I recently had a period of time in rented property with no working washing machine and as a result I unexpectedly became acquainted with the notion of using a launderette. I seriously felt like I was in a film every time I set foot in the actual place because to be honest the only time I had ever seen one was either Eastenders or in films. But anyway... So, I initially carried all my dirty washing in carrier bags but soon realised (after my first visit actually) that they are neither the most reliable or glamorous of methods, the regulars used these godawful check patterned blue and red square, zip top bags I noticed - but they did not appeal to me so it was ...  Read the complete review

All my life, I've been a rucksack kind of gal. I managed to take off for 9 months around Europe with every essential packed into a big Eurohike one. Granted, the damn thing was so heavy that if you so much as tapped me on the shoulder whilst wearing it I keeled over backwards in the manner of a freshly felled tree. Still, it was easy to carry and could comfortably contain all I ever needed. As far as I was concerned, holdalls were the preserve of the middle-aged traveller. Well, it would seem I'm now middle-aged as I've recently eschewed my rucksacks in favour of a nice travel bag. After all, rucksacks are unwieldy, you can't turn around whilst wearing ...  Read the complete review