Slapping on the Sunscreen in St Ives

It is coming to the end of the summer and supposedly the end of the nice weather (?) but with climate change who knows anymore!

Surprisingly, I can’t believe I have never done a post on St Ives. It's crazy to me because ever since I was probably about 5 years old my family has gone down to St Ives in Cornwall every summer for the school holidays without fail. They love it so much that we actually have a house there – how very middle class!

Anyway, I would like to share with you lovely people the wonder that is St Ives. For all my non-UK readers, St Ives is located in the English county of Cornwall, the bit in the south that sticks out right at the bottom, so it is on the coast which means miles of beautiful sandy beaches!

During the school summer holidays, St Ives is always absolutely rammed with holidaymakers who decided not to go abroad but wanted a UK holiday all the same. With its 4 large beaches, St Ives is very popular with surfers, home to the St Ives Surf School, but all other water sports are available too. Although it is still the Atlantic in the UK so a wetsuit is definitely advised!

If you wander the streets of St Ives, you will find the embodiment of all English beach holidays, from the oversized ice creams (look out for the seagulls), the traditional Cornish pasties and cream teas to the fish and chips and smell of sea salt in the air, it is a joy to behold (better when there are fewer people there of course!)

Having spent every summer there when I was younger, I like to think I am somewhat an expert on St Ives, so my top restaurant recommendations would be:

-          Porthmister Beach Café

-          Blas Burgerworks

-          The Seafood Café

-          Harbour Fish & Chips

-          Porthmeor Beach Café (for breakfast and tapas)

But there are over 50 restaurants tucked away in the few tiny cobbled streets of St Ives so there is something for everyone.

What often brings the crowds to St Ives is The Tate Gallery, one of three in the country, the others being the Tate Modern and Tate Britain in London, the Tate St Ives is an imposing building overlooking Porthmeor beach, and while worth a visit, there is so much more to St Ives than this.

If you are looking for some evening entertainment for all the family then be sure to check out performances from the amateur company, Kids R Us, who can be found opposite the old cinema. They are a registered charity but the standard of performance will make you feel like you are in the West End!

If you want to know any more about St Ives  just get in touch, I can tell you where to stay, etc.

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

Top 5 European destinations for students

This week's blog features a special guest post from the lovely people at STA Education talking about all things student breaks in Europe! Let me know how you like it, and if anyone else fancies writing something, just get in touch!

Cheese for breakfast, casual cobbled streets and fists full of inspiration, we’ve got to be talking about Europe. Just a stone’s throw away and as diverse as it is beautiful, we spoke to self-confessed student travel experts STA Travel Education about what Europe has that nowhere else does!

Barcelona

Known for its intricate architecture, rich history and claiming football fans from around the globe. This city is the perfect blend of ‘La Playa’ and all things educational. Aside from the obvious tourist attractions: La Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter and Camp Nou. The Garrotxa Volcanic Park will pull in geography students. While ordering tapas and local breakfasts will be a challenge for any language students.

Paris

Students will say ‘bonjour’ to the effortlessly chic Pari. ‘Oui’ can’t recommend Paris enough for inspiring the next generation. Littered with iconic monuments and tiny bakeries where diets go to die, what’s not to love? In the Palais Garnier & Théâtre de Paris, students will find their voice. The Foundation Claude Monet, Lourve and Mussee d’Orsay should keep creative students going for a while. Trying out language skills on the locals will be a test of wits for your students.

London

It’s the very essence of all things British! Call us patriotic, but there is little that can’t be done in our capital. The very royal architecture and the ever changing science is just the starter. Geography students should head to the Thames or the pioneering eco-community BedZed for some applied learning. Art students will get lost in Shoreditch, spotting street corners splattered with little known names, yet to line the walls of galleries.

Rome

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, and by the looks of the architecture, they weren’t kidding! Steeped in mythology & history, students can walk amongst fearless gladiators, make a wish at the famous Di Trevi Fountain, trudge the Spanish Steps and see the highlights of St Peter’s. If that didn’t sell it to you, they have more Gelato then you can shake a stick at! 

Berlin

Fast becoming an educational hotspot, this is where famous history sites double as educational opportunities; the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial and the Brandenburg Gate. One of the most immersive ways to experience the city is a Religious tour. If you’re looking for something a little outside of the city head to Potsdam, for beautiful gardens and historical buildings.

Fun Fact: The highest toilet in Europe is on Mont Blanc at over 4,200 meters!

Like what you see? The fun doesn’t have to end, enjoy more blogs from STA Travel Education here.

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I have an announcement!

I promised this announcement quite a while ago now, and actually, the news I had to share has changed somewhat.

After my last post about the internship I did at the British Red Cross, I have now been offered a job there – although thankfully not in fundraising! While I’m not knocking it at all, they all do very good work; it is just not for me. This job is working as a Technical Team Assistant for the International Directorate so it is more to do with the actual projects that BRC does rather than raising money for them. It is only a 4-month contract so will run until December but this actually works out well for me as it means that I will be free when Harley and Morgan come to London for graduation – so that’s really exciting!

