A Day on the Wensleydale Railway

On Wednesday 6th of September it was my Dad's 60th Birthday, so being the dutiful daughter that I am I took they day off work so that we could spend the day together. My Sister is currently on Maternity Leave and my Brother in Law also managed to get away from work for the day and with my Parents newly retired we had a rare opportunity to spend the whole day out celebrating my Dad on his 60th Birthday together.

We had a bit of a tough time deciding on what we would do during the day as we have done quite a few of the local attractions near by to us. We had originally discussed going to Northumberlandia but this was quite far away from where we live and as we had plans for the evening for a meal with some of our family friends we thought it best to stay slightly more local. So instead we decided on the Wensleydale Railway which is much closer to where we live and also something we haven't done before.

The Wensleydale Railway is a volunteer run vintage railway running between Leeming Bar, just outside Northallerton to Redmire in the Yorkshire Dales. As well as running steam trains they also re-purpose old diesel trains and basically any vintage trains that they can get hold of are used.  We weren't lucky to be attending on a day when the Steam Trains are running but if you check the website they will have the dates advertised there subject to change because as im told steam trains arent always reliable but that just adds to their charm.

 As we were queuing up to get on the train there was a carriage being set up for afternoon tea which looked amazing and my Mum got talking to one of the volunteers and they say the afternoon tea train ride is very popular and books up months in advance so if this sounds like something you would like to do bear that in mind.  Also when we arrived there was a coach load of people arrived so we did worry that we may not get a seat for the five of us and my 3 month old nephew, but luckily there were more than enough seats to accommodate everyone and we settled in nicely. We had brought with us a little picnic to eat on our journey which felt very civilised and with the gorgeous scenery racing past it was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.



We only had time to go as far as Leyburn a small dales market town on the line as we needed to get back home in enough time to get ready for our evening meal out with friends. When we arrived in Leyburn we took a steady walk into the town and had a cup of tea and a biscuit then a little wander around the shops before heading back to the station for our journey back to Leeming.

We all had a really lovely time and it was so nice too see parts of the local countryside you wouldn't normally get to see as it runs through some remote parts of the dales. All the staff and volunteers were very friendly and clearly passionate about the Wensleydale Railway. The Wensleydale Railway run themed events on the train throughout the year such as Gin Tasting, Hog Roast and Jazz Evenings and at Christmas they do Journeys where Santa joins passengers for some festive fun!

Travel Inspiration - My Parents

There is no doubt about it, I get my desire to travel from my Mum and Dad! I have been travelling with them in some way shape or form since I was born and the places we have been to and experiences we have had are ones I'll never forget!

Both my parents grew up in families with little money and so were not able to travel widely and they both decided to join the Army when they were able to as a chance to travel and see the world which they have done by the bucket load since. Some of my earliest memories are of me, my mum and dad and sister piling into a car and going away whether that was to visit our family who live all over the UK or to Europe. One of my first holidays that I can remember was the four of us hoping on a ferry over to France to visit Disneyland Paris and also a caravan stop just South of Paris. We took games and had BBQ's it was so much fun.

When I was 6 my Dad was posted to Rinteln in Germany for three years and as a family we used this as a springboard to Europe travelling to Austria and Italy for summers away. I remember we went to Venice in the middle of Julys blistering heat and it was in the hotel pool that I found the confidence to swim with no armbands! Another holiday saw us travel to Austria with our caravan and we visited all the sites from the film the Sound of Music a family fave, me and my sister recreated the scene where the Von Trapp kids danced around a water fountain singing our heads off was such a laugh for us all.

When I was 12 my Dad reconnected with an old army friend of his that he lost touch with when he and his family moved out to Australia. This was in the early days of the internet and it was pure fluke that they made contact again. About a year after they found each other again our family flew out to Australia to spend 3 weeks with my dads friend and his kids and we all got on famously. Had my dad not reconnected with his friend I don't think I would have had such an amazing opportunity to travel so far at that age. My dad and his friend are still in contact now and his family have been out to see us and my mum and dad have gone back to Australia a second time.

Since myself and my sister have grown up my Mum and Dad have had a whole new lease on life heading abroad at least twice a year for holidays and trips away they always make sure they have a trip planned so they always come home to something to look forward to, a mantra I try to implement myself. They have been to so many different countries its unreal and so inspiring I want to see and experience as much of the world as my parents have and that is why they will always be my travel inspiration!

