I've spent most of my life down in the digs of Cornwall and I suppose you could say I've not really got out much in terms of seeing the rest of the country and also the world too. When I moved to university I used to joke to people that I'd lived a sheltered life, but it wasn't really sheltered as such, it's just that things were very different down there. We had beach parties and house parties that no one could call the police on for disturbing the peace, because many of us lived in the middle of no where. We partied in fields, woods and camped in places that weren't really suitable for camping in, but we were safe. I didn't travel out of Cornwall often because I never had much reason to. 

When I made the decision to go to university 300 odd miles away from home I guess what helped my decision was that it would give me more opportunities to explore the country. Keele still had that safe yet isolated feel of Cornwall, which I kind of liked, though unlike Cornwall, it was a place that was a bit out of the way but at the same time well connected to plenty of other parts of the country. 

Throughout my time at Keele I got to see a few different places by travelling to the parental homes of friends I met at university and exploring our near by cities. Since graduating, I've only had the chance to visit a small handful more, the most recent being Argyll in Scotland, which you can read about here.

Looking out over Loch Long. Argyll, Scotland

As a student you get a hell of a lot more time off in comparison to a graduate. I would often get more or less than 18 weeks of holiday when I was a student per year, not taking into account the fact that at their lowest, my contact hours in the week were 6, and at their highest just above double that. It's safe to say, whilst student life can be really stressful, it definitely tops the 25 days of holiday I get per year in my current job.  

So how on earth do you make the most of 25 days of holiday? So far, Michael and I have worked it quite well. Rather than taking a week at a time off, seeing your contracted holidays fade away quickly, we take a Friday and a Monday off and have about a day and a half to travel and 2 and a bit days to explore. No it's not really enough to go abroad but it's certainly enough for a 'staycation'. 

So, my first reason to go on more UK weekend getaways is:

1. It gives you more chances to go away

You don't really need as many days off to pop to and from various places in the country. With just that Friday and Monday off and including the weekend we've gone all the way to Cornwall, a 326 mile drive and on another occasion as mentioned above, to Argyll, in Scotland, a 327 mile drive. We've also managed to do the same or something similar and get to plenty of other places too. 

You may spend a good part of the Friday and Monday travelling, but if you leave early enough on the Friday you'll still have plenty of time for exploring. If you're happy to arrive late back on the Monday and drive when it's darker, you've still got the chance to get up to something in the morning. It may feel like it flies by but to be honest, you really can pack a lot into to a couple of days. 

By only using 2 days of holiday and the weekend to your advantage, with 25 days of contracted holiday, you could potentially fit in 12 different mini-breaks with a day to spare. 

2. It makes you appreciate the UK

People are often so quick to only consider a holiday abroad a 'real' holiday, but the UK is a very beautiful place that I think we don't often appreciate enough. I've lived in Cornwall most of my life so I'm quite biased when I talk about the beauty of this country, but places like Scotland and Sheffield are also so wonderful to visit, even for a weekend. There's loads of places that I've never been to and really want to visit which eventually I shall get around to.

Summerleaze Beach, Bude

3. It could save you a bit of money

Often going abroad will cost a bit, sure there's cheap deals out there that are sometimes cheaper than even a train journey to the south but there's a lot of extra costs involved. For a 6 day all inclusive holiday in Tunisia we paid over £700 each excluding the costs of excursions and the trinkets we bought for family and friends. To Cornwall for a weekend? Around £80. To Scotland? Around £150. To Cambridge? Around £90.

Obviously these prices most definitely won't be the same for everyone. Our accommodation in Scotland was a beautiful cabin whilst in Cornwall it was a tent and then my bedroom at home. Our petrol is often split between the two of us or potentially more people too. 

Make the most of the adventures your friends or family want to take because travelling in a larger group, if they all pay fair, can save a bit of money. Also, the prices above take into consideration that we not only make the most of travelling with friends, but also the locations of family and long distance friends, which takes me onto my next point...

4. It can be used as a good excuse for a catch up

When I want a weekend away, I can go see any one of my university/home friends and they can show me around their cities and towns. When I want a longer weekend, I can turn to my family in Cornwall, Cambridge, Portsmouth and various other places in the country and save money on my accommodation by asking if we can take up refuge in their home for a couple of nights or if they can recommend cheap places near by. 

