Category Archives: Holidays

Time to book a holiday again

Posted by jamiebarton on September 8, 2011 No comment

As you know I really like going on holiday, who doesn’t? So I am trying to sort out my winter sun break. Normally I book well in advance however because I couldn’t decide where to go until now I’m booking it a little later than normal.

I was watching keeping up with the Kardashians the other day and the family went to Bora Bora, which was amazing I have never seen water so blue, so I thought here we go, my winter sun holiday destination. Then I looked at the flight times from the UK to Bora Bora; It takes 22 hours from Paris to Tahiti then onto Bora Bora or you can fly from London to Los Angeles which is 11 hours and LA to Tahiti which is 8.5 hours so roughly 20 hours. Now I like flying but even for me that’s quite a distance and no doubt quite an expense so I had to think of somewhere else.

The Caribbean is generally my go to winter sun destination, after October the weather gets better, less chance of Hurricanes and torrential rain and the temp heat up again well a bit more! Last time I went to the Caribbean I went to Mexico, the west side rather than the more popular east side and it was amazing, I loved it and vowed to visit Mexico again, however due to flight restrictions from the UK its easier and cheaper to go to the East coast, plus there are plenty of package holidays for that.

However whilst looking for cheap holidays to the Caribbean I came across some great deals to the Dominican Republic, now I have been there too before but that was at least 4 years ago so I decided to see what I could find. Last time I stayed in the Puerto Plata region which was nice, great hotel although the surrounding area was apparently not that safe which has put me off going back to the resort there. But Punta Cana is meant to be a very good part to visit, so says my travel agent friend anyway. The resort of Bavaro has a great selection of hotels to choose from including a couple of 5* places which is what I seem to have a taste for now so all I have to do now is choose the hotel…….easier said than done.

Post-holiday blues

Posted by jamiebarton on July 5, 2011 No comment

I came back off my holiday in Turkey last week and the post-holiday blues set in straight way. Some people may laugh at post-holiday blues but many people suffer from them, if you think about it one minute you’re lying on the beach, the sun on your skin, thinking about which cocktail you’ll order in the evening; the next you’re back home facing a mountain of dirty washing, dead houseplants and nothing to look forward to.

There are a few suggestions to get over the blues; some people suggest unpacking immediately and getting all you washing over and done with. Which is what I did, however suitcase is still in the kitchen, in the way and all the clean washing is building up on my ironing board! This may be why I’m still suffering from the blues. There are also suggestions that you show off your tan, which was okay to do a couple of days ago, but know we have had rain, I can’t show it off as much as I would like to.

One way I have found to keep the holiday mood going, even back at work is the healthy eating I did on holiday, with plenty of salads and fresh fruit. Only thing I have omitted was the cakes I ate every day, much is the shame. This has helped me feel a lil better, however I think the only option left is to book another holiday, that’s a sure fire way to get over the holiday blues and then I can get excited about that!

Summer holiday clothing

Posted by jamiebarton on June 11, 2011 No comment

As I have mentioned before I am going on holiday in a couple of weeks, (sorry for going on about, to those who aren’t lucky enough to go away, I don’t mean to rub it in) and I am looking at taking some funky t-shirts to for my friend and I to wear whilst we are away. However the only really funky designs I like are from US clothing brand Wildfox, unfortunately for holidays, their t-shirts are quite pricy.

So I have decided to look into t shirt printing to make my own funky t-shirts, taking inspiration from Wildfox designs, (not copying them obviously)I have come up with my own funky t-shirt designs, which I will get printed up for my friend and I ready for our hols. There are numerous places on the highstreet where you can get t-shirts printed, however where I work I couldn’t really find anywhere suitable and as I work most days I have decided to go with online printing company, Adlogo.

They have a great selection of clothing which they can print onto, in a wide range of sizes, so I can easily find something to fit us both. I am really quite excited about seeing the finished product, which won’t be long because Adlogo has a really quick turnaround time!

New suitcase

Posted by jamiebarton on June 8, 2011 No comment

Not a very interesting topic really I am afraid, but the other day I was looking to buy a new suitcase for my next holiday which is coming up in a couple of weeks. I do currently have a suitcase, a relatively cheap one I picked up a couple of years ago, however I keep having problems with the zip, (opening and closing) which is starting to get on my nerves.

