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Have you got the travel bug? Around this time of year it feels like everyone is going away. Travelling is one of the best things you can do with your life and I was lucky enough to be able to travel to New Zealand and Australia this summer!
Want to travel? Here's some reasons why you should explore...
1. You (probably) don't have any responsibilities - If you're like me and you are early 20's you don't have many responsibilities. Soon you'll have a house, a full time job, insurance, electricity bills, a mortgage the list just adds up. What's stopping you from saving up some money from a part time job picking a country and just going off travelling? NOTHING!

2. You're going to spend the rest of your life in debt - While you are young you don't have that much debt. A phone bill, car insurance and maybe a year or two of university. You may aswell borrow what you can, bite the bullet and pack your life away for a while and explore the world!

3.  You learn so much about yourself - If you decide to travel alone it's a whole different experience from travelling with friends and family. You'll figure out what makes you happy, what drives you, what inspires you without having to worry about doing what the other person wants to do as the only person you have to impress is yourself!

4. You have the energy - Well you're only young once right? Make the most of it! Bungee jump, climb that mountain do all those things you've written down on your bucket list you thought you'd never do.

5. The experience is invaluable - Have you ever thought of working abroad for a few weeks? I was lucky enough to work with one of the best marketing agencies in New Zealand this summer and I think foreign experience will always look good on your CV! Thought about volunteering? Want to teach abroad? Go for it!

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Recently, well 3 weeks ago to be precise I hopped on a plane to the other side of the world. It took 3 days and it wasn't easy but I thought I would write this post to hopefully encourage a few of you that travelling alone can be a wonderful thing and it's definitely a life changing experience!
If you asked my 6 months ago to get on a plane and go to the other side of the world I wouldn't have done it. It takes a lot of guts and determination to do it and as an anxiety sufferer it was so daunting to think about but I knew I had to do it! I can't even explain how nice it is to see another side of the world, live life a little differently and just enjoy seeing things you haven't seen before. I see every travelling journey as a learning experience!
My journey began at Gatwick Airport and I was heading to Dubai. It was scary to think I was travelling alone but I suppose that way you are forced to talk to people or even make a new friend or two! On my way to Dubai I met a Danish model who was about 16 who was so lovely. I also met a girl called Becky on her way to Thailand to do a year abroad teaching!
Meeting these girls made me realise a lot of people travel alone and that me travelling alone myself wasn't a strange thing. You'll be surprised how pleasant some (yes I say some!) strangers can be when you're having small talk with them. I then had a not so pleasurable experience waiting at Dubai airport on the way to Sydney. Why are some airport lay overs SO long? What can you really do for 10 hours in an airport in the middle of the night?
I then headed over to Sydney which was a very long flight. It took about 12 or 14 hours but with movies, tv shows and meals it wasn't so bad just tiring. I made a friend called Emma who was Irish and really friendly on that journey. I then had an hour to wait at Sydney before I headed to New Zealand. I got there eventually! It took 2/3 days I am not sure exactly how long as there was a lot of time differences on my trip.
So I thought I would share with you my tips for travelling alone as most likely some of you who are reading this will be travelling or travelling alone somewhere this summer!
1. Bring a book -  It's sometimes so nice just to have some time to yourself and before I went away I bought a copy of The Fault in Our Stars. I'm sure most of you have read this. I've recently finished it! It was such a great book surprisingly I didn't cry but I watched the movie this week and cried my eyes out!
2. Make a playlist - Whether it's happy music with happy memories attached or buying a new album. I recently bought Sam Smith's and it's amazing. I love the songs 'Like I Can' and 'Repeat'. It's a great excuse to listen to some music and relax.
3. Listen to calming sounds - If you suffer from anxiety like me, travelling can be such a daunting and scary thing. I have a couple of apps on my phone which help me stay calm when I can feel a panic attack coming or my anxiety triggering. I use an app called Relax Melodies which can really help you zone out, relax and just forget where you really are for a few minutes. I love listening to the bird sounds and the sound of the sea and I just close my eyes and breath slowly for a few minutes and this normally makes me feel a lot better!
4. Don't be afraid to make a new friend - Who knows where you're going to find your next friend for life? Not being afraid to talk to new people is a good way to start. Especially if they're sat next to you on a plane! Ask them about where they're heading to, comment on their appearance. Pluck up the courage to have a conversation. You never know where it may lead to.
5. Have a plan - When you're travelling alone you need to plan out the basics of what you want to do, whether it's exploring a new city for a few days, travelling to do some volunteering, joining a summer camp or just going on a trek tour around a country. Make sure you've organised a basic guide for yourself, check you have the plenty of the local currency too! I always store money in a few odd places (make sure they are safe) but always factor how much things will cost when organising your trip! Organise what you are going to do (not in detail but just so you have a basic plan!). 
I'm currently in New Zealand staying with relatives and exploring for a few months and really enjoying it. It's great to take a break from life in England but also experience something new!

What are your tips for travelling? Have you ever travelled alone?Twitter//Instagram//Facebook

Jacket - Boohoo(*)
Crop Top - Topshop (Similar Here)
Scarf - New Look(*)
American Apparel Riding Pants - ASOSOne things for sure is that New Zealand is an absolutely beautiful place. Despite it being winter everything is still very beautiful despite this cold! A couple of days ago I flew over to Nelson with my Uncle and Auntie and cousins and we're staying in a cute apartment not far from the centre. Nelson is definitely a beautiful place and the surrounding areas are stunning. Here's a few shots from a trip to Tahunanui Beach!

