Friday 11 September 2015

Alyssa's Travelling Traditions!


Well first of all sorry their hasn’t been many posts this week! I have been out travelling so that I have lots to write about (I have a growing list about the size of my arm!). There’s 3 new travelling scrapbook stories on the way and lots of other things coming soon so stick around. Anyway this week I thought I’d talk about the traditions I have when travelling, some are new and some are really old (like tape deck old 0.0).

Many of the traditions I have come from caravanning from a really young age, others come from day trips and most recently, flying!

So here are my traditions. Don’t forget to tell me yours in the comments I love hearing them!

1.       Fish and chips, in true British style I can’t go on holiday without a good helping from the chippy.

2.       Croissants, every year in our caravan we’d buy croissants and smother them in country life butter!

3.       Scooter, this doesn’t happen anymore (I’m too big L) but as a child having a scooter or a bike to go to the park with was a must. (It’s practically the social order of the camp ;)

4.       Bacon and fried bread. Since it’s easier to fry than grill or toast in a caravan this was the excuse to have the much tastier fried bacon and fried bread rather than grilled with toast! Yummy

5.       Cards. This one’s a younger tradition. We’ve been playing cards on holiday for around 3 years.

6.       Elvis Presley tape. This one’s mega old but in my very first caravan we’d have breakfast with our Elvis tape playing. (Yes the caravan had an actual tape deck I was born in the 90’s)

7.       Sweets. Sometimes these were for long drives, plane rides, or simply from the holiday shops you have to have treats on a holiday! My favourite sweets are Revels, Chocolate Éclairs (perfect for hours in a car), and chocolate cups mmm…

8.       Beach visits. Even freezing cold winter couldn’t stop my bucket n’ spade!

9.       Ice cream. Who doesn’t love ice cream?

10.   Doughnuts. Although I don’t like these my family always had doughnuts (whilst I ate all the ice cream haha ;)

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-Alyssa <3

 

Friday 28 August 2015

How to make your own travel scrapbook


Okay so if you’ve seen my latest post you’ll know I’ve started a new series where I tell you the stories from each sticker in my travelling scrapbook. If you haven’t click here: http://alyssastravelling.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/alyssas-travelling-scrapbook-story-1.html

Anyway today I thought I’d add a twist to the series and teach you how to create your own travel scrapbook!

Scrapbooking can be as expensive or inexpensive as you chose to make it. It can also be as butt-ugly or pretty as you make it. I of course like to make mine the latter with just the right hint of adventure.

Anyway here’s my step by step guide to making your own travel scrapbook!

Step 1: Buy a proper scrapbook (duh) these are basically big books with lots of coloured paper.

Step 2: Buy some decorations I chose these buttons and lock embellishments from the works for £1 each.
 

Step 3: Make some decorations. Remember that this is a creative activity so a little originality is required, take a look at the paper rose I created using old bits of tissue paper. (Super easy see.) You can also use any old things as decoration such as old unwanted jewellery, bits of ribbon or lace, pins/badges or spare keyrings. Do keep in mind though how fat you want the scrapbook to become and how easily you want it to shut.
 

Step 3 write the name of the place you’ve travelled to on the page. You can do this in glitter pen, gel pens, highlighters etc. I didn’t have one to hand so I went for a nice swirly font. Don’t be afraid to mix things up as you go along, after all the best travel books are inspired by the place you’re going to.
 

Step 4: Decide what you want to collect I like using stickers and post cards as these are inexpensive and flat. You can also use things like dried leaves or petals (spray them with a sprits of perfume for good measure). Or you can collect pebbles and shells from beaches. Just use your imagination.

Step 5 Have fun!

This is what my decorated page looks like:

Now I’m all set to start collecting souvenirs!

Enjoy your travelling scrapbook!

If you do create a scrapbook show me a picture either in the comments or using the hashtag #travelscrapbook


-Alyssa <3

Thursday 27 August 2015

Alyssa’s travelling scrapbook story #1 -Disney’s Animal kingdom.


I love travelling… What’s the one thing I love more than travelling? Looking back on memories of travelling! (you starting to see a pattern yet?! ;). The best way to remember an adventure is to keep souvenirs. I like to get stickers from each place I travel to and put them in a scrapbook. Each sticker has its own special story to tell. I have decided to do a series in which I give you the goss on each sticker in the scrapbook and since Disney are kind enough to give them away for FREE I thought I’d start with Disney’s Animal Kingdom, this really was an adventure.