SO I decided this time I probably should splash out on a more expensive case in the hope of it lasting longer than my cheaper ones. The only problem now is whether to go for hard case or soft case, both had positive and negative points and a search on the internet to find out which is best didn’t bring up much. I have had both hard and soft cases before. My original hard case did quite well but after a couple of holidays came of the carousel with a big crack on the outside and it wouldn’t shut well after that. The soft case is the one I have mentioned above with the dodgy zip, other than that I haven’t had any problems with it, other than the panic that my bottle of tequila from Mexico which I wrapped up in my clothes would get broken, (it didn’t and was very nice). There are so many brands that it can be quite hard to know where to start, so I figure probably with the ones I have heard of such as Samsonite and Carlton and go from there.

So here I am a couple of weeks to go and no decision, one thing I am sure about is that I want four wheels, just because.

Summer holiday wardrobe

Posted by jamiebarton on May 10, 2011 No comment

There is always a lot to look forward to when you go on holiday, one of my favourite things is preparation, normally because this consist of my favourite pastime, shopping. My summer holiday wardrobes for the past few years haven’t really changed, I’ve managed with the same old bikinis, cover-ups and shorts, so this year as I’m going to a posher resort than normal I’d give my beach look an update.

The thing is with holiday clothing, you don’t want to spend too much on it, because let’s face it you’re only going to wear a bikini or cover up twice in one year if you’re lucky, so for these two items I tend to opt for cheaper options that are still fairly well made. This season H&M have a great collection of cheap bikinis which have a designer look to them. For cover ups you don’t have to go for a kaftan, a simple boyfriend fit shirt works well, or a baggy racer back vest top, all of these can be fairly inexpensive. Other items I tend to bulk buy when on offer is vest tops, most of the highstreet stores such as Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, New Look and Republic have buy one get one free or buy 2 for ‘X’ amount, so I always take a bunch on holiday with me in various colours as they can be worn for casual or you can dress them up.

Other items i tend to splurge on are dresses, because I can get more wear out of them, well as long as we have some good weather here in the UK, I also splurge on a couple of pairs of dressy sandals for an evening on holiday as I can get more wear out of those at home too. Accessories can also glam up an outfit and make it look more expensive than it is, so I always take a couple of scarves, belts and hats away with me, as well as quirky jewellery as these items don’t take up too much room or weight.

One final thought, I think I may also need a new suitcase to put it all in as my old one is very tatty!

Looking forward to summer

Posted by jamiebarton on May 4, 2011 No comment

Now the Royal Wedding and the bumper bank holidays are over I’m now looking forward to my summer holiday and one more bank holiday at the end of the month! The unseasonably warm weather has firmly put me in the summer mood and I hope it continues until I go away.

There are so many things that I love about the summer, when we have nice weather here in the UK, long evenings spent relaxing in my garden, BBQ’s with family and friends and getting out and enjoying the best the UK has to offer. After last year’s disappointing summer, many people will be hoping this year will be an improvement so they can fully enjoy the ‘staycation’ and ‘daycation’ holiday trends that have come about since the recession. With soaring fuel costs to travel abroad or even anywhere here in the UK for a holiday has had to be put on hold for many Britons, so after all that the last thing we need is a washout summer.

I’m lucky, my all inclusive summer holiday was booked and paid for last year, before the recent increase in travel costs, however if I wish to go abroad again next year it’s not going to be cheap and I need to start saving now. Even looking to take a break in this country will cost me and that’s before we factor in fuel costs and god knows how high they will be next year! For the time being it looks like many people will have to stay put, until the market forces stabilise before they can think about going away.

So fingers crossed everyone, that the weather stays good, warms up and we have a good summer, I think everyone will need it!

Planning a weekend city break

Posted by jamiebarton on January 23, 2011 No comment

When I go away anywhere I like to plan every last detail, no matter how long my trip is, because I don’t like to be caught out so when I found the Infoserve City-Visitor website all my planning prayers had been answered, all in one spot! I always like to be prepared and organised, so when I am away I don’t have to worry about the little details, such as where to eat and trying to book tables or trying to find a hire car and it’s a one stop shop for all the things I need.

