8 Alternative Uses for Airport Security Bags

Most airports have a vast supply of those little plastic bags available before you go through security, and if you happen to accidentally take a couple of extra ones with you, do not throw them out!! Here are some great things that they are extremely useful for!

  1. Food Smuggling

    These bags are also very useful for carrying food around with you. If you’re staying half-board, you can make the most of the breakfast buffet by snaffling some pastries or making up some sandwiches. If you put one of these bags inside your handbag you can swipe as much as possible without your handbag getting filled with crumbs.

    pastries in bag

  2. Toothbrush/Razor Quarantine

    So you’re packing up your suitcase ready to head home. You brush your teeth, then realise that the wet toothbrush is going to have to go in to your sponge bag and get everything else wet (or if you don’t have a sponge bag it is just going to have to roll about in your suitcase). So the airport bag fits in a toothbrush perfectly. The same thing goes for your razor.

  3. Prep for Next Flight

    Make sure you take at least one bag back home with you for the next time you fly. Then you can completely avoid the worry that you’ll have too many liquids to fit in the bag, and you can pack it before you even leave home. Then you can just breeze through security and whip out your pre-packed bag and nothing will have to get thrown away! (Each liquid should be in a container of no more than 100ml, and the bag has to be able to seal). If you’re lucky enough to frequently go on mini-breaks, you could leave a pre-packed plastic airport bag in your holiday bag.

    airport liquids

  4. Kids Toys

    If you are with a child who likes to carry a lot of toys about, or likes to get them from the toy machines, then you stuff loads in your airport bag, and they can carry it themselves using the little handle!

  5.  Carrying Dog Treats

    When you are training your dog, you don’t want her to be distracted by the rustling of treat bags. You can buy expensive silent treat bags, however, I find the airport bags work just as well! They are big enough to hold a good variety of treats, you can see what’s in there, and you can easily carry it with you on your walk. Also – perfect if you don’t want to carry a slobbery tennis ball, you can just shove it in there too!

    dog treats

  6. Leaky Bottles

    If you’re packing something you don’t quite trust, just stick it in the airport bag, then if it leaks there is much less mess to sort out!

  7. Tiny Bits & Bobs

    Hair clips, hair bobbles, earrings, necklaces, rings… put all of your important little bits and bobs in here to keep them safe and stop them getting lost in your suitcase.

  8. Travel Documents

    This is so sensible, and I feel like it is the sort of organised thing a parent would do. When you are packing your hand luggage ready to set off on your travels, put your boarding passes, insurance docs, passports e.t.c into the plastic bag and seal it. This way, even if something leaks in your bag, your important docs will be safe! Not that anything should leak, because anything potentially leaky should already be bagged – see number 6!

    documents

So I suppose you can tell that I really love the little airport bags! Have you got any other uses for them? I’d love to know if there is anyone else out there who loves them as much as me! The main thing I want to share from this is do not throw away your plastic airport bags – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! 

If this has got you feeling inspired to travel, why not check out this interview about what its like living in Queenstown!

,

11 Things That Happen When You Become a Dog-Owner

Since adopting my little Romanian rescue dog, my life has changed greatly, and if you’re thinking of getting a dog, here’s a glimpse into what the future could hold for you! And if you are trying to decide between adopting or buying from a breeder, choose adoption!

  1. You quickly learn the name of every dog living in a 10-mile radius of you.Staffie on Ilkley Moor
  2. You’ll swap your handbag for a rucksack because you suddenly need to always have leads, harness, blanket, treats, poo bags, dog coat and human coat on you at all time!
    greyhound in coat
  3. When anyone suggests going anywhere your first thought is always ‘is it dog friendly?… can my dog come’?
    dog in blanket
  4. You stop buying yourself anything, and all the time you used to spend online shopping is now spent hanging out in Pets at Home or browsing online dog accessory shops.
    dog in passenger seat
  5. Whenever anyone asks what you want for your birthday or Christmas you instantly ask for things for the dog.
    christmas dog
  6. You stop meeting up with friends in bars and instead ask them to join you on a dog walk.
    dogs on leads
  7. When you’re not with them you wish you could text them to see how they are.
    cute sleeping dog
  8. You spend more time arranging play dates for them than you do arranging your own social calendar.
    dog friends
  9.  When you go on holiday without them you spend your whole time away asking whoever is looking after them how they are, and every time you pass a dog you have to stroke it and think about how much you wish your dog was there. If you can’t bear to leave your dog-child behind then you can find information about travelling with your dog here! 🙂
    suitcase dog
  10. If someone doesn’t like your dog then you know you’ll never be friends. But if someone is nice to your dog you’ll love them forever!
    sleeping like dog
  11. When your dog is happy, you are happy!❤️
    Fifi GIF

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this list! If you want more cute dog pictures, check out my review of Otley’s wonderful dog-friendly cafe!

