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Tag: travel like a local

train for travelling like a local

7 Ways To Travel More Like a Local

Posted on January 30, 2018July 26, 2021 by Emma Reed

*Collaborative Post

Let’s be honest… Nobody wants to be a stereotypical tourist. You know the kind I mean. The kind that wanders around bumping into small children and animals blinkered by their sprawling maps. The kind that seems to find anything from a town hall to a public toilet worthy of a photo. The kind that you end up unintentionally photobombing as you elbow past them on your way to work. The kind whose bookshelves are littered with seldom-used rough guides and even more seldom used phrasebooks. Yeah. Those guys. Ugh! While nobody wants to be perceived as a clueless outsider fecklessly trying to replicate local life without bothering to absorb the cultural nuances that comprise it, it can also really compromise your holiday. Nobody wants to be a nuisance to the locals, nor do they want to miss out on topographical and architectural gems of the area because they have their faces buried in a map (or, more likely, smartphone). Continue reading “7 Ways To Travel More Like a Local” →

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Posted in TravelTagged attractions, holiday, travel, travel like a localLeave a comment

About Me

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Hi I’m Emma
Mum of two trying to navigate my way through my parenting journey on very little sleep, a lot of tea and plenty of chocolate!
I blog openly about being a busy Mum who is passionate about our environment sharing our lifestyle and the steps we take to be more eco-friendly. I love to help others and a lot of my blog posts, social media posts, Instastories reflect that on a daily basis. 
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Ever wondered what a toad sounds like? Keep watchi Ever wondered what a toad sounds like? Keep watching until the end!  #toadpatrol #volunteering #savingwildlife #wildlife #ukwildlife #toads #protectingnativespecies #protectingwildlife #conservation #ukconservation #wildbritain
Eco tip #10 is watch out for GREENWASHING!! What i Eco tip #10 is watch out for GREENWASHING!!
What is greenwashing? By definition it is when a company spends time and money on marketing themselves as being eco friendly rather than actually trying to be. In short, it’s deceitful and gimmicky advertising designed to make themselves more money.  A few examples - fast fashion brands using recycled materials/having “sustainable” lines yet still pumping out a huge number of garments. Fossil fuel companies adding green leaves/trees to their ads. Flushable/biodegradable products such as wipes and so on.  I can just imagine the conversations that go in in some board rooms, can’t you?⁣..  “Right, we are losing money because those eco hippy companies are bringing their customers what they want, but ethically! I mean how very dare they?! 
Bob, get on and change the packaging. No blacks! Noooo, we must be seen to be green so go ahead and make it green. And add white to the background, to keep it fresh looking!⁣
Hilda, what words sound good these days? Eco, green, planet friendly oh and make sure you say it’s not only better for the environment but also for you and the kids and add the baby! Right, next up, what figures can we pluck out of the air, Clive? I want you to mention carbon somewhere so look at those, see what cuts we can make that won’t damage our Christmas bonuses! Now, can we in any way make the product or the packaging biodegradable? Oh what’s that? Nothing biodegrades in landfill? Who cares?! And finally, let’s make some new adverts with plenty of smiling, happy, healthy young people who are living the dream in their greener world. Go!” ⁣
⁣
If only everybody knew it was a lie eh? And this is why we all need to keep talking about greenwashing and calling it out. Keep challenging those companies. Ask to see their facts, figures, ingredients and research. As a consumer we have every right to know. And if they refuse, you know you have a whole load of greenwashing.  It can be so easy to just believe these companies but once you start to notice those telling signs you’ll be able to avoid the greenwashing and shop with the companies who truly are doing their best 💚
