The One Bag Challenge

Long haul airlines typically give you a pretty generous luggage allowance - in the region of 20-30kg for checked luggage and maybe around 10kg for cabin. Let's say it works out about 30kg overall, in general. Imagine how much you could fit in that much baggage.

When we went to New Zealand last year, my checked bag weighed 11kg. For three weeks of travel. I didn't even use half of the things I packed - mostly extra clothes. So when I went to Iceland in January with Gemma, I figured I'd bypass the checked baggage and just take carry-on, because a) we were only going for four days and b) you have to pay extra for checked bags with WOW Air. Managed it easily.

Ryanair also charge for checked baggage, so we've taken just one between the 3 of us to Ireland. Personally, the less I put in that bag, the better. I'm aiming for just the one bag. Observe.

Woo, badly edited photo. Anyway, the bag on the right is the checked bag and also the one I took to New Zealand with an entire 11kg in it. The one on the left is the bag I intend to fit most of the things I need into. It holds 25l and it lasted me a week in Wales without feeling I was missing anything.

This is the challenge you see. The Grand Tour, my epic grand plan to travel round the world on my own, is less than a year away and I figure the fewer bags I have to keep an eye on, the better.

Enter the One Bag Challenge. My goal is to cut out the checked bag altogether and just take carry on. This can make so many things easier.

• Fewer bags to keep an eye on.
• Potentially faster check in at airports.
• Cheaper travel where airlines charge for checked bags.
• Fewer things to carry around - that 65l bag was not pleasant to lug around in New Zealand.
• Fewer things to misplace from the bag.

With a little thought, there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to fit everything I need into that bag. I'm perfectly capable of doing laundry, so I won't be needing all those extra clothes I always take. I always wear my walking boots, my heaviest item, on the flight, so that takes them out of the equation. I don't take loads of tech with me - my laptop, though fairly light, stays at home and my camera will fit neatly into the top of the bag.

New Zealand also taught me that I don't need to take books away with me. I took a couple to NZ with the idea that I'd read them in the evenings. I didn't touch them, not even on the flights. Dead weight. Even my travel guide barely got touched, so I won't be taking them anywhere again.

The other heavy and bulky things are the toiletries. I only took travel-sized toiletries to Iceland, which seriously cut down on weight and how much space they took up. Also, let's face it, most places I plan to go, I'll be able to buy toiletries there.

Same applies to any clothes I might be missing - nothing to stop me picking up something locally. Might even find something nice to take home.

And there's another thing - souvenirs. They can take up so much space. Nothing to stop me posting things back home though. Could have a nice little stack of things waiting for me when I get back.

Yeah, I'm thinking this is a great idea. I'll let you know how it goes.

Do you have any tips for cutting down on luggage? Feel free to share!

Wales: Buzzy Baldrick and Stingy Steve

Our final 2 days in Wales began with drizzle on the Thursday. We made first for Hay-on-Wye for a second visit in order to check out the market there. All sorts of local produce on offer, including some lovely preserves that my sister brought back as presents. With the rain seemingly persistent and the dogs not really enjoying it we popped into the Secret Garden Tea Room for a nice warming hot chocolate and slice of bara brith, a Welsh fruit bread that's most delicious.

Suitably warmed up, we had a further wander round the market and then we headed into one of the bookshops, dogs in tow. The dogs loved the fact they were allowed into the bookshops. Henry took me on a tour of this particular one, though what he was looking for I'm not sure. Probably his big sister, who had gone upstairs with my mum.

Books bought, we left Hay with the weather clearing slightly. Drove back to Talgarth, the little village we were staying near to have a look around. Initially, we set out for a walk, seeing as the clouds were breaking up a bit. Unfortunately we couldn't find the path and looking back towards the village we noticed the clouds coming back in and settling in the valley. Indeed, they seemed to have settled right down between the hills, hiding the upper part of the village.

We decided trying to find the path wasn't worth getting soaked for, so we headed back to the village and had a look around a couple of the shops. Lovely little deli there which has flavoured oils and vinegars on tap, plus a lovely selection of local produce. Bought my dad some local honey, plus some cake for tea. Mmm.

