Travel Money Saving Tips

It's no secret that when you are travelling or looking to book a travel trip you need to be saving. There are different ways that you can save for different travel scenarios but you need to be prepared to spend time in order to be able to save. 

Transport

It's important to look and make sure that you are booking your transport for your destination in the best possible way. Sometimes if you are doing a long haul flight it can be cheaper to book a flight with a stopover but this will make your journey longer so you need to decide which you want to sacrifice. Some airlines offer a system where you can collect air miles and if you think you will be flying with the airline frequently it is something that is worth collecting as they can total up to allow a free flight in the future. Some cities will have more than one airport which will mean that it can be cheaper to fly in to one of the airports.

Train tickets are best being booked in advance which can be done at least 12 weeks before your journey. A rail card is worth getting if you are someone who gets the train on a regular basis. 

Accommodation

When it comes to booking accommodation for your trip its best to research to make sure that you are getting the best type of accommodation that you can for your money. It's important to consider the location of your accommodation to make sure that it's not going to cost too much in transport for getting around whilst you are on your trip. Some hotels offer free nights if you are staying for so many nights which can be worth doing. Hotels.com also offer an awards scheme where if you book so many nights with them you can earn a free nights stay. 

On Location

Before going on your holiday it's best to do some research in to what you want to do whilst on your holiday in case there is anything that you have to pay for which can be cheaper to book in advance. Some attractions will have a certain time when they are free to enter or will be discounted. 

Do you have any other ways that you like to save money whilst on your travels?

LauraJane

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City Guide: Valencia

If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen that I recently went to Valencia for a couple days which was a trip to go and see my friend who is currently living there. 

 Valencia is a city that you never hear many people say that they are going to for a city break but I think that it's the perfect place to go for a weekend city break. If you are staying in the main city centre of Valencia it is very easy to walk around and see everything as you walk around there are a lot of pretty buildings. One thing I liked about Valencia is that it was easy to be able to find plenty of places for food and drink which are reasonably priced. Whenever I go to a city I always like to make sure I get to see the cathedral which was no exception in Valencia. There is a little river area which is lovely to walk along which is known as Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. 

My visit to Valencia fell during the Fallas period which is a celebration that they have in Valencia for Saint Joseph which lasts from 1st March through to 19th March. During this period everyday at 2pm they have an event which is known as La Mascleta at Plaza del Ayumtamiento which is where they set off firecrackers for 7 minutes they also they did a colour version of this on the Saturday evening at midnight whilst I was in Valencia. On the final day of Fallas they have approximately 350 'constructions' located around the city which people will have built over a period of time and these will be burnt down apart from one which is selected as the winner. There is a museum which you can visit where you can see a piece from the constructions that have won in previous years. Whilst I was in Valencia they had a display of some of the constructions that are going to be used on the final day in a museum where people are able to pick their favourite one. 

Hope you enjoy my insight to Valencia.

LauraJane

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Travelling Hand Luggage Only

At the time of this I am getting ready to fly off to Valencia, this is my first trip travelling with hand luggage only. I've never realised it could be so easy to travel hand luggage only but it is something that I would say is only suitable if you are doing a short trip. I am using a small purple case that I bought in Las Vegas a few years ago.

For anybody who is going to be travelling with hand luggage only I would recommend that you try and take as less clothes as possible so try and take items that will be suitable for more than one occasion so perhaps take a top that will last day and night. For shoes I would say to only take one pair as well as the ones you are wearing as they are something that can take up a fair bit of space in your luggage. When it comes to packing toiletries you need to make sure that you are taking toiletries that are travel size and that any liquids are under 100ml. If you are taking a hairdryer it's best to take a travel size one which you are able to buy from Boots.

LauraJane

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It's OK to be Single....

Valentine’s Day is a day that I think you either hate or love whether you are single or in a relationship. I know some people who say why do we need a day dedicated to showing how much you love someone which I suppose is true but there are some people who like to have that day to be able to spoil the person they love.

There are some people like myself who are going to be single on Valentine’s day which is OK. There are some people who don’t like being single on Valentine’s day and will feel sorry for themselves and sit there and think they are sad but it’s OK to be single. It’s OK for a lot of reasons and its also OK to be doing a lot of things alone on Valentine’s day that you think you should be doing whilst in a relationship.

