JustPickOneUK

Rejection can come in many forms and from many places. I used to deal with rejection in a very internalised way. I failed. I am not good enough. What’s wrong with me? Why don’t they want me? Why wasn’t I chosen?  But not anymore. I am choosing to think differently about rejection.  I’m currently sitting in a coffee shop waiting for anyone to show up to the meet up I have arranged for local creatives. I had interest on Facebook and tickets were “purchased” (its a free event) from several people - but no-one is here. We are over an hour into a 2 hour meet up and every ticket is a no-show.  If this was a couple of years ago I would have gone into the downward spiral of feeling like a failure. But not any more. I am using this opportunity. I’ve brought my laptop and my headphones, listening to the K-POP Demon Hunters soundtrack and getting on with writing a blog post instead. I’m utilising the time I would have spent on meeting others by benefitting myself.  I am going t...

I disembarked MSC Poesia following an October half term cruise around northern European cities.  I booked this cruise with only a few weeks to go with my family staying in 2 balcony cabins and the cost for 7 days was £724 per person. Not bad at all!  We parked up with ABP parking outside the terminal (well worth the money as transport to the ship would have cost us about the same and far less convenient) and it was seamless. Checked in - again seamless, there was no-one else around at the time we checked in. So within 10 minutes of parking the car we were on board and our rooms were ready on arrival. Perfect for us to drop our hand luggage and get ready for the muster drill.  We had adjoining cabins and it was nice to see that the door between the cabins was locked on arrival as a lot of the time people who are not booked together will use these cabins. One call to reception and we had a cabin steward unlock it for us and it remained unlocked for the duration of our cruis...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sleep on a train? No I don't mean passing out in a carriage surrounded by other passengers when having a panic when you woke up with a dribble of drool coming out of your mouth as you try very quickly to discover if you are still in time for your stop or if you have to get off at the next available one and do a double back ride of shame..... I mean sleep in a small room all to yourself like in the Agatha Christie novel Murder on the Orient Express. Well I have.......minus the murdering.  I thought about it enough to make it my number 33 on my 40Before40 list. I was thinking about doing the London to Edinburgh journey because London is easy to get to from the South Coast of England where I live and I can fly back to a close enough airport to get home again, so it sounded like a win win.  But considering the cost of doing all of that, London and Edinburgh didn't quite seem exotic enough. So when the chance came to have some time to...

From a throw away comment about what I want to do for my birthday, to having the adventure of a lifetime all in the space of 9 months. This is 40Before40. For those who haven't followed my journey this year I am turning 40 on 29th June 2025. My husband asked me last summer what would you like to do for your birthday as it is a milestone one. I said well loads of things not just one. Then I said why don't I get myself 40 things to do before I turn 40? And so,  I have been working my way through a list of 40 challenges that I set for myself (some have changed along the way).  Some were simple, but worthy, like going out for coffee with a friend (which I rarely do), reading a full length novel (which I never do) or eat something I'd never had before. Others were more extravagant. Go on a ship, see a geographical wonder and see a tornado in real life.  I had no idea where this idea was taking me and didn't have a full list when I first started.  I haven't achieved all o...

This morning I woke up to the message that I had received money from a stranger.  A bit of background.... JustPickOneUK is a labour of love. I love making the videos and doing the travel in order to get the footage. Unfortunately, the channel isn't big enough yet for YouTube to give me money for it and neither is it big enough for companies to be interested in sponsoring me or gifting me things. While travel companies keep on insisting being paid for their services, the financial burden is currently falling on my family. I'm not working at the moment and so I have a strict budget on how much I can spend on my trips.  I know I am in an incredibly fortunate position and I don't take that for granted. My 40Before40 adventures have been some of the best experiences I've ever had and I will be forever grateful.  However, if I am to continue to have more adventures I need to find the money from somewhere. Which is where Ko-Fi comes in. It's a way for creators to have a pl...

Knowing things is absolutely fantastic. Knowing what you want in life, knowing how to get there, knowing the lottery numbers in advance would be awesome too. But there is something to be said for who you know.  There is no way on earth I imagined being asked out to lunch by someone who has a membership at the Chewton Glen hotel. This is one of the most prestigious hotel locations on the south coast. They make no bones about being expensive. But they are classy about it. As long as you have the cash, (and you will need it), you are welcome. I like that.  A place doesn't have to be snobby to be classy. T-shirts and trainers are ok. But with the look of the place, you want to dress a little fancier. Your best t-shirt and trainers perhaps.  I'm sitting in the entrance to the spa waiting for my friend (a top executive for an insurance company) who has invited me out to lunch. I mean who says no to that. Ladies who lunch is life goals for me.  I've arrived onto the grounds...