Who is your travel inspiration? Why do they inspire you to travel? Please let me know in the comments section.

Lost Luggage - Lessons Learned

Two years ago I embarked on a pretty awesome two week trip to the US and Canada which involved multiple destinations and therefore multiple flights. It was on this trip that I experienced the loss of my hold luggage. At this point in my life I had been on a fair few trips but was by no means a seasoned traveller and I certainly didn't think that my luggage would ever go astray that was something that happened to other people, not me! How wrong I was.

To give you some context myself and my parents set off from our local airport Newcastle (NCL) headed to Toronto (YYZ) Canada, as this wasn't a direct flight we had a stop over of a few hours in Heathrow Airport's (LHR) new Terminal 5. It was at this stage of the journey that we made our connecting flight but our luggage did not. If you aren't aware Terminal 5 has an all singing all dancing new baggage system behind the scenes. Unfortunately on the day we travelled this all singing all dancing system failed and there was no viable back up in place. So not only was our flight affected but also thousands of others were affected too. So when we arrived in Toronto we were informed shortly after landing in baggage reclaim that the bags were not loaded onto the flight. I think if we were staying in Toronto for the full two weeks of our trip there would have been a good chance that our bags could have been reunited with us but as we were only there for 3 days and moving on to Las Vegas and Los Angeles it made tracking that bit more difficult.

We waited at the British Airways desk that was opened in Baggage reclaim to be issued with a credit card with money loaded on, so that we were able to buy some essentials etc. We were advised that this could be done on-line through a website that British Airways had provided, but this link wasn't working so we decided to wait in the queue and have something there and then to ensure we could buy some essential items. I would certainly advise you take this option as it seemed as though the link to apply for money wasn't working its thought due to the high number of people trying to access this site so those travellers who didn't wait likely were unable to claim this emergency fund.

I have learned quite a few lessons from this experience that have made me a more savvy traveller and I've also realised how little I actually need to pack for a two week holiday, before this I was the notorious over packer! If at all possible try and pack everything you need into a carry on eliminating the need for a checked in bag, you can always get essentials such as liquids you are unable to pack etc. at the other end. If you do need to take a bag to be checked in make sure you pack a few items in a cabin bag so that you aren't left short at the other end should you need anything.

I was finally reunited with my bag on my return home from my two week trip, British Airways decided by the time they had located my bag and my location it would be easier to send this to my home address than to my Hotel in Los Angeles. Thank god for travel insurance is all I can say!!

Have you ever had your luggage go missing? What was your experience with being reunited with your luggage? Please let me know in the comments below.

Surviving New York During a Snow Storm

I made a recent trip to New York City and it just so happened to be the week that Storm Stella hit the north east coast of the US.Not the best timing for a Trip to the US but what's a girl to do when the flights and hotel are booked and a lot of time and effort had gone into the planning of the trip, you just grin and bare it and hope that its not has bad as everyone predicted.

I arrived in New York on the Sunday before the storm was due, to freezing conditions but the sun was still shinning, that's OK I an cope with the cold as long as the sun is out. If the weather can stay like this for the next four days I am winning, but alas this was not to be. It was similar weather to that what I arrived to on the Monday cold but bright so I was thinking usually it warms up a bit before a big snow storm maybe I have got away with this maybe the snow will have been blow off course and will by pass us and I will be lucky to have gotten away with it!

How naive I was, I awoke to snow covered roof tops and inches of snow covering the roads and footpaths with snow falling thick and fast as well as huge gusts of wind, winner!! Not to be deterred and hoping that the snow fall will stop any time I ventured out. I had been told that the museums should still be open and the like so I jumped on the Subway down town with the plan of visiting the Ground Zero Museum and Workshop. As I came out of the subway station a short walk from the Museum I saw Starbucks and it was open, so I decided to grab a quick breakfast before making my way to the museum, while I was enjoying a bite to eat and taking full advantage of their free WIFI I checked Google maps to see how far a way the museum was and how long it would take to walk it was then that a little alert popped up on my screen telling me that in actual fact the Museum would not be open today!! Bloody hell I've come all the way down town what can I do now? I thought best thing to do would be to visit the 9/11 Memorial as this was outdoors and something you can just walk up to. Unfortunately due to the bad weather I could see the Memorial but I couldn't get as close to it as you normally would be able to but was still very moving to be in the place that the horrible tragedy took place. Having paid my respects at the Memorial I thought I would nip in quickly to Target that was just a little further along the street to see if I could get some Knicks clothing for the Basketball game I had tickets for that evening.

