paris from the top (the best view was from the Centre of Pompidou - you're welcome), and gazed at the Eiffel Tower as snow started falling around us. Reading this, you're probably counting dollar signs in your head, working out how we could afford such a luxurious trip to one of the most famous countries in the world. The truth? It came as easy as breathing. 

Things to pack for a trip in the sun

It's still winter here in the UK, and so I know a lot of us Brits are already planning our Summer holidays abroad - I know that I for one have three upcoming trips within the next month alone to escape the cold! So, I have teamed up with www.ApparelCandy.com in order to bring you guys some beautiful clothing that's going to be perfect for those long warm nights away - or, for those of y'all that don't plan on travelling to somewhere warm just yet, but want to accessorise these adorable outfits with tights and a cute evening jacket. 

   

72 hours in Falmouth, Cornwall

Early last month I booked myself a small trip to Falmouth, Cornwall, mainly just so that I could check out a university I may possibly want to go to either next year or the year after, depending on whether or not it's viable I can stay with a pal in the US for a tad as a lil gap year, (but then again,  could we really imagine me settled in one country for three years, with a year abroad???) and I left with an unconditional offer, a wonderful cafe recommendation, and a new found love of the Cornish seaside. Honestly, I can't begin to tell you how beautiful - and wonderfully non-local to my house near London - the area was there, it was insane. But I sure as hell can try.

Where to Escape Winter in La Palma

So this Christmas I went away to the beautiful Canary Island of La Palma, a lil place to the Northwest of Africa, and frankly it's easily become my favourite island ever. With a vast majority of the island made up of lava rock, resulting in striking black sand beaches and dramatic backdrops, it's a real surprise that it's not a  major tourist destination. Still, as more people learn about the existence of this island, tourism will hit it, hard. I doubt it'll look anything like it does now in ten years time, and that's kinda sad. But alas, the lack of holidaymakers was evident, which meant that I didn't have to passive aggressively wait for old Keith from the taaahn's ass to move out my shots like I usually do (I know, thank god). Only thing was, with the lack of English speakers I had to rely on my Spanish to talk to anyone, and whilst I adore the way the words feel in my mouth, I am pretty damn crap at it at times. But hey, at least their English was worse than my Spanish.