Iceland Planning

 

I've been thinking of going to Iceland since early last year. The idea of going to the blue lagoon and seeing the northern lights is drawing me to go. I'm planning on only going for around 4 days early next year. However i hate the cold and don't have a good enough winter coat. But this gives me the perfect excuse to buy a new one. I don't just want a coat that will be useful for Iceland but one i will wear again. I know i more than likely need a highly water proof one as it appears to rain a lot there from what I’ve gathered from research.

I thought i might need to take my snow boots, any excuse to wear them really as they keep my feet so toasty, but for the time of year i plan on going (Around March/April) it looks like my Dr Martins will do the trick, but this does mean i can splash out on cosy socks which i love. I've done some digging around on the internet to see what others suggest on wearing while there. I only plan on leaving the city to do the golden circle tour/geysers and the northern lights as it's only a short trip.

What i think i need; (Especially because I’m ALWAYS cold)

•  Parka coat
• Accessories, hat, scarf, gloves, thick socks
• Extra thick tights to layer leggings over or thin tights under or thermal leggings. Leather look/feel leggings to combat the rain etc.
• Thermal vest, because I’m always cold even in the summer.
• Jumpers or cardigan
• Boots

I plan on only taking a backpack for the trip and no suitcase so taking jumpers might not be a good idea as they take up a lot of space. However they might keep me warmer. It's always a good idea to have a spare anything just in case, so i might go in one jumper and pack another. I was thinking of taking a maxi skirt but i think it might be a bit impractical for most of the trip.

I plan on taking;

•  2 pairs of tights
•  2 leggings
•  2 t-shirts
•  1 cardigan or jumper
•  6 pairs of socks, one for each day and a spare pair.

As for accessories I’ll have what i went in and depending on how much space is in my backpack i'll take an extra beanie and scarf just so it can look a bit different in photos. As it's me and I’ll more than likely only be wearing all black, i plan on adding colour to stand out against the scenery. I'll be doing this with shoes and accessories as i already have red dr martins that i plan on wearing as they're the hard leather ones and i already have a red scarf, which i think will be a good contrast against what i assume will be a mostly white background.

However it doesn't look like we'll be able to go in a few months, if not we'll be going early 2019 since we're mostly going for the northern lights. This year it looks to be just a cruise around some of Europe.

(Pictures of Iceland taken from google)

Rotterdam Trip

It wasn't that long ago that i took a trip over to Rotterdam for a few nights. I went over on the ferry which i'd never been on before. I was surprised that i could actually manage to sleep but the rooms were quite and there was next to no noise. The room was two single beds, one fixed one pulled down. There was a little vanity area and a shower/toilet room and that was all. But we weren't spending time in the room. There was multiple bars on the ship and a few shops. Which sold Yorkshire Soap Company, i wish i had bought a box but oh well.

We spent the first day just wondering around, we arrived early in the morning and couldn't check in until 2pm. However most things were closed until around mid day. So we decided to grab an uber and go to the local zoo. Which was huge! I'll do a separate post on that. Rotterdam itself is pretty.

We wanted a mid day snack and with me as a veggie we had to google and search for places that had veggie food. We came across Bram's Gourmet Fries. I had the veggie option of nachos and salsa on my chips. The best I've ever had and it tastes so amazing.

Both nights we ended up at a restaurant called Blah Blah. Best food I've had in a long long time. They are a veggie and vegan restaurant. The first night we ordered a dish that included, curried cauliflower, Lemon cuscus, spring roll and much more. The flavour was amazing and you could tell it was made with fresh ingredients. The second night we went back we had the tapas dish, it was a sharing platter of around 12 dishes for 2 or more people. Even though we got full we refused to leave any and eat until we couldn't any more. We ended up back there the second night as the other place we were going to try was closed. 

 

It's a very beautiful city but next time i plan to visit Amsterdam on a cruise.

What I Actually Packed | Travel

In the end this is what I ended up taking for 4 nights away. As you can see the backpack I was using is pretty small. However it did fit everything I needed. I knew I'd have to carry it around Hull with me all day before I got on the ferry so I didn't want a big one.

Clothes and accessories I took:

Some items can't be seen in the photos like a cardigan and tights.

• H&M Shorts
• Disturbia vest
• Disturbia forest dress
• Asos black slip dress
• Killstar banchee shoes
• Restyle branches necklace
• Mysticum Luna pentagram belt

Toiletries:

• The body shop camomile makeup remover
• Yes to cucumbers face wipes
• Superdrug face mask
• Sanctuary spa face wash and stop the clock face cream
• Batiste mini dry shampoo
• Bleach london shampoo and conditioner
• Toothpaste and mouthwash

I had my makeup in my everyday back, which only consists of concealer and eyeliner.

To save space roll clothes instead of fold. This is a handy tip when packing for a long holiday. It saves space and you can fit more in. Also to save on the amount you take and to stop over packing create outfits and take those instead. 

For example I picked necklaces etc that I knew would go with all the outfits I packed. 

I knew i was going for 4 nights so i packed 4 outfits. It doesn't look like it but i cam put the vest over one of the dresses to create a slightly different outfit, probably for travelling back home.

The day I was packing and taking these photos the lighting wasn't so great even though I was in front of a window with sun light pouring in. 

Japan Picture Dump

This is basically just a bunch of pictures taken from my phone from my time in Japan. I realised i never shared any of the pictures from my time there. I will eventually do some proper posts on it.

Save to say i enjoyed my self so much and i didn't want to come back. I'm already planning my next trip (at least in my head so far).
I'm hoping to go back around spring next time for cherry blossoms. Everyone in Japan kept telling me i need to come back for that, i know i do and hopefully it will be soon.

My plan for next time is to stay in just Tokyo as i didn't get to see it all this time and i only got to see a little bit of Harajuku.

My visit was - Tokyo - Yudanaka - Kyoto - Tokyo

Places I'm Visiting In Japan

Today i'm on a plane to Japan. Somewhere i've wanted to visit for a very long time.

I'm not just staying in one area. First up is of course Tokyo. I'll spend the first three nights there and go to Tokyo Sky Tree and visit Mt Fuju.

Safe to say i can wait to wonder around and eat Ramen and Katsu curry.

I'm also going to a hot spring and to see the snow monkeys. They look so adorable and warm in the hot spring. A hot spring is a one thing that's on my list of things to do in Japan and it's a must.

My last stop is Kyoto and my hotel is right near the train station so it makes it so much easier for me to travel on days i have nothing planned.

I'll be taking lots of pictures and possibly buy way to much stuff. Pictures will follow.

I may or may not blog while i'm there. Depends on the wifi and blogger on mobile.

Impromptu London Trip

 These are just a few random photos that i took while i was in london. We wasn't there for long just the day. Yes we are crazy and we travelled all the way from leeds to london and back in the same day. I hate the underground. I hope you like these photos. I didn't want to take too many since it was super busy. We didn't go see big ben or the other famous places. I think we only went to piccadilly circus.