Growing up my best mate had quietly been harbouring a mild fear of her belly button. I discovered this after she warned me against getting my belly button pierced. See, she’d been told if you tampered with it too much it could unknot itself and boom your guts would flop out, that is seriously scary stuff! Thank goodness at the age of 12 she was surrounded by good friends that set her straight, all be it after some pointing and laughing. Kids are dicks. My point is Big Little Lies are everywhere and they can have a big little impact on the way we live our lives. So with the exciting release of the new HBO show on Soho on SKY and NEON, ‘Big Little Lies’ Starring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman & Shailene Woodley, I’ve teamed up with them and dedicating a post to the Big Little Lies we are told around, one of my favourite topics – travel!
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You can’t pack a hat
No no no, let’s bust this myth. Firstly, it’s useful to have a hard and light luggage to protect your contents (ie clothing & wine) and four wheels for easy maneuvering around when in transit. I got mine recently from the guys at Luggage.co.nz who were incredibly helpful and fast! When packing hats, however depending on its brim shape, flatten out the bottom of your case with jeans or a jumper and fill the head with socks or rolled up t-shirts so it can’t be squashed down. Once the brim of your hat is supported i.e. flat and the head is so full it can’t be collapsed, you then pack around it.
Don’t travel with that, it will crease!
While we are on packing, when it comes to special fabrics that may crease, simply grab a small shoe box, you can usually pop a couple of items in and it will completely protect it from getting thrown around. Then once you have worn it, you can leave the shoe box behind to fit in more shopping. Because, hey it really doesn’t matter if it’s wrinkled when you get it home right, although rolling it gently with another couple of garment will help minimize that. Also, I’ve heard Downey’s Wrinkle Release Spray is a saviour to have on hand
You must put up with airplane food when travelling internationally
Aaactually you are totally allowed to have whatever food you like with you for your flight, you just can’t take it off the plane and into the next country (unless you want to declare it etc). With this in mind, you still can’t breach the no liquid over 100ml rule so no soups etc.
All taxis are created equal
Firstly, if you have a few to choose from, check the Flag Fall, this will be on the side of the cab. It is also important, especially if it’s a slightly longer fare that you know what the cost of your journey is expected to be.
Look up online tips on local taxis, (Lonely Planet is great for this) some may change the Tariff on you making your trip a lot more expensive that it usually would. However, they also may have a valid reason for this (i.e. over 4 people). On the dashboard, there will usually be Tariff 1 & Tariff 2. Just check it out. I would however also suggest to pick your battles, no one likes to feel they are being ripped off but often a few dollars from you can make a big difference to someone else. Also, consider using your UBER app, that can be a great and easy money saving option.
iPhone = iSafe
Our phones are a huge security blanket but they are also very vulnerable. If you are out of service, batteries, it gets broken or stolen you are up the creek without a paddle. Make sure you have written your exact accommodation address down on a piece of paper and pop some money in your bra, or somewhere that if (knock on wood) you were robbed of your handbag you can still get home etc. (I had my handbag stolen in London whilst visiting and had to rely on the kindness of a stranger to spot me 20 pounds. Yes, I returned it to her the following day (insert halo emoji please) Also be sure to let enough people know what you plan to do for the day, that’s always a goodie.
Solo travelling makes you weird
There are lots of myths around this, I for one have done a huge amount of solo travelling for work but I haven’t ventured out on an adventure alone, however one of my besties does it all the time. People don’t think it’s weird at all, they are almost always more inquisitive about your travels, possibly because there’s just one of you and people are less intimidated or not worried they are interrupting you. Loneliness will occur from time to time but the flexibility of doing what you want when and where, is rather refreshing.
Always be polite
Ok so don’t take this the wrong way, I believe you should respect everyone and be as polite as possible, however when travelling there are moments of politeness that can get you into trouble. For instance, if somebody offers you a lift, or is asking for help to shift something into a van and your gut says ‘hmm I’m not so keen’ then say, ‘not today my friend’ (insert white lie about being late or something). Do you see what I’m getting at with this? Never be rude but always listen to your instincts, be assertive and alert.
So there you have it, my travel Big Little Lies busted
Be sure to check out the awesome new series, I got a sneak preview of the first ep and I’m hooked!
Big Little Lies is on SOHO on SKY 8:30pm on Sundays and express streamed on NEON – if you don’t have NEON already, get started with a 30 day free trial here http://bit.ly/2mfrIfq
