Wandering with Bags

Lets admit it. We all struggle with what bags to take with us when traveling, primarily because we love our bags so much its difficult to chose. But if you are like me and often (out of force, not willingly) have to use a cabin case for an entire weekend (Madness!) then you don’t have the luxury that is space. However I’m going to show you all the different types of bags you can take depending on your traveling arrangement and how they are useful.

Checked Luggage:

If you have checked luggage you have the wonderful luxury of packing what you like into a nice big bag (always spare underwear and clothes, I’m the sort of person where my luggage will get lost!). I would suggest a back pack or a tote bag of some sort, spacious and easy to carry. Here are some lovely fashionable bags to join you on your wandering.

Tote Bag

Tote Bag

http://uk.accessorize.com/view/product/uk_catalog/acc_20/6893569900

Tote Bag: £7.50

Plus 5% cash back and nus discount if you are a student.

Eco City Back Pack

Eco City Back Pack

http://www.amazon.co.uk/EcoCity-Classical-College-Backpack-Rucksak/dp/B00JFXW84E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417272216&sr=8-1&keywords=EcoCity+Classical+College

Back Pack: £13.99

Cabin Case:

Sadly, if you are like me and have to use a cabin case, you know the troubles of not being able to have another smaller bag often unless the airline are generous. I often hide a small little bag under my coat or cardigan and within it place my passport, purse, headphones and anything else I want easy access to on the flight without having to trample over the people in my row to get to my case. This little bag needs to be small and easily hidden so the crew don’t try to get you to pack it away in your case however if you have to do so you can manage to fit in if you need to.

Dorothy Perkins

Dorothy Perkins

£9 http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/product/sale-offers-3422804/view-all-sale-1724247/accessories-203699/black-double-gusset-clutch-bag-3169003?refinements=category~%5B291059|291043%5D&bi=1&ps=200

However, many like to be fashionable with there actually cabin case and I have found a wonderful deal on Groupon on some lovely cabin cases for £13.99 and until Friday are 15% off with this code: LOCPROMO15 along with 6% cash back (Obviously!).

Groupon Cabin Case

Groupon Cabin Case

http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/national-deal/gg-groupon-goods-global-gmb-h-1839-33/54078997

With many different designs to choose from I would order fast, as the designs are selling out quickly, so get in there before they go!

So there you go, a few different ideas on the types of bags you could look into getting for traveling and how these different bags will help aid your traveling and make it smoother.

Thank you for wandering with me!

Wandering Through Paris

I have arrived home from..(Drum roll please!) PARIS! This stunning place really shocked me. I have always thought of it as a place of cliches whereby it would be full of roses and romance but its an ordinary place that’s dominated by the Eiffel Tower which is so intricately beautiful, it has got to be one of the most incredible pieces of architecture that I have ever seen, and I’m not a arty person! You can’t get sick of looking at it, each time you gaze at this feature of the city, it simply gets more jaw dropping and breath taking! I thought it would be similar to Rome whereby there would be people flogging things at the bottom or all around the city, however there was a few but nothing compared to what I have experienced in previous countries. The queues were minimal, so small in fact, I manage to get up the Eiffel Tower three times. Once on the first day, where we walked up (Could. Not. Breath!). Twice on the second day. Once to go up via the lift to go for a meal in the Tour 58 Eiffel restaurant for a picnic chic lunch and the second time to go up a night! The food was mouth watering, with a Chicken Cesar Salad starter, Ox meat (Don’t judge me, I felt guilty enough, but everything else had nuts in and I’m allergic!) and then an Orange Marmalade Rice Pudding. Each course was wonderful and brought up in a basket, with a glass of wine and an espresso at the end. If you would like to do it, don’t go to the restaurant straight off as you will have to reserve and pay extortionate prices! I recommend this deal:

http://www.365tickets.co.uk/58-tour-eiffel/58-tour-eiffel-lunch-picnic-chic

This lunch is £31.48 and with 3% cash back. The meal was wonderful, with great service and delicious food, couldn’t have asked for a better time (Tip: Try to get out the lift first, you might get a window seat like we did!).

