A Sentimental Suitcase

I am so excited. A few days ago I bought my new suitcase and oh my goodness, it’s beautiful. I know you’re probably thinking – It’s a suitcase, it has to be practical, not beautiful. That’s what the shop assistant thought. She didn’t tell me straight out but I could tell from all of the dirty looks and rolled eyes she pointed in my direction whenever I mentioned an ugly colour or a beautiful pattern. In my defence, I believe that your suitcase is not only your bag to carry your valuables during your travels. It’s the thing that you’re clutching excitedly and a little nervously at the airport, the item close to you as you take your first steps into your dream holiday destination. It’s the thing that you wait for anxiously at the conveyor belt, hoping that it got through safely. I wanted my suitcase to be individual, so that I’d know the moment I saw it that it was mine. I wanted it to reflect my personality, to match my outfit I would be wearing at the airport, and to match the beautiful scarf I’d just bought. Throughout your travels, your suitcase becomes kind of your companion, the thing that holds all your new found treasures; whether they be those heels you found in Milan or that pebble you picked up off of the ground in Paris. To me, a suitcase represents travel; going somewhere; something special, rarely used. So next time you go suitcase shopping, don’t just buy the most ordinary thing you can find. Take some time to look around and find something special that you love and look forward to take with you on your travels.

Yeah, that’s pretty much all I have to say, just another little passionate vent about travelling :’) I hope you enjoyed reading, although this one is just a kind of me thing haha, just felt like telling the world. Like, comment and follow, and I’ll try my best to get back to you!

Tamara.joy xoxo

p.s. 17 days to go!

Oh and p.s.s. My camera is ordered! I am getting the sony cyber-shot hx30v, and I’ll hopefully be writing a quick review if I have time, so keep checking in the weeks to come x

A Traveller’s Checklist

Hello dear readers!

As you all know, I will be heading over to Europe in 18 days, and I am so excited – I’m going out of my mind! This morning I was thinking about everything that I had to bring and had to do before I left, and I decided that I’d write a post about it to not only help myself to remember, but other traveller’s as well. So here it goes….

1. Take care of responsibilities at home

This includes your  job (see “The Step by Step Guide to Quitting your Job”), your pets (find someone to take care of them while you’re away), your house (have people check on belongings etc.), your cars (have someone turn on the motor every couple of weeks) and so on. Make sure you have these things sorted really early on in case people can’t go through with it. I know you’re excited but you have to remember the important things!

2. Check your bookings

Sometimes airlines have to change times pretty close to the date, so just make sure you know when to show up at the airport! For international flights remember to get to the airport at least one and a half hours before departure. Aim for two!

3. Sort out your finances

When I go to Europe I will be using a multi currency cash passport through Credit Union Australia. My family has used it before and it’s always worked perfectly, no dramas. I have heard that some people had problems at some ATMs in Italy while using the cash passport through Commonwealth bank, so just be aware. Read some reviews, and check the exchange rate before you go to the bank to activate your card.

4. Appropriate clothing

Here comes the fun part… clothes shopping! According to the season, the place and the amount of time you are going for, you’re going to need different clothes. I will be going to Europe for two months (December and January) so I’ll be needing plenty of warm clothes. I suggest bringing 3 of each thing that needs washing after every use (underwear) so you can wear one, have one in the wash and a spare one in your bag at all times. Don’t bring more than necessary, because remember, you only have 20 kilos! Have casual, formal and everyday wear, because you never know where you’ll be going – that’s the fun of travelling. You have to be prepared but not overly prepared, because unless you’re going somewhere rural, remember that there are shops there and you won’t need to have everything before you get there. Just enough to be comfortable until you can go shopping again. Shoes are also an important part of your travels – cold feet can ruin your whole day. It is worth it to spend a bit of money on good, sturdy shoes that will last you your whole holiday. I got mine from It’s Extreme for $72 down from well over $100, so remember to keep an eye out for bargains!  A month before you go, I suggest checking all that you have already. Then write a list of essential things you still need, and another list of things that you will buy when you arrive there. This way you’ll have plenty of time, you’ll be prepared, and you’ll also be under the weight limit!

4. Necessities

Pack YOUR PASSPORT,  toothbrush, toothpaste, make up,  a face towel, hair brush, a bottle of water, some cash in the currency of the place you are going, your mobile phone + charger, your camera + charger + USB cable, laptop (for photo storage + backup), power plug adapter, suitcase keys and anything else you think you’ll need on the plane flight into your hand luggage bag. Get one that is easy to carry and comfortable on your shoulder/s, so that you won’t be uncomfortable during stopovers.

5. Packing your Suitcase

I suggest doing this two nights before you leave, so that you still have a bit of time for last minute shopping, but pack your hand luggage the day before because you will still need the items in there. Choose the outfit/s you will wear on the plane flight and hang them up in your cupboard instead of packing them. Make sure everything is secure and protected in your suitcase. If things are easily breakable, cover them with something soft and put them in the middle of the suitcase. Make sure to put things you will need most on top so that they are easily accessible.

