How to make the most of your Staycation

According to the powers of the internet, a staycation is when you have a holiday whilst staying at home. I have just had a staycation, rather than go to another city or country. These are my tops tips for making the most of your holiday at home.

Start by doing your chores

I know this doesn't sound like a fun way to spend your holiday, but hear (well read) me out. Start your holiday by spending a couple of hours (not necessarily all in one go) doing your chores and tidying up. This will not only help you relax as you will be in a tidier home, but mean that you can go out without the nagging preoccupation of the things you should have done.

Make time for your friends

Whether they come round for a takeaway and a DVD, or you meet up for a night out, make time to catch up with your friends. If you are the only one with time off, aim for an evening or weekend. It is always great to catch up with your friends, so take the opportunity while it presents itself.

Go into the city

Have a day out into your nearest city centre (not local town centre) as you will find a whole host of things to do there. Museums offer a great day out and you can broaden your horizons at the same time. You can often find a new place tucked away that is a hidden gem. I found a garden that I have walked past relatively often and I went inside for the first time - the garden was full of sculptures and monuments that are really pretty and yet I had never seen before.

Go shopping

This one sounds odd I know. I don't mean go shopping for things you need, but take the time out to go window shopping somewhere. This may not be up everyone's street, but I enjoy the freedom of looking at things, without the purpose of needing something specific. Sometimes it can be inspiring, or you find something you fall in love with that you may otherwise never have seen. On the other hand you can see things on sale that make you question who ever thought to create them and that's ok too - might even make you laugh.

Do something active/ Go outdoors

If you are super active then go for a run or a swim - something to burn off some energy. If you're not that way inclined then go for a walk around a local park. This will get you out of the house and into the sunshine, or rain in my case. It's just nice to be out in the open, whatever the weather may be doing.

Eat Out

You can either go somewhere new, or stick with your favourite place, but eat out somewhere. Food opens the door to so many places that we have never been, or provides a familiar comfort. I guarantee that if you went away you would eat out, so make sure you do it on your staycation too. It will be at least one meal with no cooking or washing up.

Go see a show

This can either be in a cinema or a theatre, but it's fun, so find time for it! It doesn't have to be expensive; you can get 'last minute' tickets from theatre box offices that can be cheaper than using online sites and you may even end up going to see something brilliant that you didn't plan to see.

Drums in the wings at the theatre

See what's on near you

Using the power of the internet or other more local sources, see what's on near you. There may well be lots of small scale events that you would enjoy, but not necessarily always get a chance to do. Whether it's a fair, an exhibition, a festival or other event, there is normally something going on for everyone.

Allow yourself some 'lazy' time
Have that lazy day or that long deserved lie in. As well as making the most of your time off, make sure you give your body some time to relax and recover.

Career Break - 1 year on

This time last year I was at the airport about to board a plane to India for my big adventure. It is hard to believe how much has happened in one year. This blog is a more personal account of what has changed as a result of my career break and all that travelling.

All packed and ready to go

The medical internship in India re-ignited my desire to learn, especially about medicine and the human body. Working in a day care centre in Sri Lanka was fun, but nowhere near as engaging as I found being in a hospital. This led me to assess the job I was in and search for a new job in a teaching hospital where I could continue to learn as I worked.

Learning about Imaging

Being away for 3 months was hard and I missed my family more than I thought I would. I made some amazing friends who I was able to explore these new places with. However, on my return to the UK I wanted to be closer to my family and in a place I felt there was more to do. I therefore moved back to the area I grew up in, which has allowed me to be more involved in the community I was always a part of, wherever in the world I went. Some of the people I met lived hundreds of miles away from their wives and children, as the jobs/opportunities were better in the cities. It is a privilege to be able to live and work in the same place as your family when others have to leave their families behind to find work to support them.

Temple in Delhi

In India and Sri Lanka, people lived simply and were generous with what they had. I had a spring clean on my return and take inspiration from the generosity I was blessed with by people who I met in India. The doctors sharing their food with me, as well as the tea will be something I am ever touched by and grateful for.