The glass floor at the first floor of the Eiffel Tower is mind boggling and freaked me out so much, but you have to do it to feel this stomach dropping feeling!

The Louvre is wonderful and full of incredible art (Clueless over here) but we managed to see the Mona Lisa which was awesome to be able to view finally. The building itself is great and you can also get in free if you are 18-25 so make sure you carry your identification or passport although always beware of pickpockets. The Arc De Triomph is a sight to behold with a petrifying round about around it, there is a subway system to get across to it, don’t try to walk across the traffic like we almost did (Not smart cookies!) Once again this is free for 18-25 year old’s which is great.

We went on the Batobus river tour which is opposite the Eiffel Tower by the river and is 16 euros for a whole day of hop on and hop off. However there are lots of river tours to choose from.

The hotel we stayed in was the Mercure Hotel. A two minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and some rooms have a small view of the top of the Eiffel Tower. The staff are wonderful and helpful after we had a hiccup with our room. The rooms are small but modern and chic and well kept. Breakfast is 15 euros, however while this might seem expensive, we had breakfast out one morning thinking we could do it cheaper and it was only a euro or so cheaper, so its better value for money, when we did do the breakfast there the next morning, the food was lovely, with a full breakfast, pastries, fruit and lots more to take your pick from.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/mercure-paris-suffren-tour-eiffel.en-gb.html?sid=5fe95d6baaebf1d1792b612d67909f16;dcid=1;no_rooms=1;req_adults=2;req_children=0&#map_closed

Over all, this was a perfect trip, the metro system is easy to use and its easy to get from the airport to the center just research it before you go. The restaurants are expensive but its Paris, you have to splurge to some extent! And please become a proper Parisian and have coffee or hot chocolate in the lovely little cafes, its a wonderful experience and a great break from all the walking you will do. There is so much to do in this beautiful city, i recommend it to all!

DSCF8623 DSCF8639 DSCF8651 DSCF8691 DSCF8710 DSCF8727 DSCF8759

Thank you for wandering with me!

Fashionable Wandering

Whether its going out to a party, going to the pub or going to a restaurant, we like to look good. (Hoping you won’t drop that meatball sauce that you just HAD to order all down yourself!). I have a passion for fashion (Oh rhymed!) that I would like to share with you. No I do not keep up with the runway fashions, I would not go out wearing a playing card, yes I have seen it on the runway and no it wasn’t a spoof! The biggest problem I find with fashion is money. We don’t want to end up spending our wages before we get them! However I have managed, through huge help of my mother who has passed on this “bargain gene” to me, to find away to be fashionable and chic on a budget wage. So I’m going to show you a beautiful outfit under the price of £30, admittedly the sales will help me at them moment. I am aiming for chic but not over the top. So here goes, take a look at my outfit!

Fashionable Wandering

Total: £29.44

Black Playsuit: £14http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/playsuits-and-jumpsuits/black-embellished-lace-sleeve-collared-playsuit-_322929401

OR

Burgundy Playsuit: £14: http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/playsuits-and-jumpsuits/lost-society-burgundy-zip-shoulder-textured-playsuit-_327868267

Shoes: £11: http://www.newlook.com/shop/parentcategory/view-all-wide-fit/wide-fit-black-cut-out-lace-up-heels-_326429901

Clutch Bag: £7: http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/bags-and-purses/black-gem-flower-box-clutch-_324951501

Total: £32

Now I know what you are thinking…she can’t count. I honestly can, however we have to take into account one small magical word known as:

CASHBACK!

For those who have no idea what I’m going on about, cash back is where you go via certain sites and get a certain amount of money back on your buys. The best sights to use are Quidco and TopCashback. By searching their websites, I found that Quidco had the highest cashback at 8%, by clicking on New Look via the site it automatically returns 8% of your total to an account with quidco. You can have it paid out via paypal, into your bank account or in vouchers. With this 8% cashback it brings the total down to

£29.44!

However check terms on each use!

I hope you like the outfit as much as I do, let me know your thoughts on it and which playsuit you prefer?

Thank you for wandering with me!