Here’s the sticker I got from the Animal Kingdom:
 

On the first day of our Florida holiday we planned to get up early and go to the Magic Kingdom, however we followed the wrong signs and landed at the Animal Kingdom, but boy am I happy we did because we arrived at an amazing animal sanctuary. We were lucky enough to get on one of the most popular attractions, the Kilimanjaro Safari without the huge line (win). Tigers, Elephants, Hippos, all from the safety of the vehicle with a super enthusiastic tour guide who clearly loved his job and it wasn’t hard to see why.

Being a Sci-Fi lover I just had to go on DINOSAUR The time travel thrill ride which took you back to prehistoric times using future technology. You ride in a time travel buggy (looks a bit like a Jeep or a Landrover) and almost get eaten by dino’s whilst trying to survive the meteor. I actually went on this twice! It was so exciting.

The next Dino ride was the Primeval whirl, a bit like the cat and mouse in the UK. This is a spinning thrill ride which is lots of fun. It did leave me feeling a little dizzy though.

During this adventure I also got to hear many extraordinary stories of how Disney use this park to protect animals which was extremely inspiring. (What blogger doesn’t need a little inspiration every now and then?!)

No Disneyworld trip is complete without acting like a big kid and I’m no exception. (In fact if there was a kiddies sleepover I’d probably be the one making a blanket fort and stealing all the s’mores hehe). With this in mind I decided to go on the TiceraTop Spin. On face value this seems like any other kids ride goes up, spins round sort of like a balloon ride. However what makes this one special is that you get to control how high or low it goes and the angle it’s poised at, this is great fun and super-helpful if you have nervous children.

Anyway that’s it for this scrapbook story.


Do you have a travel story to tell? let me know in the comments

If you liked this don’t forget to follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Travelling-Times/1642944632616060?fref=ts

-Alyssa <3 

Monday 24 August 2015

Alyssa's top 6 skin care tips for travelling!


I have some experience with long journeys which are great but sometimes your skin can suffer as a result here’s how to keep your skin healthy when on the go:

1.       Cleansing lotion.

I don’t know about you but I hate going for a whole day without cleansing. Sometimes you just don’t have time or you get stuck on travelling for a whole day somewhere where there are no toilets or the toilets are too small or uncomfortable to wash you face in, much like the ones on an aeroplane. This is where cleansing lotion comes in handy, simply use a cotton pad to wipe the cream all over you face and you’ll be clean and blemish free, perfect for travelling.

I like to use the Simple Kind To Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion. This one is great for people with dry skin (so not if you have oily skin) and it’s Simple so it should be safe for sensitive skin. At the moment Simple products are half price at boots.
 

2.        Spot sticks/ pens.

Spot sticks are great for getting rid of a blemish as soon as it starts appearing they’re also usually pretty small and able to fit in your bag easily. I use the Clean&Clear advantage spot treatment gel.
 

3.       8 or 12 hour moisturizers.

If you’re going to be travelling for a while it’s the perfect excuse to use an 8 or 12 hour moisturiser to pamper your skin.

4.       Lip Balms.

Lip balms such as this Coca Cola flavoured lip smacker are good for travelling as they’re small, lightweight and stop your lips from being dried out.
 

5.       Exfoliating skin pads.

When you cleanse and exfoliate you’re giving your skin the best clean it can get. However exfoliating on the go can be hard. I like to use tea tree and which hazel exfoliating pads as tea tree and witch hazel are fantastic for giving your skin a healthy glow whilst keeping in clear of blemishes.

6.       My 6th and final travel skin care tip is to avoid make up as much as possible a little powder and concealer if you really can’t go without but who is going to see you when your hundreds or thousands of miles away? I like to take the opportunity to give my skin a break where possible.

Thanks for reading!

Let me know your travelling skin care tips in the comments!


-Alyssa <3

Sunday 23 August 2015

My travel bucket list!