My other good news is that finally, finally, I think we have got a house sorted. I don’t want to get ahead of myself too much because the last house that we put a holding deposit down for fell through after about a week but I have a better feeling about this one. So there is now the fun of beginning to pack up all my stuff, but by the end of the month, I will be finally living in London!! I’m so excited, and this house is so beautiful, we can just move straight in, nothing needs to be done, everything is so perfect, I don’t want to jinx it but if we can pull this off I will be living on cloud nine.

Also, ANOTHER great bit of news that I have been trying to keep under wraps is that I have been approached by STA Travel, just about my favourite travel company (that I can afford), to work with them in a collaboration or two, so look out for your favourite Basic Traveller posts coming at you from the STA Education blog, I am hoping that this will lead on to some bigger and better things for this blog too. Let's make it a well-established spot on the map, eh? Although I can't do it without your help, so get hashtagging, tweets, and sharing as many posts as you can and if you send me a message with a screenshot of this, I'll send you some Basic Traveller goodies!

What’s all your news? Get in touch and tell me what you are up to? Anyone else had any housing disaster stories??

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

Inside the Internship: The British Red Cross

This title makes this post seem like it is a secret expose with some huge scandal. I wish it was, but hold onto your seats ladies and gentlemen because this is going to get exciting! It is the long awaited post I know you have all been waiting for – all about my recent 3 month internship at the British Red Cross.

I know, I doubt many of you are actually interested in this, so feel free to just scroll to the end, it won’t be long and I won’t be offended!

While I was at BRC I worked in the Restricted Funding team (no, I had no idea what that meant either) but essentially, from what I have understood, this team collects together restricted ‘asks’ (specific allocations of money that go to specific products) and then write up all the documents for this to pass on to other high value giving teams (Corporate, Philanthropy, etc). There is a lot of copy writing as part of it and so many spreadsheets.

My first month here was pretty good, really interesting and I had a lot of different things to write and decipher, a bit of a learning curve but definitely manageable. What I found the best was the fact we were responding to real life, in the moment situations, like writing reports for the disaster fund on the recent Guatemalan volcano eruption or the recent violence in Gaza – that was pretty cool.

My experience here has been invaluable, but as it was an unpaid internship there is only so much value in working for free, so I am glad it is over now.  

Have you guys done any internship you would or wouldn’t recommend? Get in touch and let me know!

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx  

My 5 Top Travel Apps

So we all now live in a scarily connected age of technology and the way we travel has certainly changed over the years, and therefore I thought I might share with all you lovely people my favourite and most used travel apps. (And before you ask, no, this post is not sponsored, just my honest thoughts and feelings). While there are definitely more (SkyScanner, HostelWorld, Uber etc. these are my favourites)

1.       Airbnb

Now as you are all very aware I am a massive fan of Airbnb as I probably don’t stop talking about it and recommending it enough in all of my travel posts (more on this to follow). However, the Airbnb app has been a lifesaver for me as it has helped me get out of many a sticky situation with no accommodation. The interface is really easy to use, the messaging system is great, the only downside I have found is that obviously you need WiFi or a data connection to be able to use it which is fine when you are at home or in the city, not so great when you are stuck in a field in Calais in the middle of January with nowhere to sleep for the night… (See my Calais post for reference).  Also, if you use my link on the Links and Discounts page here you’ll get money off your first stay!

2.       Touch Note

This app is definitely less commonly heard of, I have had it on my phone for a couple of years now after I saw it recommended on Channel 4’s Travel Man, although the other week I did see it advertised on TV, so hopefully it is going to pick up soon.

The basic premise of this app is that it turns your holiday photos into a postcard, allows you to write a message and will send it to your recipient all from the app. While the app itself is free, you do have to buy credits to be able to send each card. However, I think it is great, especially in world where we are always on our phones and are often in places where it is hard to find a stamp, this app solves the problem. Also, the cards are really professional and make great holiday souvenirs. I always send them to my grandma and friend Sophie who love getting postcards!

3.       Gratitude Tipping

This app is relatively new to me as I was contacted on Twitter about this, but after playing around with it I would definitely rate it. Gratitude Tipping works both online and offline (bonus when you are in those hard-to-reach-WiFi places) and will tell you from your location, bill amount, service and people shared, how much the average tip should be for your bill. It has a wide range of countries and is essential for a Brit like me who almost never tips in the UK (we just don’t really do it here). Saves the embarrassment of under-tipping someone and saves you money from over-tipping too!

4.       TripSoSo

While TripSoSo may not be the most streamlined or stylish app, it is quite good in providing you a jumping off point for finding things to do in your travel destination. Allowing you to use it online and download location guides for offline use, this app also has in-app purchases allowing you to book tours and excursions through them. While it certainly doesn’t have everything you can do, it is a good place to start and often has some less-thought of ideas that aren’t always in the Lonely Planets (A post on this will also follow soon!).

5.       CityMapper

My final top-rated app is CityMapper. If you haven’t heard of CityMapper, what rock have you been hiding under the last few years? CityMapper is fairly self explanatory, only working in major cities (although they are always adding more locations), it provides you a map of the city and shows the quickest ways of getting from A to B. It also provides price, how many calories you will burn, and live updates on public transport arrivals. In some locations is has also launched its own bus service. If you haven’t got it already, download it now!

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx