It’s okay to have lazy days

Hey guys!

So I know the title of this blog post is probably quite an obvious statement for a lot of people but it’s something I’ve only recently come to realise after meeting my boyfriend. 

I’m a naturally busy person, out of choice. I’m always working, going to events, socialising etc and I feel that if a weekend isn’t spent “going out” then it’s wasted, at least I used to anyway. 

However having now spent a few weekends simply relaxing, staying in bed watching films, reading blogs and even taking some naps I’ve realised not only are lazy days actually quite fun but they’re also really important for your body. It gives your body time to rest and recover from all the ‘out and about’ stuff. It doesn’t mean you have to spend the whole day in bed (although I have on occasion) a relaxing walk and a bit of fresh air is also beneficial. 

On a typical weekend before I met my boyfriend I would be out with friends Friday night and then possibly even visiting a different city early the next day, with a trip to town Sunday to finish off the weekend. I wasn’t relaxing at all other than when I was asleep, I rarely took naps and although I didn’t realise it at the time, I was exhausted. 

I’ve now learnt to balance myself and feel a lot healthier. I still go out some weekends and go to events if they appeal to me but I also spend some days in bed watching Netflix (using the bf’s account because he’s the best like that❤️) but I’m not constantly draining my body and I’m also receiving the best back massages I’ve ever had and waking up at the weekends with the person I love, no amount of going out could beat that. 

I’m not saying waste life staying in bed either (I’m a travel blogger) but finding a balance is really important. There’s so much pressure from reading other blogs and social media to be doing and seeing things all the time but a lot of good can be had by taking a bit of time out too. 

J x

Switching off in Leeds

Hey Guys!

Happy Easter! It’s the 1st April already and I can’t believe how quickly this year is going. I’ve always really liked the quote “we don’t travel the escape life, we travel for life not to escape us”. It’s so true and something that doesn’t really set in until you experience how quickly life can change and how caught up in normal routine you can become. 

I’ve been blogging for a while now and I am always so thankful for the amazing opportunities that blogging has brought me. I’ve been lucky enough to work with hotels from Nottingham to Amsterdam and my passion for this has never once faltered. 

I have just got back from a lovely overnight trip in Leeds with my boyfriend and it was the first time in a while that I went without having the take loads of photos and without having to think about strategically planning a review and a series of social media posts, I could relax and that’s something that had been lacking on my previous trips somewhat. We went shopping, went to a comedy night, found a super cute cafe for breakfast and visited the royal armouries museum, it was great just strolling round the streets.

For this reason I tried to spend as little time as possible on my phone, I took a few photos but nowhere near as many as I would if I was writing a review and it was really refreshing. 

I learnt how important it is to sometimes just switch off and not have the pressure of what other people think but just to keep doing you! 

Make sure that you all get a bit of time for yourself this easter and spend time with those closest to you. 

J x

How to spend a weekend in Dublin!

I have just got back from a lovely weekend in Dublin with one of my best friends and whilst we had an absolute blast, we also learnt a lot about what to do when visiting the area, some things to possibly avoid and of course, the dreaded tourist traps, how we fell into them and how you don't have to!

First off, I feel as though it is important to say that Dublin is a beautiful city and one which we both agreed we would definitely go back to, we'd just do some things a little bit differently next time.

We got the bus from the airport and stayed in the Temple Bar area which I found out after arriving back is seen as one of the biggest tourist traps in Dublin. You're looking at paying six or seven euros for a pint, which is a little bit on the steep side. We even found ourselves paying 2 euros for a can of coke in some places. We was warned that Dublin was an expensive city but was gutted to learn that if we had ventured a little bit further out it could have been cheaper.

Although a statement of the typical tourist, I did feel that the open top bus tour which was hop on, hop off was one of the best things that we did during our visit. We both were classed as students so it was slightly cheaper for us but even without a student card (or being under 17) it is still great value for money, particularly if you haven't been to the area before. We found out about where everything was in Dublin, even managed to get some discounts on the booklet that came with the tour and had a very busy day exploring the various areas (I think the last bus for us was about 7pm so we managed to see a lot in the 24 hours the ticket was valid for) definitely a great experience for exploring the area and was also something that was recommended to us prior to visiting. We used the DoDublin bus tour but there are so many around the area to choose from.

Whilst there we also visited the natural history museum and the art gallery is positioned right next door which makes it very convenient to do both in one trip and we also visited the castle. We managed to pack a lot into our two day trip before heading for our flight back to England and I honestly can't wait to head back and hopefully explore more of Ireland at the same time too!

Jess x

Getting into History at York Castle Museum

History has never been a strong point of mine. I always got on well with my history teacher but ever since I stated that the Battle of Hastings was in 1166, he advised me not to take it at GCSE level.

Despite this, I have always had an interest in museums. I've been several times to the museums in Lincoln and will try and explore the museums when I am in a new place. Me and my mum were lucky enough to get invited along to York Castle Museum while we were in York and it is honestly worth a visit. I was really surprised at how interactive the museum was and how much time you can spend there!

 

 

 



 I really appreciated how detailed some of the displays were, the museum had carefully thought of every element from the era that they were trying to convey and they had been done to an exceptionally high standard.

 

 

 

At the time of our visit there was also an exhibition called 'Shaping the body', I found this a really powerful exhibition and seeing the way that our style and our lives had changed to keep up with the ever-changing trends was really interesting. There were also aspects where people were invited to talk about their own bodies and how they saw themselves, some people talked about how they felt confident with their body whilst others talked about some of the issues that they'd faced. As I dealt with a  curvature of the spine at a young age and faced a lot of body confidence issues because of this, this sent a really powerful message to me that we should never be ashamed and always be proud of our bodies.

 

 

 

 

Another aspect of the museum I enjoyed was when we went into the outside world and explored all the shops, although we was indoors, the cobbles and the tall ceiling made it feel as though we were outside and even in that time period.

 

 



 

 

 

 

I am personally a big fan of vintage signs and managed to see a lot of these throughout the museum and perhaps got a little bit addicted to taking photos!

 

 

 

We then headed through to the prison side of the museum which was a very interactive approach and stories of inmates were projected onto the walls of the cells which I thought added a very realistic element and made the exhibition feel very real.

 

 

It made me realise how different our prisons are today and how uncomfortable that bed must have been!

 

 

We then finally headed through to the eccentric 60s exhibition which was filled with vibrant colours and activity, it was one of my favourite exhibitions in the museum (It had a pink shop!) and was a great way to end a lovely day out.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you again to York Castle Museum for a great day out! Starting tomorrow the museum has a brand new scrumptious exhibition called Chocolate: York's Sweet Past which you can read more about here.

 

To find out more about the museum, visit their website or follow them on social media using Facebook or Twitter.

 

 

J x