Month: May 2019

How I Prepare For My Trips Abroad

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Ah it’s that time of year again… vacation time!

So if this is the first time you are reading my blog, I can’t stress how much I love to travel. Within five years, having ventured to nine countries, commuting to three continents, it’s pretty safe to say that I am a world traveler. As many adventurists know, once you get stung by the traveling bug you just cannot stop. I know that I have many more countries to explore, sightsee, and just be present in my surroundings along with experiencing a different culture.

This month I will be going on another adventure, once more. But before I disclose where I will be traveling (discreetly since more information will be disclosed when I come back), here are some ways that I prepare for my vacation.

 

 

1. Doing My Research

Doing research to any country where you may be a foreigner to is crucial for numerous reasons. If for any reasons that may require you to cancel your trip, prepare for the worst in terms of safety, poisonous insects and viruses that require vaccinations, or a water crisis (like the time I traveled to South Africa last year in April which was the height of the crisis), you need to be aware of what’s going on for the proper precautions taken. I can’t stress this enough about the importance of doing your homework.

2. Checking To See If Your Passport Needs To Be Updated

Trust me on this, you don’t want to already be commuting to the airport to a country that requires your passport to be valid within 6 months before expiration when yours expires in just a month. The security won’t have it and you will have 2 options that will not benefit you at all (one being paying a fine and two to not fly). So this is another reason as to why doing your proper research will benefit you in the long run. Different countries within different continents have different rules on the expiration date on a passport. I can’t stress this enough.

3. Getting The Best Sleep The Day Before

Because you may not get any sleep at all on the plane if you are like me. Plus once you enter the airport, if you haven’t yet… get your boarding pass, check in your luggage, and my least favourite activity, do a security check up which can include taking your shoes off. This is why there’s a requirement to show up at least three hours before the departure.

4. Jogging

I had to add this in since I love running. Pretty much before any trip, a good workout will energize you that results (may or may not in my case) in possibly sleeping on a plane.  Also there are endorphins released resulting in good moods hence since you will be on an adventure so why be mad? Plus you are doing a lot of walking especially on a layover when you arrive in one country for let’s say an hour, flying to another.

5. Drinking Plenty Water

As we all are aware of the amazing benefits of water. Another addition to the proof of benefits is the fact that drinking water before, during and after a plain ride may help improve any sort of jet lag. So drinking alcohol will not help your situation if you are trying to avoid the dreaded jet lag.

 

6. Packing Not Too Much Clothes

For reasons that include not breaking the bank when you have to pay extra if your luggage weighs more than the requirement, or it’s just too damn heavy to drag along, you want to be comfortable when heading from one place to another. Half the time you are not even wearing all of you clothes.

 

7.  Packing Enough Undergarments

You can never have enough underwear, bras, panties… you name it. This is crucial and I don’t even need to explain. Also other aspects of hygiene are applicable to this including lotion, deodorant, dentil floss, a tooth brush and mouth wash. No one wants to be around someone who does not take care of themselves… just saying.

 

8. Eating A Well Balanced Diet When Flying At Night

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, no words could be any truer. Plus a nutritious meal on a whole will benefit you in ways like for example your head. Flying thousands of feet up in the air will take a toll on you, and not eating at all will make you feel lightheaded. Don’t do that! Eat away.

 

9. Listening To All The Staff Members In The Airport and Airplane

I just think it would be stupid for you to do the opposite. It may cause you your trip.

 

10. Being Friendly/Cooperative Passenger To The Person Beside/Behind/In Front of You

Especially when you have to travel longs hours on a plane, being friendly to everyone without being annoying just makes life easier on a whole for everyone. Don’t be that person who has their stretched all the way to the back when someone behind you is pretty much suffocating, or taking up space when not necessary. I know claustrophobia is a real thing and this is also not fun to experience.

 

11. Where Comfy Clothes

Since going on an excursion requires time and effort, both mental and physical, being in breathable clothing is a must. This also goes for shoes as well. I know some people are all about following their favourite celebrities like Kylie and Kendal, and that’s cool, be Instagram ready, I love fashion and having a look so rock your style in breathable clothing. This is just my suggestion based on my experience with traveling. Doing 30 hours in total of traveling takes a toll on your body. It’s your choice though.

12. Buy Travel Medical Insurance

It does not matter how old you are. Whether you are in your 20’s or 100 years old, please do yourself a favour and buy the travel medical insurance. You never, I repeat, never know when you may need this to come in handy. Health is wealth… you will be doing yourself a huge favour.

13. Taking It All In

Just take in everything… yes I mean EVERYTHING. Because like many major events in life, like planning a wedding, a graduation or even a monumental birthday. The preparation for any milestones are part of the milestone. So just take it all in and with stride because you will get to where you need to be eventually.