I decided to sign up to volunteer with the toad pa I decided to sign up to volunteer with the toad patrol this year which involves joining other local volunteers to save toads/frogs/newts that are migrating to their breeding grounds. Unfortunately, in many cases, journeys like these can involve crossing busy roads and with rush hour being their optimum time for movement (dusk at this time of year) they need our help in order to protect them and preserve their numbers.  I went to join in Sunday evening but this time around I was begged by a little person to let him come along too. “Please mummy, I really want to save the roads as well!” How could I resist that and the little pair of hands pressed into a prayer position?!  Of course I had a good chat with him about what it entails, the walking, road safety, sticking by me, it getting dark quickly and so on, he took it all on board and still wanted to come.  I really wasn’t too sure how it would go but my goodness did he make me proud?! He was the first volunteer to save a toad, he was sensible on the road, great at searching and spotting them and he spoke confidently to all of the other volunteers there. What a little star! He managed a full hour and half in the dark, the cold and drizzle and he saved 3 toads and 1 frog and he can’t wait to do it all again!  Overall that evening the team of volunteers saved 75 toads, 6 frogs and 1 newt 💚
My eco tip #9 is to reduce your wash loads Using My eco tip #9 is to reduce your wash loads  Using a washing machine excessively not only puts pressure on your bills but also on our environment so any way we can reduce how much you use one is a win win!  So, what can you do differently? The simple answer is to just change the way you look at your laundry…  - Everything should get the smell test. If it doesn’t smell it can be worn again  - If a mark can be sponge cleaned off just do that instead  - Air clothes for a refresh either by a window or on a line  - Towels do not need washing after every use (I see a lot of this being said online) Simply hang them up or put them on the radiator to prevent them from becoming musty after use  - Hand wash stains out instead of using the machine  - Switch good clothes to lounge clothes when you get in  - Hang clothes up or pop them away after wear if they are still clean to help to keep them that way  - Always protect kids clothes during messy play, painting etc with an apron  - Normalise rewearing clothes. There shouldn’t be any shame in wearing a jumper 2 days in a row when it’s not dirty  - Have dedicated dog walking/hiking/outdoorsy clothes that you can throw on with mud already on them because it doesn’t matter, they are just gonna get muddy again!  - Remember cloth nappies don’t need to be washed everyday so don’t put pressure on yourself to try to do this. They wash better with more in a load  - Pick a day or day a week that you’d like to have as a no washing day just to get into the habit of not always having your machine on  - And to save water use the eco option whenever you possibly can when you do use the machine  If this was helpful don’t forget to save it for later 😉 And don’t forget to go back and check out tips number 1-8 💚
Just over here showing that secondhand is fab!! Just over here showing that secondhand is fab!!  #secondhandshopping #vinted #glamitup #fashion #slowfashion #prelovedfashion #awardnight #glomamaawards #glomamauk #sustainableshopper #sustainability #reducewaste #ecoliving #ecoblogger #secondhandfashion #thriftymama #mumsnightout
Attending the @glomamauk awards last night was so Attending the @glomamauk awards last night was so much fun. A night to be glam - secondhand glam of course 😉 and walk a red carpet (total imposter syndrome there!)  It was so lovely to meet a wonderful group of women, to hear truly inspirational stories and watch amazing people win their awards. A great night and a great way of celebrating mums who just want to help, support and connect with other mums so that they feel a little less alone 💚  Thank you so much to everyone of you who voted for me, who supported me, who messaged me… I’ve never seen my phone light up as much as it did last night! 😆 I hope I’ve caught up with you all now but if I haven’t I promise I will do today 💚  As I said in my previous post to have a sustainability category in an awards ceremony like this is a huge step and I am over the moon that it got highlighted in this way. I do what I do simply because I want to make a difference and I love helping others to do so too. I may not have won but raising the awareness of sustainable living did in a way and I definitely raised a glass to that last night!  Again I just want to say a massive thank you to each and everyone of you because I wouldn’t be here without you 💚  Glomama wears:
Dress - @vinted 
Bag - charity shop 
Shoes - already owned 
Earrings - already owned
Morning, I just wanted to pop on to say a massive Morning, I just wanted to pop on to say a massive thank you for the support around the awards from the votes to the shares, the encouragement and good luck wishes and of course the love for the secondhand dress! Every message and comment means so much 💚  I don’t do this for recognition, I do it because I want to help the environment by helping you to make small sustainable changes but to now have award ceremonies including sustainability within their categories it just goes to show how far the awareness has come and that’s down to ALL of us just showing up here and talking eco stuff each day👏🏻  We often hear the bad news around eco topics but let’s just stop for a moment and take note of how much good is actually happening. The small actions, increased awareness, love for reusables, the sharing of tips and new ideas, calling out the greenwashing, litter picking, growing your own, supporting of others and just simply trying to make a difference. We need to remind ourselves of this and celebrate it much more.  Right, better head off to sort out these messed up nails and pack. I will catch up with you all later! 💚