Oh My God!! Trying to walk 300m up the street was incredibly difficult the now was not falling as massive hail stones punching you in the face no matter how well wrapped up I thought I and coupled with that the winds had picked up and were reported to have reached 60 mph. As you can imagine it was very treacherous conditions and it was starting to get a little dangerous. Once I had, had a little look in Target and hoping that the wind and hail would ease off I headed back out in search of the Subway station to head back up town, I didn't want to get stuck down here far away from the Hotel. I got off the subway at Madison Square Gardens, as I had, had no luck finding anything with the New York Knicks on I figured the Gardens would have a shop I could pick something up. As I came to ground level I was fortunate to find a discount sports clothing stores and picked up a T-Shirt. Once done in their the wind and hail had picked up again so I ran into TGI Fridays and decided that this was as good a place as any to grab some lunch and once again wait for the wind and hail to die down a bit before heading out, I was lucky this place was open as a lot of businesses had made the decision to close that day for the safety of their staff.

By this time a lot of the day had gone, trying to walk in 60 mph winds takes up a lot of your time!! So once I had eaten I headed back to my hotel to freshen up before heading back out for the Basketball that evening. When I headed back out the snow and hail had finally stopped and the wind had died down considerably so the worst was now behind me, thank god!!

The next day I headed back out to pick up where I left off with my New York sight seeing, taking in a tour of the Rockefeller Centre and a little stroll around Central Park. I was amazed at how quickly the roads and pathways had been cleared, there were people out doing this on the Tuesday and it looks like people had worked through the night to ensure that everything was done for the Wednesday. The snow unfortunately piled up at crossroads and I found a few crossings to be a bit dicey trying the clamber over huge piles of snow but for the most part getting around by foot was no problem at all. By the Thursday I had noticed massive trucks scooping big piles of the snow into the back and it appears that it gets shipped elsewhere to melt as the city just cant handle that amount of melted water!!

New York in the snow is so pretty and Central Park in particular was magical. Apart from losing one day of sight seeing the city was incredibly resilient and bounced back pretty quickly and was back to its busy bustling self in no time at all. I would definitely need to re-visit this amazing city in the summer one to do all the things I didn't get a chance to but also to experience how different the city can be in the warmer weather!

How I Planned My NYC Trip with Round the World Experts

I recently booked a trip to New York using the company Round the World Experts and I thought I would share my experience with you.

I was recommended this company by my Mum who used them to book our family trip to the US and Canada in 2014, we went to Toronto, Las Vegas and Los Angeles over a two week period and this company sourced us cheap flights and also two hotels, one in Toronto for the three days we were there and one in Los Angles as a lay over before we drove to Las Vegas. Knowing what a good deal she was able to get when it came to booking my trip to New York she reminded me of this company and after checking out other options they came up as the cheapest - I know this wont happen in all circumstances but its certainly worth checking to make sure you have as many options to explore as possible.

Now although this company has a website that gives you an idea of the locations that they can help you plan trips to, you deal with an agent over the phone to make your booking and to help you plan your trip. When you first call up you are asked what part of the world you wish to travel to from an automated list and if you are planning a complete round the world trip there is an all other inquiries option, you are then put through to the relevant team who specialise in this area who can help you to plan and book what you would like.

I was put through to a very helpful agent called Anna who is part of the North American team and I told her what I wanted: 4 nights in NYC in March 2017 with flights from my local airport Newcastle International and a central location hotel. This was all searched for and I was given options for timings for my flights making sure I had plenty of time between my flight at my connections in Heathrow Airport. We then discussed hotel options, as I'll be travelling with my cousin before I started my research we had discussed what kind of hotel we wanted to stay in. We wanted a central hotel in either Manhattan or Brooklyn close to local transport and within easy reach of the main attractions. I explained all this to the agent and she gave me a few options, while I was on the phone I was googling the different options and sent the links to my cousin to see what she thought. We eventually decided on the Affinia Manhattan NYC a very central hotel right next to Madison Square Gardens and Penn Station and incredibly close to places like the Empire State Building, Times Square, the Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Centre.