City-Visitor advertises business, services and products across the country so you can easily find information and services for the town or city you are visiting, from hotels to restaurants, car services to florists. This service is ideal for anyone who takes small trips either personal or business, I managed to find local restaurants that were in easy walking distance to my hotel and car services near to the train station. I can also access information quickly if I need it where I am staying without having to trawl through lots of websites.

Infoserve City-Visitor website is also ideal for people looking to promote their business or services, because they offer enhanced listing, priority listing and spotlight page as well as website products and hosting all in one easy to access place, which can save you time and money.

My Halloween costume

Posted by jamiebarton on November 5, 2010 No comment

Every year I end up going to a Halloween party and it’s starting to get quite expensive to buy a new costume all the time, not to mention coming up with new ideas that no one else has done either in the past.

Recently I had seen shops selling t-shirts with scary/Halloween themed designs on them and thought this was a novel and cheap way to make a costume, however instead of buying one of these I decided I would make my own instead using t shirt printing.

I quite liked the idea of being a skeleton, as it wouldn’t be too hard to design and I managed to find a decent and realistic picture of a skeletal torso to use on a white t-shirt so I can wear it with white jeans. I used online printing company, Splash Logo to print my t-shirt design because they offered an easy and quick service.

Although it wasn’t a highly imaginative costume choice, it did have the required effect as well as being significantly cheaper so know all I have to do is come up with a new design next year!

Looking after my hair on holiday

Posted by jamiebarton on September 5, 2010 No comment

I am due to go on my summer holiday and I have just had my hair done, which include it being coloured, one of my concerns are though that whilst I am away my hair may become damages, not only from the sun, but also the chlorine in the swimming pool and also styling my hair as well. I will be using my ghd hair straighteners most days because unfortunately my hair does not like humidity and tends to become rather volumous.

As I have mentioned in a previous post I will be using a spray that protects my hair from the suns harmful UV rays and should also protect my colour, however I also need to protect my hair from all the styling. Looking into what I need to do whilst away to keep my hair in tip top condition I have found that I need to make sure my hair is well conditioned, damage from the chlorine will leave it dry so I need to make sure I use conditioner on it when I wash it but I will also need to use a conditioning treatment. This should help revitalise my hair and replenish moisture that has been lost.

I also need to make sure before I blow dry my hair and style it I protect it, this means using a spray that protects my hair from the damage caused by the heat, such as ghd thermal protector which uses the latest in heat protection technology to give you 50% extra protection whilst heat styling. This should ensure may hair does not become weak and brittle and will also make it a lot easier to comb.

Summer holiday essentials

Posted by jamiebarton on August 5, 2010 No comment

I will be going on my summer holiday in a month so its time I got organised with my clothing essentials, it’s a beach holiday so I will be taking my summer clothes and bikinis etc which I already have however my holiday beauty products is where I am lacking. Us women have a lot more to think about when taking products on holiday, more than men, not only do you have to remember the most importantly sunscreen and after sun but also a whole host of other things that are needed to keep us looking our best while we are away.

Obviously while at home I have my beauty regime however, all the creams and lotions I use can’t really be taken with me otherwise my suitcase will be full of them, instead I have to look for products that are small lightweight and multipurpose.

Face wipes are always handy, they are great for cleaning off make-up and unclogging my pores that are full of  lotion they are also great for freshening up my face, a night cream is also a must, after a day in the sun, my face will be drying up so over night will get back some much needed moisture. My hair also needs protecting, as it too can be damaged by the harmful UV rays that damage our skin and because it’s dyed darker than my natural colour I do not want the colour to fade too much either. For during the day you can now buy UV protecting products such as Kerastase Soleil 2010 range that protects the hair safely against the effects of sun exposure and re-hydrates thirsty summer hair. As well as that a good conditioning treatment whilst I am away will also replenish any lost moisture from my hair and to make sure the colour doesn’t get too damaged I will be wearing a hat as much as possible, my straw trilby should do the trick.

One last thing I must remember before I go is also to book myself in for a manicure and pedicure to make sure my hands and feet look good too!