Is it possible to be a travel geek? If so I definitely am one, when I’m not discussing my favourite holidays I’m planning my next one. So one day I was telling my friend how much I want to visit NYC at Christmas. Much to my surprise he came out with “NYC is one of the places I must see before I die”. This got me thinking about all the places I simply must see in my lifetime so I decided to do  a bucket list featured around travelling!
Without further Ado here is my travel bucket list…

1.       London, I’ve always wanted to visit London after all there’s the palace, big ben and now Harry Potter Studios.

2.       Somewhere by train! I actually don’t mind where but I really want to go on a train adventure and sleep on board somewhere picturesque with nice scenery.
 

3.       The orient express . This was listed as one of the 8 most amazing train journey’s and I soon as I saw it I was trying to find out the ticket price!

4.       Las Vegas I’m going to have to wait a few years, but I love arcades so the gambling here is definitely a big pro. I also want to experience the infamous nightlife and shows.
 

5.       Florida, okay so I have been but this is still on here since there’s lots I haven’t seen and I would go back tomorrow.

6.       Paris! I didn’t do all those French lessons for nothing you know ;)

7.       The Bahamas it’s a running joke in our family you ask someone were they’re going and they’ll say “The Bahamas”. That joke is half the reason I want to go the other half being that it’s exotic and has beautiful beaches.

8.       Japan, I want to try sushi, buy a Kimono and see cherry blossom trees! I’m also really curious about their super-pretty rooftops.

9.       Italy. The home of my favourite food pizza!

10.   Ireland! Let’s hope the luck of the Irish will take me here :-D

Thanks for reading let me know where you wanna go in the comments

-Alyssa <3

 

Thursday 20 August 2015

Alyssa’s tips for the wonderful Walt Disney World!


 

Walt Disney world, the place of dreams or the place of stress and frustration if you don’t plan it right, yes you heard me planning! You want a lazy, spontaneous, restful holiday in the summer sun? Then save yourself a few thousand pound and go somewhere else. Personally I would rather have an adventure get up and go explore and see amazing things, you agree? Great Disney World will be perfect for you!

So now you’ve decided you want to go the Disney let me give you a few hints and tips….

1.       Expect rain… and sun, of course but everyone’s  heard of Florida being really warm and that’s because it is but it’s also very rainy most rain will usually happen around 3-4PM but there are days where it’s simply summer showers all day long .Talking of summer showers surprisingly in Florida you get more rain in the summer than the winter. In England you get cold, icy days followed by the rain soaking you to the bone in Florida the rain is a blessing due to the humidity, but do bring a poncho or rain coat pack one in your suitcase don’t buy one over there it’s very expensive (your stuck in the parks so they know you’ll pay it) in the UK you can buy one from about a pound. If you must have a Disney themed one check out this Minnie mouse one on EBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Disney-Minnie-Mouse-Polka-Dots-Adult-Hooded-Rain-Poncho-/391173389930

2.       Get Disney gifts from a gift shop. I went to Disney world thinking I’ll get genuine Disney stuff it’s better, right? Wrong! If you look on the bottom of WDW merchandise they all say the exact same thing as the much cheaper alternatives from the gift shops: ‘Made in China’.  Sure in VERY fine print they’ll say Disney parks but you might need a microscope. Just look across the road from Disney and you’ll see lots of Disney gift shops. When I go I like to get a few pieces of stuff from WDW itself and the rest from a gift shop this will save you a lot of $$$

3.       Buy autograph books and pens from the gift shops as well, seriously they’re like no different and who wants to pay $10.99 for a PEN? Character autographs bring me onto my next point…

4.       Check where the characters are. I envisioned WDW to have lots of characters wandering about especially in the magic kingdom, it wasn’t until I actually went to Disney world that I realised the characters are all over the place and they’re not always easy to find. You couldn’t see the signs for Cinderella and Rapunzel until you got really close. So if there is a character you want to see or you simply want lots of character photos and signatures make sure you plan that ahead. Personally I would recommend meeting Pooh and Tigger they are lots of fun and will give you the best photos and lots of hugs!

5.       Be wary of fake ticket vendors! Buy your tickets from a genuine retailer or at the gates even if it means paying a little extra don’t follow the signs to the cheap tickets as they tend to be scams and Disney will not take kindly to it when you try to use an invalid ticket. I bought my tickets from Attractions Tickets Direct they were super helpful you can get tickets to most of the other attractions such as Universal studios as well. This is what a genuine Disney ticket looks like, you can also get magic band:
 

6.       Avoid the eat and play cards or dine for less cards, these don’t actually save you that much and it takes forever to find somewhere to set them up since you have to do it in Florida. If you want to save money pick up any free magazines you can find as these usually have discount vouchers or ask at check-in for a welcome pack .

