“You’re So Lucky You Get To Travel A Lot”

Ugh, I hate that phrase.

I didn’t get to stay in an Igloo in Thailand because I was lucky. I won’t get to visit my cousin in Singapore in the (hopefully) near future because I’ll get lucky. I’ll get to do it because of my hard work and lifestyle choices (more on that later).

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You’re So Lucky You Get To Travel?

My issue with the word ‘luck’ is that it implies some sort of coincidence or stumbling across one’s fate. In fact, the definition of luck (according to Google) is:

Nope. I didn’t win a holiday. No luck here.

Rant over.

– Phew, I feel better already for getting that off my chest!

I should preface this by saying that this isn’t a passive aggressive post aimed at anyone in particular. I hear this statement from friends, family and even strangers at least once, every single time I come back from a holiday.

I have visited some amazing places well before I started blogging and vlogging and my love of travelling has made me realise that I’m all about experiences, not things. Don’t get me wrong, I still love ‘things’ (judging by the number of hauls I do); I just don’t get as excited about every new eyeshadow palette launch as another blogger might. In my head, I relate most amounts of money to what I could spend it on travel-wise. For example, a friend recently told me that she spent over £500 on makeup last month and my first thought was, “Wow, that could be a plush long weekend in Florence”.

Obviously, people should spend their money on what they like, and if she wants to spend a couple of grand a month on beauty, that’s great. We all have our own priorities and currently, travel is one of mine.

I think that taking two or three trips a year is seen as ‘lucky’ because it goes against the grain – against the norm. ‘Society’ expects you to follow the crowd and settle down; get married, start a family, blah, blah, blah. I don’t necessarily think that everybody is jealous when you tell them about your travels; some people are simply curious about how you can afford it or have that much time off work to travel.

My answer to those questions is always the same – “it’s all about the lifestyle choices you make”. For example, I am currently sat in Starbucks at 9pm on a Saturday night writing this post instead of going out drinking. Now, I’m not averse to a night out and I’m certainly not tee total – I’m sure that my long time Snapchat followers can vouch for those #DrunkNishi snaps that randomly pop up! Sorry about that.

But, I pick and choose the nights out I am invited to. In my twenties, I was out almost every Friday and Saturday night and literally spent all weekend hungover. While I have no regrets, I limit my nights out now, mainly because I can’t bear the thought of spending an entire Saturday hungover in bed any more. Well, not all day anyway 😉

Jass and I don’t have any children (yet?) and we choose to work in flexible jobs so that we are able to book a spontaneous trip 24 hours before departure if we want to. True story – We once booked flights to Thailand and Hong Kong (9 years ago) less than 36 hours before departure and spent two hours on arrival in Bangkok airport in an internet cafe (remember those!?) looking for somewhere to stay. Our first night, in a filthy hostel, was an experience to say the least, but it was one that we’ll never forget.

I didn’t write this post to brag; I just wanted to share a little secret –

Travel doesn’t need to be expensive!

It is only expensive when it’s convenient for you. What I mean by that is; you’re paying for convenience when you book a flight on a specific day, from a specific airport, non-stop, with extra leg room, priority boarding and first-class. This may seem perfect, but if you’re flexible, I’d rather choose a commercial ticket on the cheapest days of the week to fly instead! FYI, that’s Tuesday and Wednesday. Finding the right vegan restaurants, the best shopping locations and the right accommodation doesn’t have to be pricey; it just has to fit your budget. However you want to travel, planning ahead matters!

A quick flight search found return flights from London to 20 countries for under £50 and 32 countries for under £100 – Simple maths and a no brainer. Italy, Switzerland or Sweden would be my top picks.

The same goes for private jets too, so if you are looking to travel in style, be sure to check out the Jettly website to discover how chartering a private jet could be more affordable than you might think.

Since revamping my blog, I’ve been inspired to write more lifestyle and travel posts; sharing some of my tips about getting the best deal, how I plan our big holidays and discovering hidden places in London like this quaint little hideaway in Notting Hill or this quirky coffee bar in a former Victorian toilet.

Beauty will always be my first love and I’ll always continue testing out new products and sharing my thoughts, but if I’m completely honest, I’m just a bit bored of reading and writing countless product reviews. I’m planning to branch out a little this year (not too far) in my little corner of the internet while I slowly make my way through my scratch map.

I hope you enjoy the changes and what’s to come as much as I do!