4 Tips for Long Car Journeys Alone!

I was 6 weeks old the first time I spent a significant amount of time traveling in a car... Significant being 8 to 10 hours! Since then I have been very comfortable traveling in a car either road tripping or just traveling to see family.

Now my whole life I have never been alone on long car journeys until now! Last week I decided to drive to London to see a friend of mine, this is a 7 or 8 hour round trip so I had to occupy my time some how.

zoestarfish.com

1. Audiobooks!

I am a huge fan of reading but I procrastinate my books so much I just end up with a massive "to be read" pile on my desk.
I always have my ipod on in the car, it's a very vintage 2nd gen. My radio isn't super great so I can't drive in complete silence! I solved this by digging out my teenage wet dream and hooked up my banging tunes to my car speakers.

Now music is great but I like to feel like I'm being productive and actually completing my reading goal this year (but I must say I'm very far behind). I dug up some audiobooks and sync'd my ipod.
But remember! If you don't finish your audiobook on your solo journey, when someone get's in the car with you they will be very confused and constantly try to talk over the story!

2. Snacks!

I have never been able to go more than a couple of hours without eating something. This is the same in every day life and on long journeys. If you ever want to claim shotgun in my car, bring me some sweets, crisps or even cereal and you're in!

3. Cruise over speed!

In my everyday life and car journeys I am not one for sticking to speed limits. It's not big and clever but it's just how I'm comfortable driving.
Yet, on motorways and with long journeys I seem to always cruise. I pretty much always drive between 50 and 75. I'm trying to be honest.
Driving comfortably and without being stressed about time means that you'll drive safer, happier and maybe appreciate the drive.

4. Take Breaks!

This seems obvious but sometimes people forget. I like to stop every 2-3 hours, or when I'm dying for a wee! In Britain Services often sell hot food, drinks, toys, books and more. There are things to do and often there's a hotel or similar attached if you really need to get your head down. Even if you're traveling with someone else, services are ideal, just try not to fuel up here because you will pay for it!


Chat 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