With that in mind, Victoria's (inthefrow.com) account of her journey across the states with Trek America completely captured my imagination. I can imagine nothing better than leaving reality for a while and making memories with new people. Victoria definitely inspired me to start saving for my own epic journey across America; then her and the lovely people at Trek America completely changed the goalposts and opened this competition to win the two week Westerner 2 trip, which looks ideal to sate my travelling appetite (for now!)
Ergo, I spent the morning plotting and planning what I would pack for a weekend away. My boyfriend and I often go for spontaneous trips away to cities in the lovely United Kingdom and I have very fond memories of them all. With Valentine's just around the corner I decided to photograph what I would pack for a lovely weekend away with him in the capital, London baby! We've been plenty of times but I don't think London can be beaten for diversity and we've barely scratched the surface.
Beauty wise, I stick to what I know when I'm travelling. I'm not very good at packing lightly though, so to save you going through my entire skincare and makeup routine I've pictured just the essentials...I wouldn't want to spend too much time in the morning getting myself ready and wasting precious exploration time, so these quick fixes are first in the bag.
I plan the clothes I'm going to take day by day, to minimise wasted space. I'd wear a different pair of jeans to the ones pictured, therefore taking a whole other option...sneaky huh? I think, seeing as it's Valentines I'd throw in these gorgeous heels from Miss Selfridge and the beautiful floral top underneath from (brace yourself) George at Asda to wear with jeans for the Saturday night out. For the day times I'd want something comfortable that also made me feel happy and confident! This selection of pastel jumpers from Forever 21 and Topshop fit all these criteria as well as layering well under my favourite leather jacket to keep me warm, and could be worn with either blue or black jeans for a bit of variation. Top with a stylish hat and these adorable tapestry boots and it's an outfit fit to see the Queen in!
After the meal I'm presuming we'd have (eating out is my favourite thing to do, and no-one wants to cook for themselves on a weekend away!) I'd come back and slip into something more comfortable...probably this silk PJ set, also from Asda! My boyfriend would probably appreciate the change from grubby animal print bottoms and one of his t-shirts and, as it is valentines, I'd pop this bottle of prosecco to end the night. Perfect!
I'd make sure the extras I took fitted into a small-ish bag that I could sling over my shoulder...nothing worse than pushing onto a crowded tube with a large handbag and having chronic aching shoulder pain from its weight by the end of the day! Obviously my purse and Oyster card is a must as well as my camera to capture it all on film. I'm very careful when I go away to take a camera to save special moments forever, but I'm also wary of living the weekend through the lens. One of my favourite musicians Dallas Green (of City and Colour and formerly Alexisonfire- check him out if you haven't already!) once made everyone at his gig put their phones and cameras away and just experience the moment rather than miss it by trying so desperately to remember it. It is a notion that has definitely stuck with me and so whilst I always make sure to take my camera away, it's not a tragedy if it's left in the hotel room!
I'd also pack a small notebook to make lists of what I wanted to do, what we did and record special memories on our return to the hotel each night. I love doing this 'thought per day' type thing on trips away as it allows you to remember things that couldn't be photographed, funny things you said or saw.
I'd sneak my kindle in to read whilst travelling if Jack fell asleep, or to entertain myself whilst he was in the shower. He has been known to take longer than me to get ready, so it's definitely needed!
Whenever we're somewhere new I can't resist picking up some souvenirs and these two lovely cards are ones I've had from previous trips away. I'm yet to send them, they look so pretty I'm just not sure I can!
Last, but by no means least, my phone is a vital essential whenever I'm out and about. iPhones are especially useful as there is a wealth of travelling apps to enhance your weekend. These are just some of the ones I'd make sure I had to hand for a weekend in London!
I hope you enjoyed reading my entry as much as I enjoyed writing it! Keep your fingers crossed for my entry to catch the lovely judges eyes, but even if it doesn't it's given me such wanderlust I'm all the more determined to make my travelling dream a reality!
