Packing hand luggage

I'm off to the UK tonight, my suitcase is packed full of gifts and wedding decorations and winter and water proof clothing. I'm flying with Emirates airlines as they have a very generous 30kg allowance.

As an expat, international flights are common, but this is my first trip back 'home' where I'm flying direct from Dubai. My trips from South Africa used to involve any thing between 2 - 9 hours stop over in Dubai and therefore I packed my hand luggage very differently to this trip.

For my latest flight I packed what I normally do, but didn't need two spare sets of clothes, shampoo, towel or as many toiletries.

I prefer a window seat and once seated I rarely get up, unless I'm desperate for the loo, I exercise in my seat following the instructions on the card in front and always purchase additional water prior to boarding and a few sweets. As I sit near the window, I pack my hand luggage with a separate bag inside containing everything I may want during the flight and if I'm doing a stop over I always buy my duty free allowance on the 2nd leg of the trip so I'm not dragging additional bags through security and around the airport.

All of this came out of my hand luggage, I took the photos as I packed, it also helps if I make a list in advance of what I need.

When flying out of Johannesburg, it is essential that all electrical items and items of value are packed in your hand luggage to prevent theft and your suitcase is wrapped in giant rolls of cling film to make theft that little bit harder. I still pack all charges and cables in my hand luggage and additional jewellery as you never know and in case of my case getting delayed there has to be room for a spare t shirt, underwear and deodorant so at least I have one change of clothes on arrival.

Thankfully the airport in Dubai is air conditioned so I arrived wearing winter clothing, boots and a coat, leaving me with more space and weight in my checked in luggage, although I did wear sandals for the trip to the airport, leaving them with hubby in a plastic bag to take home.

So in my hand luggage goes:

Laptop on top of bag so easily removed for security checks
Small clear zip lock with toothbrush/paste, face cloth (to be used as a small towel), deodorant, wet wipes, comb, hair bobbles, anti bacterial hand wash, tissues

Lap top charger and adapters

Head phones
Phone and usb cable
Notepad and pen
Camera and all related cables and charges
Jewellery pouch
UK bank and store cards, sim card and currency, Wallet
T shirt and underwear
Sun glasses in case
Eye mask
Socks to wear in flight
Neck cushion

Separate bag for removal during the flight containing the following items from the first list

Laptop
Head phones
Phone and usb cable
Notepad and pen
Toiletry bag
Neck cushion
Socks
Wallet
Bottled water and sweets (bought after passport and security checks)


No hair straighteners in hand luggage this trip, as I wasn't leaving Joburg I was able to pack them in my checked in luggage. I also packed my address book, diary and papers relating to the UK in my checked in luggage for this trip, but I was a little apprehensive about doing so. I've never lost a case but hubby and 2 of the kids have had their luggage delayed in the past and hubby has also had items stolen from his checked in luggage.

My top tips for visiting Cape Town

In my opinion it is essential to never leave your hotel with the following items. I've also added toilet roll and hand sanitiser to my ruck sack along with a couple of snacks and drinks.

Walking boots

Camera

Binoculars
Umbrella
Coin purse, keep this in your pocket as you will often require small change but don't want to keep getting your purse out your bag.
Cape Town Red Bus Ticket and Map

Take a photo of the departure times of the Red Bus when you get off so you know what time to return for the next bus. But make sure you are then looking at the right photo, unlike me who missed 2 buses until I realised my error.


I've been to Cape Town on previous occasions and never thought to check if all the attractions were open in the winter. The Table Mountain Cableway is closed due to annual maintenance, but with this weather I'm beginning to suspect they've actually taken the mountain away.

Expat travel with a teenager

My last major trip was to the UK in April where my 15 yo son and I travelled by train, coach, bus, car and foot between Leeds and Bath while he was on his easter holidays. We stayed with family, friends and in hotels. Since then I’ve had a trip to Kruger which was a working holiday and this week the teenager and I are heading off to Cape Town Friday till Wednesday.

We are travelling by train and leave Johannesburg central station at 12.30pm arriving in Cape Town at 3.30pm the following day. We have booked accommodation a 5 minute walk from the waterfront and are flying back home Wednesday night with avios collected with British Airways.

The whole trip has cost less than R5000/£278. While we are in Cape Town we will be travelling on the Big Red Bus, taking a trip up Table Mountain, visiting the aquarium, whale watching and a helicopter ride over the bay. We’ve yet to book these excursions and have approached companies to see if they’d be interested in a sponsored blog post or two with numerous tweets, face book updates and instagrams thrown in at random.

Hubby will be dropping us at the station Friday an hour before the train leaves, due to the barriers closing prior to departure, we have a bag of snacks and food packed for the journey as this is South Africa and one ever knows what will happen, don’t want to be stuck with no food or drink for over 24 hours. I wonder if they'll let us braai on the train. We are also taking bedding with us, although it is provided at R55 pppn, there have been disputes recently, if bedding is available hubby will take it home, which will make our flight back a lot easier without sleeping bags and pillows.

