How to Beat the Travel Logistic Blues.

Our world we live in today has become so small that travelling is now taken for granted. Once upon a time the idea of going to Morocco would be a far-off dream, but nowadays we are simply required to save some pennies to realise our travel fantasies.

For me, travel is one of the best ways to spend life. While I'll always love my home town, there is nothing I'd rather do than explore the various pockets of the world and learn about different cultures and lifestyles.

However, in order to get to this inspiring destination, there is one little thing you must do: organise it.

Usually, planning and booking a holiday is not exceptionally difficult, but when there are seven people involved logistics can get a little trickier.
At the moment, my friends and I are trying to book a week's holiday for a few months' time and it doesn't help that we don't all know each other, never mind the fact that we don't all currently live in the same country. All of these ingredients add up to a difference in ideas and commitments which doesn't make for easy organisation.

We know that as soon as we arrive at our sunny destination, the hard work will have been worth it. But, after trawling through page upon page of holiday rental websites, sat in rainy England, a hint of discouragement can be heard in people's voices, seen in their expressions. It becomes all too easy to give up and say you'll look again later. And then when you do, those perfect flights have gone up fifty pound in price! Or, sometimes, the opposite effect can occur. You become so sick of investigative work that you book the first hotel you find, but, on arrival, you don't find it. The worst happens and you realise you've been scammed.

In order to beat the stresses of organising travel adventures take a look at the following tips:

• Book early: there is nothing worse than realising you're only a couple of weeks away from your holiday and the flights have become astronomical in price. Generally speaking, the earlier you book the better prices you'll get.

• One-way or return: sometimes it can be cheaper to travel with two one-way fares rather than a round-tip return.

• Do the work...: it's always important to know that your bookings are legitimate. If you find something you like, research it. Don't take unknown company websites for face value, read the terms and conditions, make sure you are paying securely and find reviews from other websites. Check information on location and amenities to ensure you're not setting yourself up for a con.

• ...but don't exhaust yourself: if you feel like you're becoming demotivated, which can happen very easily with the vast internet, take a short break. You don't want to lose that holiday excitement.

• Think flexibly: an easy way to cut costs is to check out other dates. Different timings and locations can help you save on travel so you have more money to splash when you arrive.

• Try to haggle: with some accommodation you'll be able to haggle, so why not give it a go?

• Get everyone up-to-date: if there is a large group of you going together, set up an email or page where everyone can talk, share ideas and be aware of decisions being made.

• Insurance!: The one thing you don't want to forget is travel insurance. You never know when it could help you out, but if it is needed, you'll be thanking your lucky stars you have it.

• Keep the buzz: there is a lot to think about and remember when planning a holiday but remember, you're going on holiday! Keep that excitement flowing and motivation will carry you through to your departure date.

The Power of Social Networks

Communication: a way to keep in touch with your close ones, to feel more connected to them and to maintain those important relationships. Right? Maybe not.

While a catch up over the phone, or constant emailing are definite ways to keep in contact with friends and family, the mode of communication that the Western World now regards as second nature, social media, can almost have the opposite effect.

Although Facebook, Twitter and Google+ all set out to create platforms where we can be constantly connected with each other, do they really create that warm, positive feeling we get after we’ve just had a long and lively phone call with an old friend?

I think everyone can honestly admit to using Facebook as more than just a way to talk to friends. Let’s face it, we stalk. No-one should try to hide away from the fact either, we all do it. Whether you log in every day or just a few times in a month, it’s very hard to resist the urge to have a little explore around your news feed. It’s almost as though it’s become a natural facet of Facebook: the stalking element.

So when you’re having a snoop around your “friend’s” latest album, where they went on that amazing trip with all their beautiful friends, going to the hippest places and having the greatest time; does this make you happy? Yes, we may feel glad – particularly if it is someone you genuinely like – that they have enjoyed themselves, but does it not provoke a slight tinge of jealousy? Does it not simply make us question whether we are having as good a time as those joyful people in the photos?

Perhaps I’m just too cynical, but it is easy to see how social networks have the power to force a feeling of comparison upon their users. Status updates and profile pictures can be manipulated to become merely ways for us to compete with each other; devices used to try to portray our own lives as more exciting and inspiring than others.

Now I know there are people who couldn’t care less about what crops up on their news feeds. They have their account for singular purposes such as to keep in contact with long distance family and friends and to me, that's admirable. But, it does seem as though the more and more addicted we become to social media, the more it engulfs our lives.

I am one of those social media victims, yet I can still see the absurdity of it all. Although I may check my Facebook and my Twitter as often as Apple releases a new product, I am still fully aware that this constant need to always be in contact with your hundreds of friends is really quite pointless.

