27 May 2014

Quick Post - Memorial Weekend Memories

Just a short little post,

but I finally had a visitor!

My best friend from High School, Holly

came down to Jupiter for Memorial Day Weekend.

It had been an entire year since I'd seen her,

so it was pretty amazing to have a few days on the beach with her,

especially since I'm not sure exactly when I'll be seeing her again.

We spent most of our time on the beach,

drank some fruit drinks, ate some fish food,

realized paddle boarding is a LOT harder than we thought,

and flew off some waves on a couple of jet skis.

I was able to explore South Florida

a little more than I have before.

And I've seen how much I really do enjoy living here.

I'm pretty lucky to be spending this gap time in such a beautiful place.

22 May 2014

Booking Flights --Let Me Rephrase-- Booking CHEAP Flights

As if it wasn't already official enough,

Heather and I booked our one way tickets to London last week.

I still feel like it's not going to feel 100% happening until we actually find our flat,

but that ticket purchase made it pretty damn real.

It takes a lot of money to move abroad. A lot.

So of course we were on the hunt for the cheapest flight we could find.

There are a few airlines that are known for their cheap flights.

But also keep in mind with lower prices comes higher limitations.

For example, RyanAir and EasyJet have amazing prices

for flights throughout Europe,

but with that, you're only allowed one strict sized carryon.

Purses, even gift bags will count as your carryon if you have them,

so make sure they can either fit inside your actual carryon,

or be able to be zipped inside your coat where they aren't seen . . .

If you're looking for international flights,

which is what I have been dealing with currently,

Condor and Norwegian Air are the cheapest airlines around.

They have flights from the states to Europe for as low as $400.

But there are additional fees for checked bags,

seat choices, and meals,

along with the lack of entertainment available for the long flight.

(Norwegian Air does state it provides free Wi-Fi though,

which we all know goes a long way!)

But then again,

if you are dirt in the barrel broke,

these flights are definitely the way to go.

Bring your own food, download some movies on your laptop,

and you're good to go.

One major thing to keep in mind with these cheaper flights,

They normally only fly out of major American airports;

Miami, JFK, Los Angeles, etc.

This was where Heather and I ran into an issue.

Heather would have had to book an additional flight

from Kansas City to Miami,

which would have run her total spending to

almost equal to just purchasing a flight package

from the more popular airlines.

So we had to figure out something else,

and with a little bit of research

we found the best option for us: Student Universe.

This site offers the cheapest flights for students,

but also has deals available for faculty, alumni, non-student youth, and adults.

To sign up, you need to select which category you fit into.

As a student, you are to upload two forms of proof.

This could be a transcript, visa, student ID, etc.

Since I haven't began classes yet or even applied for my visa,

I uploaded my acceptance letter email,

as well as a second email thanking me for accepting the offer of enrollment.

And just like that it was through and I was ready to purchase!

So from my experience, they are pretty lenient

with the proof they need for students.

The flights use major airlines,

which calm the nerves of weird people like me.

Some flights have airline switches in connections,

and some have overnight layovers

(which might not be bad for some of you who want a stopover

in another destination),

but there are plenty of options for what you want.

Heather and I each found flights

that stay within one airline,

and gives us all the amenities of

checked bags, in-flight entertainment, etc.

hers from Kansas and mine from Florida,

that also allows us to meet in Charlotte to fly

the second flight into London together.

And these flights were only $750 for each of us!

That save us at least $500 from the major booking sites we'd use.

And that, my friends, is how you make a deal.

Everything in this post is of course my opinion only from my experience.

19 May 2014

Guest Post at Girl in London

So I'm an American girl with a blog about moving to London,

and recently I've stumbled upon

an American girl who had already moved to London.

Perfect? I think so.

Cheylenne is super sweet owner of Girl in London.

I've used this site for neighborhood guides, living tips, flat rentals, etc.

And lucky me, now I get to be a guest poster on the page!

Find me at Girl in London here

And follow her page!

If you aren't already, which I'm sure you are.

15 May 2014

New Life, New Blog

So I've done some updating!

I figure this blog is less about my study abroad adventures now,

and more about my actual life abroad.

So I may as well change things around - make a fresh start.

(And by fresh, I mean a much less of chaotic mess,

and with better pictures.