Both the teenager and I are very excited about our upcoming trip, especially as public transport isn't available in Gauteng apart from the Gautrain which is quite expensive. Watch out for photos, tweets and blog posts. I'm not sure we'll have a lot of internet access, especially on the train, but we do have free wi fi in our apartment.

Top Tips for a game night drive on Safari

Don’t expect to be able to take photos unless you have a camera that is capable of taking pictures at night.

Don’t expect to see any particular animal, its not guaranteed. I saw 2 rabbits and an owl in the first hour.

Book in advance as these trips are very popular and fill up fast.

Take a blanket.

Although I don’t wear contact lenses I’d suggest you swop them for glasses, its very dusty and it gets everywhere.

Wear a scarf that you can use to cover your mouth and nose.

Don't shine the torch in animals eyes, it will aggravate them.

These are some of the better pictures I took.

OWL

 RHINO

 HERON

ELEPHANTS

Harties CableWay

We try to find somewhere new to visit every month while we are in South Africa, this weekend we visited Hartbeespoort, a 45 minute drive from Pretoria, to collect a mask that a colleague of hubbies had purchased. We decided that on the way home we'd pay a visit to Harties Cableway.

I was a little shocked at the price R160 per person, with a R20 discount if booked online. For South Africa that is on the high side in regards to an entrance fee. The ride was smooth and pretty quick to the top. The cars carry 6 people and they make sure they are full, without separating families and groups.

Once at the top there were sign posts to the pizza shack, toilet, self serve restaurant, bar and kids playing area. I really wouldn't want to visit in the summer as I can imagine it is packed, but on a cold winters day, we were able to walk round, read the information plaques, take photos and find a seat at the bar to have a drink and enjoy the live music.

We opted to eat at the restaurant downstairs, which had a good selection and was reasonably priced. i don't think it is somewhere we will be adding to our 'must take out visitors' list, but we've been and it's another thing ticked off our 'must visit before we leave South Africa' list.

Top 8 Tips for visiting Kruger National Park

On my last trip to Kruger there were a few things I wish I’d packed. I stayed in a lodge with electricity, which included a fridge and air conditioning, plus there was a sink in the corner of the room.

There was only one plug socket and when I wanted to charge my laptop, camera or torch I had to unplug the fridge. Secondly I couldn’t help but wonder how many people had made use of the sink when caught short during the night.

Must pack items:

Binoculars.

Torch for trips to the toilet during the night and for night drives.

Animal, bird and plant identification books or an app.

Blanket for night drives and sitting round the camp fire.

Flip flops to use in the showers, although cleaned daily, there is a lot of traffic through the bathrooms.

Bottle of bleach to ensure the sink in the room WAS clean.

Sink Plug, I was unable to fill the sink with hot water to wash.

Adapter and extension cable to plug in more than 1 item at a time.

My top 7 tips on how to get the cheapest flight

I once entered a travel agents in Swindon as they had flights to Luxor 'from £99'. I asked the travel agent to book me that flight, they asked when I wanted to go, I replied 'when the £99 flight is' it apparently wasn't as simple as that, it depended on the departure point and date and time I wanted to fly. Having repeated several times I wanted the £99 flight and I didn't mind what time/date/location, I left emptied handed and never got the £99 deal.

My next trip to the UK will be for Christmas. I've started looking for flights now. I found a flight for R10,098.00 December 17th to January 4th to Birmingham but with a 24 hour stop over. I change the destination to Manchester, change the date to return a day later and I find a flight for R9520 with only a 2 hour stop over. It takes some time but it's worth it to set aside a day or 2 to get not only the best price, but the best route and stop over.

A direct flight will cost me R14,851 and I have the inconvenience and cost of getting to and from Heathrow.

My top 7 tips for finding a cheap flight

• I can tell you to avoid peak times such as Christmas and school holidays but you're not stupid, you've probably worked that one out by now.

• I can tell you to be flexible with your dates, routes, time etc, etc, etc, but you've probably worked that one out also.

• I can tell you to search for deals with budget airlines first....yeah...now you think I'm patronising you.

• Google 'cheapest flights from (insert departure) to (insert arrival)' then enter a variety of dates, times and routes and probably spend the best part of a day doing this.

• Change your arrival airport if possible....for example it's cheaper to fly into Birmingham or Manchester than it is into the London airports.

• Look for flights where you have a stop over...it is cheaper to fly with a stop over than direct to the UK from South Africa.

• Don't be fooled by the initial price you see....all prices should state whether this includes taxes or not, but please remember that some search/booking sites show you the price for each leg of the journey.

Where can I walk my dog in Pretoria?

There aren't many places you can go with your dog in South Africa. A lot of open spaces contain wildlife of some description and the rules can change from one week to the next. I've found several places I can walk Bob on a lead, including the golf course that with live on, but there are few places where I can let him off the lead to run free.

Our favourite place is Magalies Sleepy River, we've been there for day trips and camping, but it's an hours drive away and I need somewhere local for daily walks.