This is a screen shot I sent to my cousin to show her how close

our hotel is to everything

Once we had decided on these main aspects of the trip the agent went on to discuss options of things to see and do, this company can organise various things extra to flights and accommodation which is really helpful. I was offered theatre tickets and hop on hop off bus tour tickets that included various tickets for museums and art galleries. At this point as myself and my cousin hadn't discussed in detail what exactly we wanted to do I stuck to the flights and hotel and booked these knowing I could come back and add these things at a later date if I wanted to. I paid a deposit of £100 to secure everything and have been making payments every month breaking down the cost into manageable chunks, another great service they offer (please bare in mind they only offer this service on package trips like the one I've booked). It turned out we could get hop on hop off bus tour tickets with entrance to five attractions included in the ticket cheaper than the ones offered from this company so I would suggest doing a little research elsewhere to find some deals before you make a booking, as I said you can always add them on to your booking at a later date if you want to.

Overall so far I have had a very pleasent experience with this company and they have been very helpful and gave good advice on flights and good hotel recommendations. Making my payments has been very easy and I have had no problems whatsoever. I make my last payment in December so all that will be left to do then is to get excited.

Have you used Round the World Experts for booking trips before? Did you find this post helpful, would you think about using this company when planning your own trips? Please do let me know in the comments.

My Top 5 Rides at Walt Disney World Resort Florida

5. Peter Pan Flight

This ride can be found in the Magic Kingdom the original of the Disney parks. Now this ride isn't an action packed thrill ride but for me its just a bit of nostalgia. Its one of the first rides I ever went on when I first visited as a kid. Its classic Disney and takes you on Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael adventure to Neverland. You fly over London taking in the nursery and then all the delights that can be found in Neverland including a run in with Captain Hook.

4. Kali River Rapids

This ride can be found in the Animal Kingdom. Themed as a rafting expedition through India, this is a great ride to go on when you need to cool off on a hot day as you can almost guarantee that you'll  get at the very least splashed if not completely soaked. Every time you go on this ride you never know how wet you will end up as the raft jolts and jostles in so many different directions it all adds to the fun.

3. Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Like Kali River Rapids this ride can be found in the Animal Kingdom. Probably the most adrenalin inducing ride in the Animal Kingdom, you start with a small build up while you are waiting in line starting out in a fictional travel agency and moving on to a room with expedition equipment and then you move into what looks like a Yeti Museum. One on the ride you speed through Himalayan Mountain Villages and then you move on the Everest's Base Camp, this is where the thrill ride really begins with twists and turns, misdirection and a nice little surprise at the end before delivering you safely back to base.

2. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

This ride can be found in the Hollywood Studios park. So this was a real tough one to choose between the top two but they are super close. The build up to this ride sees you walking into the recording studio where Aerosmith can be seen. You are told that they need to get to their live show across town and then they make sure their manager get some 'super' stretch limos for you. You then move on to the queue which looks like a backstreet car lot where you are met with the limo to take you to the show. Once strapped in you are shot off into the LA traffic. A quick ride with lots of loop the loops, twists and turns with neon signs illuminated as you move around while Aerosmith songs blast in your ears. You are dropped off outside the show with a red carpet reception.  

1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Again this ride can be found in the Hollywood Studios park just a stones throw away from the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Another of the thrill rides. The build up starts almost immediately as you enter the reception of the abandoned hotel and you are show a short film detailing the events that lead up to the hotel being left to ruin like it has done. You then move in to the back rooms of the hotel where you are taken to the service elevator where you are seated and your ride begins. The best part about this ride is once you have moved through all the story and the tension has built up to breaking point you are suspended for what seems like and age not knowing if you are going to be dropped in this elevator or thrust up into the air before you are thrust and dropped numerous times before being dropped back off on the ground floor. I have to say this ride is always at the top of my list and one not to be missed.

These are just my top 5 rides and believe me it was so hard to choose because they have so many wonderful rides to offer everyone not just thrill seekers like me. I also have to say that each time I visit Disney World I change my mind on which rides I love the most I honestly just love theme parks and Disney so combining the two is just a dream come true for me!

What are your favourite rides at Walt Disney World or any of the Disney parks around the world? Would you be interested in my Top 5 Rides at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure?

