What is it like learning to drive in a new Renault Clio?

I used to like Tuesdays. Tuesday was always a good day to go shopping, or get things done as it seems to be the only day my friends and I ever seem to get off work together. But in recent months Tuesdays have brought on dread and worry, because my driving lesson slot slipped into my previously nice Tuesday mornings.

I've been having one to two hour lessons a week for just over two months now and it's time to really crack on and get my theory done as I only have two 'driving' basics left to cover! Once those last bits are out the way, it's practice, practice, practice, until I am ready to take my test. Eeep!

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Yesterdays lesson was a little of what I can expect over the next few months now, as I had a 'practice' lesson. A chance to drive around and practice what i've already learned so far and our drive included a small portion of the test route. I even passed someone out and about on their test! I hope they did well.

I quite enjoyed the drive as we headed out to a little town just outside of the city I live in, somewhere I often go with mum, so I had a rough idea of where I was going and where the crazy sharp hidden bends were. I also didn't feel like I did awful on the round-a-bouts, but I can't be sure if I'm getting better or was just winging it today.

So as i'm close to covering all the basics and starting to feel that i'm getting a bit better at this driving malarky, I thought i'd tell you a little bit about the car i'm learning in as it's a much bigger vehicle than I ever thought i'd be able to drive, and it's an absolute dream. Presenting, the newer style Renault Clio!

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My mum used to drive a Renault Clio, back when they were teeny tiny little cars and I was a long way off having to worry about driving one myself. The newer models of Renault Clio are what I would call a 'medium' car. I was really nervous about learning to drive and had convinced myself that I just wouldn't be able to control a car this size. But, the independent instructor i'm learning with was also my brothers instructor. After a chat with a bunch of people who reassured me that the size of the car wouldn't matter and i'd be just fine I decided to just go ahead and give it a go.

So far, i've found the size hasn't really impacted on learning to drive, I still need to adjust to having the extra space on my left hand side, but i'd have that with any other car. Personally, I think it's a really nice looking car, especially the red one. (I'm learning in a red one!) The engine is too big for me to able to afford the insurance on it, so it is pretty unlikely i'm going to get one of these for myself any time soon, but I think it is rather nice to drive and really wouldn't mind having one.

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The inside and the dash has all sorts of doohickeys, half of which I have no idea what they do as of yet, but I don't need to right now. The dash is really clear and easy to understand and I love the fact that it tells me how fast i'm going in big shiny numbers, as i'm not distracting myself by reading the speed on a dial.

Something I never understood was the clutch. I heard phrases like "you can feel the bite" or "the car tells you". What is all that about!? Well with the Clio, there are a few things on the dash which help figuring it out. I don't tend to look at these, as I find that the engine sounds are pretty good indicators of when to change so I listen for that instead. Aside from that, as i've been driving around I've noticed a pattern of which gears to use and when, so it's not as mind-boggling as I expected it to be.

So if you're thinking about starting driving lessons, go ahead and jump right in! Persevere with it because it does get easier and will take time. There is a hell of a lot to think about and process, but i've learnt anything from watching my friend drive, it's that with practice it will become second nature! Good luck!

Are you learning to drive, or already zipping about on the roads? What did you learn to drive in? Did you hate round-a-bouts too!? Let me know in the comments, i'd love to know more about your experiences!

Catch you later!

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The 'Long Haul Flight' Survival Plan.

Did you catch my post about first time flying? In the grand scheme of things, UK to Paris? That flight was a breeze, a perfect first flight route if you ask me! My ears had barely stopped popping before it was time for them to go again for the way down. I returned from Paris infected by quite a bad case of Wanderlust, and now i've survived flying once, I think I can do it again and i'm currently planning some get-aways a little further afield.

The lovely folks over at RelayRides got in touch recently asking travel bloggers to share their travel secrets from tips to essentials and emergency must-haves. RelayRides is a peer to peer car rental market place, who aim to connect people who need a car, with owners of unused cars. A very nifty idea if you ask me. Their 'Airport Rentals' section is growing, and already operating in a bunch of big U.S cities that are on my travel lust list. Something that always bothers me about traveling is the best route from the airport to the hotel. Public transport with luggage is not fun at all! But being able to pick up a car at the airport and drive to your hotel? That is cool, convenient and a great way to save a bit of money on airport transfers.

So today I thought i'd share with you my plan for surviving a really, really long flight.