So off I go on my next adventure!

Next stop… Malta.

Quiet

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Is it wrong to be who you are even when you’re quiet?

Nah:

—-This is a famous quote said from the fellow introvert and inspiring Activist Rosa Parks who spoke up against the injustice of what may seem like a simple act of sitting in front of the bus.

Not too long ago, I was reminded, yet again, of my mysterious/reserved personality, like as if it were a weakness or even a burden.

Like myself, I am certain all people who are considered introverted, quiet or reserved will relate to the fact that this aspect of your personality has been pointed out to you your whole life. From report cards, to workplaces and social settings, the ‘quiet’ label invisibly hangs on your neck like an unwanted shackle weighing the neck down with a feeling of automatic judgement piercing from strangers and at times family.

Time and time again… I am here to prove that being quiet is not a burden, weakness or a negative aspect to one’s personality if this is who you are as a person. Now I am not talking against the more loud and boisterous group of people, I can be pretty loud myself, but there is just a bit of a stigma against the opposite.  Right now as I am typing these words to this blog post, I am being quiet. Here are the benefits of being quiet in a world that tells you to fit in.

 

1.  You Listen Better

I think this is pretty self explanatory, great listeners are ones who have the ability to hear other people talk, therefore being great listeners.

2.  Creative

Have you ever heard of a quiet voice equals a loud mind? There’s a reason for that. The list of famous introverted artists, writers, musicians and directors are endless…. ask J.K. Rowling.

 

3.  You Think Before Talking

This can coincide with being able to listen. You think before acting.

4. Independent 

A lot of introverts are generally loners, but not alone. For me that is my way of needed solitude to recharge and get lost into whatever makes me feel whole.

 

5. Quiet Confidence

This is a fact, no explanation needed. Think Beyonce….

6. Have a Voice

No need to explain, so I will show you better than I can tell you:

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— The list is endless. This is just a few famous people who happen to be an introvert.

Now next time someone wants to bring up your quietness in any negative way, keep your head held up high and tell them that this is who you are and there is nothing wrong with that.

We run the world too, just quietly.

 

Finding My Way

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Where do I start?

I guess that’s the struggle when I haven’t written a blog post in almost 10 months. There’s a sense of urgency to write but yet a hesitation to compose anything because the sense and worry that you (or me in particular) have nothing meaningful to even put in words. It’s like for me, I felt as though my hesitation was due in part that I needed to write something not only worthwhile, but conduct some Picasso-like poetic justice of a blog post.

Now when you look at the title above, Finding My Way, some of you (or if anyone), are probably thinking that this particular post is about me being lost, having some sort of crisis (I will be turning 30 soon), or a life changing event has occurred… it hasn’t. What has happened is: panic.

Not the type of panicking where anxiety rushes through your rapid heart beat or cold sweat reaping through your pores. Nope. This is a panic where uncertainty of life is prevalent. But this excites me. I know conflicting as it may sound, I am not worried about not knowing the answers, but I am, finding my way.

For me, as I have written numerous times, writing is a big part of who I am whether it pays or does not. And for 10 months, I’ve been pondering and pondering why I was not posting anything on my blog for that span of time.

The truth is, I did not have anything to talk about.

As the time went by, it got harder to think of anything to write. I was almost about to quit this blog to be quite frank. But every time I was going to come up with a goodbye article, I couldn’t find the words. It was more than just a writer’s block because I was writing other formats that did not really appeal to me, but a rush of a feeling of unfinished business.

The sole purpose of this blog was for me to escape into a hobby that has been a healthy coping mechanism on my darkest days up until the brightest. It was and still is the beginning middle and end, the highs and lows that life itself brings. Initially this blog was supposed to be about my love for fashion but in my words with an editorial aspect to the article I learned in school, but here I am, almost three years later, on what is the 55th blog post, talking about finding my way. Go figure.  From what felt like the nightmare at times not finding the right words to type on the screen, this is also what needed to happen in order to free my mind, while knowing that my heart, soul and being missed this blog and my love of this sort of writing. This right here is my return.

So for those who have asked me in the recent how my writing is, I will tell you simply, it’s going… meaning that it is never over for me. I am 28, almost about to turn 29, almost about to head into a new decade, but smart enough to know that I am still young. Young enough to know that there is room for improvement. More room for self expression within any form of writing that I conduct. More room for me to not be too hard on myself and sometimes, a good friend of mine has told me, to just go with the flow.

That’s the beauty in creativity and… ambiguity of life.

Let’s welcome more of that.

I know I will be.