20 hardest things about your twenties

Sometimes when I’m having a difficult time or I’m really struggling with… life I always wonder whether I’m the only one struggling as everyone else seems like they have it all figured out on the outside. This inspired me to reach out to other bloggers and other people I know who are also in their twenties and ask them about the things they found hard and believe it or not – everyone finds similar things difficult! So here is my list of 20 things people find the hardest about being in their twenties feel free to send me your hardest thing at @caratigerlilli!

1. Moving out

Moving out was an aspect a lot of people mentioned and the reasoning behind it was both the financial strain it has along with the need to be independent. Keeping your own home seems easy until you’re the one having to work full time or look after a family along with doing ironing, cleaning and washing and a lot of us tend to move out and fly the nest whilst being in our twenties.

2. Managing finances

This was something that practically everyone mentioned as being the hardest aspect of being in your twenties but a lot of us had different reasonings behind it. From trying to budget or save money for bigger things on a small income or getting into debt with loans and credit cards due to having little money management knowledge and assuming this was ‘free money’.

3. People expect you to be adult and mature

Let’s face it, the majority of us in our twenties who are expected to be responsible adults are still into playing games, Disney, superhero films and going to theme parks, don’t make us grow up yet we’re happy here.

4. Finding a job which is relevant after completing a degree

Imagine spending 3 years completing a degree only to struggle to actually find employment in your field. Ideally, people study particular subjects because they want to work in that field so someone wanting to work as an engineer wouldn’t go and study nursing. Yet, there’s still so many of us in our twenties that get a degree in one subject and a job in something completely different or wait for ages after completing the degree to be offered a job in that field. Of course, if you aren’t as picky and just want immediate employment you may be able to work in a call centre, but you didn’t study for 3 years of your life to do that did you?

5. Finding a job that you actually enjoy

So you’ve got a job and you’re earning money but it’s mind-numbingly boring and you’re unhappy. Sure, sometimes in life we do have to sacrifice and do things that we don’t want to do but we spent a huge amount of our lives at work yet so many of us are forced into employment we find unbearable because of family pressures or financial constraints or even the fear that we are unable to find employment elsewhere and this is one of the reasons why a lot of people in their twenties may not be enjoying their lives as much as they probably could because two fun days on a weekend doesn’t make up for 5 days of hell (some people work their weekends too).

6.  Feeling the pressure of being married by 25

Remember when you were younger and you thought you would be married by 25? A lot of people in their twenties view marriage as something that we are pressurised into or constantly being asked questions about, but guess what? It’s okay to get married later and it’s okay to not get married too.

7.  Plans you thought would be successful going wrong

Sometimes we have these mighty plans of things we’re going to do in life such as a particular career or a particular aspiration and a lot of the time whether we reach these aspirations or not they don’t always go to plan. Learning to trust your gut and go for what makes you happy is something we’re always learning along with accepting some things don’t go according to plan.

8.  Accepting your body is getting older

This is more directed to the mid-late twenties. We realise we are not teenagers any more our metabolism isn’t on fire, we cannot handle alcohol and our skin won’t stay wrinkle-free forever so this is a time to accept that and if you can make positive changes then do so!

9.  Trying to find yourself

A lot of us essentially have an identity crisis and we’re constantly finding ourselves giving into peer pressure, pressure from relationships, pressure from family and generally just doing things because other people are doing them and other people think that it’s cool. Being in your twenties is a difficult period because we’re still making these mistakes and still trying to find out who we are and what makes us happy.

10.  Trying to keep up with the pace of other people’s lives

As young adults we are constantly comparing ourselves to other people and if you’re not lucky you! We look at people who have things we want whether that be money, a stable career, marriage or a family and we feel sad about it because we aren’t there yet instead of taking our time and enjoying life.

11. Realizing you’re the adult in the room

I do this a lot working in a school when one of the children has an accident or breaks something or spills something I look around for the nearest adult then I realise it’s actually me.

