The following text was inspired by the movie/book "Love, Simon" or "Simon vs. The Homosapien Agenda" and the fact that it is Pride Month. No matter if one is part of the LGBT community or not, supporting it and standing up for human rights is something I will always get behind and speak up for because we all deserve support and appreciation when it comes to things that are important to us.

This is about love. About all kinds of love. About love as a force, love as a magnet, love as a 

keeper, a rock and the wild sea shaking the shore in its core. About how love is diverse and different and something that has been attempted to be described but has never been fully mastered. About love as something that is the closest thing to actual magic that humanity knows. Because as much as people have tried, the answer has never really been found - why love is stronger than any force on earth. 

When looking at the generation I’m growing up in, I look at a powerful group of human beings, full of bright ideas and visionary minds. Open minded and curious, accepting and courageous, willing to stand up for their own beliefs. And within this bright community with a better future in their minds and hearts, within this force, something new was created. Lives full of pride, reckless strength and new found confidence. 

This month the world celebrates those who have been thought different for as long as records reach back, those who have had to face boundaries and hatred, injustice and resentment. They used to live their lives silent, or were immediately shut down, they have had to fight for what’s right and for a world without inequality. 

Who are we to define what love really is – a force that is more than we will ever be. We don’t get to decide who we love and who we don’t, the only thing that does in the end is our heart all along. Love is diverse, a spectrum we can impossibly grasp, so who are we to decide for someone other than ourselves. Love doesn’t come easy for anyone on earth, it’s a challenge and adventure, sometimes makes our hearts burn. 

The beauty of this moment, the time that we’re in, is that it’s our turn to change it and unite forces within. Because what I notice more and more amongst my peers is astounding support for each other and those we’re in love with. 

I have to be frank and rather honest too, I did indeed have to educate myself on LGBT matters and everything that’s involved because as sad as it is, standing on the outside sometimes makes you oblivious to what people go through. It’s still a privilege of the straight to step outside and just BE and only the friends I have made over the last couple of years who are an active part have actually opened my eyes about  the real issues they have to deal with. 

But even though life for them is still hard, as I mentioned before, times are slowly changing. People are open about who they really are, encouraged by a world that’s started to accept. Accept that love is diverse and not just black and white, a rainbow of people, quite literally. Although this has not been my fight I feel like everyone should stand up, stand up for what’s right and for a bright future to come.

In the end it’s all love, no matter what kind, love doesn’t change or differentiate. We love who we love with all its beauty and pride, so why don’t we all stand together and unite as what we are in the end: An incredible  bunch of humans growing up in a world full of diversity and beauty. To end this with a quote of a person I love: You now have the chance to be whoever you wanna be. 

To love. To diversity. To an open minded world.

Be proud. Be strong. Be you. Always. 

Happy pride month to all those who have found themselves, are still yet to find themselves or are just in it to support it for the long run. 

Ever since I started working full time, weekends have become a time I cherish. Meeting friends, going out for breakfast or lunch, strolling through the city centre, going on an adventure and just enjoying life has turned into something rather special because of the little spare time life offers you. For these special occasions I try to come up with not only comfortable but stylish ways of displaying my style and extraordinarily patterned trousers are a part of my personal fashion-go-to just as much as one of my various hats.

A large amount of my trouser collection consists of patterned items in all shapes and colours, simply because I think that mixing a good quality pair of trousers with a plain t-shirt or blouse immediately turns a simple outfit into an actual look. What I had been missing in my wardrobe were trousers with a gingham print and the perfect fit. Gingham has been on my radar for quite a while but I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. Stepping out of one's comfort zone is not only a challenge but also highly important and healthy for one's personal growth and becoming a stronger, more confident person already starts with small things such as daring to step up your style game a notch every once in a while. 

Courage and confidence that is won in a certain area can easily be used in every other part of daily life as well. Most people are too scared to take a step forward and give themselves the chance to outgrow themselves because their anxiety stops them or society makes them believe that they will never amount to anything. Trying something new shouldn't be about anyone but oneself. People still care too much about what their environment thinks of them but at the end of the day all that counts is how one felt within themselves.

