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Writing, Planning

and Thinking!

By Rosalyn Published 2 years ago 10 min read
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Writing, Planning
Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash

I have very much been all over the place - I've quit my job - I seem to have closed myself off - I feel completely and utterly lost. Yet rather than overthinking about some random interaction, I had with someone on a train or drunk texting my ex-boyfriend I have decided on a third option - writing. Now, this blog started as a travel blog and in all honestly, it very much is still a travel blog, but it is also a space place for me to express my views and deal with the things currently going on in my life. Writing might not always be my first choice, but it does make me feel better. It gets out all the unspoken emotions and I can see them in print - I can see how upset, sad, angry and frustrated I've been over the past few months and I can let it all out because the other option is hiding in my bed and crying like the world is ending, and it's not and I really shouldn't be doing that at twenty-six years old.

So to make myself better I'm writing this, but I could have written this weeks ago, right? Not exactly because I needed something to write about and my brain was completely fried a few weeks ago, anyways let us move on. Another thing that makes me feel happy is seeing something new.

One place I have always wanted to go to is Neuschwanstein- I've written about it a lot with the impression I've been there but the words I wrote aren't mine - they are friends and families stories that I jotted down and reworked into my view point. Neuschwanstein Castle is the castle that the Sleeping Beauty castle is based on, and the only word I have to describe it is breathtaking. I decided to book a trip to Munich - with a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Place and stopping in London to watch a play - Cock the Play - staring Jonathan Bailey, Joel Harper-Jackson, Jade Anouka and Phil Daniels. I am going to see it because of Jonathan Bailey - I saw him in Company a few years ago and I was blown away. I don't feel that sort of connection to an actor often - another one recently that has made me feel this way is Lucy St Louis - who I watched in Phantom of the Opera last year. However, if he ends up not being in the play I don't mind because the play is something in itself I am looking to watch.

So I'm writing this with the feeling of excitement and while I will write about everything I see - hopefully getting some lovely pictures. I thought first I would talk about what I take when I go on trips.

Now first off I don't share many photos because a lot of photos I take are a little abstract, I guess that is the best way of phrasing it. I'm the type of person who is likely to take a photo of a single brick over a building - I find a single photo of a flower much more interesting than taking a photo of a beautiful garden. The amount of photos I have of various centre pieces is probably quite shameful. I'm still quite new to taking photos - I did it at school and then stopped and only started again about a year ago, so most of my past trips were taken on phones and so I don't have many nice photos. However, I brought myself a cheap camera off eBay last year which I now take whenever I go away. My camera is a

Now first off I don't share many photos because a lot of photos I take are a little abstract, I guess that is the best way of phrasing it. I'm the type of person who is likely to take a photo of a single brick over a building - I find a single photo of a flower much more interesting than taking a photo of a beautiful garden. The amount of photos I have of various centre pieces is probably quite shameful. I'm still quite new to taking photos - I did it at school and then stopped and only started again about a year ago, so most of my past trips were taken on phones and so I don't have many nice photos. However, I brought myself a cheap camera off eBay last year which I now take whenever I go away. My camera is a Canon EOS 40D - for those who want to know. For my style of photography which tends to be quite up close types of things, it works well. I paid about £130 for it but it came with a couple of memory cards - two lenses and a couple of batteries - one of which I have lost. It was a bargain and it was second-hand, but I like it and I have improved I would say. This is the first thing to make my packing list, and probably the only thing that needs such a lengthy explanation.

The second thing on my list is also a camera, but this one I think cost me about £20 from amazon - while big cameras like Canon's and such are brilliant cameras they are also a little clunky and a little awkward to carry. If I am going shopping I don't need such a big camera and while I could use my phone - my phone is terrible because it cost about £80 and the photo quality is terrible. I brought a cheap little camera with a 4GB memory card that is perfect for a day wandering around the city. The camera isn't branded and it's marked as a 'first camera' but it takes decent photos as long as the light is good - again perfectly fine for close up shots which suits my style.

