Interrail Travel Diary #1 | Paris

The first stop on my interrail adventure was the beautiful city of Paris. We only spent two full days here but we managed to fit lots in!

WHERE TO STAY

Hostels are my preferred form of accommodation when travelling with friends as they're affordable,  in great locations and are the best way to meet fellow travellers! We opted for Vintage Hostel, conveniently located a short walk from Gare du Nord (the train station), Le Sacré-Coeur and right by the Anvers metro line. The room was small but had everything we needed, beds and our own private bathroom. They also have computers, printers, a kitchen and a gym which is definitely a luxury! It's also very safe, which should always be a top priority. In regards to nightlife, the atmosphere wasn't all that great when we were there but we found that was in Paris in general, not necessarily just this hostel.

WHAT TO DO

There's so much to do and see in Paris, I'd recommend planning your day to make sure you fit as much as possible in.

Day #1

We started off our trip with a visit to Le Sacré-Coeur, which I found breathtakingly beautiful. After that we headed to Le Notre Dame and walked across to the cutest little bookshop, Shakespeare & Company, which is certainly worth a visit. Make sure you go upstairs and take a turn on the typewriter and the old piano in the back. There's something very magical about sitting with a book and listening to the sound of the piano in the background. Just a warning though, no photos allowed inside the shop! 

We ended our first day by going to watch the Eiffel Tower light show, which occurs every hour on the hour, for five minutes. It was pouring rain when we were there but if you're lucky enough to get some sunshine, pack up a little picnic and sit by Place du Trocadéro (the best place to watch the show) for a truly magical experience. If you happen to be visiting around Winter time, forego the picnic and head up to the first floor of the tower to the ice rink instead!

Day #2

We decided to take a trip to Chateau de Versailles today. The journey takes about an hour and a half via the RER C train. For full details on how to get there check out this very handy blog post. There are a number of ways to get in for free so make sure to bring your passport and check if you meet any of the criteria here. The entire grounds are extremely lavish and ornate, and really bring you back in time. I would definitely recommend taking advantage of the free audio guide that is available to really make the most of the experience. 

No trip to Paris is complete without catching a glimpse of the Mona Lisa (and the many other beautiful pieces of art), in the Louvre. Again, ensure to checkout the free entry requirements and bring along your passport to avoid the €15 entrance fee. If you don't fancy queuing for hours, I'd recommend going as late (or as early) as possible as this is when we went and didn't have to queue for even a minute!

We ended this busy day with a quick metro ride to see L'Arc de Triomphe, grabbed a crêpe and took a stroll down the Champs-Élysées to gaze lustfully at the countless designer shops. 

TRANSPORT

We flew into Beauvais airport (€30 Ryanair flights, yes please!), which is located about an hour and 15 minutes outside of Paris. Buses depart approximately every 20 minutes after each arrival to Porte Maillot and tickets can be bought either online (€15.90 one way) or at the airport (€17 one way). Once you get to Porte Maillot you can hop straight on the metro to wherever your heart desires!

For more info see here.

The metro will be your most-used form of transport and there are various ticket options depending on the duration of your stay. I'd personally recommend purchasing a 'carnet', which includes ten tickets for €14.50 which tends to workout as the cheapest option. For more information regarding all things metro, checkout this website.

That's a wrap on my Paris trip! I hope you enjoyed and this is somewhat useful to some of you. Stay tuned for many more travel diaries coming soon. If you have any questions, comments or anything at all please leave a comment below. Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Packing Tips | Three Items You Should Never Forget!

Hey everyone! This is a guest post all about packing essentials brought to you by Fabletics*.
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I’m sure there are people out there who absolutely adore packing for a trip—but I have yet to meet them! Packing is stressful in so many ways. The weather could take a sudden turn deeming your choices useless or you could forget something altogether. Along with my passport and credit cards, there are a few items that I make sure to pack no matter where I’m going or what I’m traveling via.

Lisette Leggings; Quay Sunglasses; Europe Define Water Bottle

1. Black High-Waist Leggings

Not only do black high-waist leggings fold easily and weigh almost nothing in your pack, but they are also the most versatile bottoms you can choose. If you get a pair of opaque black high-waist leggings that smooth you out and hold you in, you can dress them up with a crop top and a leather jacket for a night out or you can pair them with sneakers and a tee shirt if your trip ends up being a more active occasion. The Lisette Leggings from Fabletics are a high-quality choice at a more affordable price.

2. Sunglasses

I never leave the house without my sunglasses, I can’t imagine what would happen if I forgot them for a trip. Sunglasses are practical all year long for protecting your eyesight but they’re extra useful when travel lends dark circles and red eyes to your visage. Cover up and carry on with your favourite style—the bigger the better. Be sure you buy a pair with UVA/UVB protection or polarized lenses for optimum protection for eye health.

