The Giants Causeway - Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

On Monday I escaped up North for a relaxing night away to Belfast. Things are stressful at the moment. I will come back and I will be back with a bang, but for now I'm not making any empty promises. It's probably going to be quiet for awhile and I appreciate everyone bearing with me. I'll have a few Christmas Posts up over the weekend all things going well. Anyway, we went to the very top of Ireland to see the Giants Causeway, to get away from everything if I'm honest.  I wanted to escape even if it's for 2 days. Being by the sea calms me and with so much going on I just wanted to switch off. It was beyond freezing and we called it a day the second the Hailstones poured down on us but it was nice to see that part of Ireland. I 100% want to go back in the warmer months and really get a feel for it.

There's so many places in Ireland I want to visit and I'm making it my mission to see as much as possible while I have the chance and the freedom to just go for it. I'm a bit of a lost soul at the time being and not being tied down to anything is both a blessing and a curse so I'm trying to make the most of this freedom before I'm complaining to you all about the mundaneness of everyday working life. The Giants Causeway is so beautiful and I can only imagine how much nicer it is in the Summer! I fully plan on going back and getting even more snap happy. There's interesting Myths and Legends on how it was built if you're interested, It's approximately 3.5 hours from Dublin, more if you're like us and stop off for a bite to eat. Little Wings on the Lisburn Road in Belfast was our pitstop of choice and it get a big thumbs up from us!

Less than 4 Months to go!

I suppose it's time to fill you in on my little big adventure. I've been tweeting a little bit about it  Ever since I was young I've always wanted to travel the world. My Parents have travelled the world, and I inherited their love for it. I have a huge Bucket list of everywhere I want to go and before I settle into a career I've decided I best get cracking on it. I wish I could do more than I'm doing but funds are very stretched already and I'm working as much as possible to gather all the cash I can as I know I really will need every single penny!

Like a lot of 20-something's I'm at a crossroads in my life, so I decided (somewhat on a whim) to book this trip and hopefully come back with a clear mind and an experience of a lifetime behind me. So come New Years Eve I'll be flying off with just a Backpack and a camera ready to take on 2015. It's something I've always wanted to do and my gut instinct is telling me now or never. I haven't finalised how long exactly I'll be away but it will be about 3 months. The whole working Gap year doesn't appeal to me one bit so I want to go experience everything without worrying about working and only worrying about catching my next flight!

Phuket

At 7pm on New Years Eve, I'll be armed with my backpack and camera ready to go! I'll be arriving on New Years Day in Phuket. As I'm doing this on my own I decided to do a few Contiki Tours. A few friends have done them and have nothing but good things to say. I start off doing the Thai-Island-Hopper-West tour (Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Krabi) which will probably be the most relaxing and the most hectic party portion of my trip, which is great as I'll have tons of energy! There's so many optional extra's, so you're never short on things to do and things to see or if you want to take it easy you can park yourself on one of the picturesque beaches! It's a 9 day round trip which is perfect time to see the sights of some of the Thai Islands!

Bangkok
I fly from Phuket to Bangkok and have a few days to rest and explore the Capital on my own before starting the Big Indochina Adventure. With the Big Indochina Adventure you get to travel around Thailand, Through Laos and on to Cambodia and last but not least Vietnam. I honestly can't wait for this part of my trip. It's going to be one hell of a life experience and I'm taking the "Yolo" approach and doing as much as the optional activities as possible! From Bangkok you get a Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai which looks like so much fun after a few days we then make our way to the Laos Border.

Laos

I've always really wanted to visit Laos. Maybe because I've heard it's less touristy than Thailand? I'm a sucker for good scenery and from reading the description on the tour this will probably be my favourite part. Travelling down the Mekong River in the middle of January is not something I'd ever thought I'd be doing earlier in the year, but it's funny how life can turn and do a 360! With the Contiki Tour I'll still be on my own, but I'll feel a hell of a lot safer, as well as making friends with people from all over the world! The Itinerary is jam packed too, so you really do get value for money and will see a lot of the country you mightn't necessarily see otherwise.

Cambodia

Next stop is Siem Reap in Cambodia with finishing this leg of the journey watching the Sunrise over Angkor Wat Temples. This is part of the tour that I really want to see. It's going to be surreal. After breakfast you have the chance to see some Social Work in the area, an area I've always been interested in, so I'm always really looking forward to that! After a free afternoon it's back on a Plane to Vietnam. I only recently changed my tour from the Asian Adventure to the Big Indochina Adventure as Vietnam is something I've always wanted to see, especially after learning about the Vietnam War in School.

Vietnam
 I know it's an insane amount of money,but I work hard and have a little saved up as well as sacrificing a lot of socialising to save every penny! Life really is too short to not do things that will enrich your life and give you a sense of freedom and independence! It's something I need to do before I (finally) settle into a career and won't have the chance to take a few months off and travel the world! Vietnam definitely looks the most interested part of the trip especially for a History Nerd like myself. I also can't wait to try a Vietnamese cooking Class and have a Thermal Mud Bath! It took me a while to decide what to do, but I'm so glad I've decided to go! 

