Life Update? Travel Plans, Work Problems, Money Shit

Hey guys,

I haven't posted on here for a while and it does look a little like a ghost town round here. So I thought I'd have a simple chat with you guys about my current life situation. 

Work?

I quite my job in the popular pizza chain that rhymes with smominos because my manager thought it was appropriate to make everyone cry. I am too proud and don't need that shit in my life. So great I'm happier, Sadly I now have less money. I started working behind a bar again which I love but it's only 11 hours a week. So as you can guess, saving for traveling is very very difficult.

Travel Plans?

So travel plans are now on the backburner which sucks, but they do still exist. Not only do I now work less and get paid less but the boyfee also lost his job. So sadly fun plans have been postponed while we work out life. The note pad of ideas and places to go still goes strong and will never be thrown away so let's see where we are in 6 months. 

Overall?

I am still gradually buying travel stuff and planning adventures. I've just bought a gopro so maybe will do some daily vlogging. Ahh Idk it scares me but could be fun :)

I guess for now we'll just have to enjoy the beauty of Wales.

I hope you guys are doing good and I'll chat to you soon.

Rhiannon

Review: The Essential Guide To First Time Backpacking by Amy Day

So like the last travel book I read and talked about, I'd like to do the same. What a wonderful set up and intro. God I'm a talented writer.

I've recently finished 'The Essential Guide To First Time Backpacking - Everything You Need To Know Before You Get On The Plane by Amy Day. It took me a couple of days reading on and off but I really enjoyed it. Amy Day is a wonderful writer and to be completely honest it felt like having a chat in a living room with a friend who knows everything you want to know. Throw in a couple of swear words and a bottle of wine and it would almost be like she was in the room with me. 

This book covers everything you need to know about backpacking from someone who has clearly been there, done that, got the T-shirt... More than once! She illustrates her advice with stories from her life, as well as some precautionary tales about other travelers.

This guide has a section for everything and for everyone, there is even a chapter for parents of backpackers. She does a good job of putting everyone's mind at ease about the big wide world that most of us hope to be exploring.

What I learned from this book? Although I will be traveling a very common route for backpackers, no one has done MY trip before, so no one, not even Amy Day can tell me everything I need to know about everything. I just need to let go and live in the moment. Prices vary from person to person. Get visas are different for everyone. Each person will  value items and countries in their own way.

My trip is just that, mine. Although I've picked up a lot of tips and ideas, she can't tell me exactly what it will be like. Let's be honest, I did know that before hand, but it's good to be reminded.

Chat soon.
Rhiannon

Animal Friendly Traveling | Avoiding Animal Cruelty as a Tourist

I originally wanted to discuss some of the places in the tourist world that abuse animals for entertainment, but then I decided that it would be far more productive to talk about ways to avoid tourist destinations that abuse animals for profit.

photo from globalelephant.org

Throughout the world there are many organisations that abuse animals for profit. In the West SeaWorld is probably the most infamous. Yet over the last month or so I've noticed more criticism for global tourist attractions filtering through social media, predominantly Tiger Temple in Thailand. Both of these places take animals from the wild at very young ages and place them into captivate. SeaWorld force Orcas and Dolphins to swim for humans and do shows. Where as Tiger Temple drug the tigers and encourage tourists to sit on them and take selfies.

For some of the most majestic animals on the planet this isn't the nicest way to live, just for 5 minutes of entertainment.

So given that quite grim and preachy intro, here are some of my tips for being a more conscientious tourist:

Research: No one wants to do research, which is why you're reading this blog. However, research on specific places can benefit you a lot. Sadly it does mean that you'll miss out on a lot of tourist attractions, but I'm sure the animals will appreciate it. I spend a lot of time wishing I'd visited places before I became aware.

Conservations: Wild life conservation and nature reserves are great ways to see animals without harming them. Here you can interact with animals from the wild without contributing to their captivity. In most places your fare or donation will help the animals recuperate before being returned to the wild, happier and healthier. But beware, many animals here have been hurt in some way so may not be the prettiest. 