If you've been to university you're likely to have met people from all over the country and in some cases you may have even made friends with people who were studying abroad. In which case, your opportunities to travel could take you much further. Not only that, but if you're still close to friends from back home who have also moved around the country, there's yet another opportunity to pay a pal a visit and explore somewhere new!

Bodmin Moor, Cornwall

5. There's not much stress involved

I know some people can go abroad with no stress involved but personally, I can't. I have a real 'trust no b*tch' approach to life so it's always in the back, or often the front, of my mind that someone has stolen all my belongings. I look back at my towel on a beach, concerned, as though it's something worth stealing. Then there's getting around the airport, the hustle and bustle when you arrive in a new country, the strangers offering to carry your suitcase, or practically grabbing it out of your hand and then expecting a tip and various other things that bring me a slight sense of panic.

However, the most stressful thing on a weekend trip if you're going in the car is if that conks out. Or obviously anything worse. But otherwise, I personally find them much less stressful.

Although, if anyone gets injured that can kind of disturb the relaxation of any weekend break! So stay safe guys.

But a well planned weekend trip can truly be a delight.

6. You can catch a glimpse of beautiful places along the way and revisit them
I find when you're abroad you want to explore the surrounding places more thoroughly. But in the UK, it's not like you can't make a pit stop to enjoy the view and then be on your way, because you can always return to that same spot with very little money, time or effort. Of course, you can snap a photo and revisit somewhere abroad with ease too, but it's not like you can drive there for an overnight stay and be on your way again without committing to a good time travelling.

I'm not sure when my next little weekend getaway will be or where I'll go but I certainly look forward  to it.

What do you love most about weekend trips?

Not only have I just ticked off one of my 101 things to do in 1001 days, I've also just had a beautiful long weekend in Scotland.

On Friday we set off early and popped down the road to pick up one of the guys and meet up with the rest of our group. My boyfriend, Michael, was doing the driving for our car and hats off to him for doing another long distance journey after not even a year of driving.

The furthest I've been in Britain is Carlisle so an adventure was definitely on the cards. Our destination was Argyll Forest Holidays picked out by the group who had also visited another Forest Holidays destination previously. Honestly, my boyfriend and I were a little hesitant when we heard about this holiday. We thought the idea of travelling up to Scotland when the country had just begun recovering from the flooding and was starting to show signs of snow seemed a little mad, but I'm so glad we went. Maybe it wasn't the most sensible idea but if we didn't say yes, we definitely would have regretted it.

The cabin we stayed in was a cute little holiday home. On site there's 40 cabins in total and we really got a good spot in cabin number four. We had 2 twin bedrooms and one en suite double room, a big sofa for some serious lounging after our walks and a cute kitchen that could have provided a little more kitchen equipment. The main spot we spent a fair bit of our time in was the hot tub that sat outside on the decking overlooking Loch Long and the beautiful snowy hills and mountains.

Once the clock hit four we were already on our way back to the cabin that we could now collect the key for. It didn't take any of us long to jump in the hot tub with a few drinks and as it was already starting to get dark the view was beautiful. We ordered pizza to our cabin later on in the night and just had such a relaxing evening.

Photo courtesy of our friend Adam

On the second day we woke up and the snow started to fall shortly after and didn't stop until later in the evening. We were so lucky to get good conditions on the drive up and then have such a snowy Saturday. The site looked absolutely beautiful in the snow and we couldn't wait to explore. Initially we wanted to attempt to climb one of the surrounding hills or mountains but the visibility became poor very quickly due to the snow fall so we chose to be sensible and explore the near by area. And it really was worth exploring, the snow made you feel like you were strolling around Narnia.

We stopped to pet a cold looking horse and just to take in the amazing views. We also had to trek along the stream running into the Loch at one point after taking a wrong turn, obviously resulting in some soggy feet for one of the guys and, once back on solid ground, a slip on the ice and a wet bum for me! We all went out well wrapped up and had a good time making snow balls and picking off icicles. It really is such a beautiful area. After we finished our snow ball fights and trekking around in the snow we decided to have a few moments to warm up and then headed back to The Village Inn for some pub grub. 