12.  Having a lack of self-confidence

Still, in our twenties, we have a lot of the same hang-ups we had when we were teenagers and we’re still trying to own them. A lot of people are put off from making big jumps and taking risks because they just don’t feel confident enough yet.

13.  Becoming a parent and experiencing life differently

Some people have a completely different perspective of being in their twenties than others as some have families at a younger age and may experience a different lifestyle and have to accept they can’t go and do everything their child-less friends are doing. I can’t imagine anyone would regret watching their children grow up but some could feel as if they missed a more spontaneous time in their lives.

14. Learning to be independent

Being independent is something we all have to learn and it’s normally in our twenties we experience this. Along with the previous points about moving out and cleaning up to starting a family, it could also include other things such as learning to travel alone, look for work and study alone or even tiny things like booking appointments and turning up!

15. We still care too much about what others think

One of the things stopping a lot of us from living an abundantly happy life in our twenties is because we are so wrapped up about what other people think of us. We’re still installed with a fear that other people will mock us or embarrass us or think some type of way about us instead of thinking about ourselves.  Normally those that we expect to mock us don’t really care and those that do mock or criticise you for doing something that makes you happy are probably unhappy themselves and need to find something that makes them feel better that doesn’t include making someone else feel bad.

16.  We are more tolerant to accept toxic relationships

This was a comment made in one of the blogging groups I am a part of by a girl called Kristan(LINK) and a lot of people responded to the idea of we don’t know when to let go of toxic relationships in our twenties.  We are a lot more tolerant to accept toxic relationships in our twenties because we’re still learning and for some people, there’s just a hope a relationship can still work out as we get older we learn to say no or end things that are bad for us.

17. Our parents are getting older

This point is pretty self-explanatory when you reach your twenties a lot of your parents are reaching the 50+ age and are getting older and we don’t want our parents to get old 😦

18. The realisation that EVERYTHING is more expensive than it seems

Do you remember being younger and insisting your parents purchase the Cathedral branded cheese instead of the supermarkets own brand? Or being devastated when your parents arrived home from shopping without the beloved Lurpak butter? I can imagine a lot of the people that did that are now happy buying from the likes of Aldi or Lidl because everything is getting so much more expensive so people are prioritising saving money and saving the Lurpak until it’s on a special offer. This is due to the rising cost of living but also due to the fact before we reached our twenties and started actually purchasing groceries ourselves we were unaware how much these things cost and they are far more expensive than we thought!

19. Juggling commitments can be exhausting

Some people work, have a family and study at the same time and that can be very tiring and very time-consuming.

20. It’s way harder to make friends

You don’t get introduced to people or sat next to people in your class at school as an adult (not even at University) you need to speak to people and make friends yourself which is way more difficult than asking people to play games at school.

I appreciate not all of these apply to all of us but hope you enjoyed my 20 hardest things about being twenty and thank you to everyone that helped contribute. I’m also writing a blog post about the 20 BEST things about being in your twenties and I’d love you to contribute by tweeting or Instagram direct message @caratigerlilli or leaving me a comment below!

 

 

CHEAP TRAVEL TIPS: How to save money travelling in your twenties

Hello, twenty-somethings!

One of my favourite things to do when I’m not studying is travelling whether that’s an all-inclusive beach holiday, a life-changing volunteer trip or a short break in the city. Unfortunately, travelling costs a lot of money as you need money for flights, accommodation, transport, food and drink and trips and excursions when you get there so it’s quite hard not to break the bank when travelling abroad. However, there are some things you can do to make travelling a little lighter on the wallet and I’ve outlined some of these for you below.

Find affordable accommodation

For accommodation, the obvious option to save money is a shared dorm room in a hostel however you can also find hostels with private rooms across the world if you prefer your privacy. This might be useful if you’re in a couple and want to save money as a lot of hostels you can reserve a double room which is normally a little more expensive than a dorm room but with the addition of privacy. If I do want a less basic accommodation you can easily find affordable hotels with websites such as Expedia or Trivago. Personally, I like to use Expedia because they usually have quite a high cash back rate on TopCashback so I can book hotels, trips, flights and transportation and I receive a portion of that money back.  If you book a combination of flights and hotels the prices get discounted further. It also gives you the reserve now, pay later option which is ideal if you don’t have the money right now but you will when you’re planning to travel.