South  Indian Masala Dosa

I still love to travel and experience different places and their cultures. Planning the next place to go is always a challenge, as the world is full of places that would be amazing to explore. I am currently trying decide if I want to go on a cruise or go on a tour of Japan next.... Watch this space.

Dubai Cityscape

I have no real favourite places I have been, everywhere is amazing in its own right. Everywhere has things of beauty; be it architectural, cultural, natural or the people you meet. All of the places I have been in the last year have been amazing and I have had new experiences, made new friends from around the world and read a lot of books in that time.

Sri  Lanka: Lion stairs

Whether you travel 20 miles down the road or half way around the world, I would recommend travel to everyone. It allows you to make friends for life, have some amazing experiences, see the beauty in what is around you and eat some really, really good food. It was months before I would eat anything other than curry when  I came back.

Sri Lankan breakfast platter

So that's the year I have had since I left on a jet plane for the adventure of a lifetime. I am thankful to all the people who supported me to go. I was so blessed whilst I was away in so many ways I am not sure I can even list them all. I was talked into starting a blog and I have been almost overwhelmed to see how many people have read them. It is something that I will continue to write to share my experiences with you all and I  still love hearing about other peoples adventures too.

Trevi Fountain in Rome

Thank you to everyone who reads my blogs and for all the love and support you have all given me. It is appreciated more than you know.

Here's to the next 12 months.

The Red Arrows

Chinese New Year

Friday 16th February 2018 was the lunar Chinese New Year - the beginning of the year of the dog. London supposedly holds the largest celebrations for this outside of Asia. There were a variety of events held at Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and in China Town itself, all to the sound of drum beats and firecrackers. It is considered lucky to wear red and children are given red envelopes with money. Along with stalls selling Chinese articles and food you could find the odd freebie in Trafalgar Square, which opened once the parade had passed. There were a good few dragons dotted around the area, whilst Trafalgar Square hosted the main stage; complete with a full day of performances lined up. The red lanterns hung above the streets of China Town with throngs of people below made for an impressive sight. The whole of the area was very full of people, but it was nice to be a part of the Chinese New Year Celebrations. You will find long queues for the Chinese restaurants, so either plan for street food or go prepared. We also made the most of the National Gallery once Trafalgar Square closed for being at capacity. Events ran all day from 10am to 6pm and there was a lot to see spread around Soho.

Below are some of my best photos from a very full day out.

Rome

So, I had a little pre-Christmas adventure to Rome. It was lacking in Christmas markets (if you want those I highly recommend Berlin), but is steeped in history.

I went with family and we bought tickets for the sightseeing bus, to avoid having to work our way through masses of backstreets. It is nice to be able to plug in the complementary headphones and find out a bit more about the area you are in.

We started out with the Colosseum which cost 12 euros to go inside. It really is quite an impressive Roman structure, that comes complete with disabled access.

Colosseum

The Trevi Fountain is absolutely stunning and definitely worth a visit. I am well informed the best view for photography is at the top of the Church steps in the piazza. It is an immense fountain built against a building and tradition dictates that most visitor throw in a few coins on their visit (money is the one thing they allow you to throw in the fountain).

Trevi Fountain

We visited the Spanish steps, which is at the heart of a good district for shopping.

There are various Basilica (churches) to visit, which are all very elaborate inside. Not being Catholic it intrigued me that each confessional had two spaces for people to confess, to one father/priest. The Churches are historic and ornate with a wide range of smaller chapels around the edge. I saw one that had the body of a previous pope/priest (sorry my Italian isn't good enough to decipher quite who it was) on full display in a glass box. Personally I found that a bit creepy and wondered how sinful it was for me to then take photos of it....

Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore

The Vatican I found rather underwhelming, although I only stayed in the square. The entry for the basilica is free but the queue is massive. Instead I went to the port-a-cabin post office and sent myself a post card. I imagined the whole thing to be a lot shinier on the outside and they had a nativity that just confused me - think several different, unrelated stories all in the same scene. My friend pre-booked a ticket through an agent to go to the Wednesday morning audience with the Pope.

