My American Road Trip

The travel bug has bitten me again and spending 3 months in South Carolina last year was not enough, and I will be returning in September for one month!

My love for the USA will be never-ending and I could not bare to go the whole of 2016 without revisiting it.

This time, I will be going to one of my top destinations on my bucket list: LOS ANGELES!

A lot of people have told me that I will be disappointed with LA but I do not care. Finally I can see it for myself, the place I've dreamed about for as long as I can remember.

I'm going to the USA with Trek America, a company specialising in tours of the US. The actual trek I chose will depart from New York and travel cross country to LA and is called the Southern BLT. This includes budget lodging and not camping, as I'm not the most outdoorsy person!

On my way, I will visit places such as Washington, New Orleans, Nashville, Memphis and Las Vegas.

My Route!

http://www.trekamerica.co.uk/tours/snb.html

The tour lasts three weeks but I will be spending an extra week in California to explore the State more. I will be writing a bucket list soon of the things I want to tick off whilst out there. If anyone has any 'must do' places, please feel free to send them to me as this will be my first time on the West Coast.

For anyone interested in joining a Trek America tour, they can be pricey, which is why saving is a good idea. I will be spending every penny of my summer job on this.

Not only do you have to pay for the trek, which is £2399 in my case, you will have to fund your own flights and any pre or post accommodation. Then there's spending money for American bargains and excursions, such as a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon (how cool?!),  and anything you will have to buy for the trip. So overall, a lot of budgeting, but perfectly doable if you want to do it.

Tours vary in length, so you can just go for a week if you wanted to and obviously this will be cheaper, but equally if you are like me and love to immerse yourself for as long as possible, you can spend up to three months travelling.

The tours are done in small groups, giving you the opportunity to meet new people and get to know them well. It is run by a tour leader who will take care of you and offer their expertise.

I will be going on my own which does not bother me at all. These tours are designed for solo and group travellers so do not be put off by going on your own. I will also be spending my last week by myself which is cary but exciting at the same time.

Any questions, please do leave a comment and if you have been on a Trek America yourself then I would love to here your advice!

But for now, the countdown begins... eek!

190 days to go

Why You Shouldn't Care What Anybody Else Thinks

It came to my attention this week that I started to worry about what people were thinking of me everytime I did something.

I always thought I was the type of person who didn't care what people thought about me, but it wasn't until I actually realised that I was trying to justify doing something that made me realise I am caring what people think of me.

And then I thought why?

Why am I so concerned about the opinion's of others when it doesn't actually matter. To put it into some contexts, I worry about the slightest things such as whether I should go to the gym, or not wanting to go on a night out but stay in instead.

The gym situation has only started happening recently, when I lost a lot of weight (unintentionally) and suddenly I felt conscious exercising in public.

At the time, I was going to the gym at least once a week, and suddenly I started worrying that every time someone would see me in the gym they might think I was overexercising because of an eating disorder. The main reason for going is a) get my money's worth and b) it makes me feel good.

Another situation was choosing to stay in whilst everyone else was going out, which I then thought would make me look boring. So I forced myself to go out and pretend I wanted to be there. Don't get me wrong, there are times when I do want to go out and I have a really good time, and these are the best nights out. But sometimes, especially in final year of university, I just want to stay in
and have some me-time, that's just how I am.

So when I tried to justify why I was so concerned about what others were thinking, I couldn't think of a reason why.

Everyone on this planet is an individual, whose into different things, looks differently, reacts differently, it's just natural.
So by worrying that others might not think the same way as you is silly and I am so fustrated with myself for even letting it get to me.

And that's when I knew I had to stop caring.

Suddenly, I started doing the things I wanted and not having to explain why I am doing them. If people wonder why, then that's their problem. Besides, curiosity is a human trait so I don't blame them for wondering why. It was hard at first but it's just one of those things we have to overcome.

But the thing that really stopped me from caring is the fact that they probably aren't thinking about what I'm doing or how I look. It's me overreacting and being paranoid.

And therefore, worrying about something thats unknown is not worth it.

So I guess my advice is the next time you worry what others think, ask yourself, do I care? Do they care? Probably not.
And do I want to do this or am I scared that if I don't, others may judge (but probably won't)?

 Just a little thought.

A Peep Down the Rabbit Hole...

A weekend in London would not be complete without visiting somewhere I hadn't been before, and this time it was the turn of the British Library.

Nestled around the corner of St Pancras station, and right next to that hotel where the Spice Girls filmed there 'Wannabe' video (just so you know), this building takes pride in the rich historical legacies it holds.

Recognise these steps?

It was also the perfect place to host the latest exhibition about Alice in Wonderland.

The small Alice-inspired display is perfect for somewhere to pop into briefly without taking up too much of your time, and educational in the sense that you can learn about Lewis Carroll and the evolution of Alice in Wonderland, and how it has been shaped by illustrations throughout the decades.

You will be able to view the original manuscript, as well as take in some Alice memorabilia.

The exhibition is small, but it's a great opportunity to visit the British Library and take in the extensive sources of literature. There is also a pop up shop to accompany the display which sells really unique souvenirs, from copies of the book to apple crumble smelling candles and small bottles of wine with 'Drink Me' labels on.

I personally wanted to buy something unique as it is a pop up shop so the souvenirs are only available for a limited amount of time. I came across this cute trinket box that looked like a macaroon, and with my love of baking, I thought it was perfect for me and I could store jewellery in it at the same time.

Of course a trip to London would not be complete without trying out a new restaurant as well, and so we took the tube to Warren Street and walked to Charlotte Street (best name in the world) and explored the vast array of restaurants there.

You can get anything you want from Hawaiian, Italian, Vietnamese and loads more. Seriously, this is a whole street lined with food from all over the world.
Eventually we settled on a cool looking pizza place called Icco, where they do amazing Italian style pizzas. My advice would be to avoid rush hour if you want to get a seat, or alternatively takeaway one of the many pizza choices. But do check out this cool, inexpensive restaurant if you are around that area.

There's always room for dessert as well as after taking a long stroll for Goodge Street to Camden via Regent's Park, we managed to find a cute little cafe called Camden Coffee House tucked away down a side street for a nice cup of tea and a indulgent triple chocolate cookie after a day well spent in London.