Book cheap flights

Flights are normally one of the most expensive aspects to book and they can’t be bought now and paid later unless on a credit card (I purchase on a credit card just for protection anyway). My favourite website for finding cheap airline tickets is definitely SkyScanner as it shows the cheapest plane tickets available and flights from airports all over the world to different destinations. I find that travelling from different airports also reduces this price but you should weigh up the cost to travel to the actual airport and the length of the journey as you may find a journey from an alternative airport for £30 less than your airport but if it costs £30 to travel to that airport you aren’t saving any money and you’re probably creating more hassle. Being flexible with travel dates is also beneficial and staying away from peak times such as school holidays.

Transport

Transport within the city you are travelling to is also something to consider and you should always try and opt for multi-journey tickets to save money on things such as tubes and buses especially in European cities such as Barcelona. However, in other places such as Morocco if you can negotiate a good deal for a taxi you could end up paying similar or less than a bus journey especially if there’s a larger group.

Learn from the locals

I saved a lot of money in Marrakesh as I was on a volunteering trip and this was because I had local coordinators that were able to show me restaurants and excursions and actually tell me when things were too expensive in order to avoid tourist prices and being overcharged. You could also do plenty of research regarding the city you’re going to by reading blogs and online content or reach out to local people and find out how much things cost and keep a note of this to avoid overpaying!

Skip a big lunch

I’m not saying skip lunch altogether as exploring requires a lot of energy but opt for packing sandwiches made with supermarket ingredients for lunch instead of splashing out mid-day and this could save you some money. It also means you will feel less guilty about spending more on your evening meal if you like to enjoy restaurants.

The best things in life are free!

Try and find free things to do in the city you’re exploring which are interesting and beautiful. Obviously, the goal of travelling is to find it enjoyable but always consider the free options along with the things that cost money as you might find a hidden gem.

So there it is, how to save money travelling in your twenties! If you have any more tips or any recommendations on any destinations I can travel on a low budget please email me on caratigerlilli@gmail.com or dm on Instagram @caratigerlilli.

 

Thanks for reading!

Cara

10 DAYS IN MARRAKESH: VOLUNTEERING ABROAD WITH ORIGINAL VOLUNTEERS

Thanks to Amro (@amroking0) Rajna (@rajna.be) Carlie (@carliecartwright_) Jade (@jadeefisherr) for help with the images!

I have recently returned from a phenomenal trip to Marrakesh where I volunteered with children for 10 days with a company called Original Volunteers. I’m sure there are a lot of amazing places to volunteer across the world but I chose to volunteer abroad in Morocco because it’s fairly close yet worlds away in culture. Voluntourism is a growing aspect of the tourism industry and it’s nice to explore a fantastic country whilst giving something back. After spamming my Instagram with all the amazing photo’s that were taken, I started to get questions about what it was like and whether I would recommend volunteer travel with Original Volunteers as a company. So, if you’re thinking of going to Marrakesh, volunteering or you just want to know a bit more about my trip please read on…

Important things to know before you go

What to pack

For clothing, you will need items that are basic and comfortable for the volunteering projects such as t-shirts, long shorts, leggings and trousers. You are volunteering with children so save the bikini’s and kaftans for around the pool – you would not wear this to work with children in the UK so it shouldn’t be worn in Morocco regardless of the heat. In the evening time, I wore whatever I wanted which was mainly dresses. Bring at least one pair of comfortable trainers and one pair of comfortable sandals to wear as we did a lot of walking and exploring during the day and night.