I'll admit that I got carried away taking photos so you'll have to wait to see the view half way up one of the large hills that we decided to climb on the Sunday, but I wouldn't want to leave you with nothing so here's a sneak peak!

MissIsGoode 

Today I wanted to talk a little about exercise and how to fit it in around university. There's plenty of obstacles that you come across in daily life, but what about in student life?

The fact is, not everyone can find the time to exercise. People can have a million and one genuine excuses and others can have a handful of not so genuine ones, but realistically, it's down to if you actually want to or not.

Even those who truly enjoy exercising can't always find the time, or even the motivation to do it. Those who really work at it in the gym and some who do manage to find the time often say "make time" and I've said this myself once in a previous post, but I do understand how sometimes it's not really that simple. The "time" that people, including myself, are referring to is the time you'd probably rather be relaxing, maybe watching some good TV or hanging out with your friends. Yeah, going to the gym does most definitely mean sacrificing some of the time you spend doing those things, but if you want it enough you'll be okay with that. 

However, I know plenty of students who have the time at university to fit it in if they so wish, but I've been there and done it all so I know there are plenty of things that are both genuine obstacles and decent excuses for not working out.

May I just add that I am in no way qualified in this field and I am writing only from personal experience so if you know a little or a lot more and could provide more advice, I'd love to hear it! 

So an obvious obstacle is work. Both students and adults encounter this hiccup when it comes to exercise. This doesn't just refer to university work for you students though as I know that many people need a paying job at university too. Not only do both consume your time but also your energy. 

Solution - When it comes to university work, use exercise as your break. Rather than putting on a TV show or a film in between essay writing and general studying, why not go for a walk, a run or pop down to your local gym. It also works as a great stress reliever too! As for a job, finding the time can be a little more complex, I personally go after I finish work, but I'm in a 9-5 job and my gym opens too late for me to go in the mornings. So you'll have to work around your hours. You can always slip in quick bursts of exercise like high intensity. When it comes to simply feeling too tired to work out, it's really a case of having to push yourself. I'm personally driven by my goals but I also know from experience how much it can seriously boost your energy levels, which helps to keep me motivated. 

In my first year I slept all the time no matter whether I'd been out or not. I began working out in second year and by my second semester I was waking up naturally between 6-7 in the morning and it was mainly down to fitting exercise in and because of that, sleeping better. 

If you're looking for something that'll help you develop more of a routine, try joining one of the sports societies that you know you'll really enjoy. That way, it'll be a hobby and never feel like a chore. 

Staying at your partners house - staying at my boyfriends place, or having him over at mine was one of the biggest obstacles I faced sometimes. Despite the fact we both went to the same gym and both enjoyed working out we often found that we just preferred to stay in. And then there was also the travelling. He lived on campus, I lived off and I lived right near the gym too. When staying at your partners house - especially if the gym isn't near by - it's hard to find the time to exercise (well except you know...) and like I said, when spending time with your partner you probably just want to do something nice and relaxing together. 

Solution - Before heading out to meet your partner, why not leave early and head to the gym first? Or if you live close to the gym and they don't, why not see if they can meet you there and you can head back together - helping to encourage them too! Or visa versa. Alternatively, you could always pack your stuff with you and pop in on the way back. Or do both!

If you're really in need of a workout and struggling to find the time, see if you partner is up for an evening/morning jog or if there are anyways you can help motivate and encourage each other! I found working out at the gym with my boyfriend really encouraging and it helped with my motivation and even got me into weight training!

Nights Out - aren't they always going to get in the way of working out? Maybe you've been at university all day and when you get home you need to make dinner, you want to watch some TV maybe you just want some time to chill out a bit. But what if there's a spontenous night out on the horizon? Or, what if you've already got a big night planned, where's the time to fit a workout in amongst all the important things you need to do beforehand, like watch something on Netflix.

Solution - If you live near to the gym and you're on the way back from university, why not plan it in advance and take your kit with you to fit a workout in before you head home, have dinner and start on the pre drinks. If you've had all day off and you know that your evening events are already scheduled in, you've no excuse not to take a break from whatever you're doing and do a workout!

If you live too far from the gym and you're short on time, try a quick workout at home before showering and getting ready. Fitting in a workout before a night out may seem a little futile - especially if you're trying to lose weight - but, it does make you feel great.