Whether you're off on a Valentine's get away, traveling for business, preparing for a summer holiday (or just really, really, reeeeaaaally prepared for your December hols like me), those long flights, delays and connections can get a little tiresome, right? The last thing anyone wants thrown into all that is to feel uncomfortable. The key to solving this, is the personal item.

My research has led me to believe a bunch of airlines allow a 'personal item' like a handbag, in addition to a carry on bag. So check out my newest travel companion, the Kipling Beonica! I snagged this in the sale which makes it even sweeter. We swear by Kipling bags in my house, and between mum and I... We've got quite the collection. They are sturdy, spacious and have a place for everything. This doesn't seem like a huge bag... But it's definitely got a little case of the Tardis going on as it's definitely bigger on the inside. So let's take a peek at what I plan on stashing inside it!

I've read good things about memory foam travel pillows, especially for really long flights. I know my neck always hurts after long train or car journeys, so I can only imagine what a flight is like. I was hunting for a good while and eventually stumbled upon the fact that Very now stock Antler products. I remember my mum saying Antler made high quality products, so I popped it in my basket. It's very soft and has little extras like a swivel clip and popper neck fastening to keep it in place. The only downside is it's made me want a memory foam mattress... Pricey!

As it's so small, i'd also pop my Antler plug adapting kit into my carry on. It comes in it's own protective case and has attachments for almost everywhere in the world. It was a little on the pricey side, but it covers all bases and I know it's going to be good quality. The Label31 portable battery charger is my handbag hero and something I wouldn't go anywhere without. It takes up hardly any room, and is perfect for keeping phones, cameras or your music going all day!

For a long journey, I need music. I love my Skull Candy headphones and old Sony mp3 combo, but they do take up a bit of space, so i'll trade those headphones for some in-ear ones. They are more likely to protect my ears from the dreaded popping too! I'll also throw in my transformers headphone splitter. It looks bulky but the actual headphone splitting part is a small piece that can be removed, and takes up next to no room.

Lots of goodies spilling out of my next pick, a hat (or an eye mask, or my personal favourite, a very big snuggly hood) to pull over eyes to catch a bit of a snooze. Definitely a must for really long flights, although probably skippable if it's only an hour or so. Unless the destination is cold, then a hat will keep your ears warm and save space in your case for more goodies.

A few beauty essentials I hope will keep me feeling human on the seriously long flights looming in the future are these goodies. Both TokyoMilk Dark Absinthe lip balm and Tainted Love hand cream smell incredible. My hands and the skin around my mouth are prone to drying up so these are two of the most important things for me. I was lucky enough to snag a mini Urban Decay b6 prep spray, and its the perfect size for in-flight refreshing. I always have hand sanitizer with me and find it especially handy if you are heading straight out exploring from the flight. I'm hoping the Nip & Fab Eye Fix will be enough to combat my post flight (and very stubbon) dark circles, and i'm saving this adorable pot of L'Occitane's Immortelle cream as the cold weather recently has been messing with my skin like nobodies business.

For me, one of the worst feelings in the world is feeling a bit smelly. Well when you're up in a giant can for hours on end there isn't a lot of things one can do to stop that happening. I keep stashing away little samples from magazines, beauty boxes and so on has given me a great selection of handbag heroes, and they will slip into teeny tiny little gaps in your carry on liquid bag. Miniature perfumes, solid perfumes and perfume pencils will also do the trick! For my trip to Paris, I bought a selection of little spray bottles to decant my perfume into. I took two and it was just the right amount to last me a week. I plan to chose a nice light perfume for traveling, as i've seen a lot of grumbling online about strong perfumes giving other travelers headaches.

Pictured: Viktor & Rolf BonBon Sample, Vera Wang Princess perfume pencil, 10ml Spray bottle, miniature Ghost.

The Charlotte Tilbury Luxury palette in Vintage Vamp has two gorgeous light shades that can be swept on in a flash and brighten up tired eyes. It feels really luxurious, so after spending a long time on a flight, I know using it would perk me up a little. Another way to quickly add a pop of colour, Benefit's Benebalm. I think the Benebalm gives off the best pop of colour and it's a multi-tasker as it's a balm as well. 

And last up is my little travel buddy, Pegasus! Pegs sticks with me. That way, I know he isn't going to fly off on his own somewhere and get lost. I'm a sleep snuggler, so I definitely need to have my buddy with me. Pegasus is from a range of plushes called Disney Babies that were and may still be available at the Disney parks in Florida and Paris. It may be available elsewhere too! There are a bunch of other adorable characters in the range like Thumper, Stitch, the Princesses, Buzz Lightyear and Simba to name a few!

