10 Reasons to Travel in your 20s

Travelling; Pros v Cons.

Those lists- I've made 'em!

Having now travelled far and wide myself during my twenties, there were times I wasn't sure I was making the right decisions or felt I was missing out on too much back home. 
And you can weigh up these pros and cons all you want, but at the end of the day, if you really want to do something or go somewhere, make like Nike and JUST DO IT!!

Here are some of the reasons to add to your Pro list...



1) There's no time like the present
Ask yourself is there anything holding you back? Job? Partner? Kids? Chances are in your 20's you're still trying to figure out what you want or "finding yourself". Why not go find yourself on a beach in Bali or swinging on a zipline on the Philippines? 


2) You'll regret it if you don't
I'm not one to live my life by regrets, so when an opportunity presents itself to explore even a little bit more of the World, I'll take it! Screw the staff meetings or your dad's birthday- there will always be more of those to come. 
Experiences matter. Never miss out on the chance to have an adventure!


3) Money doesn't really matter
Travelling on a budget IS possible. Skip the 3-star-hotels for £3-a-night shared dorm in a decent hostel. You meet the best people and save those extra dolla's for activities!


4) You'll make friends for life
This one is especially true for me. Chances are, you're going to meet like-minded people who share your passion for globetrotting and exploring new cultures. 

5) You will experience personal growth
Learning from new cultures and the people you meet while travelling may teach you a lot that you didn't know about yourself. 


6) Work will always be there when (or if) you come back
Even if you have to leave your current job to go travelling, work will come by again when you're ready, trust me. We have all of our lives to work, but take advantage of your twenties to explore the World.


7) Think of the stories you can tell
As a child I was always asking my grandparents to tell me stories of their past, and having grown up during the War, majority of them were so varied and interesting. Although, when it came to my Parents or Aunts/Uncles, their stories seemed to revolve around work, buying homes, getting married and having babies. Which, most of my friendship group are going through right now and as much as that's so exciting for them, I want to be able to recount my global adventures to my children and grandchildren... with some censorship!

8) You'll experience new cultures, religion and food
I always find each of these so interesting and intriguing. 
Swap St Paddy's day for Yi Peng or a Burn's Supper for Vietnamese Pho. 
Tell yourself to try at least one new dish or experience a religious ceremony or building in each place you go. Take your senses on an adventure as well as yourself. 


9) Taking time out to discover what you do and don't want
This may be harder for some people than others, but often taking time out of everyday life can help us to understand the things we absolutely do and do not want in life, from the personalities of people we meet, to countries we visit or even the accommodation we stay in. 


10) JUST GO!
Chances are, if you're making a list in the first place, then you really want to go.
There's never going to be a "perfect" time, whether you're saving for a mortgage or just started a new job or relationship. 
Take a step back, breathe and trust that everything will fall into place. 

Stace x

Packing List: South East Asia > > > Australia

Backpacking. 
        Packing, in general, has always been quite difficult for a hoarder like myself.

It's the 'what if's', 'and's' and 'buts' with me...
What if I need them?... I'll take this, And i'll take an extra just incase... But I can't buy that there!

BUT, alas, I have packed and I am now on my way to the Edinburgh airport hotel, where the 6:50am flight tomorrow morning will take us to Abu Dhabi and eventually onto our first destination on our big adventure; Bangkok. 

I will most likely re-pack again when I get to the hotel, but for now, I think I have everything I need, not want. From researching blogs and vlogs to talking to people who've done it before, this is what I bought and packed four our Asia > Australia adventure:

BACKPACK: 

http://bit.ly/2thpLyV

Copyright: Berghaus

I bought this 65 Litre Berghaus Trailhead  rucksack from Go Outdoors in Clydebank. . 

It opens up from the top and bottom, with pouches either side and on on the lid. 

I find it easy to get stuff in and out (so far), and it feels easy to wear on my back, especially with the waist straps clipped and the straps tightened on the arms so I'm not carrying most of the weight on my back to the point of spinal injury.

Although, it is only day 1 of 100 odd... But yes, it still makes me look and feel like a tortoise, but I'd rather this than lugging a suitcase around. 

PACKING CUBES:

http://amzn.to/2tholEL

These handy lil cubes surprisingly hold a lot, and fit like a game of tetris into my rucksack quite neatly. I've been told to roll my clothes and not flatlay, which I must say is the way forward of packing! I'm able to store so much more into them, and so far have used each cube for set items of clothing, e.g., 

1) underwear/bikinis/socks

2) tops

3) bottoms/dresses

The 'laundry' bags to far hold things like PJs, toiletries and towels. 