Also, if all of your friends aren't quite in the party mood, see if they want to head to the gym first. This probably doesn't make sense if you haven't tried it but I used to do classes with my friends that were high intensity ones with loud music playing and a really energetic vibe. Sometimes we already had a night out planned but other times they actually got us in the mood for one, especially when good music was playing!

Hangovers - okay, you've slept in late, you got really drunk, you're too dizzy/tired/embarrassed to go see your friends, why on earth would you want to go to the gym?

On occasions my housemates and I did take a trip to the gym to sweat out the hangover. Sometimes it felt great, other times not so much.

Now I have to be honest and say it takes dedication to go to the gym hungover and it really really depends on the intensity of your hangover. The only way you could go to the gym is if you're actually physically able to move from your bed, but none the less...

Solution - Wake yourself up with a glass or two of water, maybe a cup of tea, food if you can stomach it and a walk. I think that's the best exercise to do whilst hungover. A walk outside in the fresh air, provided it's not bright enough to make your head feel heavier than it already does, can do you good. If you're feeling a little less fragile you could always take that stroll to the gym and try a high intensity workout, a quick half an hour to get it all over and done with. And when I say fragile what I mean by that is you've no desire to be sick, you're not dehydrated and basically, you just feel a little tired. Preferably, you don't want to be hungover at all when working out. Don't work out having not eaten anything all day, so if you can't stomach food, you can't stomach a workout. Also, I wouldn't advise working out if you haven't even attempted to rehydrate yourself prior to it, because you'll feel so much worse for it if you decide to go.

I stand by my point really, if hungover I'd simply advise a walk. It's not strenuous exercise but your body's already going through enough as it is trying to get over the hangover so the fresh air will perhaps make you feel a little more alive. Though, your walk is most likely going to take your hungover self to the nearest 'Spoons for a fry up...

You could always try to sleep off the hangover and try an evening gym session - but once again, don't do it dehydrated or having not fuelled your body!

What I would advise is to read up a little more on the affects of working out hungover, and whether it's really a good idea just to be sure you'll make it through!

Obviously exercise isn't the only thing that helps to keep you healthy at university. Your diet plays a huge part, which is pretty hard to control with all the socials, nights out and hangovers as I've said above, but fitting in some exercise can at least partially help to make you feel more alert, sleep better and, combined with that healthy diet, it can make you fitter!

If you've faced any obstacles when trying to get your workouts in, let me know how you got around them!

All thanks to Timehop I came across a post I did summarising my 2013 with one photo per month, which you can check out here. I can't for the life of me think why I didn't keep this up, so I'm bringing it back and here is my 2015:

My last refreshers - 2015 saw us celebrate our last week of excessive drinking ever at university! I found refreshers got more tiring with each year and I couldn't keep up with the late nights and heavy drinking, so I went to a little less of the events during 2015 refreshers, but the ones I went to I throughly enjoyed! We got to watch DJ Kristian Nairn, who you may know better as Hodor in Game of Thrones and we partied with The Hoosiers. 

More excuses to party - So the partying didn't stop after refreshers and there were plenty of things still going and we thought 'why the hell not'. We were busy with dissertations but we took the time to make the most of our final few months! Though Faye, who I'm in this photograph with in February, is still at university so she just helped us celebrate anyway! 

A milestone of 21 years - I was delivered these beautiful flowers to my university house from my family in Cornwall on the morning of my 21st birthday. It was sad not to be with them but it was such a lovely surprise receiving these with a 21 balloon attached. My boyfriend also spoilt me rotten and treated me like royalty. We all decided to visit Pieminister at Trentham Estate and then wondered around the lovely gardens too - if you'd like to read a little more about my birthday, click here! 

A trip home - As always I returned home for a short while during the Easter break from university and spent some lovely time with my family. We ate lots of food and had belated birthday celebrations for both myself and my auntie, and I spent some time with my niece and nephew too who are growing up so fast! I couldn't spend much time at home as I had to get back to uni to hand in my dissertation *gasps* - I needed to finish proofreading 12,000 words just like 100 more times before I was satisfied and check over the bibliography, hmm maybe, another 50 times? I also needed to get two copies printed and bound and hand it over before the 23rd...which as you can guess, I managed!

