I bet you're wondering how I ended up here.

Well, this is me getting taken directly to the aircraft for my flight that I should have missed.

Today, I woke up from Emirates calling me.

Because yep, I slept in.

If you've ever had this moment, you'll know.

Your stomach drops.

Your mind stops working.

It's pure panic.

Yet somehow I made it to Emirates HQ within 20 minutes, walking through our crew passport gates with only seconds left before they were going to remove me from my Manila flight.

Now don't get me wrong, we're all human.

But if you're marked absent for a flight at Emirates, it's big trouble.

Two of these within a year means warnings and bye bye any chance of the bonus.

And let's not talk about if you get three.

I think I spent the whole flight in shock, and when we finally got to the crew hotel, my body felt exhausted.

Like every part of me was drained from all that stress.

I honestly just wanted to go to bed, but there was more.

When I got into my room, the entryway and bathroom had water everywhere.

Of course, I called reception, they sent maintenance, and I was told they were going to move me to a new room.

I waited 45 minutes, still in uniform, not being able to do anything, before I finally got my new room.

But everything was coming up Milhouse, because the hotel were so sorry for what had happened, they gave me a 4,000 Philippine Peso voucher, which is like $100 for all my Aussies out there, to be able to spend on any food and drink within the hotel.

I could not believe this, because that was like double our meal allowance with Emirates.

Plus, I hadn't even brought any food with me as Manila customs are quite strict.

To add to this, the flights were terrible times in and out, so I was actually unsure if I wanted to do anything on this layover.

So from what I thought was yet another unlucky thing happening to me today, I had actually been weirdly, really lucky.

So I'll take the wins when I can, but for now, let me show you my skincare routine and how I take off all this makeup.

Even though I'd been flying for 3 years before Emirates, I hadn't had the same issues with my skin.

I don't know whether it's the poor sleep schedule, the aircraft air, how long I'm wearing my makeup for, or anything that's in my diet, but I'm doing what I can to manage it, so I've been using this spot treatment.

I won't say it works wonders, but it definitely feels like it dries up my pimples and makes the healing process a little bit quicker.

You have no idea how excited I was for this.

I rarely order room service at the hotels, so the fact I had a pretty large amount to I think it was time to check out the menu.

I honestly love how easy hotels are getting.

I didn't even have to call to order.

I just selected everything I wanted through their website, which came up as soon as I connected to their free Wi-Fi.

And FYI, as a flight attendant, free Wi-Fi is pretty much always included in our stays.

But not everyone knows the danger of free Wi-Fi.

And that is where Surfshark VPN comes in.

They are one of the most trusted VPN companies with the strictest security measures.

And if you didn't know, a VPN creates a secure and hidden connection between your devices and the internet, meaning it stops your data being leaked, saving you from things like identity theft, fraudulent purchases, or even having your social media accounts hacked.

Surfshark also protects you from annoying pop-up ads that might even contain viruses.

And if you'll believe me, it even blocks your camera from being accessed without you knowing.

Which I'm just saying is literally so terrifying.

So this is why it's an absolute non-negotiable for me to always have my Surfshark VPN on at any time, anywhere.

Now just to lighten the mood just a little bit, I absolutely love watching TV shows, probably like a lot of you out there.

But as I'm always traveling, my Netflix actually changes depending on where I am.

So what I'm watching in the UAE might not actually be available when I'm traveling to places like Manila.

Or better yet, some of my favorite TV shows like How I Met Your Mother are only available in certain locations.

So with Surfshark, I can actually change my location to one of a hundred different countries and my device will think I'm actually in that country.

And did I mention that Surfshark has unlimited devices, which means I can be on my iPad and watching something on my laptop at the same time with complete peace of mind.

Honestly, it's a no-brainer.

Plus, you can use my code AMANDAK and get an extra four months for free on your plan.

And just to top it off, Surfshark has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

As always, the link is in my description below.

Go check it out.

Now, let's go run a bath and wait for my room service.

I've had this bath bomb in my bag for so long because even though we have a bath back in Dubai, I swear I never have time to take one.

And it's the same on my layovers because usually I have these crazy plans.

Also, this guy was so sweet.

I swear all Filipino people are so kind and I've actually never had a bad experience on a flight to the Philippines.

Even just looking at this is genuinely making me so relaxed.

If you saw on my phone, I ended up going with the plant-based burger and chocolate dessert.

I also got a berry smoothie, but swapped out the regular milk for coconut milk.

Honestly, even if you're not vegan, you should try this.

Coconut milk and yogurt in smoothies is pure flavor heaven.

Also, do you normally put the room service dishes outside your room straight away or leave them for when they come clean?

Honestly, I was so tired, so I left them there and passed out.

Now, as Cabin Crew, nearly every hotel we stay at do a special deal for us on the buffet breakfast.

Some still aren't worth it, but Manila is already an affordable city tied in with our crew discount and we're really cooking.

For those of you that haven't done a hotel breakfast before or are just intrigued to see what different hotels offer, I'm going to take you around with me to show you what they have.

Okay, does anyone else get a little overwhelmed with buffet breakfast or is it just me?

All these choices are insane.

Honestly, I used to be really bad at deciding on what to eat.

I don't know why, but I'm someone that would rather have a bite of everything than have to choose just one thing.

Being vegan though has definitely helped this as usually there's nowhere near as many choices for us.

And even though all the desserts look unreal, it also helps me from giving in and eating literally every single one of them.

Also how good is the service here?

I was just looking and this lady was straight to ask if I wanted some bread cut.

So this was the first of my choices from the buffet.

Now I was brainstorming from everything I had seen so far and then I spotted the trusty oat side.

I swear this oat milk is everywhere.

It made me realise I could make a killer cereal bowl.

And of course, it wouldn't be complete without some fresh fruit.

You best believe I ordered one of these.

Next, I actually went back to order some sushi as the chefs were really happy to make some veggie ones for me.

They'd also made me some stir fry veggies and at this point I was a little bit concerned I wasn't going to be able to finish everything.

Even with breakfast done, I still had quite a bit of credit to spend but I had no idea what I was going to do with it.

There was a cafe next to the buffet breakfast which I didn't think would be included but you never know until you ask and it was.

So in that moment, I had an idea.

I ended up buying them out of all their cookies and can you guess who these are going to be for?

Sorry I didn't end up filming getting ready but here we are.

I had all my cookies and my keycard and I was ready to go.

It's something that might never come, so I've been waiting here in the arms.

Could you tell I was a little bit excited?

If you hadn't guessed it yet, the cookies were for all my colleagues and they loved them.

They were literally all gone before we even got on the bus.

Now the bus ride wasn't very long but I always have my airpods with me so I can listen to a little bit of music before I have to give my full attention for so many hours.

You know, I've actually been to Manila quite a few times and although I'm a little bit sad I didn't get out and about, I know Zac really wants to go to the Philippines.

So whether it's back to Manila or maybe to Cebu next time, I am so excited for the future where all my travel and flights will be with Zac.

Now I couldn't really film this flight but check out this Polaroid camera.

We always have them on board but it's usually the black one.

I was obsessed when I saw this so it was only right I got a cheeky little video.

I still think it's crazy how I was even on this layover.

If I had missed that gate or maybe thought there was no way I'd get ready in time to even try and make it when they called, who knows where I would have been or how I'd even be feeling right now.

But I had great flights, great crew and overall got to go home with great memories.

It makes me even happier to be able to share all of this with you guys.

So as always, thanks so much for the love and support and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on where I'll be travelling to next and the exciting future that I have planned ahead.