Well! I’ve finally hit the 50th edition of Added Extras and what a day to do so because today I fly to South Africa! Ever since I came back from The Big Trip in June, I’ve been saving and waiting for my next adventure and I am so excited to go to Africa for the first time.
Once again I’m heading off on my own but I’m going to be staying with a friend I met whilst travelling in New Zealand who lives in Cape Town. I have SO much planned in my itinerary including the obvious things like Robben Island, Table Mountain and V&A Waterfront, before we pick up a car to drive the famous Garden Route to Port Elizabeth. We then head up to Johannesburg where we’re going on safari in Kruger Park! Eeeeeeeek!
Obviously this week has been great too because Christmas is genuinely my favourite day of the year. I’ve spent quality time with family, been super relaxed and written a whole heap of blog posts which I never have time to do. Here’s some of my added extras from the last week:
1) I visited my brother a few days before Christmas to hang out with my older siblings, sister-in-law and their kids. Once the children were in bed we drank champagne and nattered away, and in the morning I was told off by my niece for not visiting more often. So that’s a new year’s resolution sorted for me right there.
2) When I arrived at my mum’s house she’d laid out a Harry Potter Christmas jumper all ready for me to get cosy in. I basically haven’t taken it off for a week.
3) It was my baby sister’s birthday on the 22nd and we had a Mexican feast with all the extended family to celebrate. My mum also made an amazing cake for her which pretty much sums up what it’s like to be a 21 year old student!
4) And carrying on the amazing things my mum has done for us this week, she also made me and my sister a Christmas Eve box each, filled with things to chill out the night before the big day. I got new pjs, a face mask, hot chocolate and snacks and, wait for it….A MERMAID BLANKET YES AND THANK YOU.
5) One of my top things this week is actually giving presents to people. It may be stressful in the run up to Christmas, but I really enjoy finding the perfect gift for friends and family. I think my favourite one this year is a jacket for my sister where I bought a number of patches and badges that suit her personality and attached them all for her. Luckily she loved it and I’m secretly wishing I’d bought one for myself too!
6) And speaking of my sister, she bought me one of my favourite presents this year: a broken heart necklace with ‘Best Bitches’ on it; one half for me to wear and another for her. It’s in my purse, ready to travel to South Africa with me and I’ll carry it with me forever.
7) My family are also total travel enablers and even though they may not like me travelling alone so much, my presents don’t do anything to stop me! I got a couple of brilliant books on what to see and do all over the world and I’ve already started scribbling over them and making plans!
I’m not taking my laptop away with me so Added Extras will be taking a little break for a couple of week but I have got a good few posts scheduled to go out whilst I’m away, and they’re all ones I’m really excited to share with you! Make sure you’re following me on Instagram (@charlienin) to see all my pics from my South Africa adventures and I’ll be back in mid-January!