What a Carry-On - Travelling Light (Again!)

A couple of days before we headed to Glastonbury Jet2 had a 24hour flash sale and we managed to snaffle a couple of return flights to Corfu for £60 each (it's well worth joining the mailing lists for your favourite budget airlines even if the constant emails drive you daft!) It's a common misconception that flights get cheaper if you leave it until the last minute to book, when I checked for the dates we're flying, the same flights are now £249 each. After buying the flights I checked Booking.com and discovered that all the accomodation in our preferred area was fully booked, with the exception of a posh apartment which was way beyond our budget. Nevertheless, I popped it on the wishlist and researched locations elsewhere on the island but, a week later, I received an alert from Booking.Com - the price of the posh apartment had been reduced by £200. 

Pass us the credit card, Jon!

My cabin suitcase measures 56m x 39cm x 22cm

Our flights allow one piece of hand luggage weighing up to 10kg and with maximum dimensions of 56cm x 45cm x 25cm plus a personal bag, small enough to fit beneath the seat in front. Travellers have the option to pay an extra £48 per person each way for an additional 22kg of hold luggage ...not that we'll be doing that, we'd rather wear the same clothes on repeat and put that £200 towards our next adventure! 

As I've explained before, the benefits of carry-on travel has loads of advantages. Aside from the money saved from not paying for hold baggage, it totally changes the way we move about. Only carrying a single, lightweight bag enables us to walk the 1.5 miles to the railway station & catch the direct train to BHX, not relying on friends to drop us and our bags at the airport or annoying other people on the train by clogging up the aisles with huge suitcases. At the airport we can head straight to security, avoiding the scrum at the baggage drop, and be enjoying a pre-flight pint in the airside branch of Wetherspoons less than an hour after leaving home. On arrival, once we're through passport control, we bypass the passengers anxiously waiting to reclaim their suitcases from the carousel (no chance of losing your luggage with a carry-on!) and take public transport to our destination. Other than not having a different outfit every day and honestly, who's even going to care that you're wearing the same clothes? There really is no downside to travelling light. 

Read more about how I pack light HERE.

Having been to Corfu before (this'll be our sixth visit) we'll be doing exactly the same as we usually do ... by day, sea swimming, sunbathing and exploring the island by public transport or on foot with our evenings spent chilling out in laid-back tavernas. The daytime temperature will be a delicious 35°C, dropping to 26°C by midnight. 

I cannot wait to throw myself off the rocks and swim in the Ionian sea! 

So what am I taking? 

 A raffia bag (Monsoon, 2024), a rayon cover-up (River Island via Vinted) , a foldable cowboy hat (Vinted), a backless cotton maxi dress (Zara via Vinted), a silk maxi dress (Red Haute via Vinted), an art silk kaftan (Walsall market), Teva flatforms (retail, 2024), Teva midforms (retail, 2023), 2 x bikinis (Accessorize via Vinted & Adidas x Farm Rio), my Greek cotton co-ord (Vinted), vintage Levi's cut-offs (charity shop aeons ago), Monsoon cotton smock top (courtesy of Nikki) and a Moroccan straw clutch (charity shop, 2018). 

A shedload of silver & turquoise jewellery.

Cotton throw, sarong, headscarf, googles, E-reader, prescription sunnies/readers. 

Hair stuff: Brush, hairbands, hairpin. Face stuff: 30 x magnifying mirror, mascara, eyeliner x 2, eyebrow pencil, eyeshadow, brushes, pencil sharpener, tweezers, lip stick, blusher. I never bother with make-up during the day but love bright lips and a smoky eye by night!

Do not adjust your screens - those are full-sized bottles of sunscreen! Birmingham Airport has just relaxed the 100ml liquid rule, allowing passengers to carry liquids in containers up to 2 litres in their hand luggage. But before you start filling your carry-on with full-sized bottles of your favourite products, remember that most of the world's airports still only allow containers of 100ml (which must be presented separately in a clear plastic bag at security) so unless you intend to use everything up while you're away, bear in mind that you won't be able to bring your half-used  containers of larger than 100ml back in your hand luggage. Stick to decanting your toiletries into smaller containers and don't forget to pack a couple of clear plastic bags so that you can bring back what's left of your liquids, pastes and gels without getting your stuff confiscated. 

