Fashion Shores - Blog by Victoria Burbulea

CRAZY ABOUT THE COTSWOLDS: TOP 6 THINGS TO DO

1/08/2018

You can’t get much more quintessentially English than the Cotswolds. Rolling hills, picturesque villages, cosy tearooms and village pubs make up this spectacular area of the country. If you are planning a visit out here yourself, this guide is for you. Here are just a few of the must-see sights and must-do experiences that you can enjoy during your travels here.

Explore Blenheim Palace

One of the grandest and most famous country houses in the whole of the country, Blenheim Palace is a magnificent structure that also has more than 2000 acres of gardens to stroll around. As the birthplace of Winston Churchill, it is also one of the most important historical sites in Britain.

Picnic by the River at Bourton-on-the-Water

With its tiny river running through the centre and small bridges criss-crossing over the top, Bourton-on-the-Water is without a doubt one of the Cotswolds’ most famous and pretty villages. One of the best ways to enjoy it on a sunny day is to pack a picnic and watch the villagers and visitors enjoying the relaxed pace of life. One of the top attractions is a model village which perfectly replicates the life-sized one.

Get Up to the Highest Point

The highest town in the Cotswolds is Stow-on-the-Wold, and it is a pleasant place to enjoy the views of the surrounding area. There are plenty of cafes and pubs where you can relax and soak up the atmosphere. It is another place where history happened as right here is where the final skirmish of the English Civil War took place.

See the Slaughters

Lower and Upper Slaughter bear two of the most unusual place names in the whole of the country, and they are both within easy walking distance of each other. Make sure you are wearing your wellies if the weather is a little wet as you will need to walk across a ford to get between the two.

Walk Along the Cotswold Way

The Cotswold Way runs 102 miles from the northern town of Chipping Campden down to the city of Bath. You could start at a hotel in hotel in Evesham before heading over to the trail. Along the way, you will take in some of the most beautiful countryside the area has to offer. On at least one morning, you should make sure that you get up early enough to see the sun rise over the Cotswold Way.

Though it is a little bit outside of the Cotswolds, it is worth taking the trip over to Stratford-upon-Avon to see Shakespeare’s birthplace. Inside, you can take a guided tour and find out everything currently known about the world’s most famous playwright. While you are here, make sure to visit Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the house of Shakespeare’s wife, and also have a drink in The Dirty Duck nearby to the Swan Theatre which is where many of the Bard’s plays were performed.

featured

TIPS FOR EXPERIENCING THE BEST OF PERTH

1/06/2018

If you are getting ready to tick Australia off your bucket list, you will no doubt be incredibly excited about the whole experience. Australia is a place that has so much to offer, from the wildlife to the shopping and the stunning beaches. There is something for everyone, and Perth optimises this. To make sure you experience the best of what Perth has to offer, here are some must-read tips:

Making your way from the airport – One of the first aspects of your trip will be getting from the airport to your hotel in Perth. There are a number of ways you can do this. The cheapest option is to use one of the two public bus options, which operate from terminals three and four. Alternatively, you can use the shuttle bus service or you can book a private taxi.
Rent a vehicle – It is definitely a good idea to rent a vehicle if you are planning on visiting Perth. This is the only way to make sure you can experience the best of what the city has to provide. Plus, you can go further afield and really make the most of your trip to Australia. Look online for the best car hire Perth has to offer. There are many different companies providing this service, so narrow down your search effectively by reading reviews and comparing prices.
Plan ahead – When going on your travels, it is always a good idea to plan ahead. There is nothing worse than coming home and someone asking you if you went to a particular attraction, only to realise that you knew nothing about it. You feel gutted because it is something you would have really enjoyed. The best way to stop this from happening is to plan ahead. There are so many things to do and see in Perth. This includes the Swan River, Fraser Avenue Lookout, Hay Street Mall, The Perth Mint, and much, much more. By planning in advance, you will be able to determine the most important aspects to you so that you can prioritise them throughout your trip.
Don’t forget to get a visa – You are going to need to get a visa if you want to visit Australia from the UK. A free eVisitor visa is what you should be looking for. UK nationals should apply for this in advance from the Department of Immigration & Border Protection. If you are not a UK national, make sure you find out what visa is applicable for your visit.

So there you have it: some tips to ensure you make the most of your trip to Perth. There is so much to see and do in the area, so it is always a good idea to have a plan prior to travelling so that you do not miss out on anything important. But, most importantly, enjoy yourself! This is a holiday you will never forget for all of the right reasons.

featured

HOW CAN YOU TRAVEL THE MOST SAFELY?

1/01/2018

When it comes to travelling, safety often takes precedence. While marvelling at landmarks, meeting the populace and eating well are likely high on your agenda, this must all be served and backed by a grounding of safety and awareness. If you make the correct arrangements, a safe vacation is for sure yours for the taking. We’re here to help you achieve this, to the degree where you safety becomes something you practice so well that it doesn’t overtake your daily ambitions and interests in the location you have made the effort to see.

Without further ado:

Financial Safety

You must always be concerned with your finances while abroad. It is the lifeblood that keeps you going from place to place. For that reason, it’s almost as important to protect them as you would your person. We’d recommend that bringing the best credit cards for travel will help you keep an emergency cash reserve if your physical funding is stolen or lost. Some of these also offer competitive travel rewards to help your funding go further. We’d recommend being well versed in the language to the degree where you can understand the relative cost of things, allowing yourself to identify and avoid rip-offs or scams more easily.

We’d also recommend lessening your obvious standing as a tourist. Scam artists can identify if you’re a tourist by how you act, not what race you are. For example, a white English person may have lived in China for thirty years, and be fluent in Mandarin. They don’t use these parameters to target you, but how clueless you may be presenting yourself as. For this reason doing your research on a location not only helps you fit in from an experience standpoint, but it wards off people looking to take your environmental novicehood as a means to fill their pockets.

Social

Groups will always be safer than those who are isolated. Even if you’re the most season traveller this is true. Always travel in a party of two at the very least. Consider your size, ability and prowess. For example, women are always best suited travelling in groups, particularly at night. If this is true in your home city (which it is,) then it’s certainly true abroad. Make some contacts in your local environment, particularly during a long stay. This means that your absence will be noticed more profoundly, or you will have a solid contact to help you if you become injured. We are always, always, always stronger in groups, meaning that the development of your general safety is also always dictated by how strong your social links are. Develop these before, during and after your vacation to keep them strong no matter how much you choose to travel.

Medical

If you suffer from some form of medical issue, then always make sure you are overstocked for medication. Declare this well when moving between borders and you should have no problem. Even if you have a mild condition, you should always consider wearing a bracelet or other visible medical safety gear which can inform someone of what you suffer from and how to help you. This is obviously useful for those who experience seizures, but sometimes it can be even more widely practical than that. Always go the extra step in planning your medical help, as this can potentially save your life.