For activities you can bring a range of items such as colouring books, pens, pencils, paper, craft bags, sequins, nail polish and face paints as the children at the projects will enjoy almost everything. Make sure you don’t take ALL of your items to one project as a lot of the children do expect to take the activities home with them after so you will end up using all of your items and be left without any activities for the later projects you attend.

Costs

The main costs before you travel are the registration fee for Original Volunteers which is £125 and you can go on as many projects within a year, the flight which can start at around £60 depending on where you fly from, the accommodation works out around £13 a night so this is dependent on how long your trip is and then the £25 fee for the basic disclosure if you don’t already have a CRB check.

When you are there in Marrakesh the main costs are water which is around 3 dirham (25p) for a small or 5 dirham (41p) for a large, food which can be around 15-20 (£1.20-£1.60) dirham for a lunch or 50-80 dirham (£4 – £6.50) if you go to a nice restaurant in the evening time (try Argana in the square) and taxi’s which are around 5-10 dirham (41p-82p) depending on where you are going. This is an ideal volunteer trip if you’re a student volunteer or are participating in gap year volunteering as it’s so affordable.

MY 10 DAYS IN MARRAKESH

MONDAY

I arrived at Marrakesh Menara airport on Monday and was met by the taxi driver with a sign for Original Volunteers upon exiting the airport. We then waited for more volunteers before being taken to the volunteer house where we picked our rooms and unpacked our bags. I stayed in the second volunteer house which was new and being renovated and the bedrooms had 3-5 beds in each along with 3 toilets, 3 showers and 2 kitchens to share. The area in which this house was situated was called Bab Doukkala and was a far cry away from the popular tourist spots as the street where we were situation had market traders sitting on the floor outside selling fruit and fish.

I then met the 16 other volunteers that were going to be in the same house along with our two fantastic coordinators Omar and Saad. We had a meeting to discuss the projects and the week ahead before they took us out to explore some of Morocco and have some dinner.

We walked through the souks near Riad Laarouss and to the main square of Marrakesh which was Plaza Jemaa el-Fnaa which was packed full of people both tourists and traders along with snake charmers, snail stalls and men with monkeys.

We then found a restaurant/cafe on the outskirts of the plaza where we had our first meal as a group. A lot of people tried a traditional Moroccan tagine but myself being a fussy eater, I settled for a sandwich. I did however try a menthol drink which Saad frequently ordered although it did taste a bit like colgate toothpaste!

To end the night Omar and Saad took us on a short walk to view the largest mosque in Marrakesh, the Koutoubia Mosque and we heard the final call to prayer.

TUESDAY

The first volunteering project I embarked on was the painting project where two lovely hosts (sorry guys, forgot your names!) took us to a local primary school where we met the head teacher then brightened up some of the walls with pictures and paintings.

Although some of us weren’t the best at drawing, the hosts were there to help as one of them was particularly good at copying clip art so a lot of people just painted his drawings and a lot of us found it very therapeutic. We also uncovered that Veronica had a secret occupation as a professional wall painter as well as working in a nursery as her wall painting was brilliant. I attempted the drawing and found out why I was never that good at art in school because I could draw things and copy the clip art fine but then got impatient with the painting and made a bit of a mess…

We then went for lunch and finished at around 3pm before heading back to the volunteer house. We had expressed earlier to the coordinators that we really wanted to watch the England world cup match so this was all arranged for the evening as they had booked a cafe in advance so we could all enjoy the game as a big group!

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday we spent the morning at one of my favorite projects which was the special needs center. This seemed a bit daunting to me at first as although I do work with some children with SEN in my school it’s normally the odd one or two where as this center was full of children and adults all with different needs.

The man who ran the center was absolutely fantastic, he introduced us to all of the children/adults there and we were greeted by singing our national anthems which was started by Morocco’s. We then sang the national anthem for England followed by solo performances by Amro (Yemen) and Veronica (Scotland) before going to tables with small groups and getting the activities ready.