We're taking: 2 x Factor 30 once a day sunscreen, once a day facial sunscreen, 2 x bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste, bamboo interdental brushes, Lush shampoo and conditioner bars, hair serum, eye make-up remover, reusable cotton pads, Greek olive oil soap & loofah, bamboo cotton buds, razors x 2, shave gel, mozzie repellent, facial oil, Karma solid parfum, nail file, nail clippers, lip balm, plasters and ibuprofen.

Lots of tourists pack tester/travel sized products and travel with old/cheap clothes and footwear which they leave behind when they go home. I don't feel comfortable doing this, not everywhere 

(especially small islands) have the recycling facilities that we do and disposing of tourist waste is becoming a huge problem. Instead I do what we're told to do at festivals and Leave No Trace.

I'd intended to travel in my blue dress but Mrs Kaur on the haberdashery stall forced me to buy this art silk kaftan when I popped in for some elastic earlier today. It was reduced to £5..how could I resist? 

 

In my personal bag I'll have tissues, my water bottle (which I'll fill up at the airport), my Kobo E-reader, prescription specs and I'll have my jewellery packed in my make-up bag ready to put on once I'm through security. 

Don't worry, William and Gordon (and the house) will be loved and cared for by our fabulous friend, Michelle and their uncle Marcus (my brother!)

See you soon! 

PS Best of luck to our amazing Lionesses later - we can do this!!!! 

Travelling Light & How I Do it

Carry-on travel has loads of advantages. You can head straight to security bypassing the scrum at the baggage drop at the airport; its easier on you physically, allowing you to be more flexible in where and how quickly can you move about, it can save you £££s on air fares and finally, there's no chance of your luggage getting lost. In fact, other than not having a different outfit every day, there's no downside to travelling light. Most of traveling light is in the preparation: advance planning and good lists. It's not rocket science, if I can manage it then so can you! Here's how I do it.

•  At least a week before my departure date I get out every garment I think I might want to take and lay them out on the bed in the spare bedroom. After a while I'll notice a palette of similar colours emerging which allows me to see what will work with what. When you pack light every garment has to multitask so, even if I really love something and desperately want to take it on my travels, if it only goes with one other thing I just have to fight the urge and say NO!
• Next I'll make outfits from the collection. I'll try everything on just to remind myself of how something fits. If it needs a slip underneath - or a belt - or will only work with one particular pair of shoes - or creases like a bastard - then it gets rejected. Whilst I'm trying my clothes on I'll then decide on which accessories will work.  This, of course, saves loads of time when I'm away, as I'm not dithering over what I'm going to wear with what. 
• When I think I've made my decision I'll check that it all fits into my case and then hang everything up on the back of the bedroom door (this is where those over-the-door racks really come in handy!) Occasionally I'll take something out or swap something over but I'll never add more. I take the same amount of clothes for a week away as I would for six. Only packing clothes I love and feel good in means that I'm happy to wear them on repeat. If needs be I can always wash my clothes in the shower and hang them up to dry.
• Finally I photograph everything I'm taking and create a Pinterest board, adding photos of me wearing my outfits when I return. This visual reference really helps when I'm packing for my next adventure. 

• Toiletries and make-up : Always check the airport rules with regards to liquids - at the moment Birmingham (like most UK airports) still limit containers to 100ml or less (although you can take as many as you wish) but these now stay in your carry-on and do not have to be separated into a clear bag. However, every European airport I've returned from in the last twelve months still demand liquids be presented separately in a clear bag so I pack my liquids in a clear bag within my toiletry bag so I don't forget the clear bag for my return journey (its also an additional safety measure against spills.) Don't get caught out and be that annoying person in the queue - check, check and check again! 

• To save the faff I try and reduce the amount of liquids to an absolute minimum. I decant liquids and pastes into smaller containers wherever possible, use Lush's shampoo and conditioner bars and although I don't love them, take biodegradable facial wipes rather than eye makeup remover and cotton pads. I'm always scouring the charity shops for sample-sized toiletries - the Korres body butter in a handy 60ml tube (still sealed) was a recent find (as was the illuminated 30x magnifying mirror with handy suction pads). Even the most remote village in rural India has somewhere to buy a plaster or a painkiller so I just pack the essentials.

• Beauty: Eyebrow pencil, blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, mascara, 2 x brushes, tweezers and a pencil sharpener. Much as I love playing around with different shades of eyeshadow, eyeliner and lipstick I limit myself to one of each when I travel. I have a gel manicure so I don't have to worry about my nails chipping (or breaking). Don't forget that mascara and lipstick both count as liquids.