The next thing on my list is my laptop - now I probably won't use it much but I always take it when I'm travelling alone because I often end up using it in the evenings if I have no plans. In this case, I have university work due and if I have some downtown while away I will be cracking open a textbook and doing some work for that assignment. I have the intention of doing some on Tuesday or Thursday night while I'm there.

Things like phones, tablets, passports, headphones, documents and items like that I am going to take.

Whenever I go away I tend to buy a book from Eyewitness - they are my favourite travel brand and I tend to use them to help plan trips away. I will be taking it because as well as it has a list of things to go - it also has some really good street maps which I prefer using over my phone.

I splashed out a bit with the hotel - okay it's about £100 a night, but I could have got cheaper but I checked a box in the filter section which made the price go up a little bit - a spa. I love a sauna and a steam room, and there is something like using one in the early hours of the morning, mid afternoon or just popping off to bed. I am a massive fan of them, but one of the reasons I booked this place was for the Gym - okay I kid on that one but I might go or most likely I won't. One of the reasons I wanted this hotel is because of the wellness centre. Now, these are just peaceful rooms with seats and calming music, but this is a place to relax and get in touch with who you are as a person. This means I am planning on taking a few books with me to enjoy in this room. I plan to try and go there every day - the rooms are open until 10 pm every night so I should have time. So books are on my list for this trip.

One thing I always find people overpack is shoes - you don't need four or five pairs you can normally get put with two pairs - walking shoes and smart shoes and in some cases, you just need one set. I won't' be going to a beach so I will stick with my crappy looking dabs - which are super comfortable and a pair of blue boots. I don't need much more than that.

Another thing people overpack is jumpers and outwear in general - one coat and a lightweight jumper are all that is needed in my case. I might wear a slightly thicker one to the airport to get around packing another one. Make sure that the coat is waterproof - there is no point taking two coats just because the phone you want to take is not waterproof. The weather is a little warmer these days so you shouldn't need things like hats or gloves, but do check. I always overpack trousers, shorts, tops and dresses and then end up wearing half it. Now despite what people say you do not need a different pair of jeans for every day. I will take one pair of jeans, maybe a skirt and a pair of shorts encase it is good weather and a dress encase I need something smarter. Tops however are where you can overpack. You need short sleeves, long sleeves, casual, smart, thin and thick ones. So I have six clothing items packed so far - I would probably pack seven or eight tops for a four-day trip. Then things like underwear you need a set for every day and that should be all you need in most cases - I will however be adding a swimsuit to this list - you can get away with one but I will pack two because it depends on my confidence levels about whether I'm okay wearing a bikini or not.

Another thing I tend to take is a European plug, but I also tend to take an extension cable - this means that I can have four devices charging near the bed at any given moment. Hotels have got better, but often the plugs are still in awkward positions or you can only charge two devices at a time. I have my phone, my laptop, my iPad, and my two cameras to charge. This also means I only have to take one plug adaptor rather than like four.

I use a lot of apps and one thing I make sure I do when I go away by myself is sending my itinerary off to my parents so they know where I am. While it is not packing I do it at the same time to make sure that everything is in order. The last thing I tend to do is pre-set all my alarms for everything which has a timeline. I have a few early morning starts and a few late evenings and in the past, I have forgotten to set alarms and nearly missed things due to having one too many drinks the night before. Before I leave the house I will have my alarm set for everything from when I should get up - to leave the hotel to make sure I get to the theatre on time - to train times and other public transport - it just makes the holiday less stressful. People think I am weird planning trips, and I plan everything down to the minute - but when I get there everything is sorted - everything is planned and I am not panicking. I always leave myself a few hours most days where I will just wander off and see what happens, but I'm never worried about where to eat, what to do or if I have missed something I want to see. When I plan a trip it can be a little stressful, but when I get there I can just leave in those moments.

I don't know where I was going with this I just started writing and now I am here at the end. Thank you for reading.

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About the Creator

Rosalyn

A twenty something year old. My favourite things are travelling, photography and drinking cocktails. When not studying or working, you’ll find me exploring new places or dreaming up stories that will never come true.

https://lnk.bio/x7mT

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