Sarchie Travels

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. ...

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...