We also checked out Talgarth Mill which was recently renovated and re-opened to the public. We didn't go around the mill itself, but there's a nice little cafe and a shop selling flour from the mill. Sat outside with a nice cuppa. My sister had some sort of juice which attracted the inevitable wasps. She nicknamed them Buzzy Baldrick, Stingy Steve and Evil Ed. Oh dear.

Mum and sister checked out the little shop while I kept an eye on the dogs - later turned out sister had bought me a bread kit complete with flour from the mill. Can't wait to test it out.

And then yet another nice lazy evening. The cake I bought from the little deli was delicious.

Our final day in Wales was the wettest yet, to the point that we spent the entire morning lounging in the cottage. The dogs weren't bothered and I have to admit it was quite nice to have a morning of nothing - the first I've had in quite a while.

When the rain finally stopped we headed back to Brecon and this time managed to take a walk along the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal as we'd planned earlier in the week. Kinda muddy, but the path is well maintained so you could avoid the puddles. The dogs hate getting wet so it was funny watching them trying to pick their way through the less wet bits of the path.

Walked the 2 miles from the head of the canal in Brecon down to the Brynich Lock, the first out from Brecon. Timed it right to catch a narrow boat going through the lock. Reminded us of the time we took a canal holiday. More than a decade ago, that was. Jeez...

Anyhoo, we'd done 2 miles by that point and with it still being a bit damp we turned back to Brecon to save the dogs getting too cold. Grabbed a cuppa at the Coracle cafe in the town centre and then headed back to Talgarth. Stopped off at the Castle Hotel to grab some takeaway for tea. Delicious sausage and chips, fresh out of the fryer since they'd only just opened when we got through the door. Good stuff and pretty reasonably priced - I always expected this sort of thing to be expensive because it's relatively cheap in Grimsby.

And then it rained some more and we had a final lazy evening.

A lovely week in Wales, despite the occasional issue with the weather. And proof that going on holiday with dogs shouldn't limit your options.

For part 1 of the trip, go here: Cake, Sun & Travelling with Dogs
For part 2, go here: Sunburn and Hill Forts

Destination Daydreams: Ireland

Flying out to Ireland tomorrow, so after my last post about planning I thought I'd do a special Destination Daydreams of the things I really want to see and do on the trip.

Even better, I have input from Claire and Gemma who are coming with me! Yay! Here goes.

I want to see Connemara ponies. I think I've mentioned this in previous posts, but basically I read a book when I was little that had Connemara ponies as a major part of the narrative and I fell in love. Now that I have the chance to see them, I better bloody well see them. I will be incredibly disappointed if I don't.

I'd also love to see whales. I've heard there's humpback whales off the Dingle Peninsula but they're quite difficult to spot. I'll settle for dolphins but a whale... well, a whale's a whale and after seeing sperm whales in New Zealand I want to see more.

I'd quite like an experience akin to the driving days we had in New Zealand where it's quite a long way between overnight stops and we just drive the scenic route, stopping to enjoy the view and take photos wherever we fancy. So, the Wild Atlantic Way between Galway and Tralee sounds like a good bet!

Gemma is looking forward to our starlight kayaking near Cork. I have to agree; just floating about under the stars (or clouds as the case might be) sounds like a truly awesome experience. Claire also agrees. She's also excited about the Wild Atlantic Way, whales (of course), the Giants Causeway and experiencing Irish pubs and live music. Oh, and exploring Dublin and Belfast.

All of which sounds good to me. And Claire?

Claire wants to see basking sharks. That sounds cool and I think I'd probably get overexcited if we did see any. I love basking sharks. They're bizarre animals. Like Gemma, she's also looking forward to seeing the Giants Causeway, where she'll probably soon get fed up of me geeking out over the amazing geology things... In addition, she wants to see the Book of Kells, which is on display at the Library of Trinity College. Ninth century illuminated gospels? Interesting stuff.

Claire has two other things on her "to do" list. The first is a sing along to the Buffy musical episode, Once More, With Feeling. OK, that's all right. We did that in New Zealand and Gemma's been warned about it.

The second is a vague plan in which she finds and kidnaps Andrew Scott (of Sherlock fame), possibly with help from me and Gemma. I'm not so keen on this idea... I do not want to get arrested...

So many things to see and do. Two weeks to do it in. Take off in less than 24 hours. Countdown is entering its final stages...

