sleeping

This is the first night I’m sleeping in a nice proper double bed with crisp white sheets tucked in nice and tight, a duvet and four pillows.
I’m sleeping on make-up free pillowcases and I don’t feel I have to use my own pillowcase I brought from home.
If you hadn’t guessed it, I’m staying at a hotel!

Oooh la la I hear you say?
Have I given up on my hostel stays?
Unfortunately not.
I’m starting my Contiki tomorrow morning nice and early so I’m staying at the Miyako Hotel in Downtown LA which is where the Contiki begins.

I’ll write about my day first of all before I go on about the Contiki.

This morning I woke up nice and early at the USA hostel in Hollywood.
I’d pretty much packed my bag last night so I just had a shower, did my make-up and got the last of my belongings from my dorm room quietly as two of the Aussie girls were sleeping.

I checked out of the hostel and left my bags in the storage room that the hostel let’s you use.

This morning, myself and two of my new Aussie friends – Shay and Jarid – went to a Dr Phil taping.
Hahahahaha. I can hear everyone’s laughter from here.
They were already planning to go and as I’m a Dr Phil fan anyways I accompanied them.
I’ve been known to watch a bit of Dr Phil on the TV’s at work in my lunch break so this was an exciting trip for me!

Once we were all ready, off we went on the bus to the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles where they film Dr Phil.

As we lined up around 9am, we ended up having to be put in the 2nd show at 10.45am. 😕 as the first taping had become full.
It was a bit annoying having to wait around for nearly another two hours but we just went down to the Diner on the corner and had a really early lunch/late breakfast.
The Diner at first glance looked really average but was surprisingly good.
I ordered a Vanilla shake and a grilled cheese sandwich. Very American of me I know. I’m loving these shakes over here! They’re so thick 🍵

However I can’t quite get over how they use cheddar cheese in like everything here and it’s so yellow!

After we had finished eating it was pretty much time to head back to the studios so we walked back and lined up again.
Once we were selected to go through we ended up having to wait in the sun for like an hour on these seats until the previous group came out from the first episode of filming.
They take your phone’s off you too so we actually had to be social with one another 😄 and not just flick through Instagram and Facebook.

When we finally got through, we were put near the back as Shay and Jarid were wearing jeans and as that’s not very formal we had to kind of be ‘hidden’.
So I recommend if you ever go – wear something nice!
A nice skirt and top with heels, a suit even or a nice pair of pants and dressy top will get you put up the front.
We could still see really well though so I wasn’t complaining.

The show today was about a man called Richard Glossip who’s in jail and is about to be executed as he’s on death row. Susan-Sarandon-responds-to-Piers-Morgan-criticizing-cleavage They also had the Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon on the show to appeal to the U.S. public to help try to stop the execution of Glossip as she believes he is innocent.
Richard Glossip who is 52, is due to die by lethal injection next month but has always maintained he is not guilty of murder.
He was sentenced to death for his part in the killing of motel owner Barry Alan Van Treese in January 1997.
img-Oklahoma-s-next-to-die-afraid-of-prolonged-painful-death Sarandon said on the show that the scheduled execution in Oklahoma shows everything that is wrong with the death penalty in America.
The fact he was convicted on the testimony of another guy Justin Sneed, who confessed to beating Treese to death with a baseball bat, but said he had been hired to do it by Glossip

She was also saying how people who do much worse get off the death penalty and he wasn’t given a fair trial as in America sometimes having money is all you need to get off lots of things.
I think it airs a few days before September the 16th so you’ll have to watch out for it! (You may even see me in the audience if you’re lucky ;))

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the show as we weren’t allowed to bring cameras or phones in.
I saw Dr Phil’s wife though as she was sitting a few rows down from us. She looks pretty much exactly as she does on TV. Very well-presented and quite ‘perfect’.

When the taping was done (which ran over an hour more than it was meant to) we headed back to Hollywood boulevard and quickly went to Walgreen’s so I could buy some snacks for my Bus Tour tomorrow.

Then we went shopping at Forever 21.
Jarid ended up leaving us girls to our own devices and we had a nice shop together, even though I spent the whole time rushing trying to find a dress and heels for Vegas before I had to head to my hotel that night.

I did find a dress from one of the stores on Hollywood Boulevard (it’s pretty but it’s nothing amazing) so I bought it just in case I couldn’t find anything else.
I have yet to get heels though so I’ll have to wait until I go to Vegas tomorrow and try and fit some shopping in!