Scuba Diving in Koh Tao 2014

Visit their habitat: I became a PADI certified diver in 2011 (my open water course) and I've never looked back. Seeing sea animals in their own world is a completely different experience. The majestic nature of animals is amazing and I think this is definitely the best way to do it. 

Raise Awareness: Say you've decided to go somewhere that you've done research and everything seems ligit, but something seems off. If you notice the carers carrying weapons and behaving like guards, or animals being uncharacteristically docile, tell someone. Most people suggest telling the manager but I think they're probably aware, I think you should take to social media, report what you've seen exactly as you see it. It'll make more people aware than ever just complaining to someone who probably doesn't care.

If you have any other tips let me know in the comments!
Rhiannon

Mooncup Diary and Review

So I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of blogs about travelling and what to take etc. All posts aimed at female travelers (oorah) say that a Mooncup is vital. You can pick from 2 sizes (under 30/no kids or kids/over 30). It sounds a little one size fits most but it is made from silicone so quite soft and pliable. 

Now a Mooncup sounds absolutely disgusting, yet, it is so much better for the environment and less toxic for your body than traditional products. Also you'll never be caught without. Sadly this does mean that you can no longer be the girl who hands out tampons in the toilet to distressed strangers.

Day One.

So my period has started again, sigh, yet this time instead of reaching for a box of tampons I force myself to grab the mooncup I bought 2 periods ago. It's a terrifying product but we warriors must crack on.

So I sat on the toilet scrunched up the cup like they say and inserted it. It hurt. More than I think it should have. Maybe I didn't do it right. But I continued. I went to bed that night with a water bottle and hating my body (my first day is always the worst).

Day Two.

I woke up needing another 8 hours. Life takes it out of you man. But I needed to run errands so onward. I removed the cup, which also hurt. I felt stretched and dry and quite awful to be honest. But positive side: I didn't spill anything. Ok so let's try again. This time I used lubricant, which actually helped. It didn't hurt, but whenever I thought about it I felt sick. Yet I soon enough forgot it was there and went on with my day.

4 hours later I needed to wee so I started thinking about it and took it out. I noticed I was spotting, nothing noticeable on dark underwear. This time I felt a little like removing a tampon, once again no spilling, success! I rinsed it with warm water and put it back in again. Pretty easy to forget about.

Day Three.

I woke up pretty much forgetting about the mooncup. Last night I stayed at my boyfriends house (who is very interested with this whole thing).This morning I went for a pee and he was like "ooo you guna go change your Mooncup?" And I had completely forgotten about it, so that must be a good thing. My flow is starting to lighten up now so this will probably be my last day of analysing.

Conclusion.

Ok so for the first time putting it in it was weird and I didn't like it, after a couple of goes I feel like a pro. For the first hour or so I knew it was there. It doesn't hurt if it's not high up enough like a tampon, but it does feel odd, like a bubble or something.

Would I recommend it? Yes actually, It's not super different to using a tampon. So far I've only used it in the comfort of my own home but I can see this being easier to use when travelling than pads and definitely less toxic than tampons.

And for the price of £19.99 from the online shop, it seems like a lot, but you will definitely save money in the long run.

Rhiannon

Review: Backpackers Guide to Southeast Asia 2016

For Christmas this year my parents gave me money for "Travel Books." As great as that is I had no idea where to start.

Also this Christmas Gethin (the boyfriend) bought me a kindle ereader. It was so sweet and thoughtful. Almost like he and the parents were in cahoots.

Anyway getting to the point! On December 28th I went on a book binge.

I spent £2.99 on the Backpackers Guide to Southeast Asia 2016 by Funky Reads. Now for someone who always looking to get a bargain or spend as little as possible it was quite the leap...even though it was only three quid. 

So the "guide" is broken up into about 10 sections.

Introduction.

Things to do before your trip.

Suggested backpacking routes.

Visa and Border crossings.

Budgeting.