Ireland: Whisky in the Jar...

Well, we've entered the final countdown. 5 days till take off.

All the hostels are booked, as is the car hire. We've also reserved a starlight kayak trip near Cork and are looking at whale watching and horse riding. Those two we're holding off on booking for now until we've got a better idea of what the weather might do. I'm not entirely averse to rain but the idea of spending two hours on horseback in pouring rain does not appeal.

It will be amazing, I know this

On Friday night after work I'm catching a train to Manchester, meeting up with Gemma and then crashing at my mum's before we head to the airport on Saturday morning. After that it's a lunch time flight into Dublin where we'll meet up with Claire who's flying from Birmingham.

Just a few little bits left to sort out. Got my euros yesterday, my travel insurance is sorted and I think I have everything I need to take with me. Got to decide how we're paying the balance on the hostels. When we went to New Zealand last year, Claire and my sister paid me in what they owed for hostels and then I paid the hostels, just to save all us faffing around trying to get the right cash out. We'll probably end up doing similar this time, but we still haven't sorted it... should probably do that...

Also need to make sure everything we need fits in the available luggage space. We're only one checked bag between us because you have to pay extra for checked bags with Ryanair. So I need my big rucksack to weigh less than 15kg. Considering I only took 11kg for a 3 week trip to New Zealand, I think this is doable, even including the (likely) 2 pairs of walking boots that'll be going in.

On which note, I'm using this trip for a sort of trial run of the One Bag Challenge. Not sure if this is already a thing or if I've just made it up... More info on this in a post next week, but the idea is that I'm trying to cut down on all the stuff that goes on holiday with me in preparation for The Grand Tour. After all, do I really need so many spare t-shirts when I can just take 3 or 4 and wash them regularly?

So, I may be taking a checked bag, but I want to put as little of my stuff in it as possible. I'll wear my walking boots for the flight, as always. And probably get stopped by the metal detectors, as always. Everything I need, as far as possible, needs to fit into my carry on bag. It's a 25 litre backpack. It lasted me a week in Wales. Pretty sure it can last me for 2 weeks in Ireland. Look.

We shall see... 5 DAYS TO GO!

Travel with Dogs

After my trip to Wales with my mum, sister and my mum's dogs, I got to wondering what impact travelling with animals has on what you can do on a holiday.

The simple conclusion is that it really doesn't need to have much impact, providing you take a couple of things into account.

Point 1: You're probably going to be outside most of the day. Unless you can find a dog friendly shopping centre, museum or other attraction, you're going to have to find outdoor things to do.

Such things include the obvious: walking. Dogs love walking, right? My mum's definitely do - considering how short their legs are, they'll quite happily do 5 miles or more. And all that walking's good for you too. Grab yourself a good pair of walking boots and get out there.

Point 2: If it rains, you could end up stuck inside all day. Obviously, this depends how tolerant you and your dogs are of bad weather. Me, I'll go for a walk in the rain, at least for a while, without too much bother. Mum's dogs on the other hand... well, they won't even go outside to do their business if it's drizzling.

I've been on two holidays with Mum and the dogs now and they've been brilliant. We've had lovely long walks in the morning (when the weather's been good) and then a nice relaxed late afternoon/evening once we're all tired out.

Good for exercise, going on holiday with dogs. No choice but to get out walking because a) the dogs need it and b) there aren't many other options.

You get to see some gorgeous views, too. Aside from the cute dogs, obviously! And quite honestly, there are few more relaxing things than taking a nice long walk and then collapsing on the sofa afterwards with a sleepy dog curled up next to you.

Point 3: Consider your destination carefully. I think we can safely say that city breaks aren't suited for dogs for anything much more than a couple of days. Where are you going to take them? I doubt you're going to find much in the way of dog-friendly shops and museums. Parks are a good option, I suppose, but personally I'll take the open countryside over a park most days.

You're going to want to find dog-friendly accommodation too. Some providers like Forest Holidays (who we stayed with in November) have cabins especially for those with dogs and many holiday lets will allow well-behaved pets. Our cottage in Wales, on a little farm called Berth Fedw, was through Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages, but there's plenty of other providers.

Basically, to end this slightly rambling post, having dogs with you shouldn't stop you from going away. Find a nice place to stay and enjoy the surroundings. Seriously, check out this view from Berth Fedw above Talgarth.