An Italian Adventure ~ Day Three

Taking in Pompeii, Sorrento, The Island of Capri and The Amalfi Coast

Day three saw another early start this one even earlier than the last two, this was so we could hit the road and make the most of our last day before heading back to Rome. We drove from Sorrento down the world famous Amalfi Coast to the small town of Amalfi taking in he gorgeous views along the way. We saw the sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea and the view was just perfect a great way to start your day!

Next up we stopped at a look out over the hillside town of Postiano to get s few snaps of the picturesque little town again watching the sun rise over the hills it was truly magical we took a few shots from the look out and then we got a group shot with all the people on the tour which is a nice little memento of the trip and a good way to remember all the lovely people I met on this trip.

Once we arrived in Amalfi we went to a great little place and had some breakfast pastries before having a little look around the town, we had quite a bit of time to kill and the town was fairly small so once we had looked at the cute shops and the Church we headed to the marina and chilled out there catching some sun. We then met back up with the rest of the group for a little boat trip to see some of the scenery from the sea. On this boat trip we anchored up for a short while so we could jump off the boat and have a swim in the Mediterranean which was a real treat.

Back on dry land we piled back onto the bus and were shipped to the hilly town of Ravello more in land than Postiano and Amalfi. Once we arrived here we went straight for some lunch having a panini and a Peroni of course. We didn't have to much time in Ravello because it is so small but we wandered around for a little while and grabbed a frozen yoghurt with all the chocolate toppings and general yumminess before jumping back on the bus to head back to out campsite in Rome.

Back in Rome a few of us that had booked in to the campsite for the evening before heading onwards on our travels met up for dinner at the campsite restaurant as a final goodbye and also a chance to swap contact details.

This was my first experience of travelling on my own in the sense that I didn't go on this trip with anyone I knew in advance, and this is a very big step for me. I used this trip a taster of what solo travel and organised independent trips might be like, and I must say it was an absolutely wonderful experience once that I hope to do again in the near future. Its such a great way to see the world whilst making new friends along the way. 

You can read Days One and Two by clicking on the links

Wish List ~ US Cities

The USA being as vast in size as it is, has a lot of great cities with so much to offer visitors. Each one has its own unique charm and history wherever you go there is always some new and interesting to see and do. I have had the fortune to visit some of the wonderful cities this amazing country has to offer and here are a few that I have on my wish list for futures trips!

Nashville, Tennessee

This city was added to my wish list in the last year but has kind of shot straight to the top! I've always known about this city but not really known what it had to offer until I started watching the Country Music TV Drama Nashville which is set in its namesakes city. As well as opening up my music tastes to the world of Country Music I've also realised that the Country Music Hall of Fame is housed here and there are always live music performances happening all over the city in all kinds on venues including the most prestigious of all The Grand Ole Opry. As well as its Country Music scene you can also find the Antenbellum Plantation mansion houses turned museums still in keeping with architecture and interiors of the civil war period, you can also visit some civil war battlefields are near by too. As you can see there is so much for you to see and do in this southern city and I cant wait to see it.

New Orleans, Louisiana

So ill be the first to admit the reason this was added to my wish list was mainly because I really want to go to the Mardi Gras Festival, it just looks like so much fun and so colourful. Having looked in to what else this fantastic city has to offer I was pleasantly surprised and found there is way more to this city than its street festival. Just to have the chance to take a wonder around the different districts and neighbourhoods looking at all the different architecture and businesses etc. people watching is something I could easily spend an afternoon doing and I hear that the French Quarter is great for this. I'd also love to catch one of the street cars taking in some of the sights and scenes. There are an abundance of museums from the World War II museum to the Old Mint and plenty of houses for me to explore. As well as all this culture New Orleans is well known for its food scene in particular Creole cuisine with its wide variety of influences from French to German, Spanish and West Africa. As well as this there are loads of other culinary places I'd love to discover, Yum!