We brought arts, crafts and outdoor play equipment as well as stacks of colouring books and two of the girls I volunteered with had the amazing idea of pass the parcel which was a huge hit (sorry for sharing your idea Demi and Leah!). We had to improvise with some activities for example skipping ropes were used as a volleyball net as some of the children/adults couldn’t jump. I also met an amazing girl called Hafza who could draw, colour and write with her feet!

Everyone there was so friendly and they loved taking photo’s with you and especially snapchat. One little girl actually took it upon herself to send selfies to everyone in my contact list but she was amazing so I didn’t mind! We then ended the morning with some songs, dancing and games before getting a big group photo and saying goodbye.

After a busy morning we decided to use our afternoon to relax and swim at a local hotel pool. This cost us 150 dirham each (£12) and we were there nearly all afternoon before going out for dinner in the afternoon. We had all decided being away from the UK for approximately 1 day that we were craving a Chinese so we had Saad on hand with his local knowledge who directed us to a lovely restaurant.

THURSDAY

Now this was hands down my absolute favorite project, the baby orphanage.  This was situated at a hospital where you could sit, play and cuddle the babies and majority were pre-adopted. Most babies were between 1-3 but a couple of older children were also there along with a couple with SEN. I’ve never considered myself to be a baby person I’ve always swayed towards Year 1 to Year 4 for my future career and having babies has never even crossed my mind but after visiting here I have decided I am a baby person after all as these kids were absolutely ADORABLE. After this gorgeous boy above fell asleep in my arms (aww) I spotted another little man sitting in the corner by himself and absolutely fell in love with him.

I got so attached to this baby I honestly wanted to take him home with me and I was in utter disbelief that he was up for adoption. His cheeky smile lit up my world and I was devastated we only got a short space of time to spend together because I could have literally sat with him all day.

We then wandered back through the souks and into the square for the evening where we discovered the groups favorite restaurant Argana! The views from the rooftops were spectacular and the food was delicious.

FRIDAY

On Friday we fed the local homeless people on the streets of Morocco. We each contributed 20 dirham (£1.62) and we went shopping for ingredients which were meat, cheese, bread, yogurt and fruit. Some of us made the sandwiches where as the other people packed the lunches then we all went out on to the streets and gave them to homeless people.

This got quite intimidating to be honest as a lot of locals who were not homeless were trying to approach us and take food along with local workers who just wanted a free lunch so we were very appreciative that we had Saad and Omar by our side who could translate and speak to these people and point out to us the people that were really homeless.

We then spent the evening in the new town of Marrakesh where myself and a few of the girls wandered around and went for dinner. We also found a stage playing live Moroccan music and some small shopping stalls with items for sale.

Our favorite was a stall with bracelets which were 5 dirhams (41p!) because the man was so accommodating. Some of the girls wanted different colors and charms which weren’t on the pre-made bracelets so he sat and made the bracelets in front of us! We all got matching ones to remember our trip.

SATURDAY

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Saturday we had a day off and it was the final day for Carlie, Jade, Hollie, Amro, Lara and Riba (boo). We started the morning by some of the girls going quad biking through the desert which was 300 dirham (£25) each. Rajna and I pulled the short straw in regards to quad biking as her quad had to be jump started all the time and mine had bald tyres so I spent a lot of my time skidding into sand dunes and trying not to fall off. We had a break before leaving where you could buy refreshments and we were offered Moroccan tea before we headed back to the house to prepare for another England world cup game.

SUNDAY

Sunday we visited a town called Ait Ourir which was outside of Marrakesh where we volunteered with children. These were absolutely amazing children and although poor they were beaming with confidence and I loved how the older boys were singing and dancing and getting the other children (and volunteers) involved with them.

We brought along arts, crafts and floor games such as puzzles and the children were really well mannered and grateful for everything a lot of them would ask to keep things and then kiss you on the cheek when you let them have something as small as a bag of craft feathers or a animal mask they had coloured in themselves.