Best Festivals 2015-2016 (The chapter title is 14/15 but that's wrong).

Where to party.

10 places to experience local culture.

Destinations for Adventure and nature.

First time FAQ.

According to my kindle the book should only take 1 1/2 hours to read. It's quite an easy read and my favourite parts were visa and first time FAQ. Both sections are obviously great for people who've not backpacked before.

2. Things to do before your trip.

Things to do before your trip is a good section to remind you that it's probably a bad idea to just grab a backpack and cut loose, but I'm not your mother, you can do whatever. It includes ideas on travel insurance, backpacks, vaccinations and more.

3. Suggested backpacking routes.

Now the biggest part of this guide is the routes to take. The author starts in Thailand, which is fair as most people travel from there. It is a good overview of each area. Here they talk about budgeting, routes, best hostels in the area and some great travel advice concerning buses and strips. 

4. Visa and Border crossings.

Visa's are still something I'm trying to get my head around and this helped a tiny amount. Border crossing is not something I immediately thought of when I thought backpacking so this is good to get you thinking. This section is good if you're from the countries it mentions, if not you have to work out visas for yourself. 

5. Budgeting.

The budgeting section is useful but I found it a bit unnecessary. Only because at the beginning of each subsection in routes they said the average spend or whatever. Also as everyone has different comfort levels and price budgets it seems a bit difficult to say "this is how much you should be spending."

6 + 7. Best Festivals 2015-2016 and Where to party.

(The chapter title is 2014/15 but that's wrong).

These sections were more of a calendar and a reminder to book your hostels in advance. As they're giving you a calander of where to party, I feel like it's nothing you couldn't get from a quick google search. Yet if you're planning your trip around the party season it's good to have everything in one place to see.

8 + 9. 10 places to experience local culture.

Destinations for Adventure and nature.

These sections are a nice added extra for people who want something most backpackers don't get. Yet, I think most backpackers who want to experience different things probably won't be reading guides or following. If you want to stick to the Bangkok parties that's all well and good but these sections discuss hiking, village life and lagoons. Nothing is in great detail but if anything here takes your fancy I'd do some more research before setting off into the unknown.

10. First time FAQ.

This chapter was great for me because I am a first time traveler. They bring up questions I've actually been asking myself, about accommodation, other travelers and safety issues. This section is probably the only one which goes into further detail. If the entire book was just answering questions by experienced backpackers I'd be over the moon.

This is the first travel guide I've completed but also the first book I've finished in 2016 (2 very special titles).

Worth the price?

As it's only £2.99 I'm not going to be having loads of sleepless nights. I'm happy I bought the book because it's given me a greater scope in the field, but I don't think I'll be purchasing another copy. 

This is a good book as a simple overview on backpacking, however, in my honest opinion I think it's nothing special, the content is things I've read on plenty of blogs and seen in enough videos. 

Essentially it didn't grip me as a major page turner but I'll go back to it for tips again.

Rhiannon.

Let me introduce myself!

(Photo from National Geographic)

Hello anyone who is interested.

As my first post on this blog I wanted to explain a little about myself.

My name is Rhiannon Emily, I also have a youtube channel and any other social media you may care about.

I've always found writing quite difficult, reading easy. But getting my head down and trying to get all my thoughts and ideas on to paper (or in the modern world, a computer screen) is something that I've always struggled with.

In 2016 I plan on backpacking around Europe and Asia with my dearest partner and ally. My idea was to document not only our travels but also all the prep that I'm putting into the trip. While we're away I will be writing a journal but also updating here with photos and updating my youtube with videos. So everyone can see and hear about my every move. Let's call it a stalkers dream.

Weirdly enough, manatees aren't even my favourite animals, not even my favourite sea animal. For any who wish to know: Elephant, Turtle, Stingray. Yet I didn't think they really summed up what I wanted this blog to be about.

Manatees are very large cows of the sea. They're very complex animals. Not only this but the manatee memes are quite supportive and nice and that is my aim.

Any questions please, let's have a chat in the comments!

Rhiannon