In preparation for Cannes, I need to get some business card printed.
My Pinterest boards are proof that I am a freaking sucker for anything printed that's also pretty. Notebooks, postcards, wall prints and other uselessful things- you name it. However, I can't buy all these beautiful prints because I already have way too many for my one bedroom- and it's too expensive. So my compromise is my digital life: I LOVE changing my desktop and phone backgrounds a lot because I can always find prettier designs.Choosing the design for my business card (which you actually give to people, so even more important) is HARD! You have to think about what you like personally, but also what you think other people will think about it and what it says about you. Clearly, I like pretty things. But does my business-card-recipient care about that? I'm not a designer, so maybe not so much.
There are my absolute favorite designs I found on Zazzle. It's like business card heaven. So here are my favorite designs. Nothing more boring than plain business cards, am I right?
Don't even get me started on the format. You can have square ones, round edges and skinny ones. How do you even choose? I love when you play around with the profession- there are so many clever ones for marketers, designers, photographers.. or whatever really! Pinterest has amazing suggestions, if you are looking for some inspiration. I have embedded a widget to a board for business card inspo. Personally, I eventually went for the turqouise/golden design in the top right. Hopefully they will look just as amazing in real life!
If you want to make your own customised business cards from any of the designs above, just click down here. You can get 25% off business cards until the end of April with this code: BIZCARDEAL25.
Today I thought I am gonna talk about THE MOST EXCITING THING that is going to happen this year (well, that I know of at least). Part of my course is a placement in Cannes during the super famous film festival. I remember having a slight heart attack when I read this on the course website, months before even applying. I mean, this is the most prestigious freaking film festival in the world and we are supposed to WORK there this year?
The devil is in the details I guess, because we don't just get assigned a company and off we go- we have to apply and get a placement ourselves. However, the uni provides us with an apartment and flights, so that makes everything much easier.
I cannot tell you HOW excited I am- every time I think about it it feels too absurd (it's not like we are gonna walk the red carpet next to Leo, but STILL!). I can't wait to be in the middle of it all, see how films are being sold and bought and hyped and destroyed. And because all of this is really exciting, my resolution is to film (or vlog, I guess) everything I can- and if it's not too embarrassing I guess I will share it here, haha.
As part of my MA in Film Distribution and Marketing we visited London for the week and met up with loads of different companies. Now you need to know two things before I move on:
1. If you want to work in film distribution/marketing in the UK, the only place to be is London.
2. I have been pretty much telling everyone how I don't want to move to London.
The point of this week was to see all these people in different companies and jobs, from home entertainment to sales to exhibition, and ask them loads of questions. Some companies were studios such as 20th Century Fox or Universal, some were independent distributors such as Soda Pictures or Altitude. We also visited a lab that processes film and Pinewood Studios, where they are currently shooting the new Star Wars. To say this week was 'cool' is a huge understatement. It was AWESOME to see these influential people and hear them talk about their jobs. You pick up and learn things that you couldn't do by just googling the company.
And guess what? I think some of the confusion about life has been slightly lifted. I have a clearer idea about what job I want to go for. I mean, HOW GOOD IS THAT? (It is international sales, just fyi)
Also about what I said before, my aversion towards living in London has decreased. Slightly.
Baby steps here.
So after convincing myself that I want to try and work in Germany, I have now opened up a whole new can of worms. Working in the UK is back in the game. AAH!
I have mentioned before that my friend and I went to Croatia last summer, as a graduation treat. I have heard of this kind of holiday from a girl that writes the blog The Londoner. The Yacht Week offers a week-long exploration of Croatia (and other countries) on a yacht, with other like minded people. Sun, clear waters, booze, parties, and generally a hell of a good time. You can book a whole yacht with your friends, or if you need some more people on your boat, you can find someone on specifically set up Facebook pages. We tried to do that for a little while, but we all know how facebook stalking and the assumptions you make about strangers can influence your thinking. We never found a perfect yacht crew and by that point, my friend suggested another company. Medsailors.
They pretty much offer the same thing as the Yacht Week:
A week on a yacht, eight people on a yacht plus skipper, parties, wine tasting, amazing sunsets, etc...
Their
prices are much more transparent than the ones from the Yacht Week,
because with Medsailors, you can simply book a cabin or a bed. You do
not need to fill a yacht with eight people. This was a great thing for
us, because it was just me and my friend.
Route
We chose the Discovery route, which leaves from Split and goes back there at the end of the week. There is another route called Voyager, where there is more sailing involved. Here you leave from Split but end up in Dubrovnik.
Prices
The prices for the week include most of the basics:
Seven days’ accommodation on board your own yacht
Breakfast and lunch prepared fresh every day
No extra charges: bring your own drinks on board
Drinking water supplied by MedSailors
Learn how to sail with your qualified skipper
Hire your own yacht with friends or book as a solo traveller or couple
Paddleboards free of charge
Discounted day trips, scooter and car hire
Depending on the date, they range from £414 to £515. What is not included is the following:
£60pP for a pre departure tax (including petrol etc)
all the dinners you eat (mostly around 100kunas and upwards)
any kinds of snacks (and you want snacks, cause swimming makes you hungry!)
tip for the skipper
transportation to or from the departure port (you don't really leave from Split, but Trogir, a whole different part)
Depending on when you book, you start by paying a £100 deposit per person. The rest of the money is due around 6 weeks before the departure.
