Well, hello to you, my reader chums! Having good friends is one of life's greatest gifts; however, as I've grown, I've realised what friendship really means, how it changes and truly, who I want in my life.

If you're unsure about friendships in your twenties or looking to find new friends, here are the friendship lessons I've learned in my twenties.

Life is busy

As I've gotten older, life has grown busier for me and all of my friends. That's normal and okay. I do miss the freedom of my early twenties and how we lived out of each other's pockets and saw each other all the time; however, understanding how busy everyone is is the key to not feeling disappointed and sad. When you do make plans, that feeling is even more magical, and the beauty of the internet is that everyone is always a text away.

You're not always the same level of priority

This was a hard pill to swallow. Just because you rank someone so high in your priority list, it doesn't mean they will do the same with you. Realising that is honestly heartbreaking, especially for really close friends. However, it's just the way life is. That person could have a really stressful job, a family or lots of other friends and commitments. The important thing to remember is they're still your friend, and you need to meet them where they're at.

The right friends will show up when it matters

It feels like you should be texting your friends every day to keep that 'best friend' status, but that's far from the truth. Yes, speaking often is important, however, it doesn't detract from your friendship if you don't speak all the time. The right friends will show you support and be there when it matters, for the good and the bad times. 

Setting expectations is key

This was the biggest pill to swallow for me, as when I was younger, I expected every person to show up for me the same way I did for them. This isn't realistic at all, and you shouldn't put that on the other friend. You need to set expectations with each friendship to meet people for who they are and what they want out of that friendship, as it'll save you from feeling undervalued and disappointed. 

Discuss how you feel  

The only way to solve any bad feelings in a friendship is to talk about them, and how they react tells you exactly what you need to know. Whether it's an issue, you want to spend more time with them or have a boundary to set, discussions with each other are incredibly important. 

You don't need friends who make you feel bad about yourself

I'll say this a million times over. When I was younger, I had friends who didn't make me feel good about myself, and I kept them as I thought I needed to, or this was the norm, however, it's not. You should have people around you who support, love and cherish you. Let go of the friends who don't serve you.

Friendship can last the distance if you work on it

I have a best friend who lives 4,000 miles away. We've been friends since we were teenagers, and when she moved away 7 years ago, it was heartbreaking. However, we've never stopped being close. Even though our friendship looks different, we're always there for each other as much as we can be.

All friendships are different

No friendship is the same. No person is the same. Never compare, just know what is right for you and your friend.

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 Well, hello to you, my reader chums! In such a fast-paced world where it feels like everyone is successful, living their best lives and doing IT ALL, it's scary to step away from the 'normal' and take the risk, changing your entire life or even part of your life. 

But for me, I've always been someone to push the boundary, take the risk and live outside 'the norm', I want more people to also channel that energy and push themselves to enjoy the life they want - because honestly, why not?

If you're thinking about trying something new, whether a career move or business, here are my thoughts about starting again.

Failure is okay

Failure is often taught as a bad thing, especially growing up in a school environment and seeing the highlight reels of everyone's life on social media. However, failure is good, positive even. Without failure, you'll never grow and you'll never succeed. Failure helps you learn more about yourself, how you work, what is and isn't for you.

I know starting something new means the potential to fail, but you shouldn't let that put you off. If you fail trying it, that in itself is a win, because you tried, and that's the hardest part.

Starting something new is meant to be scary and hard

Anything new is scary and hard; that's normal. When I started my business, every day was a struggle. It was all I thought about; I cried daily and was constantly stressed, and failure was common, and I wasn't succeeding in the way I hoped. However, by working at the business every day and showing up, I learned more about what I wanted, how to run a business, that failure is okay, and things started to become less scary and hard.

Embrace the scary and the hard. It may seem like hell in the moment, but over time, it'll be worth it and get better.

Starting again means growth

Starting again isn't meant to be easy, whether it's a new career, business, hobby or relationship. However, whatever the scenario is, starting and trying something new means you'll grow in some way. This could mean learning better boundaries, a new skill or life lessons that serve you well.

Good things come on the other side of your comfort zone

This phrase I preach a lot because it's true. If you stay in the same life bubble, how will you ever grow? Stepping out of your comfort zone, you can meet new people, travel to new places, learn new skills or build confidence. There's so much beauty in trying and pushing yourself.

Everything happens for a reason

I'm a firm believer in this. In the hard times, it may not seem like this, however, everything does happen for a reason, whether it's removing the wrong people from your life or opening up a door for something better.

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 Well, hello to you, my reader chums! I've never had the chance to properly explore France before, apart from Paris, however, I headed on a French road trip to attend one of my best friend's wedding in the south and along the way, my partner and other best friend got to experience and visit a couple of cities which we absolutely loved.

If you're driving from the Eurotunnel to southern France, here are the best 3 French cities to visit on a road trip.

Rouen 

Rouen is a fairytale-like city in northwestern France, capital of Normandy and about 2-2.5 hours from the Eurotunnel. I adored this city in every way. I didn't know what to expect when I added it to the driving itinerary, however, it exceeded expectations.