As you can see it's an absolutely gorgeous beach and I walked along it just before sunset. I wish it was a little bit more sunny as I can only think how gorgeous it would look in the summer!


Jacket - Boohoo(*)
Crop Top - Topshop (Similar Here)
Scarf - New Look(*)
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Okay so I didn't do all this in one day but here's what I've been up to for the past few days in Auckland! It's been really bad weather here and I'm making the most of the little sunshine that Auckland seems to have at the moment. But when it's sunny this city is absolutely beautiful!

Jacket - Boohoo(*)
Crop Top - Topshop (Similar Here)
Scarf - New Look(*)
Bag - Marc B at TopshopAmerican Apparel Riding Pants - ASOS
Back in England on a daily basis I pretty much live in American Apparel riding pants. They are the comfiest trousers I've ever owned and I've had them a couple of years now and everytime I wash them they feel like brand new! So I just had to bring these with me to New Zealand! This photo was when there was a bit of sunshine and I'm at the top of a hill which has an amazing view of the city from it!
My cousins then showed me Kiwi Yo which is basically a self serve frozen yogurt place! It's so yummy! I had a mixed berry frozen yogurt with oreos, m&ms, sour worms all sorts it was so good! I'd recommend it if any of you guys ever visit Auckland! We then headed to Kelly Tarltons which is the sea life centre they have here and they had PENGUINS! I was so excited it was ridiculous!
Okay so who wouldn't be excited if they saw penguins?! They are so cute and I love the colour of them and how they just waddle around looked adorable!
I then thought it was a good idea to climb into a sharks mouth (perfect photo opportunity!)




We saw loads of gorgeous fish and I just couldn't help but take photos of pretty much everything I saw! I loved seeing a Hermit crab up close as it relates to my surname! I also love the photo of the clown fish I took which I like to call a nemo fish haha!

Have you been to New Zealand? Are you a frozen yogurt fan? What's your fave sea life animal?Twitter//Instagram//Facebook

Mac Russian Red Lipstick - Selfridges
Jacket - Boohoo(*)
Scarf - New Look (*) Striped Top - Topshop Old (Similar Here and Here) 
Bag - Marc B at Topshop
White Joni Jeans - Topshop
Slip Ons - TopshopToday was spent more in the central part of where I'm staying. Me and my Auntie walked down to St Helliers. It's a beach front with lots of cute cafes and small shops. It was quite a nice day so having a walk along the beach was so lovely!

We had a 2 mile walk along the beach front which was so nice. It's so nice to be living so close to a beach especially because where I am in England there's no beach nearby! (All you readers by the beach are so lucky!) We even saw lots of vintage cars and I loved how colourful they were!




We then stopped for brunch/lunch at the cutest little cafe called La Vista. It was so nice to sitting inside and seeing the beach! My Auntie had a vegetable dish and I had my favourite Eggs Benedict! Apparently it's a bit of speciality here in New Zealand and so of course being a tourist I had to try it! They do cook it slightly differently and I had mine with bacon and spinach and it was so good!



Mac Russian Red Lipstick - Selfridges
Jacket - Boohoo(*)
Scarf - New Look (*) Striped Top - Topshop Old (Similar Here and Here) 
Bag - Marc B at Topshop
White Joni Jeans - Topshop
Slip Ons - Topshop
I threw this outfit on as it's winter here in New Zealand! I wish it was a little more summery but oh well! A striped top/jeans combination can never look bad and it's my 'go to' comfy outfit. I went for a bold red lip today with my outfit to add a little more colour! I'm wearing a scarf as it's super windy bag the beach too.
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It's scary to think on Monday morning I was in the Airport with my cousin waiting to get on a plane to New Zealand! This whole week has been a bit of a blur for me. I didn't realise how much travelling on planes can take it out on you! On Monday afternoon my journey began. I went from Gatwick wearing this Jumpsuit which you can see on Instagram! It was the comfiest travelling outfit EVER!
The food on the plane to Dubai started off okay but to me it just got worse as the journey went along! This was one of the nicer meals I had! I found the evening meals were much better than breakfast and lunch on planes! Anyone else find that?!

I watched a few movies and lost vegas was so so good! I also watched Frozen (I've never seen that before!) and it was so good. I arrived in Dubai 8 hours later and I was excited at first but a 10 hour stop over in Dubai was really hard I just wanted to get on a plane again! I then got on a plane from Dubai to Sydney and made a quick stop in Australia waiting for my next plane to Auckland. I really want to go to Australia and properly see it now (it's not that fun seeing it from a window inside the airport!)

I then hopped on another plane and finally landed in Auckland. It felt weird to not be on a plane, coping on so few hours sleep (it's literally so hard to sleep on planes!) and it was super hard getting used to being on the other side of the world in a different time zone to the UK. I have been here a couple of days now and went to the beach and despite it being winter here it was beautiful!

Are you a fan of travelling? Have you been to New Zealand? Any Recommendations?Twitter//Instagram//Facebook