7.       Remember which finger you used at security this is done on entry to WDW to stop someone stealing your tickets. If you do forget however just tell them which park you last visited, smile for a photo and they’ll let you through.

8.       Be prepared for bag search, at WDW there is two queues, bags and no bags, make sure you get in the right one and have all your bags open and ready and it won’t take a minute. Oh and be nice to the people at security they’re usually pretty friendly, especially since they’re out working in the boiling heat all day!

9.       Get a misting spray fan, these make you soo much cooler! If you buy one from a supermarket they’re a little cheaper but you’ll need your own ice if you get one at Disney anyone with ice will give you it for free. (Although it probably wouldn’t hurt to ask at the refreshment stalls even if you haven’t bought it from WDW.)

10.   Go early, this will get you through the queues much faster.

11.   Book your fast passes early you can only book up to three at once at first but once you’ve used them you can book more, but only when all of the first three fast passes are used so book them earlier and you can book even more!

12.   Get the My Disney Experience app it’s free and is so useful for planning your trip. If you can’t get the app use the fast pass machines in WDW instead.

13.   Want a little more flexibility? Book fast pass everyday even if you don’t use them all you can cancel or change them on the day using the app.

14.   If your small or claustrophobic take the boat don’t take the monorail these are very disorganised and are a bit like a pile on where everyone squashes each other! There was one occasion that I did consider pointing out that I am not one of the handle poles.

15.   Don’t buy pins from the parks, actually I would advise you to steer clear of pin trading and just buy the one pin that you really want. As one very nice Disney employee once said “It’s Disney’s money making scheme”

16.   Get a 1st visitors or birthday badge from guest relations you’ll get attention from cast members and characters sometimes you get freebies not always though here’s an image of the coin I got given to me last time I was wore a birthday badge at WDW:


17.   Don’t take children who are afraid of the dark on the haunted mansion ride it’s quite a long ride to be stuck on if you’re scared. It is however a great ride which I would definitely make sure to go on if you have older children (or no children) be sure to fast pass this one.

18.   If you like bigger rides go to Epcot, this park is undersold and whilst it is my least favourite park it is worth a visit. It is also where you can meet Belle in France but this varies.

19.   If you prefer smaller rides go to the Magic Kingdom this was my favourite place. Be sure to book the Seven dwarfs mine train its really popular and gets super busy but it’s so good.

20.   Going earlier or later for that matter does not make your parking any cheaper, Disney must have got wise to this one as it has been reported by many that they got parking for 6 dollars at certain times during the day this is no longer happening I checked with the parking person.

21.   You can get free parking go to Downtown Disney however you do have to get transport which can lose half your day and mean that you lose the advantage of getting there early and you’re sick of the lines by the time you get there personally, I’d pay the $17 and have a stress and hassle free day!

22.   Ask for free stickers… Just ask a cast member and you get free stickers the best come from the vacation club stalls or the Animal Kingdom.

23.   Finally if you’re going to a parade and then the wishes night time spectacular only fast pass the spectacular as when I went they let you in early and you got to see both the parade and the wishes night-time spectacular just for booking wishes! Two fastpasses in one!

FUN FACT: when you’re going to WDW you’re going somewhere that Walt Disney himself never got to see which is sad and cool all at the same time!
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-Alyssa <3

Wednesday 19 August 2015

All about me!

Or... Welcome to my brand new blog!


My names Alyssa Heart and right now I’m sat in my jammies with my cuppa tea thinking about my next big adventure or as many of you will know it holiday, but adventures are much more exciting.

Anyway! What I’m trying to say is I love tea and rambling (apparently) and TRAVELLING!
And if you still haven't got the message here's a picture:


I’m sure it won’t be long until I’m dragging my friends and family on some crazy whirlwind vacation so why don’t you join me for the ride?....

Ps:  I’ll be adding tips of my own that so in the unlikely event my weird and wonderful stories inspire you to get up and go somewhere you’ll be all set! 

Welcome to the travelling times!

-Alyssa. <3
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