Travel wash bag for men

THE BAG

Flight 101 have yet again caught my eye with this Spacepak Toiletry Bag @ £27 ($42)

LOOK FOR: Fold away, light weight with attached hook to hang up 

    

IN THE BAG

Lip balm – Skin cream – Shampoo – Shower gel – Deodorant – Toothbrush/Paste – Condoms – Razor & Shaving cream – Cotton buds

Extras/Medical Bits

Nail clippers – Hand sanitizer (think of your location) – Dental Floss – Mouthwash – Alcohol pads – Bandages - Plasters

Miniature travel bottles are available in all supermarkets 
and health stores for a compact fit. 

New York City: Sometimes it’s a big bite situation

 Sometimes it’s a big bite situation

One of the many taglines from our trip to New York, just before we inhaled our last breath before devouring the American sized version of bagels – please indulge yourself, too.

* Found in every other diner, along every other street in NY City. Spectacular.

Salmon Bagel Heaven

Let the Rheinfall!

The Rheinfall waterfall gallops along with two stunning medieval castles poised over it. An array of boat trips circle the lake or you can get-up-close-and-personal to the fall. The ducks are rather lovely, too.

 Get in the middle of the Rheinfall

There’s a rock right in the middle of the waterfall which you can ride up to on boat and then climb up (there are steps). It’s very cosy and the top viewing deck is about as big as my little finger.

Time: 30 minutes. Very much recommended. 
Price: Sfr8 adult, Sfr4 Children.

 Go around the Rheinfall

A tour around the Rhein is an easy-going way of viewing the angles of the fall and at times feeling the aftermath spray.

Time: 20 minutes. Price: Sfr6 adult, Sfr3 Children.

 Note: When it rains the boats do have closed roof tops. 

 The Orange Train

 The main reason for taking this little orange number was the rain chucking it down, but it’s worth a little go anyway at Sfr 1.90 it can take you right back to where you began (the car park).

Very leisurely!

You’d like more information?

 See: http://www.rheinfall.ch/

Lake Constance: Sail Away With the ‘Fock-Affe’

Fock-Affe: Fock (sail) Affe (monkey), a term given to the person jumping from one side of the boat to the other, who handles the little sail. Guess which one I was, the captain or the monkey?

45 minute setup – 1.5 hours in sail - 10 minute capsized – 20 minute recovery

Costing 7 Euros per hour, 
Insurance 30 Euros for season

Although I was given a sincere promise that the boat would not turn over, it was important to know what to do if this eventually happened (which it did) and it really comes down to the simple task of swimming: fast.

My biggest fear with sailing is the boat falling upside down with me trapped in it. It turns out the few things to do during this catastrophe are:

• Ensure your belongings don’t drift far, far away
• Push the big piece of wood back into place…technical term apparently: sword (cool, eh?)
• To maintain a calm composure, naturally, whilst swimming for your life

This year’s next sporting challenge was to sail, and in Lake Constance it’s a mandatory requirement to swim the waters of this enchanting landscape. When they say ‘lake’ it appears to be a small sea, not a little enclave of water.

Highly recommended, involving lots more practical than I anticipated, although you can just sit back and cruise along in the sun once everything is in place; really rather good fun.

Note: Go on a sunny day, leave belongings in-car and take a few beers.

Fun Sailing Words

Captain Douche Bag, Boom, Jib, Fock-Affe: Fock (sail) Affe (monkey)

How to look good hiking? An impossible task of femininity and practicality

Burdened with the challenge of mixing a feminine outlook with the practicalities of a good hike? Me too, but this can be simple, you just need to note the basics.

Extra’s: pashmina & hat

FOOTWEAR

Walking trainers. The boots are chunky and hot, the sandals seep in water. Just go with the walking trainer.

TIP: You can wear pop-socks for gentle walks.

LAYER IT

You’re probably going to be on varying gradients and weather will turn; with this so can your levels of cloth.

Start with a light base:  t-shirt, or a simple strappy top.

Add a long sleeve top – the thickness can be fleecy just note that your temperature will rise as you walk, so a simple cotton sleeve can also work well.

TIP: Carry a light weight waterproof jacket with a hood for when 
the rain pours and you get chilly.