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(pictures are ©TheStylePolaroid 2018, the brands are mentioned beneath the pictures, credits to the designers)

Travelling changes your mind, your perspective and your perception of your own world. Everywhere we go and anytime we explore places we have never been to, we take a part of this place with us and lock it up in our hearts, for eternity to keep. 

Paris is one of those cities everyone puts on their bucket list because you think you’re missing out on something if you don’t at least see the Eiffel Tower once in your life. When you live on mainland Europe you sometimes start to believe that you have all the time in the world to explore those cities that seem so close but are still so far away. It’s remarkable how much we take the “little” distances on our relatively small continent for granted and forget that travelling still takes time. Ever since I came back from Manchester I decided for myself that I would visit at least one place a year that I had never been to. While Scandinavia is rather highly ranked on my list of places I want to see, Paris  had been at the back of my mind for quite a while as well. The French language has always fascinated me and I used to take French classes at uni so I was exceptionally excited for actually getting to know the French capital that I had heard the most magical stories of. 

My expectations were exceeded. Paris is one oft those extraordinary cities that engrave themselves into your mind and make you fall in love with their atmosphere and pure, simple beauty. 

The City.

As a lover of architecture Paris was nothing less than paradise for me. Historical buildings shaping the city grounds, old facades with fascinating embellishments and the dominance of exceptionally fascinating creme coloured brick work made one wonder if one had entered a fairytale, letting forget the dark past of a city that now presents itself as the vibrant centre of a country full of pride. The long lost kings’ love for symmetry, elegance and splendour is still undeniably visible in 21st century Paris no matter if walking down Esplanade des Invalides or strolling through the gardens of the uncountable palaces that are embedded into an otherwise modern metropolitan.

Montmartre.

Entering Montmartre, located in Northern Paris, is like entering a different world. Hidden in the shadows of majestic Sacre Coeur that has been throning on a hill overlooking the city since 1914, Montmartre is a gem that should not be missed. A tiny version of the calm of the Provence resting in the north of an otherwise lively city makes you feel like travelling back in time. Small shops and aspiring painters that are crowded together on a market place and present their art to the public while hiding under sun shades from the burning heat. The houses are colourful and packed with the most exotic flowers tingling your nose with extraordinary smells. Montmartre is a place that you could spend your entire day in, just strolling through the tiny alleyways finding yourself discovering even more of these tiny shops and cafés that have people sitting in front all day. 

The Food.

Even though the French are known for their exquisite cuisine and one might think you might want to splash out on a fancy dinner at some point, you are immediately taken aback by HOW HIGH the prices are. I had heard that Paris was expensive in terms of food and drinks but the prices were indeed horrendous. I wish I could give you a proper review on where to go out for food and which cafés and coffeeshops were cute to enjoy brunch in but as a matter of fact, we didn’t go out for dinner once. I usually don’t look at prices when I’m on holiday but as soon as I have to pay 15 to 20 euros for a simple dish that would cost me a third of said price at home, I am sort of appalled and my appetite is gone. We helped ourselves at the local bakery and supermarket just around the corner of our hotel that offered everything we needed and actually enjoyed trying out local pastries for a reasonable price.

The Small Cafés. 

As France being a wine nation I was able to drink a deliciously tasting, reasonably priced glass of  wine in one of the cafés right around the corner of our hotel. What I love about the French is how much they enjoy their life and how much appreciation they have for being able to spend time socialising. The streets of Paris all day round are packed with people sitting in woven chair

outside tiny cafés having food and drinks. 

The Hotel.

Our hotel was located in Avenue de Tourville right in between Champs de Mars and the Dome des Invalides. The hotel we stayed in was called Hotel Le Tourville, a tiny four star hotel that exceeded all our expectations. The staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful and they appreciated my attempt of speaking French more than I had expected them to (Parisians in general are delighted when you at least try to speak French even if you have to switch to English then, the effort counts). Our room on the fourth floor might have been tiny but the views and the furniture were incredible. We had booked a stay with breakfast included and as it was a tiny hotel everything from breakfast to service felt personal and genuine. A bar in the lobby provided free drinks and snacks all day.

