Travel

What I learned about going on holiday with a friend : 8 Tips on how not to kill each other

May 18, 2018 Paris B 14 Comments

There is a saying that you should not travel with the people you love. When forced into close proximity for days on end, seeing each other at your best and worst, it can go one of two ways – you find an excellent travel partner, or you never want to see this person again for the rest of your life!

While you often can’t help it with family, you can choose your other travel partners, and I took a leap of faith in joining a friend, Lyn, on a 11 day trip overseas just a month ago. We are, I’d say, pretty good friends. But we hadn’t really spent that much time together. The only time we took a trip together, it was a road trip, with some other friends, and sometimes the dynamics of a group helps diffuse any tension that might arise. When there’s just the 2 of you however, things can go south quickly.

But I can tell you quite truthfully, that I thoroughly enjoyed my holiday. I don’t think we had any disagreements, although we found ourselves in a few scrapes and inadvertent adventures. We were forced into very close proximity, as accommodation was tiny. But, we didn’t kill each other, and I’d be quite happy to go on another adventure again.

So, here are 7 things I learnt about going on holiday with a friend. If you too are thinking of going on one with friends, it might help you to think about these things, so you don’t kill each other 😛

I never leave home without these 9 Travel Essentials! Maybe you shouldn’t too!

April 18, 2018 Paris B 24 Comments

I like to think that I’ve got my packing down to a bit of an art these days. I packed a rather compact, capsule wardrobe for my travel this time around, and still managed to have clothes I didn’t wear in my luggage. Next time, I’ll compact it even further! I’m not a fashionable traveller, nor a fashion blogger, so it’s easier for me to have comfortable clothes in a compact suitcase. I don’t have to think about doing a fashion shoot every day!

But, clothes aside, there are some travel essentials that I always make sure I have with me, regardless of where I travel or for what purpose.

Naturally, your passport, cash and credit cards are essentials. Those go without saying! But beauty and comfort-wise, here are 9 things I always, ALWAYS travel with. If you have a trip lined up, this might be a good place for you to start 🙂

Fulfilling Wanderlust : Some practical Japan travel tips for Tokyo and Kyoto

April 16, 2018 Paris B 24 Comments

Ohayo Gozaimasu peeps!

Wow, 2 weeks has just flown by for me, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time away. It isn’t something I think you want to hear, is it? LOL! But seriously, I have enjoyed my time away from the blog and social media, and it’s been refreshing to mind, body and soul.

I did share and update my going-ons on Instagram, and I thank you for joining me and for telling me you enjoyed the content. I did have some major adventures while on holiday, so it made for interesting stories to tell LOL!

For those of you who’ve preferred to stay off social media and have no idea where I was, I was away in Japan. It was a trip I decided to go on with a friend, rather spontaneously early this year, and one I learned quite a lot from.

While I kept my travel tales to Instagram and shared a lot of them during an Instalive chat on the weekend, I did receive many questions. It turns out that so many of you are planning to visit Japan at some point or another, who had a lot of questions, so, I thought I’d share here some practical tips on travelling in and around Japan – Tokyo and Kyoto – based on my personal experience.

Japan has changed a lot since my first visit, pre-tsunami in 2009. I even had to apply for a tourist visa back then!

If you have more tips to share, please do chip in, and if you have questions, ask. If I can’t help you, someone else will be able to! 🙂 This isn’t a travel diary, so don’t worry. I’m not going to bore you with the details 😛 It’ll just be some basic, practical things you might want to think about before and during your trip.

Battling troubled sleep with REN & Now To Sleep and This Works Deep Sleep : Do Pillow Sprays Work?

January 31, 2018 Paris B 12 Comments

I sometimes feel like sleep aids are made or created by people who don’t really have a sleeping problem. If you do, you will know that a drop of lavender does nothing but smell nice. I have a sleeping problem, and think I’m authority enough on the subject!

That said, I do not have chronic insomnia, which I consider a blessing. I used to sleep like a log when younger. I’d sleep through anything – fireworks, noise, crowds – I could curl up in a corner and drop off just like that. So my sleeping problems crept up on me over the years. It isn’t so bad that I need medication, but I am always game to try any sleep aid!

These days, I go through bouts of sleeping through the night, and days when I don’t. When I do, my eye bags reduce in size and my skin looks clearer and better. When I don’t, I have eye trunks (not bags), and my skin dulls. Regulars will also know of my neverending battle with sleep – it’s something I’ve been battling for years so every night I sleep comfortably is a blessing!

I am therefore, always on the lookout for sleeping aids to help me go to sleep that more easily, and more importantly for me, stay asleep. One of the things that I tried are pillow sprays. REN Skincare has just released a new product, the REN & Now to Sleep pillow spray, and I have been trying it out for a while. Let me also share with you my thoughts on whether pillow sprays work, for those of us who have a sleeping problem.