3. Water Bottle

Especially if you’re flying, do not forget your water bottle! Why throw away money buying wasteful plastic water bottles when you can hydrate for free? Keep it filled and keep sipping throughout your trip to keep your skin glowing and to regulate your body as it adjusts to new foods, time zones, and climates. When traveling, we often forget to do the normal things like drink regularly, so carrying your water bottle is an excellent reminder.

Hope you enjoyed this post and make sure to check out Fabletics by clicking here for cute workout clothes and accessories!

*Disclaimer: This post is kindly provided and sponsored by Fabletics.

My Top Interrail Tips & Tricks

I was lucky enough to spend the month of June interrailing this year and I can honestly say it was one of the best experience of my life. During my travels, I picked up a few tips that hopefully can help some of you out there have the trip of a lifetime! So without further-ado, here are my top interrail tips and tricks...

1. Plan

This may sound obvious but don't underestimate the benefits of planning your trip. Many people think that you can just 'wing it', and you can (and you should) to an extent. However, putting in some  effort in to organising details like train times, reservations, itinerary etc can save you a lot of time and money that could be better spent on improving the quality of your holiday.

2. Be Flexible

I know this seems like a contradiction of my previous tip but let me explain! Although you should have an idea of your route, be prepared to change it. You may not like somewhere as much as you thought you would and end up loving a different location. Having the flexibility to hop on a train and leave or stay an extra night somewhere else really makes the experience of interrailing all the more exciting!

3. Pack Smart

Packing is an important part of any trip but even more so when it comes to interrailing. It's important to pack light and the ultimate motivation to do so is that you're the one carrying everything on your back. A helpful (but difficult) guideline is to lay out everything you think you'll need and then half it, just don't forget the essentials!

4. Keep a Diary

It may sound a bit cringe, but keeping a diary is something that every traveller advises. You cover so much ground and see so much that it's impossible to remember everything. My friends and I would write about each place on the train leaving and it's so lovely to look back on. We also kept a 'quotes book' where we wrote down all the funny things people we met said or we said ourselves. Trust me, your future self will thank you for the laughter and memories.

5. Cook Yourself

Cooking yourself is surprisingly easy to do when interrailing, particularly if you're staying in hostels or self-catering apartments. It saves so much money that you can instead spend on fun things to do. Of course eating out is inevitable but try to limit it as much as possible. Instead, hit the local Aldi or Lidl (they're everywhere in Europe) and stock up on breakfast for your stay and some easy dinner options like pasta, omelettes and stir-fries.

6. Ask Locals

No matter how many time you google what to do in various cities, often the best things can be found out from the locals. Hostel workers are particularly helpful for recommendations on cheap places to eat and the best places to go out so make sure to ask!

7. Choose Travel Companions Carefully

This is arguably the most important tip of all. You may think that there could be nothing better than spending a month with your six best friends but being friends with someone and going on holidays with them for an extended period of time are two entirely separate things. I personally chose to travel with two of my best friends and we were so lucky that we didn't fight once. However, we know each other for long enough to know when to give each other space. I'd recommend not travelling with more than four or five people and remember that there will be a lot of exhausting, stressful situations so it helps to avoid clashing personalities.

8. Prioritise 

My final tip is to not to overdo it. Definitely get out and do as much as possible but it's better to give yourself time to enjoy everything rather than focus on being able to say you went to X amount of cities. Try to plan your route so that it's geographically makes sense so that you don't end up taking a 22 hour journey from one city to the next (we actually met girls who did this!). Have a few places you really want to see and things you want to do so that you maximise every second. Travelling is exhausting and you don't want to waste an experience of a lifetimes just because you were too tired to enjoy it!

I hope these tips were helpful and if you have any questions please do leave a comment below and I'd be more than happy to help in any way I can. If you're interested in more interrail-related posts, checkout the internal section of my blog here, which I will be updating consistently.

Interrailing!

Here is where you can find all things interrail related!

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About Me

Hello!

Welcome to my little slice of the web where I share my love of travel and general life bits with the world. Here are a few things about me so you can get to know me a bit better.

My name is Stephanie, I'm 19, Irish and I love to travel. I've been lucky enough to have visited many places and I am constantly adding more to my list. I created this blog to share some things I've learned on my travels. I'm no expert, but I feel that if I can help someone plan their next trip or even inspire someone to go somewhere new then I've achieved something extremely worthwhile. Unfortunately, I am not one of those incredibly lucky souls who actually make a living from travelling, it's merely a hobby of mine. I spend most of my time studying Business and Economics in college in Dublin. I hope you love reading my blog as much as I love writing it!

xo