I think the ultimate sign of a good holiday with dogs is the fact that the dogs clearly enjoyed themselves. Even if they were knackered when we got back...

Wales: Sunburn and hill forts

Back on with the Wales recap! If you're interested in the first one (which covers Brecon and Hay-on-Wye) you can find it HERE.

Tuesday, our third day in the Brecon Beacons, started with a bit of a mishap in misreading the map and heading towards Abergavenny instead of the Brecon Beacons National Park Visitor Centre. A very scenic detour it was, though, and we got there eventually.

The Visitor Centre is located at Mynydd Illtyd, an area of common land with great views of Pen y Fan, the tallest mountain in the Beacons. Grabbed a drink and a slice of millionaires shortbread from the cafe and basked in the sunshine for a bit before getting some tips from the very helpful ladies in the shop regarding good walks.

We were pointed in the direction of the Twyn y Gaer hill fort at the northern end of the common with the promise of brilliant 360 degree views. It had, by this point, turned into quite a hot, clear day and the dogs were already struggling a bit in the heat. Kept pouring water on them to keep them a bit cooler.

It was an easy walk up to the fort, of which there is very little left. You can see why it was chosen though - the views, as promised, are amazing. Pen y Fan, off to the east.

Views north up the valley towards Brecon.

And more of the Beacons to the west.

The dogs loved it. Indeed, Henry was so relaxed (and maybe just a little bit tired and warm) that he laid down for a quick snooze.

Oh, and there were some sheep. I really want to get a shot of the sheep that seemed to be creeping up on us through the bracken, but she ran away before I could get my camera out. Here they are enjoying the shade under this old tree instead.

Anyways, we lounged around at the fort for an hour, forgetting how clear it was and then headed back down to the Visitor Centre, where we ate our packed lunch outside the cafe. My sister treated us to ice cream and even the dogs got a little bit - licking out the empty tubs. It must have been good - they were giving me the gooey eyes even after they'd had their faces in my tub.

Then it was back to the cottage for a nice relaxed evening and the realisation that we'd all got sunburnt. Oops.

The next day dawned with tender shoulders where we'd all caught the sun and another directional mishap on our way to the Waterfalls Centre on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Turns out the mishap wasn't much of a mishap and probably took us a much more scenic route than the one my mum had planned on taking.

It took us up over the top of the Beacons towards Penderyn, through beautiful uplands dotted with sheep and the occasional mountain pony. I also spotted some sort of bird of prey, but I'm still struggling to identify what it was - grey, possibly with a black tipped tail. I think I've got it down to a peregrine, goshawk or (highly unlikely) hen harrier. Will never know.

Brief stop at Penderyn to check we were heading the right way (which we were) and then onwards to Pontneddfechan and the Waterfall Centre. Ended up not going into the centre, but headed straight up the River Neath to see the waterfalls. After the hot sun the day before, it was lovely to be able to walk in the shade for a while. Really peaceful and occasionally hilarious watching the dogs trying to avoid the puddles.

First of the falls was Sgwd Gwladys. Plenty of people enjoying the water, but I imagine it must be amazing when it's quieter.

And then onwards up a narrowing path to the next set of falls. The path up to Sgwd Gwladys is a bit uneven but probably accessible with a pushchair. After that, the path gets riddled with tree roots, narrow and quite steep and/or muddy in places. Very pretty though.

Made it up to the next falls, which are showing up as Horseshoe Falls on GoogleMaps, but I seem to recall them having a Welsh name too... Anyway, there were quite a few people enjoying the sun there too - there's a big chunk of bare rock next to the river that was catching all the heat.

Nice view up the river towards the next falls too. We decided against going up to those - the dogs were getting tired from all the scrambling their little legs were having to do and we were in need of a drink.

Headed instead back the way we came and then to the Angel Inn for a drink and something to eat. Lovely blueberry muffins that we then had to defend from some very persistent wasps. The dogs enjoyed themselves - they got fussed over by a couple of slightly tipsy Welshmen who seemed to be fascinated by them.

Refreshed, we started heading back to the cottage for the evening but found ourselves making a quick detour to Garwnant Visitor Centre for a cuppa. Some gorgeous views from there as well, none of which I managed to snap. So there's this one instead. Sun! In Wales! For the second day on the trot!

