ThatDutchGirl's survival guide: native or another language?

Hello my friends!

It's time for another survival guide lesson. Today's class will be about languages to blog in. This is a dilemma a lot of bloggers face, whether they just started blogging, want to start blogging of have been blogging for quite a while. In this survival guide topic I try to list some of the pro's and con's of blogging in your own language or another language.

As my native language is Dutch and I blog in English, English will be the language I'll use as the "other" language, so if you're native language is English this blog might not be of much use for you. (I'm sorry.)
One last thing, these are all my points of view so it's not really a steady standard or something, you're all allowed to agree or disagree with me and share your own thoughts on this topic!

Why blog in English?
This is a decision that, at first, was very easy to me, I just prefer writing in English. Furthermore when you blog in English you can reach a much bigger audience as a lot of people on this planet have English as their first or second language. Then there is the challenge I liked about it, as English is my second language, I'm not as good at it than I am at Dutch. However this made blogging a bit more exciting and challenging for me. Also, blogging in English allows me to write about more global issues or topics. 

Why blog in your native language?
Then there is blogging in your native language. You might find this easier and feel more confident to write blogs in your own language. Besides you can blog about local things, like local Dutch elections or a national holiday the rest of the world knows nothing about (like Sinterklaas). Blogging in your native language can make you feel more connected to your readers as it's mostly a smaller community than the big English speaking community. Blogging in your native language might also depend on what you want to blog about. When you want to blog about books and your country has a big or small book blog community it might be easier or more difficult to join them but that's just up to you to decide. Blogging in your native language might also make it easier to get a deal with certain companies however the Dutch blogging community has become rather big over the years so I don't know if you're chances are still that high nowadays. This should not be a reason to start blogging though!

Will I always keep blogging in English, probably. Do I know for sure, definitely not. Sometimes these things happen in Holland and I really feel like I should write a blog about it but then again it won't come across as good in English as it will in Dutch. This mostly leads to me discarding the blog and forgetting all about it. I don't know why, I could definitely post a blog in Dutch every once in a while because why not this is MY blog and I can post whatever I want on it. Maybe one day. Who knows.

Anyhow. If you don't feel comfortable writing in English or feel like you can connect more with your followers in your native language please blog in your native language. Do what you feel is the right thing to do. And if you just like the English language, want to improve your English or when English is just the language you're better at than feel free to blog in English! The language you blog in is something that can't be decided by somebody else than you! This is a choice you have to make!

If you have other reasons to write in English or your native language or something completely different, feel free to share your opinion in the comment section below!

Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

ThatDutchGirl's survival guide: citytrip.

Hey there!

As you all may know, I love travelling. Whether I'm going on a long vacation far away or a short citytrip to a city not too far away, I love travelling. The feeling of being in a new place, discovering new things, seeing and doing things you've never seen and done before, meeting new people and maybe even making some new friends. I love everything about it but most of all the feeling of being free. When I travel I forget all about the worries I had at home, the things I forgot to do or still have to do. When I travel I don't worry about any of those things, the only thing I might worry about is missing my flight. Being in a new place, for me, is like a chance to start again, to discover new things about yourself and to become completely at peace again. 

Now in this blog I would like to give you some tips on travelling. More specifically I would like to share some of the things I've learned whilst planning and going on a citytrip. 
A citytrip is mostly a short vacation to a specific city. Preferably a city you've never been to before and you have yet to discover all of it's wonders. A citytrip lasts mostly 3 to 4 days.

So now you know some things about a citytrip let me share some of the tips and tricks I've learned over the last few years.

Deciding on the destination.
Before you go on a citytrip you have to know which city you're going to. This kind of depends on who you are and who you are going with. When you have bought tickets to let's say a convention in a city abroad, the destination is kind of decided already. Sometimes you and your friends know exactly where you want to go because you've always wanted to go there or because one of your friends has been there before and tickled your curiosity so you decide to go there. But there are also times where both you and your friends are absolutely clueless about where to go or maybe you just don't care. When that happens I can absolutely recommend the travel agency 'surprise me'. They are a travel agency where you can book all kinds of trips including citytrips but the whole thing is that you won't know your destination up until you are at the airport a couple of hours before your flight departs. I have never been on a surprise trip before but a lot of my friends have and they all recommend I go on one in the near future. Click HERE to go to their website. If a surprise me trip sounds a bit too much for you you can also decide to print a map from let's say Europe, close your eyes, drop your finger somewhere and go to the city it has landed the closest to. 
When you go all by yourself the choice is all yours which might make the deciding bit a little easier.