HUG THE BITS THAT COUNT AND KEEP THE REST LOOSE

This differs for everyone, but generally tight hiking gear just gets sweaty. I go for trousers that zip at varying levels to alternate between a long leg, quarter length or shorts for different temperatures on route. These hug the bum and that’s about as much hugging needed.

TIP: Alternatively those jogging trousers you don’t mind getting 
messy are a comfy and loose way to handle an easy trek.

Note: If you know it’s going to be a snowy mountain top leggings can be a warm under-layer.

 Recommendations 

Fashion Questions and The Vancouver Sun

What is it really like paragliding? Here’s a snapshot experience!

For those not in the know, this isn’t something I do.

Paragliding is an extreme sport, requiring you to support the idea that dangling in the air is fun. You also put all your trust in a stranger to control wires and harnessing draped around you.

So each time I go to a new place the challenge is to try something a little out of my comfort zone. It’s usually a water based activity, this time it was Paragliding.

…You also put all your trust in a stranger to control wires and harnessing draped around you..

Here are a few snaps of how incredible this sport is with a briefing of what happens, enjoy!

1. You’re safely harnessed into what will be your seat for the journey
2. Then you’re attached to an instructor for a tandem ride

The chair!

1. Your feet will scurry back on the mountain top, as the parachute opens itself and pulls you back with mighty gusto!
2. The parachute fully opens to unveil a storm of beautiful colours

1. Your feet gradually tip-off the ground as you begin to glide up …
2. Up and up and up …
3. Sit  back and look at that blue sky

Over Isleta

If you head to Gran Canaria look up Chris and his team on: http://aventuraencanarias.com/parapente.html for a 25-30 minute ride its 70 euros.

Facey B: Aventuraencanarias Canarias

Dealing with those post-travel blues? Fear not!

Flying home

So I’m back and that feeling has kicked in, each time is the same, there’s a 24 hour period where I’m really happy to see familiar faces, the fridge is full of goodies and my bed is still the comfiest thing in the world.

Then that question creeps in: what’s next?

Last night I tidied my room, discovering my junk draw had turned plural. Surely I didn’t leave all of this useless stuff? Someone has obviously been using my room as the ‘we’ll just leave it there for now’ storage area. There is such an accumulation of hoarding that being away has clarified one thing for sure: minimal living is the way forward!

Being out of your usual sphere can give you an advantage: an outside perspective. You can change what was before with what you’ve now learnt. But at first your return home can leave you quiet restless. Try not to get too aggravated with how much rubbish has piled up in the house, or how the climate isn’t quiet the same or that horrid reality of getting a job.

Someone has obviously been using my room as the ‘we’ll just leave it there for now’ storage area

Start getting focussed and plan that next project or another adventure, its the only way to step forward and keeping moving.

Another travel blogger who offers some great advice on going home blues is Meanderings Abound: http://meanderingsabound.wordpress.com/ check it out!

Hotel vs. Hostel: what are you really getting?

People want to know what they’re getting for their copper piece, especially with budgets getting slimmer.

Comfortable accommodation is important, but now you can get affordable comfort. There’s also a rather stigmatized image to the type of clientele each accommodation caters for, this I believe is changing, especially with those slimming budgets. So what are you really getting?

The hotel experience, what you get for £40+

• A made-up bed
• Personal space
• Free shampoo and conditioner –  sometimes even a dressing gown
• En suite bathroom

What you pay EXTRA (or leave the hotel) for:

• Wi-fi
• Breakfast
• Social interaction
• Maps of the area

The hostel experience, what you get for £10+

• Social interaction (for what is better known as an organised pub crawl)
• Free maps and vouchers to diners
• Group tour of the city/town
• Breakfast
• Wi-fi

Here’s what you don’t get:

• Personal space
• Quality bathroom amenities

People want to know what they’re getting for their copper piece, especially with budgets getting slimmer. As clientele we may have to reconsider the hostel’s sole reputation for the backpacker. Perhaps hotels should include those welcoming essentials hostels seem to offer: wi-fi, breakfast and a decent pub crawl. As hostels up their game, hotels are looking at some budget busting competition.