travel – Life is a Page Turner

Do I Really Use All the Things that I Unbox?

May 31, 2019May 29, 2019 India

Is unbox an actual word? I genuinely am not sure, but I do know that I did not get the red squiggly line underneath it, so we’re going to go with it. On the internet we always see influencers unboxing things that they’ve either received or have a deal on and you’re always left wondering do they actually use those items once they’re done with their campaign?

Well I’m not as fortunate as those influencers and no one is paying me to post (yet), so that leaves me using the items that I buy. Trust me, I know some of the items I get are expensive! My bank account knows it too and because of that I make sure that I get some use out of the bags that I love to talk about on this website.

Today though I’m going to talk about two bags that I brought on vacation with me! The Muzmm backpack that I unboxed here, and the Gatta Lola Noir that I unboxed here! I brought both of these on my recent vacation with my fiancé and we definitely got some good use out of them.

Let’s start with my Gatta bag. Now if you follow me on social media then you know I love my Christie Tan. It is definitely a favorite of mine and I use it a lot. I regret not bringing it on vacation with me, but then I wouldn’t have really tried out this bag. I shoot with the Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II and I love it. Even my fiancé loves it because of the quick shutter button when he’s being my personal paparazzi, but we’re not here to talk about cameras. We’re here to talk about my experience with this bag. So this camera is no small thing and this bag holds it phenomenally. I put it in lens first and the body of the camera still has some room to spare up top. There’s a divider in there as well, which helps to separate my other thing like chapstick, lipstick, and my wallet from my camera.

I don’t like that there aren’t any places for memory cards or small pockets so that nothing gets lost. That is a big downfall for me. Especially without a zipper or a strong closing on the bag, once it turns over on its side by accident everything comes falling out. It is super adorable, but the overall organization and security of the bag leaves a lot fo be determined.

Inside of the Lola Noir with my camera in it

Now on to this three in one backpack. We are using it a lot! It’s great for these beach adventures and taking everything around the ship. We have been able to keep towels, tripods, and small things in it with ease. It does have a laptop sleeve in it and a small inside pocket. It also has a front pocket. Other than that the bag is basically a duffle bag, so to better organize it I like to put some smaller things into carry all pouches and then put them in the bag. The two small pockets through out the bag though have been super helpful. It fits two beach towels in there with ease and room to spare. It also has a water bottle pocket on the side that has been helping to keep us hydrated in all of this warm weather. I honestly wish that I had brought both backpacks because I got the 20L and the 30L styles, but I have a hard time giving up my beach bag that I bring up every trip. I mean it has my name on it…and elephants… I can’t give that up.

For any adventure or beach vacation or trip, I would definitely recommend the backpack. It’s easier to add smaller items into separate bags and then put it in the bag, or to dump them into the front pocket. As far as bags that I’ve purchased go, this one is probably the most affordable one I’ve bought and you can get 20% off using the link here. It comes in a variety of colors and styles that will fit your personality. I tried to pick something that would look normal for both me and for Eric to carry. I would definitely recommend this bag.

Are there any bags that you think I should look into? Let me know down below! Until next time,

Keep turning the pages

India

Coffee Break, travel

What To Take On Your Cruise in 2019!

May 4, 2019May 1, 2019 India

It’s time for another cruise! I’ve been fortunate enough to have gone on many cruises in my life so far, so I decided to put some of my cruise essentials in a video! I have linked that video here as well has put it down below. Some of the links in this post might be affiliate links, which don’t change the cost for you, but helps to bring some extra cash (read pennies) my way, so I can keep trying new things and make more videos.

Of course one of the biggest things that I would bring in your bag and not buy it on the boat is sunscreen and bug spray. Everything gets a lot more expensive on the boat and this way you can bring on the sunscreen that works best for your skin. Also if you’re going snorkeling or planning on going in the ocean, try and get some ocean or reef safe sunscreen like this here.

One major thing that I forgot to mention in my video is to take over the counter medications with you! Things like ibuprofen, Tylenol, Alieve, Zantac, Tums, and Pepto Bismal. They have over the counter medications on the ship, but you do’t want to pay $10 for 2 pills. So go ahead and buy that $5 before you go, and that way you can take your ibuprofen first thing in the morning when you wake up with your party hang over.

Make sure to bring a beach bag. This year I will be taking this Muzmm three in one backpack that I have an unboxing for here. I always have some sort of beach bag with me, so that I have something to carry my stuff around on the ship and then I also have something that I can carry off the ship during shore excursions. I like non cloth bags because obviously there is a lot of water around you and just having the synthetic material can make or break having a soaked bag due to splashing. I like having colorful bags as well as having something with my name on it. If you Tiles, it doesn’t hurt to throw one in there.

