Packing for an Icelandic winter

DSC_0975.JPG

If you’re anything like me, then the idea of heading to Iceland in winter might be a bit daunting. How cold will it be? How many layers do I need? Does it snow everyday? What do I wear in the snow? Will a heeled boot be ok? How many pairs of socks will I need? Do I need hand warmers?

For most of my life, I’ve lived in a place where it never, ever snows so I asked myself all these questions and more before I headed to Iceland in January. Iceland in winter just sounds like it would be ridiculously cold. read more

10 essential carry on items

photo-1415859295608-27921edab0ac

Got a long haul flight coming up? In the past year, I’ve taken more than 50 flights – many of these between six and 15 hours – and I’ve got pretty good at figuring out what I need to help me get through those long haul flights.

Here’s the 10 things I can’t do without on a long distance flight.

1. Tablet/Kindle/Book

This is a no brainer. You want to keep entertained on your flight – unless you’re one of those amazing people who can sleep anywhere. Depending on the airline, you may or may not have in-flight entertainment and sometimes there’s nothing on there you would watch. I usually take both a tablet loaded with a few of my favourite shows or movies I wanted to watch and a book with me to fight the boredom. (I’m of the old school and prefer a book I can hold – then I just swap it for another at a hostel or leave it behind when I’m done.) read more