We booked our stay via Secret Escapes, which has always been one of my tips when wanting to travel luxuriously for little money. Even a boat trip was included in our booking. 

The Transport.

The metro in Paris is reliable and enables you to get around the city super quickly as there's a train every couple minutes. I suggest you buying a so called Navigo Decouverte which costs less than the standard tourist Paris visite pass and you can still use the public transport all around the city. All you need is a passport photo as the card will be personalised. 

Another tip for everyone under 26 is a day ticket for 4,10€ with which you can travel around the city for 24 hours on weekends and national holidays.

The Shopping.

Shopping in Paris can be described with a single word: heaven. Everything one could possibly imagine can be found on one of the various shopping streets and centres all across the city. 

When going into Saint Laurent we were treated like actual princesses with multiple staff members offering us drinks while we were waiting for our purchases to be wrapped up in bags you didn’t even want to open because they looked like art themselves. I had never done anything like that before as high street brands like Topshop and Zara have always been my primary go-to but experiencing such special treatment was a nice change for once. 

My Highlights. 

The whole trip was remarkable in every single way possible and I am still so grateful about the fact that I get to experience such amazing things at such a young age and that the world has become so accessible. 

Eating pizza in front of the Eiffel Tower, watching the sunset until the whole tower started glittering at 10PM was one of the most breathtaking experiences I have ever experienced and I still cannot fathom that this actually happened to me. 

I could to immerse myself into the culture and got to witness the ups and downs of Paris in the historical centres and museums all over Paris. What I consider amazing is that you can enter most churches for free and Musée d'Orsay is free for everyone under 26 as well. 

I have fallen in love with the city of love and am definitely planning on coming back. 

Paris, mon amour, je t’aime.

You don’t always need to travel far to experience world’s beauty, sometimes it can be found right around the corner only a short bike ride away. Humans tend to have the urge to get away and leave their homes behind in order to find peace of mind and discover new places. 

Ever since living abroad in the UK I have realised how little we care about the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis. We start taking our environment for granted forgetting to consciously look at the wonderful place we’re living in because everything inside of us is just constantly urging for the far away lands of unknown mysteries. 

When living in the UK I tried to get around as much as possible because I wanted to get to know the country and its people and encounter things I hadn’t seen before. When talking about my trips with my UK friends, the answer that I most frequently got when asking if they had been there was “No”. This fact made me realise how much we take our home countries for granted. We don’t see the point in exploring what is around us everyday, we don’t make the time for a 30 minute drive to leave the city behind and go on adventures in the forests and mountains we call our home. Instead we make time to plan trips abroad, for the sake of crossing things off our bucket lists and for the sake of telling friends that we’ve travelled the world. 

Travelling is one of the most amazing inventions mankind has ever had. But travelling, in my opinion, does not only involve those trips we look forward to for months and which take us places that are so different from what we are used to, it’s also the trips we spontaneously decide to do. Those trips to castles embedded into the skyline of your own home town that you haven’t come around to visit in five years of living here. 

Travelling far is exciting, and important. But exploring what one calls home is just as important. You develop a newly found appreciation of the world around you and suddenly you notice all the small details that make your home special that have been overlooked for years because our mind has gotten so used to seeing them every day. 

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(pictures are ©TheStylePolaroid 2018, the brands are mentioned beneath the pictures, credits to the designers)

Film is a modern form of art that has only existed for a little more than a century and has already become one of the most important ways of expressing the thoughts and visions of creative minds. Especially in the last couple years film has become a genre which is used by humans to subtly criticise human life and modern society. Because how to better confront humanity with its flaws and faults than putting it on a screen, turning it into a seemingly fictive story. 

