(1st image is not mine)
I am not an Instagram influencer or anything like that. I don't make those amazing travel posts with stunning pictures where my hair is falling beautifully, I'm sunkissed and wearing a flowy light dress. My travel posts are usually me trying to not fall into some water or off some rocks, having the best time, followed up by some scenery pictures. Having said that, I do like to have the vibe of a well travelled gal, with the floaty curly hair, ankelts and toe rings but paired with my slipknot tee...you see the vibe yet?
So these are just some tips and tricks for getting that vibe and how to *attempt* to maintain it while travelling. As a side note, I would like to add that you should just enjoy your trip, please don't panic about your appearance for the gram. Have an amazing time, get some cool pictures, but don't make it the basis of your trip.
Managing my mass of hair
My hair is insane. It's long, it's thick, it's naturally blonde and wavey. Some day's it's impossible to style, especially in the hotter countries where the humidity is high. Most days it ends up on top of my head in a messy bun and stays there for 48 hours, but when I can tame it, this is how...
Over night, heat-less curls. All you need for this is a scarf or even a pair of socks. Wrap your hair around the scarf, tie it up, go to sleep and the next day you'll have beautiful soft waves (once the curls have dropped a little). There are lots of tutorials on youtube for this method so head over and have a practice!
French plaits. When I do my hair like this, it will stay like it for the entire day and night, for me it's a two in one! For the day I can have nice plaits, my hair is out of my face and they suit me well. The next day I can have wavey hair and style it either up in a pony, half up, clipped back etc.
Low bun with plaits or twists. This is a little more 'fancy' I'd say for evening meal wear! I part my hair in the middle, do some side plaits or twists right to the back of my neck, secure with a small elastic and then put the remainder of my hair in a bun. I like the low style as it keeps all my baby hairs off my neck- as much as I like a high pony, the small baby hairs that drop out drive my insane. Especially when I'm hot!
Loose but clipped. This style wont last the whole day, if my hair has dryed well and is nice and wavey, I will use a claw clip or a small elastic to secure the top half of my hair (keep it out my face) and let the rest fall naturally down my back. This can be modified and small plaits or twists can be done when securing the hair back.
One big fat plait. I either do a big french plait down the back of my head or start at one side and curve the plait around the back of my head to turn it into a side plait of sorts. I prefer two french plaits as this usually keeps my baby hairs tucked away and out of my face, but this alternative is nice for an evening meal or lazy beach day.
The wavey half up half down, the french plaits and the go to messy bun on top of my head!
Accessories
Some days when travelling, it's too hot for jewellery. You don't want an excessive amount of things around your neck or on your wrist when it's 40 degrees and you're hiking a volcano. However, for me, I am used to always having on some jewellery. I always wear a necklace, 2 anklets and a bracelet. These are my base pieces and I style around them. My go to for travel, surf, boho vibe jewellery is Pineapple Island (affiliated). Their jewellery is handmade in Bali, ethically sourced, affordable and water resistant making them absolutely perfect for travelling!
A subtle anklet or dainty silver chain can make all the difference to your holiday snaps.
Cali ankelt, Leme surf bracelet and surfer girl wave ring. Use discount code BILLIE at checkout for 20% off! Tag me in your snaps, I want to see you living your best surfer fantasy!
A top tip for wearing multiple necklaces and not having them tangled:
Put both necklaces on as normal
Turn them around so the clasps are under your chin
Undo them both
Put the clasp of one chain onto the hook of the other, repeat until both are connected
Turn the necklaces back around
You can now adjust the height and how they sit easily and the chains won't tangle! This hack has become a daily use in my life.
Tripod, drones and front camera
These are going to be your best way to get decent solo travel pictures. If like me, you're doing some long term travelling, a tripod and drone are probably out of the question (no way they're fitting in my backpack)! But if you can fit them in, go for it! For me, I like to find a place to balance my phone, put it on front camera and set it to video. I can then take screen grabs from the video later on. You could also do this but on the camera with a timer. I also highly recommend the Google Pixel phones, the magic eraser tool will change your travelgram life! I promise you, the phone is worth every penny.
Multi wear items
Depending how long you travel for, you may have to 'outfit repeat', now this has never been an issue for me, if I like an outfit damn right I'll wear it again. However, I know it can get boring, so to combat this I recommend packing items of clothing that you can wear multiple ways and layer. For example, a button up oversized shirt can be worn open over a vest top, open over swimwear, closed as a shirt, around the waist as a cover up, sleeves up or down. You see where I'm going with this? A spaghetti strap dress can be worn with long sleeved t-shirts underneath, short sleeved t-shirts either under or over to change the look, add a jumper or fold the top half down to make it into a skirt! You've got to be versatile, and this was you can avoid outfit repeating for your insta pics (if that's something that bothers you) and keep your travel wardrobe feeling fresh.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this blog, follow us for more here on WIX blogs, Instagram (@bilbo.h) and TikTok (@travelbeeblog).
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