It was getting a bit late and I needed to get to my next Hotel so Shay and I went back to the Hostel so I could grab my bags. I said my goodbyes to Shay, Jarid and Kevin before I Uber-ed my way to Miyako Hotel.
My Uber girl who picked my up was really nice and we talked the whole way about my trip around the world and her living in LA.
It only cost me $9 for a 23 minute ride to the hotel too. Bargain!! I love uber.

When I checked in at my hotel, I went to my room and met my room mate for the night, Lauren. (When you start your Contiki and stay at the Pre-Contiki Hotel, they pair you up with someone on the same Contiki to make the room cheaper for you)
I think every night on the trip you get a different person so it’ll be good to meet lots of new people 🙂
Edit: You get put with a room-buddy for your whole trip and they stay the same, however it’s not the person you’re roomed with on your first pre-contiki night.

At 7pm we all met upstairs in a meeting room (it wasn’t compulsory so only about 20 of us were there)
We talked about any questions we had about the Contiki, where the nearest food places were and filled out some emergency details they needed from us.
Once we were done a few of us headed down the road to eat dinner.
I got frozen yogurt instead of an actual dinner and now I’m starving!!! 😥
That’s what happens when I snack 😐 I don’t feel like a full meal and then later on I get so hungry.

When everyone had gotten something to eat, five of us headed down to a brewery and had some drinks.
Well the boys drunk beer and I just sat and chatted as I always do as I hate beer and they had no other drinks on offer.
I’ve made 4 friends so far + my room mate Lauren so it looks like everyone is going to be pretty friendly.

The picture above has a little story to it – as we all sat down at a table in the brewery, I realized someone had left all these stickers on it.
Without any of the boys knowing I successfully put a sticker on each of their backs. Then I got them to play a game with these little bean bags the pub provided, then made the boys all line up to play just so I could take a photo of them with these silly stickers. I couldn’t stop laughing!
They had no idea what I was giggling about the whole time until I eventually told them.
They said they’re going to get me back though so I better watch my back haha.

We headed back to the hotel at around 11.30pm and I packed my bag again and had a shower.
Look how weird our toilet is in the picture below. It has a seat warmer and all these buttons which I have no idea what they do. I was too scared to push any of them to find out.

Now I’m off to sleep!!
It’s nearly 12.30am 😯😯
Have to be ready by 7.15am tomorrow to get all my stuff to the bus, eek!!

The longest flight I’ve ever been on was for 12 hours. From Auckland (NZ) to Bangkok (Thailand) and also from Auckland to Los Angeles.

Going to Thailand, the flight seemed a lot shorted than it actually was. Sleeping was great as me and my friend I was travelling with had the whole 3 seats in our row to ourselves. She’s so tiny so we top’d and tailed’to stretch out for the flight.
When I traveled to LA, it was a night-time flight (Leaving home at 7pm) but as I was heading off for my first big trip by myself overseas I was pretty anxious. I was much more prepared packing-wise for my trip but emotionally I pretty much silently cried to myself for the first 3 hours.

However, if you’re heading on a long flight. Read ahead for a bit of travel advice I have for ya!

1) Bring entertainment!
I remember I went on a 1 hour flight from Auckland to Wellington and I packed my damn earphones in my checked in luggage so couldn’t listen to any music. I know it was only an hour but it was terribly boring. Imagine going on a 10 hour flight without your tablet, smartphone or kindle to keep you entertained. Even a book or a deck of cards is useful if you’re travelling with someone else.
I’m assuming most flights these days provide headphones so not all is lost of you forget yours like I did! And then you can just watch the movies on the plane 🙂

2) Charge your devices. Before I go on any trips I have my smartphone, kindle and iPod all plugged in on charge up until I leave. Most planes these days have USB ports where you can plug in your phone otherwise you can get those little portable charges to take with you.

3) Choose your seat if you’re picky. I have a nervousness of flying so I have to be sitting next to the window. Being able to see if there’s lots of clouds prepares me for a bit of turbulence. I also like being near the wing of the plane as you feel less movement in the center of the plane. However, if I was bumped up to first class for a middle seat I’m not gonna complain 😉
If you’re one of those people who always need to go to the loo or stretch your legs, choose as aisle seat so you’re not making the people next to you get up and move all the time.
I’m not sure what the deal is for all airlines but for my flight to LA I think it cost me NZD$20 or $40 to choose my seat. I can’t remember now….
Otherwise I think you can sometimes ask the person at the counter when you check in where you want to sit.
http://www.seatguru.com is a good website to have a look at the plane you’re flying on and read reviews on the best places to sit.

