Nicole Trilivas

As a first-time novelist, the internet was my go-to guide to the mysterious world of publishing. Yet the Internet only led me so far.

Girls don’t just want to have fun—they want a whole lot more out of the world than that. But if life gets in the way of your best-laid travel plans, a few good reads can tide you over until your next trip.

To stop bottles from leaking, unscrew the lid and add a cut piece of cellophane over the lip of the bottle before re-screwing on the bottle top over the cellophane.

4. Ophelia – Hamlet

3. Pack like you’re playing Tetris: Use all available space. I’m talking stuffing your shoes with fragile items

The first time I got drunk and threw up was the first time I was abroad: I was in Prague, and I was 17. I lied and told the people I was with that I had been drunk before, but I hadn’t and I overdid it. I very clearly remember puking, and thinking to myself, “Well, this is stupid.”

I thought he was lying, but over the next few days the privilege and special treatment that surrounded him revealed it to be the truth. Plus, you know, he was addressed as “your highness” and traveled through public areas with a security squad.

Buddha never said: “Live. Laugh. Love.” And I’m pretty sure “You are beautiful like a rainbow” isn’t a Swedish proverb. Worse still is when you swear you’ve heard it before, and you’re like, “Wait, isn’t that from The Crow?”