Mistakes will be made.....

So, like the title suggests, mistakes will be made while in Wales, and enroute as well....

I am going to share a few mistakes that I have made (I'm sure Greg and Alex will agree as well/have made the same mistakes) to help anyone of you readers if you decide that a trip to Wales is in your future.

1) Do NOT expect your alcohol tollerance to be the same at 35 000 feet as it is in a bar!

Alex, Greg and I learned this the hard way to say the least. Our flight package included a 200ml bottle of Champaign (15% alcohol I believe) a 250ml bottle of Wine (12%) and a small liqour bottle (about 1 1/2 shots worth) served with ice. We had consumed our Alcohol roughly 2 hours into our flight and we were not to sure whether we were experiencing terbulance or just a little light headed. Although the amount of Alcohol was small, it really hit all three of us hard and made the rest of the flight rather unenjoyable.

So my advice on this mistake is to not drink the free alcohol and simply take it with you for consumption on level ground.

2) Pack lighter then your weight allowance.

I can't say that Alex and Greg share this mistake with me, but I used all but 1 pound of my 66 pound weight allowance and regretted it as soon as we collected baggage in London. Not only was it a pain to drag on and off the three trains we took from Gatwick airport to Pontypridd, but it was a hell of a pain for me to drag down the street looking for our flat. In addition, I will now have to ship back any purchases I make over here because I will be over my weight allowance going back to Canada. Not only that but the washers and drawers here are smaller so the loads have to be smaller. This means I have to do laundry more frequently, thus not wearing all the clothes I brought.

My advice is to leave atleast 10 lbs for stuff on your return flight, and remember you can always find inexpensive clothes and lifestyle items over here.

3) Don't be afraid to ask questions.

This being a mistake doesnt neccesarily mean that we didnt do it at first, because we did, but we also tried to figure some things out on our own which took much longer then anticipated. The people here are so nice, and once they hear your 'accent' and that you're asking a question they offer so much help. We have been shown so much by complete strangers, and told which stores to shop for what etc by strangers, it has really helped us get adjusted.

My advice in this area is to not be afraid to ask questions, the people are very helpful and will likely know exactly what you are looking for.

4) Make sure you know what furniture from the pictures your flat comes with before signing your contract.

This more applies to those thinking of coming here for school, or an extended stay but could still be helpful for all people who don't get the chance to view in person where they will be staying.

In our instance, the pictures indicated there would be a double bed as well as second fridge, both of which are non existant in our flat. We have a single mini fridge with inadequate space for three people, and three single beds instead of two singles and a double. Alex happens to be tall enough to not sleep comfortably on a single so when we signed our contract we knew that a double would suit his height. Unfortunately for alex he has to cram onto a single, which has caused him some uncomfortable nights. As for the fridge, our Landlord doesnt seem to have a clue where we got the idea that there would be two fridges, I guess he forgot he sent me pictures Im not sure. We meet with him on monday so I will be sure to blog about what that. I don't suspect he will budge though, hopefully he understands our situation and will meet us in the middle on the fridge issue.

My advice is to ask for a flat inventory prior to signing your contract and make sure it meets your satisfaction.

We have made a tonne of other mistakes aswell but most of those are mistakes that we are expected to make when traveling to another country, they were part of the process. I hope this short list helps those thinking of coming abroad for whatever reason. I will be sure to update the list in a few months once I have experienced more of Wales.

I hope everyone is enjoying the Blog so far, I encourage you to comment, let me know what you like, what you dont.

Regards,
Kyle