What really hit home at this project was how poor these children were. One of the little girls was wearing pj’s with a Christmas tree on in the middle of July at daytime and the children were crawling around the floor looking for pom poms to take home. It really made me think about the children I teach and how privileged they are compared to these children. However, watching how they were with each other and how much they really took care of one another made this experience an enjoyable one.

After leaving the project Omar and Saad decided to take us to the Ourika valley which is a beautiful place outside of Marrakesh leading up to the Atlas mountains. The Ourika valley has a river running through it where people swim and paddle in the water along with a little cafe where you can buy refreshments. This place was breathtaking and I am so sad I wasn’t feeling well so didn’t get as many photo’s as I’d have hoped.

MONDAY

On Monday we revisited our friends at the special needs center again during the morning time. Again I had a fantastic time but since a lot of the volunteers had left the previous day we had less activities and less people so it was a lot more difficult than the first time! However nevertheless still another amazing morning.

In the afternoon we went to the waterpark which was 250 dirhams (£20) or 200 dirhams (£16) after 2pm. It was an amazing experience as it was almost empty so no ques for the rides which was a bonus. Handy tip: bring flip flops as the floor is absolutely boiling and burns your feet. We went on nearly all of the slides but our favorite part was the rafting river where huge waves pushed you around and the lifeguards also came out to tip your boat over.

TUESDAY

Tuesday was my last day of volunteering and I was lucky enough to go back and see my little angel. I kept this baby for the full duration of my time there and was so upset to leave him I actually started crying when taking him back to his crib. This little guy deserves the world so I hope the family that has adopted him treats him like the prince he is.

On the afternoon we also visited another project called Street Kids which I didn’t get to do the first week. We were volunteering with children who predominantly didn’t attend school and sold items on the square at night which is heartbreaking.

They attend this community center where they are taught things but also get to take part in arts, crafts and games so the same activities used for the Ait Ourir village were also useful here. Again expect to leave activities for the kids as they are very poor and want to take the items home with them.

On the evening time we decided to visit Menara mall which is one of the biggest shopping centres in Marrakesh. This had a fountain and light show outside along with lots of amazing restaurants and shops and the view from the top of the mall was insane!

WEDNESDAY

This was my final day and night which was a day off for our house so Gemma and I decided to do a camel trek which was 200 dirham (£16) we trekked around the desert for just over an hour with one of the guides who I was constantly quizzing for camel facts and I found that these camels are actually called Dromedary’s (arabic camel) which only have one hump.

After hearing stories about how awful camels are and how they spit at you, these two camels Morgana (my camel) and Sabrina(Gemma’s) restored my faith in camels as they were so sweet and had a lovely nature.

After the trek we had another chilled afternoon at the pool before preparing for the England match, my last night and celebrating Leah’s birthday which wasn’t until the day after but since I would no longer be there to celebrate it we had to do it a day earlier. Saad again arranged for a cafe for us to watch the game and we got a cake brought out for Leah and sang Happy Birthday.

MY VERDICT

I had an absolutely phenomenal time in Marrakesh, I had never been on any volunteer programs before but the projects were brilliant and I met some absolutely amazing people (Gemma, Rajna, Demi, Leah, Carly, Jade, Hollie, Amro, Lara, Riba, Veronica and Emily) but I owe most of the credit to our two coordinators Omar and Saad who looked after us the whole time we were there.

From day 1 they were by our side keeping us safe, offering local knowledge, haggling, translating, making sure venues can accommodate us for matches and generally making our time enjoyable and I don’t know what we would have done without them.  They not only helped us but they were fantastic at the actual projects, Saad was constantly darting around making sure any games we wanted to play were well explained and Omar was an absolute credit to the children at the projects always getting everyone involved and having fun.

I would love to go back to Marrakesh especially with the same people but I would only go back with Original Volunteers if Saad and Omar were my coordinators again because I don’t think anybody else would be able to live up to them! I also don’t think any coordinators will have a better set of catchphrases than Omar’s selection.

If you have any specific questions please feel free to contact me @caratigerlilli