My travel essentials.

I've been doing a lot more traveling recently and have a few things I literally cant travel without. I'm a bit of a freak about organisation and love baggage with lots of different compartments. I once had a Nike rucksack that had so many different compartments, but it got stolen at Reading festival while I was at Chilli Peppers and I was SO upset, but they emptied all of my stuff all over the tent, at least they left me my clothes ha.

I like to travel light and if I can only take hand luggage, I will. Waiting for luggage is one of my major pet hates, it does my head in ha; my suitcase is guaranteed ALWAYS the last bag out haha. Because I usually travel with hand luggage, it means I can only take toiletries that are 100ml or under; which isn't usually a problem as I always buy perfume, deodorant and make up that is 100ml or under. The only issue is that bringing things back can be a problem. If I'm fully kitted out for two weeks in a hand luggage case, it means I can't shop and bring things back; so you need to find a balance that suits you, I guess.

I've always wanted to go travelling/ backpacking. I'm not particularly a materialistic person, so I would never bring any 'expensive 'possessions, but I just worry about where you would put your stuff if you wanted to go exploring. If anyone has any tips, they could come in very handy for the future.

One thing that I have never had, in all of my years of toing and froing between countries is one of those comfy travel pillows. I suppose I never saw the point of them, especially when I was younger because I never slept while travelling; but now that I am older, as soon as I'm on that plane, that's it, I'm asleep; especially if there is a bit of turbulence, it always rocks me to sleep. But finally, I gave in and got one because I was sick of having a bad neck because I'm a freak and can only sleep curled up like a baby, luckily I'm small enough to be able to do that. I have to say, it was totally worth it, it did help and the cool bit is that it clips around your bag so you don't have to carry it or shove it into a bag.

A little thing I like doing, purely for the comfort, is bringing fluffy socks. Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE fluffy socks. So I just take my shoes off, stick them under the seat in front and put comfy socks on. Happy feet, happy soul.

Leading on from the previous point, I have now learnt it is not wise to travel in my 14 hole doccies as they always, without fail, make me take them off. It is much more convenient to wear my converse, it saves all the faff. Another time saving tip I have learnt over the years is to just take all of your jewellery off beforehand and just stick it either in a little bag or a compartment in your bag. But as anyone would, I just leave all of my piercings in, if you're going through the full body scanners and it shows up, the airport security usually understand anyway. So the aim of the game is to be able to just stick your bag and your coat into a tray and just walk through without all of the hassle of taking off your jewellery,  boots, coat and already have all of your toiletries in a zippy bag.

When I was younger I used to be really insecure about my skin and how I looked without make up on. So I used to get up an hour earlier than necessary just to do my make up, even if it was a really early morning flight. Make up and hair always gets ruined while you're travelling, so I stopped bothering completely. at a push I might do my brows, stick on a bit of mascara and braid my hair and that's it. Its all about comfort and the freedom to sleep and rub your face without a care in the world.

Another thing I do is putting all of my travel paperwork, tickets and passport in a sealable plastic wallet; this helps with organisation so much. This way everything you need is in one place and there is less of a risk of losing it. I didn't start doing this until I started travelling alone and had to keep hold of ALL of my own paperwork. I know most people do this but, in case you don't, it's a good idea.

I have a few handy little bits I tend to keep in my bag most of the time - not just when I am travelling.

Portable chargers are a no brainier really, if you run out of charge, you're not going to be a happy bunny, also, mine has a torch on it, which is cool. I always have my diary in my bag in case I need to make notes or plan things. moisturiser and lip balm in your bag is always a lifesaver, I hate it when I'm travelling and the aircon on the plane gives me dry skin, hands and lips. Next time I am definitely investing in a good quality eye mask and ear plugs; I hate it when all I can do is close my blind and not everyone else's and the plane is still really bright and there is nothing worse than being stuck on a plane with a screaming baby for 6 hours, so I'm opting for earplugs next time ha.

Last and definitely not least, snacks! When I'm not sleeping I'm eating. I usually like taking a bit of variety. If there is a Pret at the airport i'll get a sandwich, some fruit, a smoothie, a breakfast bar of some sort (my favourite are the Trek cacao and coconut bars), a bag of crisps and a couple of bottles of water because I get so dehydrated when I am travelling.

My list will be forever expanding and changing, I'm still figuring a lot of things out, but for now, this is what my journey usually consists of. Any tips and tricks, please let me know!

Ibiza 2016.

During my last year of school I can remember feeling really lost and stuck. Everyone seemed to know what they wanted to do, they had a plan, a path and some sort of direction. Everyone had plans of moving country to go to university, but I can remember feeling like I was the only person who wanted to do something more than just book studies.

So sat in my kitchen with my mom having one of our late night conversations with a cuppa, I decided I wanted to do something a little out of my comfort zone for my summer. My mom and I looked online and we stumbled across a language course in Ibiza. This jumped out at me because I really enjoy learning languages and of course... it's Ibiza. I think the stories of when my mom lived in Ibiza with her friend at 17 have always stuck with me and I guess I always wanted some of the ace experiences she had.