While popular faces of the movie industry seem to become increasingly restricted in their ways of working simply because they’re exposed to continuous pressure from the Hollywood movie industry, independent actors and directors have been taking their chances to create masterpieces and moving works of art on a white canvas, telling stories about the common tragedies of life and the strength living demands of you. 

This year’s academy award nominees included a list of multiple breathtakingly beautiful movies with a capturing back story such as Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name and Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. Story lines conveying a message within a scenery equalling art and representing life’s beauty while simultaneously criticising what is wrong in the world. Story lines full of strong characters and impressive character development have risen from the grounds as they fulfil a rather special purpose - subtly teaching people about the hypocrisy of modern society. 

“If you can’t get them to listen, make them see” seems to have become the motto of young actors and directors who use their platforms to get their messages, sorrows and worries across. Not only do I consider this a rather effective way of making people see their own mistakes, it is also inspiring and impressive how much effort and passion is put into these works of art that need to be appreciated more. 

After attending the Festival of Austrian Film I am even more convinced that young directors and independent movies inherit a power one is not allowed to underestimate. Film has the ability to capture one’s mind and emotions and can manipulate the mind in both good and bad ways. Giving movies a chance that didn’t evolve out of the pressured world of mainstream film is not only a challenge for the own mind and way of thinking but also challenges oneself to question our society and think about modern life’s issues even more. 

The beginning of the year is usually the time during which people start to plan their travels for the year, which sounds like a rather enjoyable way of occupying oneself as it makes one dream of new destinations that lie ahead and days off spent on some beach where the only sorrow one knows is to not forget to switch from back to belly when tanning every once in a while. 

Well… and then your dreams of stress free booking are crushed by a trillion of websites offering all kinds of different things for every imaginable price level and you and up feeling as if your head might explode. Questions like “What if that’s a price trap?”, “That deal sound kind of fake?”, “Is this website trustworthy?”, “Is AirBnB worth the hype?” and “Wouldn’t it be better to just let someone at a travel agency do this?”

I’ll be answering all these questions today and hope that I’ll be able to not only help you with planning your next trip but also take away a bit of fear someone might have when it comes to booking holidays on the scary place that is known as the internet. 

I have divided this post into sections for better structure. They can all be read together as a whole but can also be read individually if one section interests you in particular. 

1) Research is KEY

Firstly, I am not a fan of travel agencies. They generally generate prices that are a lot higher than what you are offered on the internet for the same value simply because public service in involved. That doesn’t need much explaining. BUT I have to admit that travel agencies have their perks when it comes to trips that involve all inclusive accommodations and travels that go beyond the annual Europe trip to some capital city. If I was going some place like Bali, the Seychelles, the Maledives or somewhere else tropical where I have no clue what is to expect and what to even look for, I’d definitely recommend seeking professional help because no one wants to end up in some dirty, run down hell hole when going on holiday. That would sort of defeat the purpose and I’d also cry over the money that was wasted on a bad holiday. 

City trips however, or general beach holidays, can easily be booked online entirely stress free when you start planning your trips at the right time. I have figured in the last couple of years in which I have not only rather unintentionally become the travel and booking “expert” for not only our family trips but trips with friends as well that starting to plan a trip WITHIN Europe approximately four months in advance makes the most sense - in terms of price AND time management.

Because one thing is essential about the whole booking process when you’re doing it yourself. IT TAKES TIME. AND PATIENCE. You can’t just book a proper trip on one day. It takes time to research and compare prices. You can literally save up to 150€ or more when taking your time to just browse through various pages on the internet. 

My favourite websites to compare prices are booking.com, trivago.at and expedia.at. They are easy to use and give you every essential information you might need. 