• Hair: Tangle Teezer, velvet scrunchies (in the same colour palette), hair pin, Wonder Bobble ( the item that looks like telephone cord & the best thing ever for keeping your pony tail in place) and invisible bands for securing my bedtime plaits. When I wash my hair at home I plait it and leave it to dry naturally. As we'll be going out at night and the evenings are chilly, I'll need to blast it with a hairdryer. I have got a little travel hairdryer but I shall email the property owner and ask if they have one I can use, which should save a few inches of precious space. 

• Luggage: I've recently upgraded my charity shopped wheelie bag to a hard shell case. I wasn't sure if I wanted a hard case but after reading a billion reviews I've been converted, the contents won't get damp when I walk down to the railway station in the rain, the outside won't rip and, as the case is made from carbon fibre, it's ridiculously light (but super tough!) I bought my case from TRIPP which very handily has a list of the airlines who will accept this size of bag as carry-on and every airline I book with says yes to this size (55 x 39 x 20). The website often has deals, I paid £35 for mine - and no, I'm not sponsored to say that!  

So what am I taking? 

Three maxi dresses which can be worn alone or layered with the three tops below. The shirred cotton blouse looks good under the dress with the velvet bodice or worn over the dress in the middle. The velvet tops can be worn as wrap-overs or left open as a jacket, you can even wear them backwards with the crossover at the back. 

We're off to the Med. Going by past weather patterns (and personal experience) it should be warm during the day and cool at night (but warmer than the UK!) 

For added warmth I've packed an embroidered velvet waistcoat which works with all three of my dresses and blouses, a quilted Indian cotton jacket and a cropped alpaca jumper (a lucky recent chazza shop find).

As it's still quite early in the season, I'm forfeiting my sandals for trainers. Jon found me these amazing gold Adidas Continentals (a reissue of the 1980s classics) in a charity shop the other day and I love them! 

Jewellery: Six rings, two bracelets, a necklace and three pairs of earrings. I'll wear the turquoise studs to travel in and put the bracelets & rings on when I'm through security. I was thinking about having my usual greenish blue nail colour for when I'm away but I'm loving the colour they currently are (Charlotte, my nail technician reckons that the shade, Stylish Brown, is named after me!)

I'm also taking my Kobo, my phone, a cloth tote bag, my reading glasses, earplugs, sunglasses, an umbrella, a recycled sari silk wrap, a sports towel, a shower cap, 2 x trainer socks, 2 x ankle socks and two pairs of knickers (one pair of each will be worn to travel in). 

Which all rolls up neatly into my bag with room to spare should I be tempted by a souvenir or two!

We're flying with Jet2 who include a 10kg hand luggage allowance so I'm well within the limit.

I'll travel in my Anokhi maxi with the olive velvet wrap top, my quilted jacket, wool fedora, Frye boots and the fringed suede bag. I'll also wear my thermal leggings which will be whipped off on arrival and hopefully won't see the light of day until the journey home!

As you can see, you don't have to compromise on style to travel light. I hope this inspires you to give the carry-on option a go. 

I'm not going away just yet so I'll see you next week.

Sunshine & Magic

I signed off on Friday promising to show you an amazing charity shop find and here it is. 

Braving the sub zero temperatures and black ice, we'd popped into town last Friday as we were running short of toothpaste and as usual couldn't resist the lure of the charity shops. In the Air Ambulance Jon called me over to show me a curious teak cupboard engineered to fold out into a home office.

 

The manager was equally fascinated and we spent ages pulling out the worktop, playing with the integral task lamp, altering the height of the shelves in the cubby holes and then closing it all back up again. 

We decided it would make a fabulous home for all my sewing stuff and, as the price was so good, were more than happy to pay for the shop to deliver it.

Back at home I did a bit of research. The original design originated in Indianapolis in 1874 and was known as a Wooton Desk and, after proving to be hugely popular, the design was copied by several leading European furniture makers and renamed The Magic Box. Although the maker's label on ours has been removed, the blue metal task light indicates that it was made in Norway by Leif Elvestad in the early 1960s. Some of the prices they command on line are astonishing, the cheapest I found sold on eBay recently for £790 and a couple on a well-known vintage interiors website both sold for in excess of £4000! 

Dear readers, I give you the Magic Box....