Sydney

From Vietnam I'm off to Australia. A good friend of mine recently moved there so I'm visiting her! Sydney has always been somewhere I'd like to go! Although it really is a long way from home, I'll have a friendly face meeting me at the airport and won't feel so homesick(which I'm sure I will be feeling at this time!) I don't have a rock solid plan as I want to get in as much as possible as I don't know when I'll get back! I can't wait to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it's something I've always wanted to do! My Plan at the moment is to fly to Alice Springs and do the Rock Tour before I get up to Cairns to start my main tour! 

Cairns

The Tour I'm most leaning towards is Beaches and Reefs starting off in Cairns and working our way down to Sydney! I'm 100% going to The Great Barrier Reef on a day tour. I'm a water baby and will be in heaven doing a little dive! This tour both looks mental and relaxing and it's really appealing to me! The only problem is I want to see Melbourne during my stay in Australia, but the tour doesn't cover it! So I'm going to have to work around that. The problem with Australia is that it's just so vast, so if any of you live out there, please let me know what to do and what to see, preferably on the East coast!

Auckland

At the moment there's a huge question mark over New Zealand as funds are already really stretched, but I'm taking it month by month and hopefully I'll be able to afford it! New Zealand wasn't somewhere I was overly keen on until I began my research and I became obsessed.  I'd be doing the Northern Choice Contiki Tour which start in Auckland and finishes in Wellington. I know there's a lot more to see of New Zealand, but I'm clearly pushed for both cash and time and I found this was the best option. I love all the activities offered and would to experience everything I possibly can! Although the selling point of this tour for me was the "Hobbiton" experience! As I'm a bit of a "The Lord of The Rings" fan! New Zealand looks so unbelievably beautiful is definitely somewhere I'm dying to see!

If anyone has any travel tips, please let me know! 

France | Day 6

Dress: A|WEAR, Necklace:H&M, Bag:Fran&Jane, Sunglasses/Shoes/Ring:Penneys/Primark

Well the Holiday posts are now over! Back to reality! I don't mind as I had a lovely relaxing week with the Parents. It's nice to get away for a little bit and break away from your daily routine. I'm back a couple of days and it feels like I never left however. I'm a creature of habit and it's nice to get back into a routine. I did find I rather enjoyed daily blogging. I had such great intentions this Summer but I've  been focusing on myself more which took me away from the Internet. It's something that I will probably discuss soon as I've been getting a few emails about my health and fitness journey,although it's not something I'm overly keen to discuss at the moment. As I've mentioned before this will never, ever, ever been anything other than a fickle fashion and beauty blog so don't expect anything to change. I've always been confident (overly so nearly) and it's got absolutely nothing to do with my appearance. I'm extremely comfortable in my skin as I think you've all guessed from me parading around nearly in the nip in me bikini's. It will however become a travel Blog when I'm off, but other then that it will be same old, same old. I've so many plans in the pip line but all my efforts are going towards saving and planning my trip so everything is put on hold. I'll be back with a bang next year though, this I can promise you! Anyway France was great. Food and the Sun are always welcomed with open arms. I'm going to honestly make a proper effort now and aim for 4 blog posts a week, alternating fashion and beauty! 

France Day 5| La Rochelle

We went for a little stroll into the La Rochelle today. I wasn't bothered making that much of an effort so up went my hair and I threw on a slouchy T-shirt from Penney's/Primark and an Asos Skirt. I was clearing out my room when I saw this skirt and fell in love with it again! It's a little big on me but it's still totally wearable! The only thing is, it's not really a forgiving shape as it's a tulip shape, but I like it! 

T-Shirt and Sunglasses:Penney's/Primark, Skirt:Asos, Sandals:New Look

La Rochelle is a nice big town and has lots to offer. I raided Sephora and sat out in the Harbour enjoying people watching and a Coke Zero! So much nicer than both Coke and Diet Coke put together. It was a lovely hot day but my T-shirt was so nice and cool. It cost me €2 in the Penney's sale just before I went away. It's a really big fit. I'm wearing a 14 and have loads of room in it. It's so soft too, definitely one chilling in the house! Anyway until tomorrow, which is technically my last day, this week has flown far too quick! 

France Day 4| Chatelaillon Plage

T-shirt/Skirt:New Look, Sunglasses/Sandals:Primark, Necklace:River Island, Bag:Fran&Jane

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. We travelled down to Chatelaillon Plage just down the coast from La Rochelle.  It was such a lovely day and a great chance to top off my tan walking along the beach! I kept this relatively simple with a loose T-shirt and floaty skirt. I added a pop of colour with a statement necklace and added a pop of pink with my all time favourite Lippy "Candy Yum Yum" from Mac.