How to Plan For a Trip Overseas

In just over a week's time, I will be travelling to Malaysia with my family! In fact, by the time you read this, I'll already be there! 

(Yes, this post is being written in advance and yes, I am finally getting more organised with scheduling my posts!) 

We'll be in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city, for 6 days and my Dad has put me in charge of planning what we do during that time. There are a lot of different ways to plan for a trip overseas but here are just the ways I like to do it. 

Pin a Whole Bunch of Images
Before anything else, I'll go on to Pinterest to scroll through images of the place I'm travelling to. That way I'll know what attractions to expect to see when I start doing more of my text-based research. If I'm feeling really inspired, I'll select images of my favourite looking places and arrange them on an A4 page in Photoshop. Just like the one I did below. 

Make a Bucket List
I love goal keeping and I love checklists. If you're the same, then I highly recommend making a bucket list for your holiday. There are usually plenty of ideas for pretty much any place you search for on Pinterest. I'm thinking of creating a bucket list devoted solely to all the restaurants and dishes I want to try. I'm really looking forward to all the food I get to eat while I'm away!

Read Travel Guides on Your Holiday Destination 
The Lonely Planet travel guides are always a great source of information. I already have a pocket book for both Hawaii and Beijing when my family and I travelled to these places in the past. Neither one of those trips would have been the same had I not bought those travel guides. I recently found one for Kuala Lumpur and have spent hours poring over it already. 

Talk to People Who Have Travelled There
I've spoken to a few people who've been to KL. It always helps to get firsthand advice. You'll also get a better idea for the overall experience of a place. Guide books and online articles tend to be more factual than anything else and while that's great for research purposes, it's still nice to hear the stories people have. 

Create a Detailed Itinerary 
Once you've got a definite list of all the places you want to visit, make an itinerary out of them. Write out the dates for all the days you're away then allocate two or three attractions to each (depending on how big or small the attractions are). Consider location when sorting these out as you want to make it easy for you as possible to get from one place to the next. 

Q: Have you been to KL before?
Thanks for reading! 

CONTINUE READING

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Christmas is for sure a month long celebration. By the time December 1st rolls around, all the festive activities and traditions are pretty much in full swing. From advent calendars and ugly sweaters, to markets and parades, Christmas takes over like no other. I love the fact that even though Christmas is at the end of the month, pretty much all of December is dedicated to this holiday. 

A lot of Christmas revolves around giving and showing gratitude. I love shopping for gifts. Unlike birthdays, Christmas is a chance to spend on all your family and friends. There's no limit to the number of people you can buy presents for. I love sitting down and remembering all the inside jokes and happy times I've had with a person then writing out a list of possible present ideas based on those memories. There are so many people in my life that I'm extremely grateful for and there's no better time than Christmas to show my appreciation. 

During December, interiors are transformed. While I love seeing my house all decorated for Christmas, it's actually the public spaces that fuel my festive spirit. The holiday music in supermarkets, the tinsel in store windows, the massive Christmas trees in shopping malls. Every time I leave the house, I am constantly reminded of Christmas and I am not complaining in the slightest! 

Holiday cheer is definitely real. This month so far has definitely been my happiest and I'm honestly not surprised! Christmas is a time to relax, unwind, spend time with loved ones, sing carols and eat lots of delicious food. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Thanks for reading! And look out for my last Christmassy post of 2018, coming next week!  

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Why do You Love The Holiday Season? - Quiz

Christmas is coming and this year I'm determined to show more festive spirit here on my blog. Last December, I only published three Christmas themed blog posts! This is why I thought I'd get in early and make my November quiz Christmas related. I'm going to see if I can guess what aspect of the holiday season you love the most. Let me know if I was right or wrong in the comment section below! 

1. When I was younger, my favourite way to spend the night before Christmas was...
A) Preparing the cookies and milk for Santa.
B) Carolling around the neighbourhood.
C) Relaxing with family and friends around the fireplace.
D) Driving around and seeing all the different Christmas lights.

2. To get in the festive mood each year, I will...
A) Learn how to make a new Christmas dish.
B) Create a Christmas playlist.
C) Have a Christmas movie marathon.
D) Attempt a couple of Christmas DIYs.

3. I like to deck out _______ for Christmas.
A) The kitchen
B) My bedroom
C) The living room
D) Every room in the house

4. The phone app I use the most during the holiday season is...
A) YouTube.
B) Spotify.
C) Netflix.
D) Pinterest.

5. The Christmas scent I'm obsessed with is...
A) Ginger spice.
B) Cherry.
C) Vanilla bean.
D) Peppermint.

6. I can't get through December without my...
A) Christmas cookbook.
B) Headphones.
C) 'Elf' DVD.
D) Tinsel and fairy lights.

7. My favourite place to go in the days leading up to Christmas is...
A) The supermarket.
B) The shopping mall.
C) The cinema.
D) Santa's grotto.

8. I like to wear my Christmas themed _______ around this time of year.
A) Apron
B) Socks
C) Pyjamas
D) Sweater

9. On my Christmas Wishlist is a...
A) Kitchen mixer.
B) Record player.
C) Laptop.
D) Desk for my room.

10. When I think of Christmas, the first thing that comes to mind is...
A) Christmas pudding.
B) Snow.
C) Santa.
D) Christmas trees.