Other costs
I think I spent quite a lot of money on the whole trip. Denise and I arrived in Split a day before departure and had two more days in Split after we went off board (fun story: we were 100% sure that the trip ended on Saturday, but actually it already ended on Friday. Obviously we didn't book any accommodation for that haha). Medsailors recommends about 250-300kunas for each day as an allowance. I would say that is about right if you are modest in drinks and don't buy any souvenirs or other fun things. The places you visit are not really as cheap as the rest of Croatia can be. They are quite touristy and depending on your season, crowded. That didn't bother me though. A lot of the swimming spots we visite were secluded and super beautiful and because you were on a boat most of the time, it felt like a special take on Croatia that most of the tourists don't experience on the mainland/islands.
You also have to think about getting there and back. We took a super long bus from Munich to Split (14h, such fun) for about 70€. Flying is obviously much faster and nicer, and the airport of Split is connected well enough for you to get the places you need to. I would recommend staying in Trogir the night before you leave, because it is really convenient for going on board. Trogir is small but quite cute, so not that bad in general. I flew home with Germanwings, directly from Split to Hanover and it also cost about 70€. There are not that many routes available from that airport, so that is something to think about as well.
The boats
Living on a yacht for a week is cool, in theory. In reality it means that you have to get used to the weird bathroom system on board or train yourself only to go when you are on land. We did the latter, haha. You dock every day around afternoon/early evening time, and most nights you are staying in the marina, which means you can get on to land via a plank. Two nights we anchored in a bay and had to take a little motor boat to land.
The boat itself has a downstairs inside area with 4 bedrooms with either two bunkbeds or one bigger mattress. It also has two bathrooms with a toilet and a shower and a kitchen with a sitting area. Upstairs there is another sitting area and the deck where you can sunbathe. The size was just fine, although you do spend most of your time on deck and not downstairs. Walking around on deck is seriously not as fun as it looks like and most of the time I was scared of falling of, haha.
Seasickness?
Seasickness was a serious concern for me beforehand. I have been on a variety of boats and ships before and most of the time, I got seasick. I cannot stand the motions and it just messes with my tummy. THANK GOODNESS this didn't happen in Croatia. Almost all of the time the sea was veeeeery calm and it was all smooth sailing (haha). I did have these chewing gums against motion sickness with me and I took them whenever I was below deck. This is where is really hits you and it gets to your head. Weirdly it is fine when you are sleeping haha, but walking around below deck is horribly when you are moving.
The worst combination is obviously being hungover and below deck, so I don't even wanna mention that. Being hungover and on the upper deck is still horrible and gets you laughed at, but at least there is a fresh breeze. Jumping in the water is also a kind of cure for a hangover, let me tell ya. The sea is like a magical hangover cure.
Generally I wouldn't worry about being seasick. It's mostly smooth and more fun that anything else.
The people
Your crew is like your family. You eat and sleep together and if they are annoying, I can imagine that it can ruin a part of your trip. We were ridiculously lucky and ended up with six of the sweetest Australian boys, that gave us the best room on the boat, let us play our music if we wanted, and shared everything from shoes and sunscren to drinks with us. In the beginning, everyone had their own water bottle labelled with their name on it. By the end we all just drank from the same one, haha. It was great because everyone was respectful of each other and we became friends in no time. The skipper is supposed to be a helpful companion during that week, providing you with recommendations for restaurants and places to go etc. We did not really get that part because our skipper was brandnew to Medsailors and has never sailed that route before. It was annoying at times, but looking back on it, it doesn't change my feelings about the week.
The program
Medsailors has put together a great route that makes for a great week on board. Every evening there is an (optional) program, such as a dinner or a wine tasting or just a recommended bar with free shots (haha). I think we went to every dinner they organised and it was nice hanging out with the other Medsailor people. Especially the wine tasting on the second night is awesome, it takes place at a beautiful vineyard with fun donkeys and dogs- an unforgettable evening and a great night to bond with your new friends (see the picture above). My favorite day was the on in Vis. The island is absolutely beautiful and you are parked right in the middle of town. We rented scooters and a really old green VW Beatle. The island is really small so driving to the other side doesn't take that long. The road there is windy and very hilly. You make your way slowly up to the top of the hill and can see the bay and the water and it is just glorious. We drove back just when the sun was about to set and it was the most beautiful drive.
Booking & Safety
You book the whole trip online and can access your booking afterwards through their portal. The booking process was straightforward and when we called their customer service, they provided great service as well. Online you can add in your passenger details, as in your dietary requirements and emergency details etc. During the week there is a guest service manager with your flotilla, who you can always approach about anything. All the skippers generally know each other quite well, so it's like having a nice family for the week (although they do get very competitive when it comes to sailing).
Learning to sail
I was quite excited for learning how to sail. During the week the water was so smooth that we only put up the sail once, all other times we just had the motor on. The other things such as dropping the anchor and helping the skipper mostly were done by the boys. I know, girlpower etc, but the boys were really eager and I was a little scared of falling over board. Even walking over the plank was scary for me haha (especially when you are a little tipsy, oh lord).
I would recommend this trip to EVERYONE who likes the sea and a good time. Medsailors offers these trips in Croatia, Greece and Turkey. I definitely want to try the Greece route next time, or do the Croatia Voyager route. The best thing about this holiday is that it caters to all kinds of people. If you want to chill and just tan, you can do that. If you want to party every night, go ahead. If you go on a boat with your boyfriend/girlfriend, that is fine too. The Medsailors people try and match you with like-minded people, which is why you have to answer one or two questions when you book the trip. If I remember correctly it is something like "do you want to party a lot, a little or not at all" and your age group. So technically you cannot go wrong with this holiday- although I would recommend being between the age of 20-35, otherwise it would be a little weird. Maybe leave you parents at home for this one.
If you are not convinced, I have two more things to add:
1. YOU CAN SEE DOLPHINS (I spotted them about two or three times)
2. These pictures are not lying. I promise everything will be even more beautiful in reality.
If you are not convinced now I don't know what's wrong with you.