Cut long story short, I got myself out there and was met by a family friend at the airport. They immediately took me to this beautiful little restaurant with this amazing view. I really can't thank them enough for everything they did for me.

When Sunday rolled around I met the Spanish family I was staying with. They were nice enough people and welcomed me with some watermelon. But I have to admit, it is hard living with people who don't speak the same language as you. I had a little room with a fan that didn't work. So I unpacked and took myself out to wonder around Eivissa old town.

Ibiza old town is such a beautiful, crazy, interesting place. There are so many little cafes, clothes shops, fruit and veg stalls and , of course, the walled city. Walking around the streets of Ibiza was incredible, everything and everyone was so vibrant and gorgeous.

On the weekdays, I would attend the classes at the language school in the mornings. During our little breaks, we would go to this awesome organic café for lunch and after my classes I would walk 20 minutes down the road to the beach, chill and study in the sun for the afternoon. On the weekend or after my classes my family friend would pick me up and show me all of these beautiful beaches and cafes al over Ibiza. One of my favourite memories was driving to the highest point of Ibiza with friends and eating sushi watching the sunset, it was ace!

I enjoyed my time in Ibiza. Although sadly my 2 months got cut short to 10 days, it was definitely enough to give me the Ibiza bug. I love the place and needless to say, I will 100% be returning in the future, weather it is to live or for a trip, Ibiza is on the books.

Visiting home

This is the first time I have been back to Cyprus since I moved away 7 months ago, and I've got to say, it feels pretty surreal. I've never disliked Cyprus, which I guess is why it was so hard to leave in the first place. I've always thought it is a really beautiful island and I have always been aware and appreciative of is unique quirks and laidback lifestyle. I love nothing more than to sit in my garden looking at the mountains and to walk through the village. In fact, when I moved to the UK, it actually took me a while to get used to not having the sound of the mosque five times a day or to see stray dogs and cats about.

When I got back home, I actually spent most of my time at my mom's new cafe The Stone Cavern, which is right in the centre of Ozankoy village, next to the mosque. Even if I say so myself, my mom has a crazy creative mind and has converted what was a bare and boring building into a really cool and quirky place to have some lunch and socialise.

One of my favourite things to do in Cyprus is walking. Just walking and looking at all of the beautiful scenery. My favourite route goes from the centre of Ozankoy up to Bellapais where the Monastery is. The views over Cyprus from Bellapais are absolutely breath taking, you can see all of the north shore for miles, all the way up to Esentepe.

I got to see some of my friends for a much needed catch up. Its funny how new buildings fly up and people leave and things change, but Cyprus in general always stays the same. Its nice to see how well everyone is doing for themselves and how far they are coming in life, but I have to admit, it gives me a little bit of fomo (fear of missing out) when I see how much fun everyone is having.

I'm going to leave this little blog post short and sweet, because to be honest, I didn't actually get up to much, but I did get plenty of much needed quality time with my family, friends and doggies, which is what is most important I guess. One thing I didn't think was possible, however, was feeling more home sick when I left for the second time. My heart will forever be in Cyprus I think, I really cant express my love for this little tiny island.

Sri Lanka

My family and I travelled to Sri Lanka for the new year of 2016. From where I lived, Cyprus, It took two long car journeys, a hell of a long time spent at airports and two five hour flights, and we were there! To start we had a week in Hikkaduwa, a beautiful little coastal town, where life revolves around the beach! There I experienced the crazy driving of the buses and tuk tuks, exotic fruit and laidback life of the locals - which, living in Cyprus, I was pretty familiar to anyway. I spent most of my time in Hikkaduwa on the beach, soaking up the sun - well, trying anyway, I was still white as a milk bottle - and in the sea, which is where I had my first surf lessons - little waves for little me, ha. We also had little day trips to places not far away, like Gaule, where we got the bus to see the ruins and the ancient walled city, what an incredible place!

We then travelled to a town high in the mountains, called Kandy. Here we visited the Buddhist temple, of which was one of the most fantastic historical places of worship I had ever been to. Where we were staying, we were directly next to an all girls primary school, where they would sing prayers for 15 minutes every morning, which echoed throughout the entire town. Also a large group of monkeys would run and play in the trees right near our room.

Our final trip before heading back to the capital for a night before leaving, was Pinnawala. Pinnawala was a long two and a half hour trip further into the mountains, but it was totally worth it. The entire little village was based around one single tourist attraction, the elephant orphanage. There is a large lake where the elephants played in the water, sunbathed and got fed bananas, no chains, no restricted areas, just purely in their natural habitat. This experience was literally one of the most soul satisfying, just to see these beautiful animals looked after in the correct way.

Sri Lanka was absolutely amazing! It was definitely my kind of trip, lots to see and experience. I would definitely suggest it to anyone looking to have a little bit of an adventurous holiday!