Sarchie Travels

29/4/2015 - 1/5/2015 Paris. To leave from London's Wombat Hostel (which was a surprisingly nice place to stay)  I had to be down in reception at 6am. However the bus did not leave until 7am. The bus that our tour caught from the hostel was not the tour bus we would be on for the rest of the tour, this coach was only to drop us off at Dover, where we would board the ferry to Calais, France. It took nearly two hours to get to Dover, (I wouldn't know, I slept through the entire trip - I mean who really needs to be gathered at 6am?) I had heard some bad stories about travelling across to France on the ferry so I stocked up on motion sickness tablets in London. In the past they hadn't worked for me but no harm in trying the locals brands. They worked a treat by the way and I will need to stock up on more of these before I Leave. The ferry was only an hour and a half, but it seemed to fly by. I ate a mediocre breakfast, shopped in the duty-free shop (I only bought ch...

26/4/2015 - 29/4/2015 London We left Glasgow on the overnight train at 11pm, the room was cramped but the beds were comfortable. We arrived in London at 6:45am the next morning, 15 minutes earlier than they had said, there are times when running late is ok. We left our bags at the Royal Eagle Hotel in Paddington and then caught the subway back into the city for some general touristy stuff. We got to hear and see Big Ben chime the hour, we took a river cruise on the Thames and took a bunch of pictures around the place, well I didn't as my phone ad gone flat and my camera was in my suitcase  back at the hotel. I blame the train for arriving early for that. Had i had that extra 15minutes I would have been more switched on :oP. We returned to the Hotel for a freshen up and recharge some phone batteries  and then headed to the London Bridge to do the London Bridge Dungeon  Tour. It was a good experience, not scary but well acted. After this we decided t...

So after almost 24 hours on planes and in Airports I finally made it to Scotland. We left around 9;30pm from Melbourne international, Flew 14hrs and arrived 6am in Dubai (Dubai time). Dubai airport is certainly an experience in itself. There was a lot of walking and a train ride just to get to our gate, but then there was a 10 to 15 minute bus ride from our gate to the actual airplane. Another 8hr flight before we landed at out destination, Glasgow Scotland. When we arrived  it was 1.30pm local time. Tired was a understatement, I forced myself to stay awake until 7;30pm and then slept until 7:30am the next day. Trying to sleep on the plane was not very comfortable and the food was rather plain, like hospital food. Peple had warned me prior that your legs get sore but no one had warned me about the dry sinuses. Next time I will be getting a nasal spray to help with that, worst feeling ever! Two days later, up until I got the nasal spray I had a sinus headache. I have been here 5...

With just over three days to go I'm starting to panic that I have forgotten or will forget something. I'm constantly having stressful dreams about arriving without my passport or forgetting something crucial, like all my clothes. I think this should stop when I have actually arrived at my destination, or at least eased. I got a free international sim card with my travel insurance, the prices are better than using my existing carrier by far. However, it may be better to buy a prepaid sim card when I get there and just top it up as I go, I'm thinking this is going to be the cheapest option but if I can't find or am not able to use a sim bought over there then I will just use he one I have got... better safe than sorry.  I have made sure Skype is on all my devices to call home when wifi is available. I can also use Google Hangouts and Facebook Messenger for chatting as well.  I have put a lot of audio books on to my phone, so I should have plenty to do in between ...

Lately I have been in a creative mood so instead of buying a travel wallet I made one. First off I found a pattern that I liked.  I found this free pattern on Sew Mama Sew . There is a video tutorial on the website as well, it is very easy to follow! After I found the pattern I liked I hit the shops for the ideal fabric. Oil cloth is not available where I am so I thought I would go with either a heavy linen or patterned canvas. In the end I found a wonderful patterned canvas for the backing and for the pockets I went with a cream and light gold chevron linen. I cut out and prepared my pattern paper templates. Once I transferred the pattern to the fabric (making sure to get the pattern in the places I wanted to be. This does cause a lot more wastage of the fabric but will give you a better look) I cut out the fabric. I sealed my edges, the fabric I was using tends to fray.   Once all the fabric was cut I laid it all out on the table to see how ...

Over the last 12 months I have been researching the best ways to take money overseas. Here are the best options I have found.  These options are suitable and recommended for Australian travelers!  Exchanging Money The first option is to convert the money over to the currency/currencies required and take as cash. DO NOT under any circumstances (provided not life or death) exchange money at the airport. The fees there are dramatically different. To get the best exchange rate change in town before you leave or in the town you are staying at. The problem with cash, if you are going to multiple countries you will need multiple currencies to take. - Not my preferred option but still having a $100 -$200 on you for the journey might be a good idea (snacks and taxi money etc) Travel Cards  What is a Travel card? It's like a debit/credit card that you can pre-load currencies. Just use it like your bank card. You can use it over eftpos or withdraw cash through the ATM. ...

I have paid for my Flights to Europe and booked my 17 day Top Deck tour adventure. I'm extremely nervous as I will be doing this by myself, hopefully I will meet new friends and it will be one of the greatest experiences of my life. On the 15th of April a couple of friends and I will be flying out of Launceston, Tasmania at 5:10pm local time - changing over in Melbourne - changing over in Dubai and finally arriving at our destination: Glasgow airport  at 12:35pm local time. A total of 23hrs flying time.  I will spending the first week and a half in Scotland celebrating the Hens Party weekend on the 17th and then the Wedding on the 24th. During that time there will be; site seeing, drinking and Scottish culture - maybe even haggis.  On the 26th a group will be heading through to London where we will separate to have our own experiences. On the 29th I will be joining a 17 day "Pathway" Top Deck tour.  The Following is my Top Deck Itinerary for when I re...

This year, in April I will be making my way over to Europe, starting with a little over a week in Scotland to celebrate the union of a couple of good friends. The bride to be was born in Scotland and is returning home to complete her nuptials surrounded by friends and family. To me this was the perfect excuse to travel overseas and see what the other side of the world has to offer. I'm so excited and have been for the last 18 months or so since he proposed, all friends from the land of Oz were invited, unfortunately not all will be able to attend. Originally I was going to travel with my partner but we have since gone our separate ways, now the first leg of my journey Scotland - London will be with friends. In London I will join a Top Deck tour to explore some of the other countries and hopefully make some new friends.

This year I will be heading to Europe. In April I have a wedding in Scotland and so a euro trip is required.  Only four months away. I have been doing so much research on the best luggage to buy. Hard-covers weigh twice as much as the soft-covers so it was a no brainier for me. Soft cover it is! I had been looking online for months, not actively searching, just browsing for the future. Last week I found a set on the Strandbags site. The large case was $129 down from $259. That's a pretty good price or so I thought.  When I had a look today it was only $99. I had to buy it. I probably didn't need the carry-on (as I have a few) but I wanted it to match. So I bought that too for $69. So now I have my luggage. Large Case Style:           Soft Brand:          Flylite Size:             Large Suitcase Dimensions: 76(H) x 47(W) x 26(D) cm Weight:        2.7 kg / Cap...