While I do believe that the internet can be a great way to keep up to date with your true close ones, it’s ridiculous to think that over the years I have collected such a multitude of so-called ‘Facebook friends’, that I can now hardly remember some of their surnames. 

If I really wanted to know about a friend’s latest escapade, I think I’d get hold of my phone, not the Facebook homepage. 

Jazz and Fusion with Charlotte Glasson at the National Portrait Gallery

After arriving in London on an early Friday evening, I decided to try out one of the National Portrait Gallery’s free Late Shift events. My pick was an hour of live music by Charlotte Glasson and her band. I went along with little knowledge of the artist and low expectations for the evening and so was pleasantly surprised with the experience I was greeted with.

Buried among the stunning galleries on the second floor, the session took place in a room which you would not have thought was the largest one of the floor. With the walls covered in political portraiture and the room packed with music lovers, the atmosphere was one of excited anticipation for the hour to come.

Glasson opened with Blues, moving onto Jazz and many other types of world music, with even a few Tango numbers thrown in. Each song was played beautifully with charismatic comments here and there between songs - enough to keep engaged without overstepping the mark. Talent was not aligned purely to Glasson either, each member of her band enjoyed spots of the limelight as all four were shown recognition for their playing.

A wide variety of instruments were used, ranging from a saxophone to a flute to the penny whistle. Glasson's assortment of musical instruments is so extensive in fact, that she even brought along a saw to play upon. Using a bow, she played the saw and produced a surprisingly charming tune.

As the audience grew throughout the hour, their captivation remained, with many dancing in their seats. Perhaps that's the only thing that this session could have done with - somewhere to dance. But personally, I think the packed in effect of the overflowing audience added to the intense passion of the music, creating an enlivened feel. 

These Late Shift evenings are not limited to music performances either. Every Thursday and Friday, from 6pm-9pm the National Portrait Gallery acts host to lectures, documentaries and film and art sessions, ensuring that there is something for everyone. For this performance to be free of charge, at one of the most fantastic galleries in London, I'm glad to say I experienced it and recommend the Late Shift sessions to all.



Charlotte Glasson: http://www.charlotteglasson.com/
NPG'S Late Shift: http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/lateshift/late_shift_home.php

What's fear got to do with it?

As I sit typing this blog, here in my student bedroom, I can see a Daddy long legs above me.
It is in the corner directly above me and I could swear it has moved closer to me, its prey, in the last ten seconds.

As you may tell, I hate Daddy long legs. I have a fear of them, Daddy long legs and birds. I think it's safe to say though that my fear of birds is worse.

I've come to realise that these fears originate from my childhood. The Daddy long legs phobia deriving from visits to my grandparents' house, where these creatures would haunt me from corners of the room. Their long, skeletal legs slowly prowling across the ceiling, I felt as though they were taunting me, they knew I was afraid, and they enjoyed it. Of course, no Daddy long legs has ever specifically harmed me, I've never been put into danger because of one, but if I were asked to hold one, I think I'd run a mile.

My repugnant feeling towards birds I believe has some more serious ground to stand upon. If my memory serves me right, the fear comes from a trip to Newcastle when a goose, or some other hideously feathered creature, bit me. I was very young and found it very scary. This, alongside the fact that my school was infested with screeching seagulls, although my school was located nowhere near a sea, but who needs the sea these days? All it takes in London is some litter and you've got yourself a flock of rats with wings. So, I spent 5 wonderful years running from the science block to the maths block in fear of getting stained. This, I promise you, does not add up to a love of birds.

To be honest, I know that they are irrational fears, but what fear isn't? I know people that are scared of things that I would consider to be features of day-to-day life: from cats to planes, to glitter, to sand. While I wouldn't think twice about any of these, for some, they represent their greatest phobias.

So, what is it that makes us believe these things are such fearful elements of life? When you truly think about it, our irrational fears don't pose such horrific threats as we may think. Perhaps it's due to the films and television programmes we watch - I can tell you I'll never be watching Hitchcock's The Birds. If we weren't incessantly told that spiders are scary, through such films as Eight Legged Freaks, perhaps the fear of insects wouldn't be so common.

It is also interesting to look at phobias from the point of view of control. Whether it is who we associate ourselves with, where we live, or work, people feel the need for a sense of control. Therefore when a seemingly uncontrollable threat is posed, we lose our composure.

Is it that we are all purely too obsessed with the need for control over our lives? Or has the media gained such power that its influence extends to what we fear? Either way, these irrational fears we live with are hard to shake. They say to get over a fear, you must face it, but in all honesty, I think I'll stick to asking my neighbours to remove this insect intruder.