Favourite Adverts Roundup

There are so many rubbish adverts these days, so seeing a really great one, which managed to successfully promote the brand whilst being memorable is pretty special.

You can see my favourites below, a mixture of old and new 🙂

AA – Singing Baby

Three – Dancing Pony

Aldi – I like Gin

Specsavers – Sloth

Whats your favourite advert? Let me know in the comments below.

Kayla Itsines BBG

Have you heard of the Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide?  Of course you have! If you scroll through Instagram you’ll see plenty of motivated ladies sharing their journeys using #BBG.

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I downloaded the Sweat with Kayla app a couple of weeks ago, I love it! And I am not the only one. I’ve done plenty of home workouts before, but there seems to be something about this one. Here is why I think Kayla Itsines has become so popular;

  • The workouts are achievable, at only 30 mins long, it is hard to make excuses not to just do it.
  • Even if you are a novice, the app has 4 weeks worth of beginner training to ensure that you are fit enough to complete the BBG without injuring yourself.
  • You don’t really need much equipment, and most things you can substitute for household items.
  • The workouts really do make you sweat, so much so that a hairwashing shower is required, meaning that you feel like you’ve really achieved something.
  • The app even has a food diary to let you know what you should be eating, and it caters for different dietary options, even vegan!
  • Kayla actually seems like a lovely person, she started out as a personal trainer, sharing the success of her clients on her Instagram page, she is inspirational, and a reminder that you can do anything if you put your mind to it!
  • You are encouraged to go walking, running or cycling for 40 minutes a few times a week, which some people may not incorporate into a workout, but it is a good way to remind you to just do more exercise.
  • The main reason for Kayla’s success is surely the incredible community! I joined the BBG Support Group on Facebook, which has almost 40,000 members, and I was amazed.  The love and support these women give each other is overwhelming, and in this world, women supporting each other is so crucial.

via GIPHY

Home workouts are perfect for getting back into fitness when you’ve had one too many takeaways and feel like you can’t quite face going for a jog!

9 Ethical Gift Ideas

Words to Live By

Sometimes in life we get so caught up going from one thing to the next, we don’t give ourselves the time we need to reflect. I think it is important to have a few key ideas to live by. These may be film quotes, song lyrics, or even an inspirational quote with a meaningful background on Instagram.

Yes, it’s cheesy.. but I tend to find most things are better with a sprinkling of cheese!

This way, if you are ever unsure about what to do, you can look to these words for guidance.

These have helped me so far;

tree

If you are unhappy,  do something about it. If something isn’t right, then fix it! You only get one chance at life, so crack on! Don’t waste years being unhappy. Believe in yourself and get what you want. If you’re in a depressing job that you hate then quit, if you’re in a relationship that doesn’t fill you with joy then leave. It can seem scary, and maybe you’re worried about the consequences, but don’t worry, because things can only get better! Stand up for yourself, future you will thank you for it.

 

river

We’re all so busy waiting for the next stage in our lives that its easy to forget to appreciate what we already have.

If you keep waiting for happiness it may never come. Live for the moment, and be grateful for what you do have.

 

 

 

 

,

Dream Travel List

In my job I am often coming across amazing places, so I started compiling a list of awesome things I want to do and places I want to explore (and animals I want to see in their natural habitats). 

This list is growing all the time, and if you have any suggestions please do let me know! ?

1. Churchill (Manitoba, Canada)

Friendly Canadians and polar bears! You can’t go wrong!

churchill-manitoba-polar-bears

‘Gaiter and Earring’ by Emma

2. The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Sea lions.. who doesn’t like sea lions!

the-galapagos-islands-sea-lion

‘IMG_1042’ by Boyd Dwyer

3. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

For ultimate tranquillity, and incredible waterfalls.

plitvice-lakes-croatia

‘Plitvice Lake’ by 29cm

4. The Maldives

Paradise!

maldives

‘Kuramathi Island, Maldives’ by Mac Qin

 5. Bear Watching in Finland

More bears? Yes! ?

bear-watching-in-finland

‘Bear Watching Karhu-Kuusamo Finland’ by Gary Bembridge

6. Vancouver, Canada

Potentially meeting Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki

vancouver

‘Canada – Vancouver – False Creek, Burrard Bridge’ by Harshil Shah

7. Hawaii

hawaii

‘Hula silhouette’ by Brad Hagan

8. Warner Bros. Studio, California, USA

warner-bros-studio-tour-hollywood

‘Central Perk’ by William Warby

9. Seville

plaza-espana

10. Japan

cherry blossom