How to get there.
When you have decided where you are going you start finding out how to get there. Maybe you can get there by train, by bus, by boat or by plane. Decide which way of transport suits you, your budget and your time schedule best. I personally prefer travelling by plane but mostly because I enjoy flying and because travelling by plane has been the best option for the cities I've been to so far. Look up the different options for, for example, travelling by bus. Which agencies offer to take you there, how much do they cost, how long does it take to get there and what are the references. I personally always check the different kinds of references on a transport agency as I think quality is very important. When travelling by plane it is important to know how much luggage you're going to take with you. Do you need nothing more than a small suitcase then you don't need to take anything more than cabin luggage. If you are going to need a big suitcase then it's important to check the prices for that as well. This might make your flight more expensive so it's important to check the offers of different flight agencies and whether or not extra luggage is included in the price. Prices of flights change over time so when you want to book a flight you might want to look up when the price of your flight will be the cheapest. However this is no guarantee that at that specific time the price will be the cheapest. It is up to you to figure that out and to know what you want to spend on your flight ticket. 

activities.
On a citytrip you are going to explore the city of course. It might be handy to make a list of things you really want to do or places you really want to eat before you leave on your citytrip. Thankfully Dr. Google knows all about the great spots in every city. Besides you can always ask friends and family members who have been to that city before if they know any amazing spots or things to go and do and or see. I always make a list if places I want to see, things I want to do and stuff I must definitely eat or at least try. This just makes my trip a little more organised and I love an organised citytrip although I'm all for the chaos as well as it adds a little more excitement 
to your trip, I think.

Hotel / hostel.
Of course you will need a place to stay the night. And by this I don't mean a bench in the park, no I mean a place with a roof and heating and beds and stuff. Whether you stay in a hotel or a hostel is completely up to you. I personally prefer hostels as I just love the atmosphere most of them have and you are more likely to meet other travellers of your age and start a conversation with them. This is because hostels tend to have one central living room and kitchen which means you're going to bump into fellow travellers one way or another. You are also very likely to sleep in bunk beds in a bigger room with strangers but hey it's fun, you can talk to others, ask them if they know some things you haven't seen or done yet. Of course hostels have their less great things too because you don't really have a place for your own but hey they are mostly more fun and cheaper than a hotel. Obviously there is nothing wrong with booking a hotel. If you want a room of yourself, breakfast included, an en suite bathroom and just a little more luxury I definitely recommend a hotel. If you want to know about the hotels and hostels and their availability you can always check the website booking.com as that website holds a lot of hotels and hostels and is perfect for getting some ideas for possible places to sleep. 

What to bring?
This all depends on the length of your citytrip and the city you go to. Things you will always need are a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, shoes, pyjamas, clothes, a coat, your phone, the charger for your phone, a travel lock, a suitcase or backpack and possibly a scarf or sunglasses. Just the basics. How many of these you'll take with you depends on the length of your citytrip and who you are as a person. We are all different so we'll all pack our suitcases and backpacks in a different way. 

Of course there are more things to think of when you go on a citytrip but I feel like these are the most important things to keep in mind when going on a citytrip. If you have some additions to this list please add them in the comments below. Together we can become the best prepared bunch of travellers the world has ever seen!

I hope this list has been somewhat useful to you! If it was please press the like button and share it with your friends.

Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96

ThatDutchGirl's survival guide: concerts.

Hey there!

Welcome to my personal survival guide. A guide in which I share my own tips and tricks to (hopefully) successfully survive a lot of different events in life. How I survived them or what I have learned from them anyway. This week I would like to share my most precious survival tips and tricks regarding 'Concerts'. Grab some tea, snacks, pen and paper and take notes. 

Warning: the content of this survival guide do not guarantee you to survive the different events in this survival guide successfully or at all. These are all personal experiences and life lessons so you might be helped more by a trying a different approach.

Concerts.
Concerts: a performance of music by one or more musicians or singers.

A little bit of personal history, the first concert I ever went to was a long time ago. I think I was around 8 or 9 years-old by the time and it was a concert of the band K-otic. At the time this was one of my favourite bands and my mum took me to one of their concerts by surprise which was absolutely amazing. After my first concert more followed all of which led to the following tips and tricks. 