I have plenty of ideas and we're even planning our next big trip, but I can't say where yet as I don't want to jinx it! (Still waiting for my cohorts time off to be approved. My finger is practically hovering above the book button during my waking hours.) My Mum has even recruited me to help her plan a dream trip! If only she could take a passport photo she is happy with... Although I thought the entire point of a passport photo was to hate it? What do you think?

Is there anything you can't be without to survive long flights? I'd love to know!

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Fear and First Time Flyers;

I've been to on some pretty exciting school trips in my time. France, Belgium, Italy... And yet, not once had I set foot in an airport. All these trips were done by coach and boat. So when my buddy Claire and I decided we fancied a little trip to Paris last month and it turned out that flying was cheaper and more convenient than the euro tunnel, we went ahead and booked it.

I definitely fell under the category of 'nervous first time flyer', but from here to Paris wasn't too lengthy a flight. Perfect for a first time flyer like myself. Claire had been on a plane a few times before, so knew what to expect. But the combination of confusing hand luggage guidelines, a friend who absolutely hates flying and that Criminal Minds episode about plane crashes just before I went had me nearly booking a seat on the megabus and telling Claire i'd meet her there!

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The airline we traveled with was Flybe! Our tickets included online check-in for the outbound journey, which was really easy to follow. After that we just showed up at the airport where the Flybe bag drop was more or less in front of our noses. It was rather quiet on our day of travel, so the lines for security we're pretty short. That made is about two hours to early to board our flight. Plenty of time for me to get ridiculously nervous.

I'm pretty pleased to report that the outbound flight was smooth and easygoing. You know aside from my ears threatening to pop way more than I'd like in an hour, not liking take off, touch down or turning... Once the plane is in the air (and not making any turns) it's actually rather pleasant. We were sat by the front of the plane so I could usually see at least one member of the cabin crew going about their business. It was a short flight and we didn't have drinks or snacks ourselves so we didn't have much interaction with the crew. But they all seemed friendly, attentive, and very professional. Plus they gave us chocolates when we arrived at our destination. (I haven't eaten that yet actually...)

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The flight back a week later, actually wasn't as smooth, although i'm positive it went faster? There were a few wobbles along the way. I'm not sure if anyone would class it is turbulance, as i'm pretty sure i've got body parts that wobble more than the plane did. I'd quite stupidly left my phone in my bag in the overhead lockers so didn't get any snaps of the world glittering below me on the flight home. A mistake i'm certainly not going to make the next time! Either way, overall it was quite a pleasant experience and I enjoyed flying with Flybe, so i'd definitely wouldn't mind travelling with them again.

Clouds. Clouds everywhere.

Here are some things I picked up for flying that I thought i'd share! Mainly for short flights, but I suppose a few could also work for longer journeys.
‣Wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off as you go through security. I wore my giant strappy Cat boots to save space and weight in my suitcase. Bad plan! (Although they looked fab. You can get some here on sale!)
‣If you need help with knowing if you can pack something, tweet the airline! I asked flybe by twitter if I could take my contact lenses in my carry on because I couldn't find it in any of the guidelines. They confirmed within minutes that I could!
‣ If you don't want your ears to pop or cause you any bother, take some ear plugs. I absolutely hate my ears popping, and I found sticking my fingers in my ears worked a charm.
‣I set my watch to the local time of the destination as soon as the plane was in the air, I don't know if this helped at all, I wonder if that will be more useful on long haul flights.
‣Looking out of the window is really quite fun, and both day and night offer completely different gazing experiences.
‣Don't panic about your hand luggage size if using a holdall that measures a tiny bit too big. As long as you don't overstuff it, it will be fine. They smush quite nicely into the baggage sizer.
‣A tip I picked up online before I went but found it to be really useful. Tie a brightly coloured scarf around your suitcases handle. I had a galaxy print scarf and really made my little black suitcase stand out. (And match my hand luggage, bonus!)
‣See how many members of airline cabin crews you can spot around the airport. We saw lots in Paris. The Korean Airlines crew looked great, walking through the airport like immaculate pastel jacket wearing rockstars.

Have you got any travel tips for long haul flights for me? We're planning a few more trips that require a bit longer in the air. Eeep!

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