Something that I found out recently was the magic of towel clips! These magical things help to keep your towel on your chair and keeps them from falling off! They also help to mark your chair as your own and also informs the fantastic staff on the ship that you’re still using your towels and not to pick them up for you. Of course you should drop off your towels at the towel drop off because it helps out the staff.

Seems silly to mention, but bring a hat. My poor boyfriend is as pale as it comes and so I have to make sure that he brings a hat. Me on the other hand, I don’t always have one because half the time they don’t fit on my head with all of my hair.

A reusable water bottle!! This is so big! It’s so easy to get dehydrated on vacation. Being out in sun, drinking, and having fun can lead to dehydration will lead to you feeling miserable, so bring a water bottle. It helps to get you drinking more and then you don’t have to buy water. You also don’t have to get up all the time to get more water. Just don’t put it to the actual machine!! That spreads germs and gets you sick. Use a clean cup to fill your water bottle. Also bring something you won’t be sad to loose. Don’t bring your Yeti’s and Hydroflasks just in case you leave it somewhere.

I love to bring a carry on. Whether that be a backpack or a carry on suitcase. I always have an extra pair of clothes and a bathing suit in there. I like to allow the cruise line to bring my luggage to my room. You can do it on some cruise lines where it just has to go through the security detector and then you can take it on yourself. In it I always have a change a clothes, my makeup, bathing suit, and anything I think I might need for the few hours I’ll be without my luggage. Of course that includes all of my electronics because those do not leave my side. Depending on the cruise, depends on how much luggage I’m bringing with me. Lately I’ve been traveling very backpack heavy and have been using the Peak Design backpack. There are plenty of unboxings out there, so I did not make my own. I do love the Peak Design set up and how everything goes together. It makes things really easy!

These are some of the things that I think are helpful to have on vacation! You can watch the video below and scroll through to see some examples and what else that I bring! Of course follow me on social media and you can see how I use the items in action!! Have you been on a cruise before? What are your favorite items to bring?

Coffee Break, travel

Spending One Day In New York

November 7, 2018November 7, 2018 India

If you only had one day to spend in New York what would you do? Would you go to the Empire State Building, see the Statue of Liberty, stroll through Central Park, or maybe enjoy a show on Broadway. There’s so much to see in New York that only having one day is not enough at all, but of course you have to do something, so what do you do?

For us we only had a few hours. Literally an afternoon in New York City. It’s been years since I’ve been to New York, but I didn’t feel like I had to do some of the big attractions. There are tons of tours on Trip Advisor and Expedia if you’re trying to find some, but they all leave in the morning, which is why we didn’t end up taking any because we were arriving mid afternoon. My mom and I settled for a stroll the Central Park, which is huge, and I still don’t understand what makes it iconic, but it is, so we stopped by. Being from Atlanta we have Piedmont Park, which is our giant park that I don’t believe has an ice rink in it and does not have the MET, but it does have the Botanical Gardens and a dog park that my dog likes to play in.

On our way there we stopped by “Famous Amadeus Pizza” and had an amazing slice of New York pizza. It was literally SO GOOD. If you’re in Manhattan definitely stop by there.

What I didn’t like about being in the park were all of the people trying to get you to ride basically a rickshaw ride through the park because that was something we did not want to do. They were everywhere and they wouldn’t let you breathe. It was probably my fault for having my camera in my hand, so I looked like a tourist, but honestly a park is a park is a park. I just wanted to enjoy the green space. It’s one of the reasons that I remain down south because we are not short of trees and greenery anywhere in the city. We did not walk the entire park because I’m pretty sure you could do that for days and still not see everything, but we felt like we saw enough. If you’re looking to take wedding pictures there you would not be alone. We saw 4 bridal parties in the park alone all trying to be in the same spaces.

Next we took a stroll down 5th Avenue so we could pretend like we have money and can shop at some of the stores that are there. I can definitely shop at the MAC store that’s on 5th Avenue, but I definitely wasn’t going to have breakfast at Tiffany’s.

After getting some well deserved rest after flying all day and then walking miles around the city we were able to take in a show as the saying goes. We saw The Lion King and it was FABULOUS!! Oh my goodness I can go see that again and again and again. The costumes were amazing and the way they made the safari come to life was absolutely phenomenal. I liked the original songs that were done to fill the production out and of course I sang along to my childhood favorites. I can’t wait for it to come back around to Atlanta and I know I will be seeing it again. There are so many productions going on you have to pick something because that is its own experience.

Seeing The Lion King on Broadway was amazing!

We stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan and it was wonderful. We were so high up we could see a lot of Times Square. Oh yeah, the location was fantastic. We were very central to anything that we wanted to see and we barely had to leave the hotel to go see The Lion King. I will say that if you want to go to their rotating restaurant “The View” book a dinner reservation in advance or get ready to wait in line to go be in the lounge to see what it’s all about. We did not get to do this, but I’m not sure we were missing much other than the views of the river going around Manhattan, but it’s something you can do in the hotel if you really want a birds eye view of the city.

