Visit Wales: Ogmore Central Beach

This week we decided to embrace the sunshine (which is very few and far between in Wales) and head to the beach. 

Beach from the surf.

In the Summer season finding a decent beach that allows dogs has always been a challenge. I used thebeachguide.com to find dogfriendly beaches and we headed to the nearest one: Ogmore Central (just East of Porthcawl).

We loaded all 4 dogs into the car and took off; an experience with 3 adults in a 2 door car!

When we got there I was so happy that it wasn't just a pebble beach and there was actually sand! I have experienced my fair share of dog beaches and they're normally the ones people don't care about. Sad I know.

So many shots of great places for dogs to pee... apparently!

I quickly attached the gopro to the dog and away we went.

The beach was huge. If you don't like dogs, definitely do not come here (though I don't know why you would come to a dog beach then...)

The car parking was a bit of a faff, £1 for 1 hour or £5 for anything more... a bit of a rip, so we put in a quid and then kept any eye on the car. 

This is my old man, 10 years old this year! Bless him.

There were reasonable winds that day and the waves grew substantially as the day went on and the tide came in. 

Numerous people told me how brave I was for going into the water in a bikini - not one that was well fitting to be quite honest! This is made especially apparent when The Boyfriend has gone in fully dressed.

Do I look super comfortable?

I had a lovely day and so did the dogs. There were toilets but by the time we were ready to go they seemed miles away, so we just got changed with the protection of towels by the car.

Finding a pub on the way home for food was an experience. We were so lucky that we stopped by the Toby Carvery in Bridgend. They were so accommodating to all the dogs, even brought out sausages for them! I will recommend that everyone go there :)

Chat soon,

Rhiannon x

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: 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