Rouen featured many gorgeous buildings, which reminded me of Beauty and the Beast. I felt like I was living my favourite Disney film out in real life. The city was bustling with quaint cafes, restaurants, bakeries and gorgeous sights. I was only there for a few hours, but having a mooch was enough to enjoy the essence of the city. I visited the Rouen Cathedral, the famous clock tower and roamed along the various cobbled paths. 

Poitiers 

Poitiers was the opposite of Rouen in terms of that bustling energy. The charm of Poitiers was how quiet and serene it was, yet the beauty shone through in every way. Poitiers is a city on the River Clain in western France, and I absolutely loved its wholesome energy. The architecture and cobbled streets made me gasp at every turn, as it was just so beautiful. There's no other way to explain it than peaceful, grand and dreamy.

The main centre of Poitiers gave me that completely holiday feel as everyone dined outside, eating their dinners, drinking wine late into the night. The shops were a mixture between quaint and independent, classic French supermarkets, and must-visit cafes and restaurants, too. It's not a huge place, but there are gorgeous sights, such as cathedrals and chapels.

Tours 

Tours is the capital of the Loire Valley and a university city with a unique charm. I was obsessed with this city as the buildings were enough to draw me in with their different colours and Gothic facade. Tours is quite a big place and the striking architecture is enough to keep you busy for a few hours, especially with the cathedral Saint-Gatien.

Tours had a town feel for a city because, despite the bustling nature, the charm of its sights and cute shops gave a wholesome and community appeal. I loved roaming around it and could have happily explored more if we had the time!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Have you visited these places?

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 Well, hello to you, my reader chums! Travelling the world is a privilege, and I'm lucky I've seen 31 countries and hope I can see more places. I often get asked, 'How do you go on holiday so much?'. And one of my answers is learning to make the most of a short trip. Not every holiday has to be 2-3 weeks long; some of the best trips can be a long weekend or a couple of nights - it's how you maximise the trip.

If you're new to travelling, have limited annual leave, and want to make the most of your short trips, here are my best tips.

Visit multiple destinations

Short trips don't only mean a singular destination. It's easy to think you can't see more than one place if you have limited days, but that's far from the truth. Granted, with a short amount of time, you can't fully immerse and travel slowly, but you can still experience the highlights of a destination. Visiting multiple destinations can look different for everyone, whether you'd like to see a mix of city and beach or tick off a couple of towns on your trip. 

For example, if you're travelling to northern Italy, you can see Parma and Modena or Milan and Lake Como - both options are easily accessible by train. Or to see more than one country, you can get the train between Copenhagen and Sweden. Italy and Switzerland are also easily connected. The options are endless!

Research and set an itinerary for each day

I'm a queen of the itineraries and love to plan my trips extensively, ensuring I fit as many things in as possible in a day. It can be tiring and I understand not everyone is able, however, if you are, filling a day to the max can ensure you see as much as the destination, rather than miss out on highlights. The best way to fill an itinerary is to have a morning, afternoon and evening plan.

Utilise public transport systems

Unless you're on a driving holiday, public transport is necessary to explore more than the one place you're in. Whether it could be a bus or a train, most cities are easily connected, which means you can enjoy the public transport systems and explore as much as possible.

Research day trips from your location

Day trips are a joy when you're on a city break as you can explore the city and see the country's more rural or coastal side. Research the best day trips around where you're visiting, as there could be an exciting tour, an underrated destination or a dreamy beach which you may fall in love with.

Book the early and late-night flights

Early and late-night flights may be inconvenient, but you'll have more time in your destination. For example, if your flight is 2-3 hours and it leaves at 7am, you'll arrive in your destination mid-morning and be ready to explore by lunchtime, once you've settled into your accommodation and travelled from the airport. With late-night flights, you'll have more time to explore on your last day as you won't need to head to the airport until the evening, so really, you'll have an entire day to tick off more highlights. 

Get started early each day

Making the most of a short trip isn't the most relaxing experience, however, it means experiencing as much as possible on your holiday. Each day, get up as early as you can to see the sights before the crowds and tick off a lot on a day.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What tips would you add?

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 Well, hello to you, my reader chums! I'm a summer girl. I love the sunshine and the joy it brings. Everything feels better in the summer: the longer days, endless ice cream, warm weather, cute dresses and a peppy spirit in the air. Although with summer, everything gets busy and there's this massive pressure to have a million big plans and book all the events.

This is your reminder to make the most of the summer. It's not about the big things; it's about the little things. If you're feeling overwhelmed with the summer season, here is how to make the most of summer without massive plans.

 Well, hello to you, my reader chums! I've had social media since I was a teenager, and back in the day, it was worlds away from what it is now. I don't envy teenagers today, and I can't imagine growing up with the influencer culture and TikTok world. I also work in social media and spend a lot of my time consuming online content, which isn't the healthiest, but I use my time mindfully, avoiding the negatives of social media.

If you're glued to social media like me, here are my thoughts on social media as a highlight reel.