I love taking Bob to Irene to Jan Smuts House which is a 5 minute drive from our house. Entrance is R5 to park, there are toilets and lovely tea gardens. There is also a museum that charges R10 for entrance, but you can't take your dog in there and the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month there is a market (dogs welcome)

You have to remember and you are warned about the dangers of walking on your own and there have been a few incidents in the past, but there have also been incidents inside the security estate that we live in. 

There are places on the walk where you are requested to put your dog back on the lead, but they are clearly signposted. Walk as far or as for as long as you like and I always stop for a pot of tea and give Bob some water before we leave.

I'd love to hear from you if you know of other local places where a dog can run off the lead in safety.

You know you're settled as an expat when.....

your son asks when his flight is, who he's flying with and says to you 'muuuum, stop it, i'll get my connecting flight, don't worry.'

your kids move back to their home country.

you stop converting currency.

you stop comparing prices.

you stop saying when asked where you stay? 'I'm originally from.......'

you know your way round the airport as well as you know your local supermarket.

you give up explaining the time difference when family call you.

you help yourself to lemons off your friends tree when you leave.

you stop having comforts from home sent over. i.e. tea bags and pickle.

you forget where your spouse is travelling this week.

What happened to my accent?

I've never been to Canada or Australia, but I've been asked on many occasions when travelling if I'm from either of those 2 countries.

I live in South Africa and in my 4th year here. Despite coming from the UK where you can travel 20 miles and hear different accents, I've never really picked one up. I have a fairly neutral accent with hints of my roots, South Wales, The Midlands, Yorkshire and the South West.

I do have a tendency to slip into a Welsh accent when I've had a few too many drinks and I use many Welsh words such as 'like' 'tidy' and 'O'

Living in South Africa there aren't many British voices around here, in fact I only know a handful of British people here.

At least once a week and sometimes more often, I'm asked where I'm from. I reply England. It's met with 'I love your accent, say something to me' On one occasion when Hubby said he was from England a woman in the shop asked him to talk like Jamie Oliver and say 'pukka, pukka' We gave up explaining that hubby was from Manchester and not the London.

On a recent trip to the UK, travelling on buses, coaches, trains and on foot, with a suit case and handbag, fellow travellers asked me if I was off somewhere nice, when I said I was visiting the UK they responded with 'are you Canadian/Australian?'

I guess the lack of regional British accents has neutralised me even more.

People love to talk.

When travelling there are lots of conversations to be had. Everyone I meet on my travels wants to talk about where I'm from, where I'm going and why I'm travelling.

I'm a friendly person and I love to chat, to anyone, anywhere, at anytime, through social media and face to face.

It's one of those things that rarely happens in South Africa, people don't just chat to you for the sake of it. If the cafe is full, they will wait for a table rather than join the one you're sat on.

I spent a lot of time comparing South Africa to the UK and South Africa comes up top every time I think about it. With an up coming move looming, no idea where or when and a recent trip to the UK, I've been doing quite a bit of thinking and although we are 6000 miles away from our children and families, I'm uncertain about leaving this beautiful country behind. I have many friends here that I don't want to leave behind also, but thinking about a move and the recent UK trip I've realised that I miss chatting to people, strangers on the bus/train (can't use public transport here) joining someone at a cafe and saying 'hello'

Whilst travelling around the UK with my 15yo son between Leeds and Bath, via Gloucestershire and South Wales, dragging cases and using public transport we've met so many people eager to chat with us about where we are from, where we are going and what we are doing. We've been asked numerous questions about the death of Nelson Mandela and whether we think Oscar Pistorius is guilty or not. Is it safe? Can I drive there? Can I go out at night? How many other British people live there? Do we live in an expat community? Is it nice having 24/7 sunshine? I tell them what I can and about my voluntary work and how we camped one night in a township. Yes it is safe, the sun is nice, I don't know many British people here and that I have no opinion of Oscar Pistorius.

I spend a lot of time in South Africa alone,with hubby working away and since the children moved back to the UK. We have visitors lined up, the 19yo is currently visiting, the 15yo is here for the school holidays in July and August and the 22yo is out in September with his girlfriend for a holiday. I have my volunteer work with my friends and I have valuable time with my hubby. The dog and the cat keep me company when I'm on my own, but it's quite lonely when I pop to the shops, I'm not used to shopping and drinking coffee in silence.

When was the last time you got all your kids together?

At the start of our expat journey in 2011 we moved with children 4 & 5 to South Africa, leaving child 1 & 3 in the UK and child 2 in Germany.

Having just returned from a trip to the UK, I was unable to get all 5 of the children together at the same time.

Having spent the evening trawling the physical photo albums and on the laptop, I found 3 pictures of all the children together. Sadly there isn't a single picture of us with the kids, other than me and the kids or hubby and the kids (who else would take the picture?)

This picture was taken in 2002, the one and only time we all holidayed together in France. 

2003 on the Malvern Hills

Christmas 2004 Malvern

The last time we had all the children together was in 2007.

Since then we've had different combinations of kids together but not all at the same time. 

Now all the children live in the UK, leaving just hubby and I here together. In December for the first time in 7 years we will all be in the same country at the same time, what's the chance of us all getting together?