packing – Wattle and Ash

The suitcase guide: England

November 8, 2018November 5, 2018by wattleandash3 Comments

Adam and I fly out this weekend for our wedding in England. We’ll be away for four weeks and while we’re both excited about our big day, we’re also thrilled to be heading back to Worcestershire to see friends and family and just spend time in our ‘English home’.

I like to take my time when I’m packing for a lengthy holiday: writing out an initial packing list, then mulling over it and refining it, so I’ve made sure I’ve got everything I need. Like previous trips, I always try and put together a mini capsule wardrobe – a small collection of good quality basics that I can mix and match easily…

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What I pack in my carry-on luggage

November 1, 2018November 1, 2018by wattleandashLeave a Comment

It’s just over a week until Adam and I travel to the U.K. for our wedding. We’re both working virtually right up until our departure date, so lists are starting to be written up, to make it easier for when we begin to pack.

I’ll be taking all my wedding related items (dress, shoes etc.) in my carry-on luggage as I definitely don’t want to risk being separated from them! This will be the first international flight I take with such precious cargo, but normally I have a fairly set packing regime for my carry-on when it comes to long-haul flights…

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Packing for an English autumn

October 18, 2018October 16, 2018by wattleandashLeave a Comment

In the months leading up to my move to England, I spent hours and hours reading and researching about what sorts of things I should pack. A lot of Australia doesn’t experience four proper seasons a year, so the concept of having both a summer and winter wardrobe is a little foreign. I was due to arrive in mid-autumn, and while I had some years of living in an area with a distinct winter and summer, I still was nervous about how I would cope with the U.K.’s much talked about ever-changing weather.

Two years on and back on Australian soil, I’m a lot more aware of what English weather is really like. It’s less than four weeks until Adam and I fly back to England for our wedding and going into this trip, I’m much more confident about what I’ll need on hand…

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The suitcase guide: Mackay & the Whitsundays

April 26, 2018April 21, 2018by wattleandash3 Comments

A little over 24 hours ago Adam, his mum, step-dad and my brother landed in sunny Queensland and made our selves comfortable at my parent’s house.

It’s been around seven months since all of us have been in the same room together and it’s the first time Adam and I have seen my folks since arriving back in Australia.

So far it’s been a whirlwind of cuddles and conversations as we celebrate a holiday, an engagement, and an impending wedding all in one.

Adam and I have travelled very light on this break, as we left quite a few things at my parent’s house before moving abroad. I can’t really recall what – so instead of throwing a few random things in my bag and hoping it’d match up with what was waiting for me in Queensland, I decided to use my recent 10 x 10 challenge to help me pack…

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The suitcase guide: Latvia

March 2, 2017January 23, 2018by wattleandashLeave a Comment

This weekend Adam and I will fly to Latvia for our next mini-break of 2017. Latvia is one of the Baltic states in Eastern Europe and has a long and conflicted history, including being invaded by Nazi Germany and occupied by the Soviet Union in the last 100 years. Part of the capital Riga has a UNESCO World Heritage listing and close to half the country, which is part of the European Union, is forested – a unique mix that allows for varied holiday experiences.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Eastern Europe was a region we started investigating after returning from Gibraltar last month, due to its easy accessibility from the U.K., the exchange rate and the fact it was a little ‘off the radar’. When well priced flights to Riga came up at reasonable times on the dates we wanted from our first choice airport, Adam and I decided Latvia needed to be explored.

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The suitcase guide: Gibraltar

February 2, 2017February 18, 2018by wattleandashLeave a Comment

A couple of weeks ago Adam and I sat aside a few days in February for a mini-break. Our first getaway in the Lake District (read about it here and here) seemed a distant memory and we were itching to go exploring again.

Due to only having three days spare we decided a city break was the best option. We found super cheap flights to Gibraltar (£35 return!) and booked an Airbnb apartment right in the city centre.

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