We enjoyed our time in New York because it felt like its own separate vacation instead of a one night stay. We felt like we experienced New York City, but we definitely could have used a couple of more days to see it all, but New York City is way too expensive for all of that lol. I’m glad we got to do it and we had fun exploring! Have you ever been to NYC? What are some of your favorite places to go or activities to do? I need a reason to go back, and BEA and BookCon are not it lol. Let me know in the comments! Until next time,

Keep turning the Pages

India

Coffee Break, travel

Gatta, Christie Tan Review

September 29, 2018April 21, 2019 India

I have a new favorite travel bag. The Gatta Christie Tan! I love this bag because of it’s size and the fact that it’s a backpack. I’ve now taken it on two trips and I have loved having it. It surprisingly carries a lot more than I thought it could. You can check it out on their website here!

This backpack is definitely a day pack. It’s not meant to carry a whole arsenal of camera gear. You can definitely carry a mirrorless camera and an extra lens, and definitely a point a shoot. If you have a larger DSLR you can probably carry just the body and an attached lens. While I was traveling I was able to carry my Canon EOS M6 with my GorillaPod attached, my wallet, a water bottle, and then all of the normal girl things like chapstick, lipgloss, sunglasses, and some more random stuff I throw in there.

Gatta Christie in Tan with some of the items that I keep in it!

Now let’s talk about the bag. The backpack is definitely a bucket bag. I got the beautiful tan color of course, but they do have a black version as well. It is crafted with Napa Leather and has a suede flap. It has a zipper closure as well as a snap closure as well.

It has straps that can have you carry it as a backpack or as a purse. The inside is this soft peach fabric, but it doesn’t have any dividers. They do sell a divider for the bags on their website, but it’s kind of annoying that they’re not included. Just about every camera bag comes with dividers because the point of them is to keep your gear organized. The peach fabric forms some pockets on the inside that can carry your extra batteries and lipstick, or at least that’s what I keep in there.

There’s a pocket on the back of the backpack that I keep my business cards in, lens wipes, and other random pieces of paper.

If you’re looking for a small camera bag/ day pack this is a great one for you! I loved carrying it around Disney World and Universal Studios. It helped me carry everything I needed, and even some things that my boyfriend needed as well.

This backpack is becoming a great item to travel with for site seeing while keeping both of my hands free and holding everything I need to during the day. I have my unboxing of it down below where you can see some more of the bag, and some more details! You can also click here to check it out online! What do you like to travel with and keep your camera gear in? Until next time,

Keep turning the Pages

India

Coffee Break, travel

Harlow Haven, Juliette, Camera Bag

September 27, 2018September 27, 2018 India

I did a thing. I bought another camera bag by Harlow Haven, the Juliette. Probably my last camera bag for a little bit, but I bought it. I was able to catch this bag on sale for less than $100, which made it a steal for me to grab it. I had been eyeing this bag for awhile because it looks like a purse, obviously how I love all of my bags to look like, but instead of a casual purse it’s a more “formal” purse of sorts. The Juliette comes in both tan and black and of course I bought it in tan because I don’t know how to buy a bag in any other color.

As I opened the box I immediately fell in love with the size of the bag. It is big enough without being one of those “dump bag purses” where you lose all of your stuff in them. The color is a nice soft tan and the material is feels like more of a synthetic material even though they classify it as a vegan leather.

The outside has pockets that can easily fit your small camera gear or travel things ranging from external hard drives to kindles and everything that you can think of. It has a flap pocket on the front and two magnetic closure pockets on the back. The pockets on the back easily fit my iPad pro 9.7″ with a bulky case and pencil with no problems.

On the inside there are more pockets and even places to put cards, so you can travel walletless if you’re looking for a little less bulk. There are clear divider pockets, so you can slide batteries, extra memory cards, and my favorite chapstick in the pockets. There’s also a back zippered pocket, so you can store things like cash, your passport, or any small items that you want to keep track of. It is actually a pretty large pocket and fits my phone, iPhone X, with ease.

Lots of card inserts, so you can go walletless!

This bag does come with a removable insert, and this is the part that I don’t like. The bag is so big, but this insert is so small. It doesn’t fill up the space in the bag, and so you would have to put things around it to try and keep it still, so your gear doesn’t move around too much when you’re walking or running around your location.

This bag is definitely big enough to fit your DSLR camera with a couple of extra lenses. Maybe a DSLR camera with a lens and an external flash. It is definitely a bag that can fit a lot of things. If you have a smaller set up like a mirrorless camera then you can fit a lot of your gear into it no problems.

I have an unboxing video up on my Youtube Channel now where you can see even more details! I hope you enjoy. Tell me about your camera set up and what you carry your equipment in. Until next time,

Keep turning the Pages,

India

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