6. Lift Off!

Now that you have everything sorted, all you can do is wait. I have been counting down since 250 days, and now it’s finally 18! No matter how far away your holiday may seem, I promise you the time will come so much faster than you expected. In this waiting period, I like to google things to do in my destination, and make a rough holiday plan. But remember to leave space to be spontaneous! One last thing… Have the time of your life. Leave all of your worries behind – you can tend to them when you get back.

Please tell me anything I’ve forgotten in the comments below, as well as experiences (good and bad) from your travels – I’d love to hear  them! Thanks for reading,

- Tamara.joy x

The Step by Step Guide to Quitting your Job

Ok, so at the beginning of this year I got a job at a clothes shop and I absolutely hated it. I had three managers, a laid back, ‘do whatever you want’ type, a kind of nice, ‘I hate my job’ type and a grouchy, ‘I take my job way too seriously’ type. Every shift I had I would go in there and just want to die until my shift ended, because I constantly felt like I was wasting my life away. I couldn’t stand walking around in the artificial light cleaning dust off of shelves and straightening clothes all day long while the sun was shining outside. On top of this, school was getting really busy. So anyway, one day, after a really long shift, I decided that enough was enough. There was no point working at a place that ruined my weekend and my whole week, and always trying my best without getting any recognition at all so I decided to quit. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, so I’m going to help you enhance your life:

Step 1: Decide whether or not the money is worth it. Being a teenage casual worker I earned less than $10 per hour, so the money was definitely not worth it in my case. I still live with my parents and don’t have to pay the bills myself. If you have to pay all your bills yourself and rely on the pay, you should probably wait until you have another job before quitting. But if you’re like me, a teenager who  feels like they need to do more important things with their life, continue to step 2.

Step 2: Deciding when to quit your job. DO NOT just quit your job on the spot. You need to do your best to keep on good terms with your  ex-employers so that they give you a good reference when you’re looking for a new job. You need to take into account which manager will be working when you want to quit, whether you want to quit before the store opens, during your lunch break or after the store closes. Your employer will need two weeks notice before you quit, so you will still have to work there for a while after quitting. I’ll be honest, those two weeks are plain awkward; there’s no way around it, but you can make it less awkward by keeping on good terms with your employer, and writing a killer resignation letter. See step 3.

Step 3: Writing the resignation letter. I know it’s kind of sad, but this was one of my favourite moments. Like ever. I started my letter with: ‘Dear management at …………’ Then I continued to tell them my ‘reason’ (planning to focus on my studies) and told them that due to this, I had to resign my position with them. Then I thanked them for the opportunity and for all the valuable life skills that I’d learnt through working with them. You’ll also need to state the last possible date that you can work with them (in two weeks time.)  Make sure your resignation letter doesn’t give them anything to complain about, so that your last two weeks there will be the best as opposed to the worst.

Step 4: Quitting. So you’re really ready to quit your job. You’ve decided whether or not it’s worth it, decided on the right time to quit and written a flawless resignation letter. There is only one thing left to do, the thing you’ve been fantasizing about since your first shift – quitting your job. I quit mine at the end of my shift, when I went to get my bag from my locker. The store was already shut and I was working with the nice manager who hated her job, and I quickly caught her on her way out and said ‘I’m sorry, but I have to resign my position, due to ………..’ I then gave her my resignation letter and told her I would see her next week, and then I was off. If I could do it again, I think I would quit during my lunch break, because my manager was so ready to go home that I almost didn’t catch her!

So there you go, two more weeks and it’s all over. If you’re nervous about quitting your job, just take a deep breath and think about the freedom you will feel afterwards. Think about this job as a short chapter of your life which was a good experience, and think about everything you’ve learnt from them and how it has made you a better person with a stronger direction of where you want to go with your life career wise. All I know is that I am never going into retail again. As you probably know, I am going to Italy in 19 days, and right now I am on top of the world. I know I want to do something with writing, and I know I will be going to Europe worry- free. Life really is great. If you want to feel like this I suggest you follow these steps, quit your job and run away to Europe for a while. If money is tight, get a different job before quitting, and then go travelling in the holidays once you have saved up a good amount. Just don’t let your life slip away from you. Live, love and laugh as much as you can, and don’t waste your time doing something you hate. Find your passion and chase it. Ask me any questions, any time, and be sure to tell me how you went!

Over and out,

Tamara.joy

Hello World

Welcome to my blog! 

In the near future you’ll find details and photos from my trip to Europe, travel, tutorials, reviews, tips about life and fashion and all that good stuff. Make sure you check back soon to read some more and tell me what you want me to write about. I hope to hear from you soon, and thanks for reading,

- Tamara.joy