Tidying up - Not long after handing over my dissertation, my last few essays of university ever were handed in to the Humanities Office in Chancellors building and I said goodbye to the last bit of control I had over my grades. I had to begin clearing my room up and started by assessing just how many books I'd collected over the years! Most of them are still unfortunately boxed up in my bedroom at my parents house, much to their delight!

The last university celebrations - Once my housemates and boyfriend had handed in their last assignments I was finally, after weeks watching Netflix, given the opportunity to celebrate. It was of course time for Woodstoke, Keele's end of year mini festival, and time to start our goodbyes. I also had to say goodbye to my lovely university house which I really did love. It was messy and things broke that the landlord took a while to fix but I had a big spacious room with a double bed and an en suite. I also lived with some of my closest friends and had the freedom of student life. 

After saying goodbye to university, I moved in with my boyfriend and his family in early June. I then successfully got a new job and received my dissertation results of a first and my overall degree results of a 2:1, chuffed!

Graduation - When I look at 2015 in photos I realise how fast it all really did fly by! On Monday 13th July I attended my boyfriend's graduation and I also got to catch up with Faye who was attending her boyfriend's graduation too. I was so proud to watch my boyfriend graduate with a 2:1 MPharm degree. We stayed in a cute little cottage my parents had rented out in a tiny village in the Stoke area during the graduation week and it did make things a little rushed being 40 minutes away from Keele, but we made it on time both days. On the 14th it was my turn to graduate and it was so lovely to see Sara and Jen, pictured in this photo with me, celebrating our time together at university. 

On the road again - This time my boyfriend drove us down to Cornwall! It was an absolute delight to not have to rely on trains and buses and instead have music playing, have someone to chat to and stop at cute little service stations. We only went for 4 days as Michael couldn't get much time off work so on Friday we met our friends in Bude and then drove the rest of the way down to Porthleven later the next day to break the drive up for Michael, having only passed his test less than 2 months prior! I had a lovely weekend with my family, visiting the beaches and seeing my Grandma who had just come out of having another knee replacement. We also watched my dad try out paddle boarding, I was tempted to join him but the chill of the sea really put me off (I wish I was more adventurous). It was short and sweet as my visits to Cornwall seem to always be as of late! 

And on the road again - I managed to meet up with all the girls in August, and then in September I popped down to Sheffield for some quality time with Faye before she headed off for her final year at university. My boyfriend went off to catch up with his university friends in Northampton so I took the chance to visit Faye and we had a brilliant time catching up, shopping and dancing the night away like we love to do together!  

A Pass - I began taking driving lessons in early July having never sat at the wheel of a car before and I booked a test for what I thought seemed far off in the future. October came around and my driving instructor and I agreed that I needed a little more time, however, the next available test date wasn't until December which I wasn't happy to wait for, so whether it was wise or stupid, I went ahead with my test on the 29th October and to my relief, passed first time! 

A Trip to the Harry Potter Studios - So on the road we went again I guess! We drove down to Watford to stay at a hotel not too far from the studios. There we met up with my sister, mum and my niece and having not seen them since August it was lovely to catch up! We went out for dinner on the first night there at Carluccio's; the food was great and the company was even better. My boyfriend and I also used the getaway as a chance to celebrate our two year anniversary. If you'd like to read about the tour of the studios, click here! 

Christmas in Cornwall - I was really lucky to get a few days off work to spend Christmas with my family! I had 8 days off in total and spent 6 of them back home to catch up with my family. I hadn't returned home by myself and spent some quality time with my family since April so I really treasured the time I spent down there! If you'd like to read about my relaxing family Christmas in Cornwall, click here.

Overall, 2015 was a pretty good year! I hope my blog continues to grow in 2016, I've had real ups and downs keeping on top of things in regards to blogging this year as my final months of university took up a lot of time, and soon after finishing uni I went straight into the working world. So I hope in 2016 I find a little more balance. I'll have a new Day Zero Challenge, having run out of time for my previous one in October, which will obviously include some things that I hope to achieve in 2016!

And to you my lovely readers, happy new year! I hope you all had a wonderful time last night whatever you got up to and that you have loads to look forward to in 2016!

Do leave a comment with your 2016 posts, I'd love to read what everyone's goals are!

MissIsGoode