Yeah, I was impressed.

The day came to a glorious end with my first ever sighting of the Perseid meteor shower. The Brecon Beacons are a Dark Sky Reserve, so combined with the weather being clear and the moon being new, the views were amazing. Standing outside at 11pm staring at the sky shouldn't be so amazing, but seeing those meteors streak across the sky is one hell of an experience.

Find part 1 of my Wales trip here: Cake, sun and travelling with dogs

Destination Daydreams: Birthday Daydreams

It was my birthday yesterday (happy birthday to me and all that). So I figured I'd make a list of everywhere I would go if a) I could afford it and b) security wasn't an issue.

Top of the list is volunteering with orangutans in Borneo or Sumatra. My parents actually offered to pay for me to go for my 21st but I figured I wanted to do something as a family so we went to Euro Disney instead. Such fun, but I really do want to see the orangs.

I'd also love to see the Amazon and the Pantanal on more than just a flying visit. I'd like to actually trek into the forest, maybe volunteer somewhere.

If I had a driving license I'd road trip across Australia from Adelaide to Darwin, maybe taking in some of the tracks on the way. Y'know, just drive out into the outback.

Hmm... what else? I'd love to do an epic trip to see all the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (or sites thereof) in one go. So Greece (Statue of Zeus, Colossus of Rhodes), Egypt (Pharos of Alexandria, Pyramids at Giza), Turkey (Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus) and Iraq (Hanging Gardens of Babylon). That'd be an awesome trip.

I also fancy a trip round the Pacific - Japan, Hawaii, some of the islands in the South Pacific, Easter Island and the Galapagos. Actually, Galapagos could be one trip in itself. Oh yeah. Wildlife, culture, history. What more could you ask for?

Antarctica's also on the list - penguins, seals, whales? Definitely my cup of tea. And those landscapes... wow. And there's always the possiblity of the Southern Lights. So gorgeous. On which note...

The Northern Lights. Nowhere specific - I sort of just want to head up north - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Canada or Iceland, I don't mind where - and just sit around and wait until the Lights show up. Just sit back, relax and sky watch for days.

I want to climb a mountain. I've done Snowdon in Wales, but it's somehow not quite as awesome as the thought of tackling one of the really big peaks. I'm thinking maybe Kilimanjaro? Everest would be cool but... I don't know... Kilimanjaro has more pull. Imagine the views you could get of the savannah.

I want to swim with Whale Sharks. I love sharks and much as the idea of cage diving with Great Whites in South Africa sounds amazing, the thought of swimming with giant (relatively) non-threatening sharks in lovely warm(ish) waters sounds even better. Maybe I'll add it to the Grand Tour - there's Whale Sharks around the Ningaloo Marine Reserve in Australia.

Oooh, historical things - I want to see the Great Wall of China up close, take those cliched pictures at the Taj Mahal and visit a whole array of pre-Columbian sites in Mesoamerica. Things like Chichen Itza, Tikal and Teotihuacan. While I'm there, I also want to visit the cenotes (limestone sinkholes) around the coast of the Yucatan - firstly because they're interesting in their own right and secondly because they're possibly the clearest above-ground indicator of the impact that wiped out the dinosaurs: evolution and geology all in one go!

And then there's all the museums... oh, the museums. Top of the list at this moment in time is the Smithsonian. Huge, varied and considered one of the best museums on the planet. Yep, that's a must. I could probably spend a few days there, even a week given the opportunity.

I'd love to see Lake Maracaibo for the amazing lightning storms it experiences. It's not completely understood why, but it happens regularly and to see it firsthand would be magical.

Uh, magical. What an awful word.

Safari would be cool, too. At least a week, though, maybe two. The three days I had in Kruger National Park were amazing but nowhere near enough to satisfy. I want to see big cats. And more than that, I want to see the migrations. Hey, I grew up watching BBC Natural History Unit documentaries - the image of thousands of wildebeest and zebra (among others) marching across the savannah has stuck with me and damnit, I want to watch it.

So many things... anything else?

Oh, so many things. So. Many. Things. But, y'know, I think this post is long enough for now. I'm sure the others will crop up at some future date or other.