You love the holiday.......

(Mostly A's)
Food
Your favourite part of Christmas Day is sitting around the dining room table, surrounded by loved ones, with your plate stacked high with food. Not only do you enjoy eating Christmas food, you love making it yourself. You're a professional chef when it comes to this time of year.

(Mostly B's)
Music
You love your Christmas tunes. It doesn't matter if it's a classic or modern take, you're happy to sing along to it anyway. Whether you're at home or out and about, you'll make sure to play festive music wherever you are. It's no wonder you know the lyrics to every Christmas song invented.

(Mostly C's)
Movies
You're very dedicated to your Christmas films. You could watch 'Love Actually' a thousand times and never get bored of it. There's no other place you'd rather spend Christmas evening than lounging on the couch in front of the TV with a huge fluffy blanket and cup of hot cocoa. 

(Mostly D's)
Decorations
Christmas is when you really get creative with your interior space. You're not afraid to spend when it comes to holiday decor. It's like a Christmas explosion every time people enter your house. Friends and family are always very complimentary of how much effort you put into giving your home that very festive feel.

Thanks for taking the quiz! 

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What's Your Favourite Holiday? - Quiz

What's your favourite holiday? That's what I'm trying pinpoint in today's quiz. Everybody has a time of year that they look forward to the most. I know mine! For me, nothing beats Christmas! This quiz is easy to complete, all you have to do is keep track of your most common letter. This will give you your answer at the end. Be sure to share what you got in the comment section below! 

1. When I was a kid, I had a lot of...
A) Children recipe books.
B) Dress ups.
C) Soft toys.
D) Glitter and coloured paper.

2. My favourite shape is a...
A) Star.
B) Circle.
C) Heart.
D) Diamond.

3. My favourite kind of movies are the ones with...
A) Lots of singing and dancing.
B) Gore and action.
C) A cute on-screen couple.
D) A deep and meaningful moral.

4. Whenever I'm feeling worried about something, I'll...
A) Try keep myself busy.
B) Indulge in some sweet food.
C) Talk it out with a trusted person.
D) Write about it in my journal.

5. My favourite fictional dog is...
A) Santa's Little Helper from "The Simpsons".
B) Scooby Doo from "Scooby Doo".
C) Snoopy from "Peanuts".
D) Toto from "The Wizard of Oz".

6. The personality trait that resonates with me the most is...
A) Selflessness.
B) Bravery.
C) Kindness.
D) Honesty.

7. Whenever a friend or family member is feeling ill, I'll...
A) Bake them their favourite kind of cake.
B) Dress up in my craziest outfit and try get them to laugh.
C) Buy them a huge bunch of flowers.
D) Make them a card with a get-well message inside.

8. The first thing I think of when I hear the word "camp" is...
A) Pine trees.
B) Spooky stories.
C) S'mores.
D) Hiking.

9. The face emoji that I use the most is...
A) ☺️
B) 😮
C) 😍
D) 😆

10. My favourite time of day is...
A) Morning.
B) Late afternoon.
C) Mid day.
D) Midnight.

Your favourite holiday is...

(Mostly A's)
Christmas
You love everything to do with Christmas - the music, the food, the movies, the traditions. You're the one everyone can rely on to spread holiday cheer. For you, Christmas is a month long holiday starting from the moment December 1st rolls around. The festive season is all about bringing family and friends together and for you, there's no better holiday than that.  

(Mostly B's)
Halloween
When it comes to celebrating Halloween, you're the person for the job. Your excitement for this holiday is contagious. As well as being a keen candy eater and costume maker, Halloween also appeals to you because it is the most unpredictable of the holidays. There's a sense of surprise everywhere you turn. 

(Mostly C's) 
Valentines Day
You love to celebrate love! You're a true romantic so it should come to no one's surprise that  Valentines Day is the holiday where you really excel. As well as spending the day with your significant other, you also like to dedicate some time practicing self love. February 14th is all about showing kindness, not only to the people around you but to yourself as well. 

(Mostly D's) 
New Years Day
When it comes to celebrating New Years, you're all for the party hats, streamers and colourful confetti. For you, there's nothing more magical than watching the changeover from 12:00 to 12:01. Resolutions are also a big part of your love for New Years. You can really aim high with your goals when you know you have a whole 12 months to see them through. 

Thanks for taking the quiz! 

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What I Bought On Holiday (Australia)

I love haul posts. More specifically, I love taking the photos for haul posts. My family and I recently got back from our trip to sunny Brisbane and while we tried to stay outdoors and make the most of the summer heat, we ended up spending most of our time in the air conditioned shopping malls. In today's post, I'm going to be showing you what I bought on holiday. As you can probably imagine, I purchased a lot of summery items while I was away. I hope you enjoy looking through these images as much as I enjoyed photographing them! 

Popsocket And Wallet

  

White Denim Shorts

Sunglasses And Hoop Earrings

 

Black And White Striped Dress

 

Thanks for reading! 

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