Boston, Massachusetts

I cant remember exactly what it was that attracted me to this city but I have a feeling It may well have been it's English town influences being in New England after all! Boston is well known for its prestigious university Harvard as well as other world renowned learning institutes, but there is so much else to see and do. Arnold Arboretum is the oldest public arboretum in North America and has some lovely landscapes I could lose myself in exploring and seeing all the different plants and species. Another big draw is the freedom trail, a two and a half mile walk taking in 16 of Boston's historic sites a great way to see all the important sites learning all about the historic events and buildings in this culture rich city. Id wouldn't mind taking in the Sam Adams Brewery Tour as well because who doesn't love a brewery tour and with the promise of free samples, I'm there! Sine I went to my first Baseball game in Tampa earlier this year if I got the chance I would love to go to one of the Boston Red Sox games, the atmosphere at ball games is so fun so going to see another game would be the best.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

So I can see a theme developing here my stomach seems to be informing most of my decisions to visit certain places, oops! So as you will have probably guessed the first reason that drew me to this city was the cheesesteak sandwich it is world famous after all! Another big draw for me is he historic parts of this city, the Liberty Bell is housed here as well as Independence Hall and Constitution Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were debated and subsequently adopted, it would be great to find out more about the origins of the United States. You can also climb the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art made famous by the film Rocky, there is also a statue of Rocky himself commissioned for Rocky III and donated by Sylvester Stallone to the city and sits at the bottom of the steps waiting for that picture perfect moment.

New York, New York

This city has been on the wish list for as long as I can remember it has everything I love in one place, it has shopping, tourist attractions, museums, history, culture, open spaces, bright lights, great food, great bars. Some of the main things id like to see and do would most definitely be Central Park a great place to people watch take a nice walk in the fresh air have a picnic take a few selfies and maybe even a rowing boat ride. To get some great pictures of the New York Skyline I've heard that the Top of the Rock is one of the best because you can get the Empire State Building in your shot I would obviously like to go to the top of the Empire State building too but to get a shot with the building in is deffo on my list. I cant wait to get lost in all the amazing shops that New York has, in particular Tiffany's. Ever since I saw the film Breakfast at Tiffany's I have always wanted to recreate that iconic scene taking my breakfast pastry and coffee to the store and browse the window displays, and pop in to see all the beautiful jewellery. I want to walk along the Brooklyn Bridge, hop on the Staten Island Ferry, take in the Statue of Liberty, explore Grand Central Station, browse some of the many museums and galleries and stand in the middle of Times Square and take it all in. I'm lucky enough to be going to this amazing city next year and I actually cant hold in my excitement there are so many wonderful things to see and do that one trip will not be enough, so I'm sure that there will be many more visits to New York in my future! 

An Italian Adventure ~ Day Two

Taking in Pompeii, Sorrento, The Island of Capri and The Amalfi Coast

Day two was an early start so that we could get the ferry across to the Island of Capri for a day looking around an exploring the island. We were lucky that a ferry docked up right outside our camp site and we all piled on for a journey across to Capri that took about an hour, we stopped of at another dock to collect some more people from another town and then we headed straight across to the island. On the approach you could really marvel at the beauty of the little rocky island its such a beautiful island. Feeling a touch hungover from the night before i made myself comfortable and had a little snooze, its a real talent of mine to be able to fall asleep almost anywhere! 

Once we disembarked we headed to a little Café for some breakfast, as it was still quite early my appetite hadn't quite woken up so I just had a plate of fries with some Mayo. Other people in the group had some really yummy looking food with Bruschetta, Pizzas and Paninis on the menu that all look super tasty! Once we had finished eating we headed to a little shop that sold food and drinks and I picked up a sandwich to keep for later on. Lunch in the bag a few of us decided to head to the other side of the island to go and see the Blue Grotto.

 We hopped in a stretch Fiat car that took 7 of us across to the other side of the island for our tour of the Blue Grotto. This mini tour of the island was great we went right to the top of the mountain and had some amazing views over the Mediterranean Sea and of the main land to. Once we arrived at the  Blue Grotto we joined the queue which was quite long but we were willing to wait as we had heard that it was well worth seeing. As we neared the front of the queue there was a little bit of a dispute happening between a Italian family and one of the gents that rows the boats that take you in to the grotto. Unable to understand we watched on this typical Italian argument which in itself why quite amusing they get so animated. Soon a few more of the row boat handlers joined in and the family stormed off quite angry and we found ourselves at the front of the queue completely unaware as to what was happening. An Italian further back in the queue approached the rowers to ask what was going on and he then explained to us that the water had become to choppy and it was becoming dangerous, they could get us into the grotto but they may not be able to get us back out again. 