4) Stay Hydrated!
Airplanes make you so dehydrated. Everything from your eyes to your skin. When I board a plane I’ve usually got a bit of make up on but will cleanse it off during the flight and put a good night cream on. My friend and I once did a nice Origins 10 minute mask for our flight to Bangkok and left it on the whole time. No one cares how you look after 4 hours to your destination anyways.
Drinking lots of water and packing eye drops and a contact lenses cases is essential for contact lense wearers like myself. My eyes already dry out so much at work from the air con that in a metal tube they’re 10x worse.

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5) Order a special meal if you want to be served first
If you order a special meal on the plane, you’ll always get your meal first There are multiple choices you can request depending on the airline you’re flying, from vegetarian to gluten-free. Make sure to check online before your flight as you’ll have to put your order in then.
If you hate airplane food, pack snacks! You’ll get hungry on a long flight and it’s always nice to have something to nibble on. I’m more of a lollie/candy eater myself but protein bars and muesli bars etc… are probably a lot better for you. Don’t be that dick though with the smelly chips and seafood flavored whatever. Yuck. You’ll end up stinking out the whole plane.

6) Carry On Bags!
Sort it out before you check in your main bags. There’s nothing worse than realizing you have a 200ml bottle of your favorite foundation/fake tan/moisturizer/perfume whatever in your carry on and not being able to take it because it’s over the 100ml limit 😦
Your liquids under 100ml’s should also be packed in clear plastic bags (like those zip lock bags you get from the supermarket) when you’re going through security. It just makes it easier for Airport Security to see what’s in your carry-on.

What I pack in my carry on bag:
☆ Documents! Passport, Boarding Pass, Flight itinerary and all print outs of where I’m staying, important phone numbers etc… just in case my bag gets lost when I land.
☆ Snacks and a water bottle (empty until after you pass through security)
☆ Neck Pillow
☆ Deodorant
☆ Face wipes (to take off my make up during the flight)
☆ Tooth brush & mini tooth paste
☆ A Good Lip balm!
☆ I pod, my Kindle and any other devices you may need
☆ Wallet with my cash or credit cards/travel cards
☆ A spare change of clothes + spare underwear (again in case my bag gets lost)
☆ P.j bottoms/couch pants for when you want to go to sleep and curl up your legs
☆ A pen!! For filling out the forms before landing
☆ A spare pack of contact lenses and solution + case
☆ Make up (just the essentials like foundation, mascara & lipstick)
☆ Ear Plugs
☆ Nasal gel
☆ Compression socks (I don’t usually pack these, but I put it on here for anyone that gets really swollen legs during flights)
☆ Medication eg, the pill, pain relief, sleeping pills (bring a prescription from your doctor if you’re not sure it’s allowed)

7) Move around to get the blood moving. Stretch in the aisle or get up to go to the bathroom every few hours. This will also help with deep vein thrombosis that people sometimes get from sitting for long periods.

8) Sleeping – If you plan on it, bring a neck pillow or some type of softness that isn’t the person’s shoulder next to you.
I’ve read that sleeping near the front of the plane is probably the worst as this is where parents and babies often are and flight attendants will be working with all the drinks making some noise.
Also put your seat belt on where it’s obvious for a flight attendant to see so they don’t have to wake you.

9) Jet-lag – how annoying being in another country at 10am and wanting to fall asleep because it’s 11pm back home!
I’ve never really experienced major jet-lag but I know a lot of people do.
There’s stuff you can buy like ‘no jet-lag’ tablets which are homeopathic pills you can take, otherwise some people like to take sleeping pills or melatonin to help with sleep.
Before you leave, it’s best to try and be stress-free (easier said than done sometimes) and have a good night’s sleep the night before so you don’t arrive at your destination frazzled and angry.

10) Do some In-Seat exercises
Before your flight, try and get lots of exercise in by hitting the gym or going for a quick run. However if you don’t have time or you can’t walk around much during the flight because of carts and people in the way, try some in-seat exercises.

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As shown in the picture above, rotate your feet in circles a few times. Or keep your arms still and roll your shoulders forwards five times. Then backwards, five times. If you google ‘In flight exercises’ lots of examples will come up. Virgin Atlantic has a good little work out plan on their website.
At some stopovers they have showers which are great to get your muscles and circulation going again as well as freshening you up.

I hope my little tips and tricks helped 🙂 if you have any recommendations let me know in the comments below!

ThePassportPrincess

A solo girls travel around the world

Day 8 -Los Angeles (Contiki)

How To Survive Long Haul Flights