Hello there lovely readers, I hope you have a very happy Monday in store for you! Because I really don't! Let me fill you in on the details...
Last night was our final show in Linz, it was great fun and we all left the theatre on a high. However, this was not the final of the tour, oh no. Our last show is tomorrow night, but it's not in Linz, in fact it's not in Austria at all, it's in Germany. Bon to be precise. Now I don't know if any of you are hot on geography (goodness knows I'm not!) so if you're unsure of how far this distance is, let me simplify it slightly: it's going to take 12 hours to get there by bus. Yup, you heard me correctly, 12 hours. I don't know who the bright spark was who booked our final venue on this tour, but I'm sure we'd have an interesting conversation if we ever met! :)
So you might say that I don't really have the best day planned! However, I have endeavored to make the best of this situation by putting together a little survival kit to prevent me from going completely crazy, and I thought I'd share it in this Handy Guide. Now I don't know if any of you are planning 12 hour long bus journeys in the near future (if you are you have my respect!), but I thought this may be relevant to anyone who may be traveling about at the moment, perhaps you're going on holiday, you lucky thing you! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and I really hope it helps me through my upcoming journey...!
The Little Red Squirrel's
Handy Guide
to Ridiculously Long Bus Journeys
Pack yourself a little bag of joy for long journeys. If that bag of joy happens to be a 1960s vanity case, so much the better :)
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| My survival kit! |
1. Pack some Awesome Tunes
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| Extra points if your iPod case is Cath Kidston :) |
A must for long journeys, something to keep your ears happy. I have throughly stocked up my iPod with heaps of yummies, so I will stay mellow for the whole trip. I've got the newest episodes of the Joy the Baker Podcast (I love this, it's so funny!) and also some old episodes of Crafty Pod (I know I'm a bit late to the table, but that doesn't make me enjoy this podcast any less!). In terms of music I shall be chilling out to the dulcet tones of Ella Fitzgerald or having a bop to the Andrews Sisters, these are my go-to happy albums :) I also have a great compilation CD called Music that Inspired Mad Men that I'm really loving at the moment (a gift from my Sweetheart, he knows what I like!). And if you're looking for something to dream away to then you can't go wrong with the Amelie soundtrack :)
2. Reading material (if you can stomach it!)
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| Books are good :) |
I know that some people cannot bear reading on car or bus journeys, but I find that if I only read intermittently I'm fine, so books are a must! I'm currently reading "The Best of Everything" and also "To Die For", both of which I'd highly recommend. I find that time always goes faster when I've got my nose stuck in a good book, which has got to be a plus when you've traveling for 12 hours!
3. Snackage is VERY important
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| Come to me little bon bons, you know you want to! |
There's nothing more miserable than being stuck on a bus on a long journey except for being stuck on a bus on a long journey and feeling hungry, so stock up on those snacks! I have some delicious Hope and Greenwood strawberry bon bons to satisfy my sweet tooth and also lots of fruit and some pringles, happy days. Also bring lots of water, water is good.
4. If you can, get crafty!
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| A sneak preview of Pin Up number 5! |
Nothing makes me happier or more contented than having a crafty project on the go, so of course I'll be taking my embroidery on the bus and getting down to some work. This project is great because it's small and it fits neatly on my lap. Knitting on circular needles would be great for traveling too as would crochet. I'm just trying to think if my 12 hour journey as 12 hours of pure fun crafty time! :)
5. Dressing to Impress may not be practical...!
Be comfortable! Sitting down for a long period of time means you may be better off without a nipped in waist and full skirt, comfort has to be key. Of course if you can manage to be comfortable and stylish then do it! I'm wearing my floral jersey maxi dress for my mammoth journey, it's cosy but still very pretty. Plus I'm bringing a wooly cardigan to snuggle into if I need to sleep. My hair and make up will follow a similar line, pretty but practical :)
And there you have, my handy little guide to traveling, I just really hope that it helps me get through today! Wish me luck lovely readers!
Bye for now :)
10 comments:
I got you those bon bons! :D I miss you so much!
Love your little guide! I wish I had this when I took a 22 hour coach trip to Austria a few years back - I went a little mental:) never been so glad to see mountains in my life! Anyway I hope your journey is as enjoyable and glamours as possible x
Am sure you will get through it....you have Hope and Greenwood sweets there! P.S Beautiful crafting!
Nattie x
Love your guide! I think I now need to go get a cute little case to carry my entertainment in for long journeys. I just wish that when going on planes I could take knitting or embroidery...its always difficult to try and figure out a crafty project that doesn't involve needles and scissors. Looking forward to seeing that finished skirt!
Excellent guide! I am not good at sitting still, we just went on a 5ish hour car trip, stopped twice and I still had major back & butt hurts, not good, hope your journey went better! :)
4th Dimension - I know you did, you're good to me! I miss you too but not long long now. Two more sleeps xxx
Wendy - I don't think I could have dealt with 22 hours, I would have been climbing the walls! and my guide did help, and sleeping helped too :)
Nattie - ah yes, the mystical power of Hope and Greenwood sweets should never be underestimated :)
Reagan - yeh, planes are hard because you get checked so much! I tend to just take books and music on plane journeys, much safer!
Faff - Thank you :) it was a hard journey, I'm not going to lie, but at least it's over now!
I love your case! I think having nice vintage cases makes travelling nicer!
Rachel
xxx
Very clever idea to pack stuff to do on the long journey. I once went from Finland to Denmark by coach. So I know your feelings, it was horrid. I was only a teenager then so it was pure hell. I don't remember if we had any entertainment in the buss. It might have been even longer than 12 hours. We left very early in the morning from harbour in Stockholm and it was late in the evening when we arrived the hotel in Copenhagen. Atleast we stopped several times during the trip, which was helping a little.
Thankfully you survived yours :D
Rachel - Vintage lovelies make everything better dont they? :)
Rhia - That sounds awful! We left very early too, and also had lots of stops, but that still doesn't change the fact that you're on the bus for so long does it? :) I'm so glad that the experience is over and that I'm still in one piece! heehee
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