holiday – The Orbital

30Oct

By Amal AbdiNo Comments

Lifestyle

Your Guide to Barcelona

One of the things that really drew us to Barcelona when we spontaneously decided to book a summer break was that it really does have a bit of everything. From the sunnier climate and the beaches to the rich history and culture, the city will certainly spoil you for choice when you’re trying to plan your trip. 3 Top Tips – Wear comfortable shoes – Take your student card everywhere – Be vigilant – Barcelona has an extremely high rate of street theft. Where to Stay: As I visited with three of my best friends, we all really wanted to relax after the blood, sweat and tears of second year – literally. So we decided to stay in a small, beachy resort called Santa Susanna, which is located towards the north end of the city’s coast. We stayed in a cute apartment in Odissea Park Aparthotel, whi...

31Oct

By Chloe BuckNo Comments

Lifestyle

Halloween, What it’s really about?

Autumn is a time that many people enjoy: the beautiful autumnal views, the return of jumper weather, bonfire night and of course, Halloween. Halloween is usually a time for people to dress up in horrendous outfits (some terrifying, others not so much) and provides an excuse to have parties. However, as much fun as dressing up is, what is Halloween actually about? Halloween falls between Autumn and Winter, the time between life and death, the time when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. Halloween is thought to have originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. To commemorate such an event, the Druids would build sacred bonfires. People would gather to make sacrifices to the Celtic Deities, burning crops and animals. The Celts wore costumes, which mostly consis...

18Jun

By No Comments

Features

Backpacking for Less

It’s that time of year again – the end of the year has got us all dreaming about our summer holidays, prowling the low cost sites for a cheap deal. You might be looking into backpacking, that stalwart of student travel since time immemorial. People frequently backpack for months at a time, and whilst you may be thinking “that sounds much more expensive than an all-inclusive week in Kavos”, you’ll be surprised how much money it’s possible to save. Firstly, it depends on the area you want to explore. If you want to backpack around the US or in Scandinavia, your leftover student loan definitely won’t cover it. But if you’re a little imaginative, you can find much better value elsewhere. Think about exploring Eastern Europe, the Balkans, or even South East Asia – you’ll be surprised just how ...

8Jun

By Anastasia PantryNo Comments

Lifestyle

How to pack like a pro!

The orbitals guide to packing for your summer! So most of you, who can afford it, are likely to have booked an amazing summer 'vacay' with friends or family now that exams are over and the sun is shining. But whether its camping in the relaxing lake district or sunning it up in St Tropez you need to know the essentials to pack. Beach: if you're going to the beach whether it be abroad or in the UK here are the three S's you will need for sure. Sunglasses-these are a must! Of course they are stylish but they can also protect your eyes from a whole bunch of conditions caused by ultraviolet rays as the eyelids are a very sensitive part of the body. Sun cream- obviously wearing sun cream helps keep the harmful UV rays from causing harm but it actually helps to build a ta...

12Nov

By No Comments

Features

A day in the life of a turtle

A day in the life of a turtle: A trip to Costa Rica to save the Turtles On Sunday 26th July my friend Jo and I set off on our journey to Costa Rica. A long journey awaited us. An hour and a half drive to London Heathrow. An eight-hour flight to Miami, followed by a change to a three hour flight into San Jose. Our programme trip was entitled ‘Surf and Turtle Conservation’ so the main aim of our trip was to save some turtles. However, prior to reaching the camp we would be staying in for the next couple of weeks, we had a couple of days residing in a youth hostel in the town of Alajuela just off of Costa Rica’s capital city. The environment was amazing as it was full of the energy of so many young travellers wanting to go out and experience new cultures. As my Dad says, “when you feel gra...

28Jan

By No Comments

Lifestyle

The Joy of Travelling

Over the past years there has been a large increase in people travelling to far-away places for work, holidays and to discover themselves. Travelling to both hot and cold climates or to the northern and southern hemispheres can be eye opening. You can learn more about yourself as well as how other people live and experience different opportunities. Travelling is not a new thing. The Greeks would travel extensively to parts of Africa and Asia, partly for trade but also to develop and learn new things that they could take back with them. For example, they would learn about the diverse native herbs and vegetation and the different animals that lived there; understand how different medicine and new science can affect life, and they would bring these new ideas back home with them. The Empire...