Ad - I was sent these back in January and started Ad - I was sent these back in January and started testing them out on 20th. You guys asked for feedback so I thought I’d show you how they look after weeks of use… pretty good!
I love the washing up sponge, it’s nice and soft to handle but works really well on your plates etc. It’s not frayed or even begun to fall apart yet which is great to see. It gives a good froth to your washing up liquid too (I use fill).  The gloves I’ve been using for washing up. I did clean the bath with them too but then realised I’d have to deep clean them each time I went back to washing up so decided to just keep them for the kitchen (I was only sent one pair). I love the feel and the fact they are ridged so you can just use your hand to wash if you like (if the item isn’t very dirty). They’ve changed colour slightly but no holes or damage so far.  And just a reminder that both are vegan, home compostable, plastic free and made using renewable energy. 
If you’d like to try these or any other products from Seep then you can by checking out their website here: https://theseepcompany.com/collections/all (I’ll add a clickable link in my stories)  AND you can also get 15% off with my code EMMAWRITES
We are up to week #8 on my eco tips/suggestions/ad We are up to week #8 on my eco tips/suggestions/advice whatever you wanna call it and this week I want to encourage you to see which chemical cleaning products you could ditch and replace with eco ones. It doesn’t have to be them all! I certainly didn’t make this change all at once and of course the most eco thing you can do is use up what you have first but just have a dabble, see how well bicarb cleans on its own, why not check out some of my eco cleaning recipes and make up some cream cleaner or toilet cleaner? You may be a bit bonkers like me and actually find you really enjoy all of this, you never know 🤪🤣  Are there any here you want to try out? Or are there any you haven’t heard of?
See this little thing? Well if you also own one pl See this little thing? Well if you also own one please for the love of god will you pick up their f**king poo! I did not envisage my morning going the way it did as I took my child to school. I did not need to be dealing with somebody else’s dog poo and I did not need him upset because his shoes were dirty and stank and trying to clean it up made us late. I also didn’t need the rush and hassle of getting back home then back up to the school to provide him with clean shoes.  Why do some people find this part of dog ownership so difficult to carry out? If you don’t wanna pick up the poo don’t get a dog!  Rant over
It’s been a while since I introduced myself on h It’s been a while since I introduced myself on here, in fact I’ve struggled to find the last one so I think it’s about time for an updated hi this is me post.  So, hi, this is me! Emma or Em, a young 40. I live in Hampshire, I’m married and a mum of 2 boys who are the reasons that I a.) started blogging and b.) started living more sustainably so thanks to them because I wouldn’t be here doing this without them! Right, let’s bullet point so not to waffle (one of my traits 😆)  - I am a blogger/content creator and freelance writer working for myself whilst juggling kids and house etc.  - I have had a wide range of jobs in the past - assistant manager of a kennels, trainee vet nurse, shop manager, area manager & LSA  - I self-published a book on baby teething in 2016  - When I was a kid I wanted to save the world… Not much has changed! 😂  - I love music and sing in a choir every week  - I started paddle boarding two years ago  - I love to give things a go (hence the above point)  - I got married on a beach in Rhodes  - I want to travel more (lots of places on my bucket list)  - I would love to live by the coast (still trying to persuade the hubby!)  - I’m a really honest person so what you see is what you get  - I’m trying to squeeze more volunteering into my life. Last year I did tree planting and this year I’m doing the toad patrol in my area.  - I went vegetarian 3 years ago  - I really love sharing eco swaps and chatting with you all online  Umm and I can’t think of anything else to say so come and tell me a little about you in the comments…
It’s that time of year! #SpringIsComing #Sprin It’s that time of year!  #SpringIsComing #Springtime #Seeds #GrowYourOwn #SmallGardenPlans #Gardening #GardenPlanning #SowSeeds #HaveAGo #Sustainability #EcoIdeas #EcoLiving
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