Now, the fun part.... What I actually packed:

UNDERWEAR                BIKINIS                     PJs                              DRESSES

x 3 bras                           x 3                             x 2                               x 1 Maxi Dress

x 9 pants                                                                                               x 1 Sundress

x 6 socks

TOPS                              BOTTOMS                  ACCESSORIES          SHOES

x 2 tshirts                        x 2 denim shorts          x 1 Rainjacket              x 2 Nike trainers

x 4 casual tops               x 2 gym shorts             x 2 Sunnies                  x 1 flip flops

x 1 Sweatshirt                 x 2 gym leggings         x 1 Baseball Hat          x 1 Sandals

                                       x 1 Maxi Skirt               x 1 Chunky Scarf

                                       x 1 Jeans                     x 1 Small handbag

                                                                           x 1 Bumbag 

FIRST AID KIT                  TOILETRIES                                             MAKEUP

x 1 pack paracetamol         x 1 Deodorant                                           x 1 Foundation

x 1 pack Imodium               x 1 Facial Moisturiser                                x 1 BB Cream

x 1 pack sized plasters       x 1 Suncream                                           x 1 Concealer

x 1 tube sudocreme            x 1 Hairbrush, Kirbies and Hair Ties        x 1 Eyebrow Pencil     

x 1 eyedrops                       x 1 Shampoo / x 1 Conditioner                x 1 Eyeshadow palette

x 8 packs of my pill             x 1 Body wash & 1 Facial scrub               x 2 lipsticks (dark/nude)

x 1 pair scissors                  x 1 perfume                                              x 1 Travel MU brush set

x 1 sewing kit                                                                                       x 1 Bronzer

x 1 bite cream                                                                                      x 2 Eyeliners

x 1 bug spray                                                                                       x 1 Mascara

x 1 tweezers 

MISC
x 1 Mosquito Net

x 1 Sleeping bag liner

x 1 Travel iPod Speakers

x 1 Gadget Bag

   - Iphone and charger (x 2)

   - Camera and charger

   - Go Pro and charger

   - World Adaptor

   - x 4 USB ports charger

   - Gopole and accessories

   - Selfie Stick

   - x 2 pairs earphones

And I managed to fit ALL O THAT into those packing cubes, into that rucksack and (hopefully) onto the plane all under 17kg!!

Even I am impressed with myself. 

Obviously it depends on what you feel you need as a person. Not many people I know would sacrifice a sleeping bag for their gadgets or vice versa but there you go. And ofcourse I needed my Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette and 2 Mac lipsticks (which, yes I narrowed down from 6!), but I got there in the end. Persistence is key, and you can look at as many packing lists online as you want, but it will be you who decides in the end. Luckily Roisin and I have things the other doesn't, so we can share alike.

And what my mother always says is, "what you've forgotten, you can always buy out there!" 

They sell mac makeup in the Thai islands, right?

Stace x

Travel Countdown

Ladies and Gentlemen.
Boys and Girls.

It is with great pleasure, anticipation, excitement and anxiety all rolled into one that I announce my impending departure to travel yet another part of the World with my best friend... in 6 weeks time!!! 

In just 42 days, I will be hopping aboard a plane with my partner-in-crime from Camp America, "Roisin the Machine" and travelling to the unknown and the unfamiliar, immersing myself in new cultures, and seeing things in real life that I've only seen on postcards, instagram or google images. 

This trip has been a looooong time in the making. Having talked about and planned it for ages,we've finally scrimped and saved enough pennies together to tick another few places off the bucket list together. 

After our initial and OCD-etailed extensive research, we decided to book through the STA travel company, as they seem to be the best at organising World travel on a budget, (which is exactly what we were after). So while everyone else our age seems to be researching wedding venues, mortgage plans and baby names, me and my best girl have been spending our days and nights researching the best islands to visit in Thailand, points of interest in SE Asia, Australian visa types and travel money cards! 

And while our dates aren't set in stone, we definitely know the places we want to visit...

Our itinerary so far, goes as follows*:


7th Nov:      Abu Dhabi 
8th Nov:      Bangkok, Thailand
12th Nov:    Chiang Mai Town, Thailand
14th Nov:    Elephant Nature Park Project, Chiang Mai, Thailand
22nd Nov:   Luang Prabang, Laos
25th Nov:    Vienienne, Laos
26th Nov:    Vang Vieng, Laos
28th Nov:    Hanoi, Vietnam
1st Dec:      Halong Bay, Vietnam
3rd Dec:      Cat Ba Island, Vietnam,
5th Dec:      Hoi Ann, Vietnam
11th Dec:    Sihanoukville, Vietnam
16th Dec:    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
18th Dec:    Phnom Penh, Cambodia
20th Dec:    Siem Reap, Cambodia
21st Dec:    Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
24th Dec:    Phuket, Thailand
27th Dec:    Koh Tao, Thailand
29th Dec:    Koh Phagnan, Thailand
4th Jan:       Kuta, Bali
7th Jan:       Ubud, Bali,
10th Jan:     Gili T / Gili Air / Gili Mono, Bali
20th Jan:     Sydney, Australia
30th Jan:     Melbourne, Australia

*Subject to change (obviously, it's us...)


Excitement (as well as the fear of the unknown) builds daily as I ponder if I'm gonna have enough money or time to fit everything in, but it's an adventure. And if life's taught me anything so far it's that the best adventures never go according to the plan and those are where the best memories are made.

So even though I am counting down the days until departure, I am soooooo not looking forward to condensing my entire wardrobe (and life) into a 65L backpack, which I purchased yesterday. I'm not exactly a light packer, but instead the type of girl who packs 24 outfits into a long weekend. 
So packing that rucksack is future Stacey's problem for now. I am avoiding at all costs. 
Good luck, gal!

Stace x