I’ve been interviewed about travel, holidays and vacation woes by the lovely Lape.

Click here to read!

So you’ve booked your holiday and you’re jetting off to a warm country for a week. Perhaps you’re off to explore Greece, or you’re visiting the pyramids in Egypt. Maybe you’ve booked yourself a trip to Dubai or you’re going sightseeing in Spain.

You’re all set:  you’ve got your tickets and your passport. You’ve planned out your schedule and you’ve done your research about the place’s best restaurants and tourist spots.

But a couple of days before your trip you begin to think about what you’re going to pack and it all gets a little confusing. How many pairs of shoes do you need? What type of material will keep you feeling as fresh as possible? How do you co-ordinate when it’s so warm you need to wear the bare minimum?

As a regular traveller and a native of Malta, where summer temperatures have a tendency of reaching 42 celcius, here’s my advice:

1. Swimwear
Even if you’re not going on a beach holiday, if the weather is nice you’ll be tempted to swim and you’ll be kicking yourself if you couldn’t do that because your bikini was back home.

2. Hat
Whether you’re by the beach, roaming the streets of Rome or on a camel in the desert, if the sun is shining, you’re going to want a hat to protect yourself. You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to suffer sunstroke, especially if you’re not used to the heat.

3. Skirts
Take a couple of breezy skirts to see you through your sightseeing. Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to just throw your jeans into your suitcase. You won’t wear them if it’s too hot. Instead, opt for cotton skirts. If you’re going to a conservative country, consider taking a maxi skirt instead of a midi.

4. Kaftans and tunics
A good tunic or two will keep you comfy by the pool and can also be worn with leggings and flat shoes as a complete outfit.

5. Accessories
You won’t be able to layer cardigans and jackets to look stylish in the sweltering heat. Instead, layer necklaces, wear rings and earrings and slip some jangly bangles on your wrist. Think about taking a light scarf with you to cover up if you are going to visit cathedrals or mosques.

6. Bag
You only really need one bag. Make sure it’s pretty enough to take you from day to night and make sure it matches all your outfits. Your bag should be large enough to hold your camera, wallet and a bottle of water. If possible, ensure it has a zip to prevent petty theft (especially in busy cities like Rome and Barcelona).

7. Sunglasses
Not only will sunglasses make you feel like Audrey Hepburn as you stroll down the Champs Elysees, they will protect your eyes from the sun and make it easier to see on a very bright day.

8. Leggings
Wear leggings with tunics and long tops. If it gets cool in the evening, pop them on under your maxi skirt – also an effective way to keep mosquitos away from your legs. But please remember to ensure your top is long enough when you wear leggings. Leggings should NOT be worn as trousers.

9. Flip flops
Invest in a good pair of flip flops which you can wear to the beach and which are also pretty enough to wear out to dinner. You might want to practise walking in them beforehand because getting used to the thong between your big toe and second toe can be a little painful.

10. Tank tops
If your tank tops are long enough, belt them and wear them over leggings. Otherwise, pair them with a skirt, a pair of flats and lots of bling.

11. Sunscreen
It’s not a tan if you look like a lobster.

12. Maxi dress
You have to love the maxi dress. Dress it up or down and make sure it’s cotton or linen so you stay as fresh as possible.

13. LBD
Never travel without your Little Black Dress. You never know when you may need to glam up a little.

14. Cardigan
It can get pretty cool at night, especially if you’re out in the desert, so bring along a nice warm cardigan to throw over whatever you’re wearing.

15. Flat shoes
If you’re going to be exploring the city, take a pair of comfortable flat shoes. They go with anything and are easier to walk in than flip flops.

Have I missed anything? What are your staples when packing for hot weather?

This post was written by the lovely Claire, who blogs about travel, design and style, and whose blog you should go check out now. Go on!

In December, it all comes to an end.

My comfort zone, that is.

In just a little over three months, I will say goodbye to my college years, my safe suburban job, my friends and family and even my cell phone in exchange for four months of stifling heat, minimal electricity and no indoor plumbing (not to mention the spiciest and most tantalizing food in the world, but we’ll get to that later).

And you know what? I’m okay with this trade.
Because I’m doing it for myself.