• It’s OK to sit and watch a romantic movie alone
• It’s OK to get a dine-in for two from the supermarket and eat it alone
• It’s OK to sit and eat a box of chocolates alone
• It’s OK to buy yourself some flowers
• It’s OK to wear nice underwear just for yourself
• It’s OK to bake some heart shaped cookies and eat them alone
• It’s OK to go out with your other single friends for a girls night

LauraJane

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5 Ways To Relax/ De-Stress

A lot of the time I find that it’s important to find time to be able to relax and give yourself some me time. So here are 5 ways that I find are suitable for wanting to relax.

1. Relaxing Bath: A bath is my favourite way to have some relaxing and personal time as I find it to be the one time where nobody is going to come and bother you. Whilst in the bath its also good to light some candles around the bath whilst you have your favourite bath bomb or bubble bath in the bath as well as putting your favourite playlist on to listen to in the background.
2. Read A Book: Taking some time to sit and read a book allows you to go to another world where there are no worries I think which is why I find it to be a perfect solution for some relaxing time. 
3. Pamper Session: Every now and again I think it’s important to give yourself a mini pamper session which can involve face masks and painting nails. Another way for a pamper is a visit to your local hairdressers even if you only go for a little trim. 
4. Bake A Cake: Baking is something that I love to do but it is something that not everyone will like to do. It’s always satisfying when you bake something and it is a success. 
5. Netflix: Taking some time to sit and catch up on your favourite series on Netflix is a perfect way to sit and relax as you will find that you wont want to move anytime soon as you become engrossed in what is happening. 

If you have any alternative ways that you like to relax or de-stress leave them in the comments.

LauraJane

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How To Be More Productive

I said I was going to blog more this year and we are hitting February this week so blogging more hasn't gone very well as this year I’ve only posted one blog. Lately I haven't been feeling very productive for different reasons  but I’ve managed to start feeling that bit more productive so hopefully there will start to be a few more blogs coming from me now. Here are some ideas as to how to be more productive. 

Music

Personally I find sticking on some music when I have a task that I wish to achieve helps me to become more focused on the task as it relaxes me. 

Clear Out

I love a good clear out of my clothes, shoes and beauty bits as they help to make my life feel less cluttered. I find it important to have a clear out every so often so that you are able to get rid of anything that is no longer wanted and it helps to create that space for something that you are more than likely to use or for something that you need. Having a clear out also helps to make you feel better as you can sometimes be helping others if you decide to donate your belongings to charity which is something that I do when having a clear out.

Targets

Setting a couple of targets for what I wish to do on a certain day helps me to feel like I’ve been more productive at the end of the day as I’m able to say that I’ve achieved what I wanted for the day. It’s important not to set too many targets as that can be putting too much pressure on yourself which can lead you to become stressed that you are not going to be able to get everything done.

Caffeine

I like to make sure that I don’t consume too much caffeine of a day as it can affect my sleep pattern. I get to a certain point of the day where I have to say that I can’t have that extra cup of coffee that I would love to have otherwise I will not sleep of a night. 

Manage Your Sleep Pattern

It’s important to make sure that you are getting enough sleep of a night otherwise during the day you will become tired which can result in a lack of productivity. It’s important to get at least seven hours sleep a night. I find it best not to sleep in past 8am otherwise I feel like I’ve  wasted the morning. 

Set A Goal For The Week/Month

Sometimes its best to set a goal that you would like to achieve for the week or month such as read a book or learn something new as this can help to feel more productive. 

Any other tips on how to be more productive feel free to send them in my direction.

LauraJane

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Looking ahead to 2017

Happy New Year! Hope you've all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. 

I don't think I could be more glad for 2016 to be over for a lot of personal reasons, I'm hoping that 2017 is going to be a much better year. 

At the moment I have 3 trips booked and potentially planning another trip which are as followed:

Berlin: I'm going to Berlin for a few days with my friend in March.

Venice/ Greek Cruise: In May I'm spending a couple days in Venice before boarding an NCL ship to cruise around Greece visiting places such as Santorini and Mykonos.

Asian Cruise: In October for my parents 30th Wedding Anniversary we are doing an Asian Cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore visiting Bangkok and Vietnam onboard a Celebrity cruise ship. 

I'm hoping to visit my friend in Valencia at the beginning of March.   

Hopefully I will be able to go on a couple more short breaks depending on finances. 

LauraJane

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