Disappointed we picked ourselves up and headed back to catch a bus to head to one of the little towns on the island to do a bit of sight seeing. We caught the bus to Anacapri where we decided to go on the chair lift right to the top of the mountain to take in the panoramic views. It cost 8 euros for a single trip or 11 euros for a round trip, as we were short on time we opted for a round trip. Now I'm terrified of heights so going on this was a huge deal for me and I'm pretty sure my heart rate was raised the entire trip especially when a wasp landed on my bag and I couldn't move to wafted it away, terrifying times indeed! Up to the top safe and sound I took a look around taking pictures of the beautiful scenery before heading back down.

Back on solid ground we headed back to the marina for the last part of the day sitting on the beach soaking up a bit of the sun before we headed back to the ferry to take us back to the camp site. Once back we freshened up and then headed for some food on the camp sites restaurant. 

That's all for day two make sure you check in again for the third and final day!

You can read days One and Three by clicking on the links!

Why I Don't Want to Give Up Working to Travel!

I have had the travel bug from a young age, I've always looked forward to family holidays abroad and long weekends hopping across to some of the wonderful cities Europe has to offer as well as some of the cities here in the UK. I have been very lucky to have experienced so many different countries and cultures already in my life and I hope to see and explore many more and also revisit some of my favourite places too.

I also have some career ambitions too and its taken me until now at the age of 27 to figure out what it is that I want to do with my life, and I am currently studying for a degree in International Studies through the Open University. Studying this way allows me to keep my full time job that I currently have working for the MOD in a Military Medical Centre. Working and studying in this way allows me to earn as I learn so I can still afford trips and holidays while still chasing my career ambitions.

I really enjoy the job I currently have and I could never imagine myself not having a job or working it's a very important part of my self. I would in an ideal world love a job that allows me to travel and in studying for my degree I can hopefully achieve that dream. My ideal job would be to work in a British Embassy overseas or in the Diplomatic Service, both jobs that can offer me the opportunity to see the world whilst also feeding my interest for Foreign Affairs.

So although it will take me a while to get where I want to be career wise doing things the way I have still allows me to use my annual leave allowance, taking trips and experiencing new and exciting things along the way and also keeping me motivated to keep going with my studies and keep pushing myself to achieve my career goals. I think its all going to be about balance, making the most of the annual leave I do get planning trips carefully seeking out good deals picking up tips and tricks as I go.

An Italian Adventure ~ Day One

Taking in Pompeii, Sorrento, The Island of Capri and the Amalfi Coast

Last week I took the plunge and went on my first ever Solo Travel trip! I decided to ease myself in gently by booking a long weekend trip to Italy with the travel company Busabout. I booked on to the Busabout Italian Adventure cramming a whole lot in to the short time here is what I got up to!

I met the Bus outside Plus Camping Roma where I had stayed over night its a camping village just outside of Rome very convenient and very inexpensive. Once on the bus I got chatting to a few of my fellow travellers and soon made some very good friends. Our first stop was the lost city of Pompeii, a place I have wanted to visit for so long. We were guided around the town by a local guide and she gave a very interesting and detailed tour which lasted around two hours. Pompeii is definitely worth visiting its so interesting to see what life was like in Roman times what the buildings looked like and there uses also all the tools and pots etc. everything almost perfectly preserved a real treat for any one interested in ancient history its like a snapshot in time.

After a spot of lunch we hit the road again on our way to Sorrento. We arrived at our campsite for the next few days dropped off our luggage, freshened up and then went into Sorrento to explore. As part of the tour we were scheduled to go to a Limonchello tasting at a cute little shop in the town owned and run by great guy called Tony, now I'm not a huge fan of the drink itself but he also sold Limoncello infused chocolate covered nuts which were just to die for. Having picked some chocolates to take home for the family we moved on to a look out over the Sorrento bay and en-route I picked up some Gelato and Prosecco to chill with before my evening meal.

After our meal we went to a local cocktail bar that did us a cheap deal on drinks and we all got suitably merry drinking numerous cocktails moving on from the normal sized cocktails to those big fishbowls fairly cheap too! We then decided to move on to a Karaoke bar because who doesn't love a spot of Karaoke huh?? I had an absolute ball getting to know my fellow travellers more and having a real laugh. We missed the last shuttle bus up to the top of the hill so we ended up walking, which I was none to please about but I made it back and in to bed safe and sound!

So this is just day one as you can already see we crammed so much in to the time we had check back soon for days two and three!

You can read Days Two and Three by clicking on the links!