Vatican City

We stayed near Terminii station, which although conveniently located is full of hawkers and beggars (I think one side of the station was worse than the other). Our hotel was really lovely though and there were lots of restaurants nearby to eat in. My favourite was a place called Roadhouse which was inside the station, it is a grill house and the burgers and desserts were so good. However, avoid a place called A-café inside the station - the staff there are unbelievably rude and unhelpful.

Dessert at Roadhouse

There is a direct express train from the airport to Terminii that costs 14 euros and runs really frequently. I would recommend this over getting a shuttle bus or coach as it also is quicker when the traffic is bad.

Rome is a lovely city, full of Roman history. There is a lot that we didn't get to go and see in the short time we were there, but it was worth a visit.

Portsmouth

So my latest adventure took me to Portsmouth and 48 hours wasn't long enough.

I bought an all-attraction ticket for about £40, which is valid for a whole year and gives you entry to all the museums in the dockyard, harbour tours and access to museums in Gosport (via a waterbus).

There is so much to see in Portsmouth. The historical dockyards are close to Gunwharf keys, which is a place to eat and shop depending on your desire. It is an outlet shopping centre, complete with a cinema.

The dockyards are home to numerous museums and boats. You can visit HMS Warrior 1860 - the first iron hulled warship. There is also HMS Victory, the boat where Nelson died, but with very low ceilings, so mind your head! It is interesting to be able to walk the way throughout the boat and see how old warships operated. There is a museum dedicated to the remains of the Mary Rose, a boat owned by Henry VIII. It is specially built to house the remains, with an air lock so you can get a better view and all the artefacts are on the right floor of the museum in relation to where they would have been on the boat. There are also a whole host of museums that we didn't have time to visit.

HMS Warrior

HMS Victory

Mary Rose Museum

I also went up the Spinnaker tower, a 100m (360ft) viewing tower. The lift takes you to the first level, which is a dedicated viewing floor with a glass plate in the floor. You can then walk up to a café on the second floor and an open top sky garden on the third floor. The view was pretty good, especially given the weather. The tower has been sponsored by Emirates, and is only a bit short of a full 360 degree view.

The harbour tour was also very interesting as Portsmouth is a naval base. Fully commentated and just under an hour long, it gave a view of just how many navy and commercial ships use Portsmouth Harbour. We passed the new aircraft carrier and learning about it was fascinating. There are also cargo ships around, one delivering 26 million bananas - and that was considered a small boat - the bigger one brings 40+ million. The boat was fully furnished with a bar and toilets and lots of indoor and outdoor seating.

In Gunwharf keys you can find a whole host of restaurants and places to eat, with a view over the harbour. It is located beside the main train, bus and ferry terminal, so is very accessible. You can go from there to Gosport, the Isle of Wight and even get a train into London. We stayed a little bit out of the town centre and came in on a bus, which was regular and took cash or contactless payments.

You need a good week to do Portsmouth justice and visit all the museums. The tickets are valid for a year, so you can go back as many times as yo wish over the following 12 months and I am definitely hoping to go again, at least once, in that time. There are so many things to see and do in Portsmouth that the all attraction ticket is actually a great bargain. I believe it gives you access to 11 museums, harbour tours and waterbus to the other museums elsewhere in the harbour. You can also buy a ticket that covers all attractions and the tower, for just a little bit extra in cost.

Tall Ships

A boat figurehead

24 Photos of food and drink to make your mouth water

Pub starter platter, Sarrett

Burger from the Country Club

Breakfast at Bills

Carbonara at my favourite café in Eastbourne

Fish and Chips - a must for any seaside visit

Afternoon Tea at Frithsden Vinyard

Fine Dining

Fine Pudding

Cocktails at the Shard

Fusciardis - the best ice cream parlour ever, Eastbourne

Hot Chocolate is a great drink on a cold day

Who wouldn't want a Full English Breakfast from a local cafe

Pudding in Paris

Sri Lanka fruit platter

Mix plate

South Indian Masala Dosa

Indian mix platter

Chicken Satay in Sri Lanka

Beautiful paneer and mushroom curry at Lords, Negombo, Sri Lanks

Starters at Sydney Tower

Dessert at Sydney Tower 

Cupcake Central, Melbourne

Pancake Parlour, Melbourne