For the past 21 years, I have based my decisions largely on the opinions of those around me.

Elementary School Claire busted her plaid-jumpered butt to make her parents proud.
High School Claire buried herself in study guides, extracurricular leadership titles and scholarship essays to impress those scary anonymous eyes at every university, scrutinizing her pint-sized resume to pieces.
And College Claire? Well, College Claire has at least started to chill out. But even as recently as last semester, she pulled all-nighters with her laptop and showed up early every morning to the Graphic Design lab, determined to perfect that final project and ensure her portfolio was spotless.

Has all this hard work paid off? Absolutely. After all, I wouldn’t be living where I do now, working in a kickass design firm if the “me” of high school had let her textbooks get a little dustier.

But you know something, my friends? I’m tired.
So. Very. Tired.

Being sensible is exhausting. Working so hard for the sake of impressing someone really takes its toll. I’m sick of worrying about being the “perfect” candidate, the “star” student, the “ideal” daughter/roommate/[insert personal title here].

I just want to be Claire. And Claire doesn’t want to be practical—she wants to be wild. So she’s booked herself a one-way ticket to the land of Bollywood, creamy vegetable korma and the silky salwar kameez.

Yes, friends. I’m going to India. And I’m not making the trip to boost my resume or to impress my family. I’m making the trip because I effing want to. Against the uncertainty of living situations upon returning in May, against the concerns of my loving parents and against the urging of my boss to stick around and make some money, I’ve booked myself a one-way ticket to New Delhi. And I could not be more excited. These decisions all go back to the realization that I don’t want my life to be impressive by anyone else’s standards. I want it to be awesome by my own.

Please don’t misinterpret my intentions to live according to my own agenda. Will I continue work my ass off? Definitely. Will I maintain healthy relationships with my neighbors and remain in close contact with my loved ones? Of course. Will I stay up until one a.m. fiddling around with Dreamweaver and Photoshop? On occasion, yes.

But the difference, my friends, is that it’s not for the sake of someone else.

Because here’s the thing: when all the spices of life boil down, the only opinion that matters is your own. Life happens once, and then it’s over. Do you really want to spend your entire existence, the only one you get, trying to measure up to someone else’s definition of perfection? I don’t know about you, but that seems like a lot of work for something that won’t even be around a hundred years or so from now (we all die in the end, remember? Including those people you’re trying so hard to impress).

If you’re stressed about these big life decisions—where to live, how to generate income, what piercing to get, what foreign lands to see—take comfort in the world’s lack of permanence. It’s beautiful, really, the number of chances we have to begin anew. If you hate the university you chose, you can always transfer. If Bora Bora isn’t the utopian getaway you’d imagined, a flight home is as simple as booking the ticket. If you really want to change your course of action, it is always possible. And trust me, you’ll regret not doing it infinitely more than just plugging your nose and taking the damn plunge.

It’s your life, my friends. How do you want to live it?

My life right now is a flurry of boxes, suitcases and goodbyes. My life is in the process of being packed into boxes and sorted into two categories: stuff I can’t live without and stuff I can leave behind.

Let me tell you, it’s not easy. There’s so much sentimental value attached to some of my things that it’s difficult to let go. I’m lucky enough for my parents to have offered me a part of their garage where I can keep some boxes with things I’m not taking to Dublin but which I can’t stand to throw away – like so many books! I’m only taking 10 with me. But I’ve always been a bit obsessed with my books, so I wouldn’t be able to give them away.

Having said that, I sorted through my winter clothes today and came up with two big bags of stuff I don’t need anymore. It feels so wonderful to shed all those clothes I no longer wear and make space for the things I love (and for new stuff, ahem).

And this evening I get to take on a new challenge: paint a wall, which is one of the items on my Bucket List. Will let you know how that goes. Fingers crossed it turns out alright. I’ve armed myself with a stack of newspapers, groundsheet and many many videos on the topic.

Today also marks my last day at work. By the time this is posted, I’ll only have four hours left at the office. I feel sad to be leaving such a great team of people, even though it feels good to be going back to student life. But emptying my desk and realising that last Sunday’s newspaper was my last ever made me all sentimental.

Either way, here’s to new beginnings.