But hey, there's some good stuff in those past posts,

so as ridiculously long and unorganized as they are,

I just don't have the heart to change the way I wrote it then)

My life abroad.

I always thought that was what was supposed to happen,

but the fact that it actually is happening? Will never be real to me.

It's been a LOT of work.

A lot of tedious and terrible work.

A lot of planning. It seems that all I do is plan now.

Heather and I have been budgeting and house-hunting - all the time.

There are few things that frustrate me more than trying to plan life when you are on an entirely different continent.

Calling costs sky-rocket when you make international calls to estate agents.

There is also a 5 hour time change,

so I've been woken to up quite a few 5AM phone calls from agents who don't understand it's not 10AM here too.

There's also trying to understand all the extra fees we may be paying on top of our rent.

And speaking of rent, there's that ridiculous exchange rate.

For ever British Pound, we are paying around $1.60.

Which makes a £600 per month flat, over $1000 for us.

I have come to the conclusion that I will forever be comparing and converting for the rest of my life.

And there's no other way to describe that than just plain 'that sucks.'

BUT

We dug these graves with smiles on our faces.

I've never been so happy and motivated to do such annoying work though.

We just booked our flights last night - and I'll have to add it is a one way flight.

So it's officially OFFICIAL! As if it wasn't before when I applied and got accepted and have been doing everything else.

I have an official ticket an official one way and life in three months my life can start againnnn!!

While all of this is going on, I've still been living in Florida with my family.

I work as a nanny here. Like a professional babysitter.

And I get to hang out with some pretty amazing kids - I work daily picking up, driving around, and watching a 7 & 11 year old.

And I have to say, I absolutely adore them ♡

And for something that doesn't exactly sound like much of a job, I'm making pretty great money.

And with everything going on, making money is VERY necessary right now.

I've been living here for a little over 6 months now.

It's great to be in the sun and on the beach - incredibly relaxing, even when you have a not so relaxing day.

I feel like I've been on a really long summer vacation, which I guess with the fact I'm going back to school, I kind of have been.

But I miss Kentucky more than I ever thought I could.

It's very true that once you leave a place, you realize how special it is. Kentucky will always feel like my home,

And I will say without hesitation, I do think that Louisville is the greatest city in the country.

And speaking of, my best friend is coming to see me in two weeks after an entire year apart, and I can't quite explain how EXCITED I am!

I want to say the longest we've been apart is around 3 months since I left Louisville in 2009.

A very successful long distance relationship, I'd say.

So going an entire year, I'm pretty surprised one of us hasn't needed to go into therapy for separation anxiety.

Because friends who wear ponchos together, stay together.

The rest of my tiny group of amazing, amazing friends are also coming in July!

Makes me so happy.

These girls, who all have full time, real-world, big girl jobs, give up their vacation days to come down and see me because I can't afford to go up and see them.

Now, the beach might have helped a little with their decision to visit...

But I do have to say, I feel pretty lucky to have people like them in my life.

Paul McCartney started his 2014 tour this past month in South America.

He's coming to the USA in June-August.

I'll try to contain my excitement but

I'M SEEING HIM THIS SUMMER IN FLORIDA!!!!!!

I got to see him when I studied abroad in 2012, in the Royal Albert Hall.

And this past October, when I met him. When I shook hands with Paul McCartney.

Just saying that always makes me smile.

Anyways, it was all amazing (obviously),

but I have never experienced the full-blown, fire-exploding, confetti-shooting, Macca-fied tour.

I'm seeing him in Jacksonville at the end of June.

I don't think I have ever been so damn excited for a show.

I've never spent so much money so happily.

I leave for London on August 16.

I feel like my life has been put in pause while I chill out in Florida and figure things out.

I would have never imagined taking a 'gap year' and moving home before starting my life in the real world.

But I would not have changed a single thing in how everything has worked out.

I've got three months left here, and with so many big things happening, I've got a feeling it's going to be a great summer,

but it's also going to fly right by.

I think this is a pretty pointless post,

but my last post was in February.

So I figure with an updated blog, I might as well update it with a post.

So I'll just end this with some hopefully not-as-boring pictures of life these past few months.

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27 May 2014

Quick Post - Memorial Weekend Memories

22 May 2014

Booking Flights --Let Me Rephrase-- Booking CHEAP Flights

19 May 2014

Guest Post at Girl in London

15 May 2014

New Life, New Blog

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