2) Finding a Hotel

Now the most complicated part might be finding the right accommodation. I am aware that everyone has individual preferences when travelling and that some people would never stay at a hotel but this is just the way I personally do it. I grew up always staying in hotels and am personally not very keen of camping and hostels as I find it rather gross sharing my bathroom with hundred other people (I have done it before, it wasn’t horrible, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it either and as holidays should be something you enjoy, opt for something that feels right for you). Before I choose a hotel I do my research on which areas in the city I wanna go to are convenient and preferably not too sketchy as I am a coward who gets easily intimidated and a safe area is just something I personally need to fully enjoy myself. When doing research, I tend to inform myself on the internet via travel reviews and blogs but first and foremost I always approach friends of who I know they know what I need and want and who have been to that place before so I trust their tips and recommendations. 

Additionally I inform myself about the transport system, look up where bus lines and underground stops are located and check on the overall public transport system. Most people tend to always want to be right in the city centre, which might be convenient as everything might be in walking distance but also affects the price massively. Therefore I tend to rather choose hotels outside the centre which still have a good transport connection to the centre. I am going to Paris in exactly two months and we have managed to find a 4-star-hotel for 215€ per person with breakfast for three nights. I mean if that’s not a good deal. 

Furthermore, I religiously read through reviews and comments on the hotels as those immediately give away the quality of the hotel because obviously hotels won’t be advertising their flaws on the internet. My favourite website for hotel reviews is holidaycheck.com as people can additionally add pictures to their reviews which raises the credibility of their comments and gives me an actual idea of the quality of the hotel 

I have also come to LOVE a website called secretescapes.de which offers luxury accommodations for small prices as their offers change every week on Sunday or Monday, meaning you have a limited time to book but the value you get for the price is actually insane. I have booked hotels via Secret Escapes multiple times now and I have always ended up paying between 100 and 200€ for a four to five day trip in a 5-star-hotel, breakfast included (and upgrades too sometimes, we went to Vienna once and were upgraded into a suite that was bigger than my flat NO JOKE, the bathroom alone was the size of my living room I legit never wanted to leave that place again) 

So, if you like a bit of luxury for a small price and are spontaneous when it comes to booking, I’d definitely recommend Secret Escapes, it’s honestly worth gold. 

If hotels aren’t for you but you’d still like to enjoy a bit of comfort when travelling I highly recommend AirBnB. I am telling you it IS worth the hype. My best friend and I have decided to never book anything other than an AirBnb ever again after our trip to Amsterdam last year. It was our first time staying at one and I have fallen in love with those kinds of accommodations as it’s an amazing way of feeling just like a local and the prices are rather reasonable as well. Obviously, reading the reviews is yet again the key otherwise one could easily fall for a scam but the website is highly professional and so are the majority of the people offering entire homes or rooms in their own apartments. 

3) Planning a Trip or Diving Straight into It?

Well, I assume the answer to this question highly depends on your personal preferences. I myself like to balance structure with adventure. I don’t like travelling to a new place entirely unprepared as it gives me anxiety and stresses me out but I don’t like trips that are planned from top to bottom either as it takes away the luxury of spontaneity. When doing city trips my friends and I tend to all write a list of things each one of us really wants to do, compare those lists and then decide what  we WANT to do, what we would LIKE to do and things that we could do when there’s time or when it’s convenient. Structuring a trip like this gives you an idea of what lies ahead of you but still gives you the freedom to change things up because you never know what you might stumble across when finally on the trip. 

What I tend to do as well is to look up which sights or spots are in areas close to each other as I think it’s rubbish to travel all across town to cover just two or three spots when you can plan your day in a way you can stay in a certain area and use another day for another area across town. Obviously you want to see as much as possible but city trips are still supposed to be holidays and not some kind of alternate marathon. I mean I would very much like to still be able to use my feet after four days of being away.

4) Hand Luggage or Bulky, Heavy Suitcase? 

I’ll be referring you back to the blog post I did back in June 2017 when I discovered the glorious invention of hand luggage trolleys and the awesomeness of travelling light. Honestly, I will never use big suitcases for city trips ever again. (Trips to the beach or trips longer than 5 days excluded I am still a woman at the end of the day) 

Now that I have properly hyped myself up for my trips this year I hope this has helped you in some kind of way. Feel free to drop a comment on how you travel and where you’re planning to go this year.