Buying tickets.
Before you can attend a concert you will have to buy tickets. How difficult it is to get tickets to a certain concert depends on which musician/band/singer you want to go see and the venue it will take place. When the musician you want to go see isn't very well known chances on getting a ticket are much bigger than buying tickets for let's say One Direction. Besides who you want to go see in concert, it's also important to check on how many tickets will be sold / how big the venue they are going to play is. Some venues offer seats as well, sometimes these tickets are cheaper because they are further away from the stage but this variates per venue/concert hall. 
Then there is the 'buying tickets process'. Once you know who you want to see in concert and you looked up the venue the band is going to play you will find when and where the tickets will be sold. Sadly there are still people/websites that try to sell you tickets but are actually frauds. So when buying tickets watch out. The safest way to buy tickets is to call the phone number of the venue or the one that is one the venue's website or via the link one the venue's website. These are the safest ways and guarantee you of a valid ticket for a 'normal' price. 
More about the 'buying tickets process'. Now you know where to buy tickets but there's more to it then just that. Some concerts sell out real quick. For instance once again a One Direction concert. These are most likely to sell out under 10 to 15 minutes so if you want a ticket to one of these concerts make sure you know when and at what time they go for sale. Make sure you are on the website or phone on time, preferably 30 minutes to 1 hour before the actual sale starts. Keep refreshing the website and have everything you need to buy tickets ready. If you would like to visit the concert with a group of over 4 people make sure every person of that group is ready to buy a ticket or at least most of them as some venues or companies that sell concert tickets let you buy a maximum of four tickets per person. The more people you have that will try to get tickets with you the bigger your chances on actually getting a ticket are. THIS DOES NOT GUARANTEE A TICKET THOUGH.
So if you want to buy tickets to a concert, know what kind of ticket you want (VIP, standing, seated, etcetera), know when and where they go for sale and make sure you (and your friends/family) are ready on time.

Waiting in line.
Waiting in line for a concert is pretty much inevitable. If you get to the venue early there will be less of a line compared to when you arrive rather late. I personally prefer arriving at the venue two to three hours before the doors open. So far this has always led me to a decent spot in the audience. I am very lucky to say I have always had a great spot during concerts. Sometimes someone you know might already be in the queue (long) before you arrive. If so, contact this person and ask if you could join them. This way you will be closer to the front of the line and you get to catch up with that person again and maybe meet some of their friends. So it's a win win. 
Whilst waiting in line make sure you have something to eat, something to drink and something or someone to keep you warm. When you have to wait in line for a long time you can and probably will get cold so make sure you bring a coat, scarf, poncho or blanket. 
Then the moment arrives that the doors open and the line will start moving. ALWAYS, I repeat, ALWAYS stay together with the person you are there with. When lines start moving it's easy to lose one so don't. Also don't push, scream and try your hardest not to fall down or trip over something. Just be nice to your fellow fangirls/-boys. Everyone is trying to get inside the venue and everyone will so stay calm and join in with the flow of the line. 

Money.
When visiting a concert I would advise you to take some cash. If you want to buy some merchandise you check how much that piece of merchandise costs on their website (in most cases). But the cash is not only for merchandise, it can also be used to buy some drinks during or before the concert as it is incredibly important to stay hydrated and you can use your cash hire a locker or have your bag/coat stuffed away in a secured cloakroom. This way you are sure (99%) none of your possessions will get stolen.

Merchandise.
The merchandise stand is a very popular spot inside the venue. Before the concert starts it will be overflowed with people so if you don't mind small crowded places you are free to go before the concert. If you would like to buy your merchandise when it's more quiet I recommend you pay the merchandise stand a visit a little while after the concert has ended. At this time it will be the most quiet at the merchandise stand, it is possible however that at this time some of the merchandise items will be sold out but it's a risk worth taking in my opinion. 

Inside the venue/concert hall.
Once your inside the venue you will have to choose your priorities. Do they lie with buying merchandise first or would you like to stuff your bag and coat away first or maybe you really need to pee and want to pay the toilet a visit before you do anything else. As long as you keep the following in line: DO NOT lose the person you're there with and DO NOT scream, run or push or pull people aside. It will be like a chaotic beehive inside and people will be walking/ running everywhere and it is of high importance that you keep calm. Once you have done everything you needed to do you will enter the hall the concert will actually take place. Depending on when you get in there the room will be pretty full or still quite empty. Choose a place you want to stand, as long as nobody else is standing there yet and make yourself comfortable. Until the concert start you are free to sit down on the floor, get yourself a drink and enjoy the room filling up and the atmosphere that fills the room. Once the concert has started I recommend you stay where you are because sometimes you might run into a person that won't let you through again so you won't be able to go back to your friend(s). 
Now during concerts the volume might pass the safety line which means you risk hearing damage. I personally carry a pair of earplugs to every concert/music event I go to, just in case (which is basically every concert/ music event I've ever been to). 
Also beware of the rising temperature in the concert hall. Make sure you have enough space to breath and warn people around you as soon as you start feeling unwell. If you are feeling unwell never try to leave the concert hall alone! Make sure someone is with you at all times just in case you faint and lose consciousness. 

So these are some of my tips and tricks to successfully survive a concert with. They don't guarantee a great concert though that is still up to you and what you make of it. They might help you prepare a bit better or make you feel a bit more confident whilst at a concert. Maybe they aren't useful at all who knows?

If you have some concert survival tips of your own, feel free to leave them in the comments below and together we will create the ultimate concert survival guide!

Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96