Along with my sewing machine and overlocker, I've managed to get all my sewing notions, patterns & sewing books inside, eliminating the need for my crafting cupboard, the 1950s Formica kitchen table on which my sewing machine sat, the packing crate in which my overlocker lived and the vintage suitcase where I stored my patterns. That's what I call magic! All four items will be making their way to the charity shop but that'll have to wait, it's my birthday on Friday and, in what has become a tradition in recent years, I'm off to spend it in the sunshine. 

We loved the subtropical paradise that is North Tenerife so much last year that we're going back. 

You know us, we're a pair of cheapskates who refuse to pay for hold luggage and so everything has to fit into a carry-on. We're flying with Jet2 so are allowed a bag measuring a maximum of 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (and weighing in at up to 10kg).

My bag measures 52cm x 32cm x 17cm and weighs 5kg.

So, what am I taking for five nights in The Canaries?

Two maxi dresses, one from Anokhi, bought from their Chowpatti Beach branch in downtown Mumbai back in 2020 & my new All About Audrey maxi was bought with some of the proceeds of my Vinted sales, a vintage Indian Imports of Rhode Island maxi skirt (eBay, 2021), an off-the-shoulder blouse (H&M via the hospice charity shop, 2023), two All About Audrey wraparound tops (I bought the orange sari silk version in 2018 & the marmalade velvet was purchased with more of my Vinted profits), a vintage Phool quilted jacket (bought from an online vintage boutique back in 2019) and the reversible bolero I made last weekend using offcuts from a couple of charity shop curtains, a pair of shoelaces and a broken necklace.  

I'm wearing three of these garments to travel in and, as we'll be walking to the train station at silly o'clock, I'll have my thermals on underneath! 

I'm travelling in my cowboy boots and packing my Teva sandals, wearing the teal fedora and packing the straw one, packing my vintage Moroccan kilim bag and using the metallic raffia bag as my personal cabin bag, packing a vintage belt and wearing the embellished wool pashmina which was a gift from my lovely blogging pal, Annie.

I don't think I've ever travelled with such a small amount of jewellery but they're all pieces I love so I'm happy to wear them on repeat. The vintage Charles Horner bracelet was a birthday present from Jon last year and I've acquired a few more vintage charms in the year I've owned it. The turquoise bracelet was a charity shop find as was the huge Murano glass pendant; the silver fishtail earrings and the turquoise studs are from festival trading friends, Shilpa Silver (website HERE). I've had the rings so long they're almost welded to my fingers. As I had a gel manicure with Charlotte at True Beauty, a wonderful salon in Walsall, my Pine Green nails won't need touching up for weeks. As always, I pack my jewellery in my carry-on and put it on once I'm through security. 

Toiletries: 2 x bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste, bamboo interdentals, Lush Karma solid parfum, plasters & painkillers (for Jon's poor knees!), bamboo cotton buds, Superdrug face wipes, Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Honey serum (decanted) & 2 x Calypso Once a Day in factor 30 (decanted), Soltan Once factor 30 facial sunscreen (which doubles as a moisturiser), Beauty Kitchen Seahorse Plankton Eye Lift, Alumine Soy & Baobab shampoo sachets & the remains of the conditioner that came with my hair dye, Patounis olive oil soap, my facial sponge from Kalymnos, Lush Aromaco deodorant bar and a travel nail kit with tweezers & emery board. 

Make-up: 30x magnifying mirror, Milano "Colour Fetish" lipstick in Passion, Studio, London creme blush in Embrace, Revolution "Mulberry" eyeshadow, 2 x brushes, Barry M waterproof black kajal pencil, pencil sharpener, Barry M Feature Length mascara, Barry M Eyebrow Wow! pencil.

Hair stuff: Tangle Teezer, hair bands, hair grips, hair stick and velvet scrunchies (thanks, Nikki!) I've also packed a shower cap. 

Glittery bikini (Accessorize sale last year), Decathlon sports towel and some retro-styled sunnies (a birthday gift from Monsoon!) I'm also taking my silk wrap (Cape Cornwall via the £1 charity shop) for lounging around on the balcony, Kobo ereader, phone, reading glasses, two pairs of knickers & two pairs of socks (one to wash and one to wear.)

In the olden days I'd study the relevant guide books before travelling and often the information was way out of date, nowadays I join the Facebook pages and get real time info posted by travellers and residents. This week there's not only two rastros (flea markets) but there's also a car boot sale! Yes, I know I'm only travelling with a carry-on but if we do find something amazing we'll always find a way, like we did after snaffling a few vintage gems in the charity shop we found.

See you when I'm 58!