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Monica

Hi, I'm Monica! This is my family lifestyle blog where I share posts about motherhood and microadventures.

I’m so excited to finally say that The Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case is ready!! Please note that this suitcase now has a light pink interior which has replaced the original hot pink. I’ve designed the perfect women’s cabin case in partnership with a company called Cabin Max. I’m so proud of this case as it’s …

Read More about The Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case – Is this the best ladies cabin luggage?

Someone once said to me, ‘What’s the point in going away for a weekend, you don’t get chance to do anything’. This blog post is for that person, the person who thought two days wasn’t long enough to have an adventure. I hope this post shows you that in just 24 hours you can do …

Read More about A perfectly adventurous day up North: Coasteering, Cycling, Betty’s Tea Rooms and a night out in Manchester

You want to look great while you’re travelling but you can’t really be bothered taking a billion beauty products and spending an hour each morning getting ready. Right? I hear you! Here are some of the best travel beauty hacks I’ve picked up after years of travelling. HAIR: For beachy waves without salt or heat …

Read More about Travel beauty hacks every girl should know

Our family had the pleasure of staying at Lower Mill Estate in the Cotswolds, an idyllic holiday setting with stunning holiday properties. Holiday homes are dotted around Lower Mill Estate across 300 acres of nature reserve and many of them surround the gorgeous lake. We stayed in a lovely little cottage booked through Manor Cottages. …

Read More about Lower Mill Estate Review: A perfect family weekend in the Cotswolds

Driving up to Brandy House Farm was like driving into a scene from an old fashioned story book. A single track lane ran through a field filled with lambs who leapt about in the long grass to signal my arrival. I came to an enormous, ramshackle farm house framed by colourful flowers, happy daisies and …

Read More about Staying at Wales’ first luxury Glampotel at Brandy House Farm, Wales

Driving through the Lake District is tough. Not because the roads are narrow and windy but because I wanted to stop approximately every 100 metres to admire the view and take photos. How can you drive past a lake like this where the low clouds are reflected in the smooth, glassy surface and look so …

Read More about Adventures at Honister Slate Mine in the Lake District: Via Feratta Xtreme

One of my favourite things about travelling in Britain is discovering absolutely stunningly gorgeous places that make me question why I’d ever go abroad. I love travelling abroad, of course I do, I’m a travel blogger! But I also love travelling closer to home and finding incredible gems to share with you all. I’m always …

Read More about An epic adventure in the North of England: Visiting Bamburgh Castle

When you’re on holiday, do you ever think about the impact your trip is having on the world? Whether you’re thinking globally in terms of air pollution or more locally and thinking about the small businesses and individuals who are affected, both positively and negatively, by your holiday. I love going on holiday and I …

Read More about Making holidays greener + win a GoPro in the process!

“It’s weird but I feel really at home here,” I told the general manager of Palé Hall Hotel as I sipped champagne on a luxuriously grand sofa. I looked around at my surroundings – the antique furniture, the ornate paintings, the enormous chandelier, the marble fireplace and the masses of white lilies that were perfectly …

Read More about Pale Hall Hotel: Is this Wales’ BEST hotel?

I’ve just returned from a weekend in Timisoara in Romania and found it to be such a perfect destination for a weekend break. It really ticks all the boxes and here are just 10 reasons why I think you’ll love it too! If you haven’t seen it yet, check out my travel journal from Timisoara …

Read More about 10 reasons to add Timisoara in Romania to your weekend bucket list

A weekend break to Timisoara is cheap. So cheap! And while I don’t think that cost alone should be a major influencer when it comes to choosing a city break destination, we’ve got to be honest here, it is going to affect your decision a little. I’ve estimated that if you visited Timisoara for a …

Read More about How much does it cost for a weekend in Timisoara, Romania?

I arrived in Timisoara, Romania with no pre-conceived ideas about the city so I really didn’t know what to expect. This was a new destination for me and I didn’t know anyone else who had visiting Timisoara. In fact, most people I spoke to had never heard of it! Of course, I’d searched through Google …

Read More about Things to do in Timisoara, Romania: A perfect 3 day guide

I’d like you to take a minute, sit back and think about your favourite travel experiences. It’s OK, I’ll wait here while you scan your memories and really think about it. No rush. It wasn’t until I sat down to think about this that I realised that most of my best travel experiences revolve around …

Read More about 25 restaurants worth travelling across the globe for (and what you should order when you arrive!)

We all want a gorgeous summer glow but, these days, everyone is pretty savvy and aware of the risks associated with too much sun. a lovely tan is nice, but not when it comes at the cost of premature aging, wrinkles and sunburn! I remember when the phrase, “Ooh, you’ve caught the sun!” used to …

Read More about Staying safe in the sun and the best way to treat sunburn

Calling anyone who loves the great outdoors and loves having microadventures close to home. This is also for anyone who has young kids and would love to take them to a festival but the thought of a festival with kids is kind of terrifying – especially camping at a festival with kids! That was me …

Read More about An adventure closer to home with the Big Little Tent Festival

This week’s travel guide is a weekend guide to Amsterdam and is written by Eppie Shepherd, the fabulous London lifestyle and travel blogger. Amsterdam is perhaps one of the most diverse European cities, attracting visitors from all walks of life at any age. Beautiful cobbled streets and miles upon miles of floral canals wind around the …

Read More about Your Weekend Guide to Amsterdam

I know lots of people get really nervous about their baby’s first flight. I was so scared the first time we flew with George and we only flew to the Isles of Scilly! It took less than an hour and Sam and I were prepping for it like we were flying to New Zealand with …

Read More about Everything you need to know about your baby’s first flight

Today I’d like to share some things to do in Swansea Bay and Mumbles and Gower. This is such a gorgeous place for a weekend break so I’m sharing everything I did during a glamping weekend in Swansea Bay. You may have noticed that Wales has been having a bit of a moment recently. Wales …

Read More about A weekend in Swansea Bay and the best things to do in Swansea

I was recently sent the Pixter Wide Angle Lens Pro and to the Pixter Flexible Tripod to review. This is part of the Pixter Travel Pack and retails for £64.90 (currently reduced from £89.80). On my first day testing it out I met up with The Travel Hack Team so we all had a little go with …

Read More about Pixter Travel Pack Review: Wide angle smartphone lens plus tripod

Canada has got to be one of the most gorgeous countries on Earth. With breath-taking landscapes of snowy mountain peaks, glistening blue lakes and sprawling green forests, it’s the kind of place where you don’t need any ‘activities’, you can simply spend your entire trip admiring the views. The expanses of Canada are as vast …

Read More about 5 Canadian road trips to get on your bucket list

This topic is such a toughy but it’s something that comes up again and again. How do you make travel a priority in your life without being held back by ‘real life’. You go to school and then maybe uni. You get a job, you start your career, you buy a house, you get married, …

Read More about How to make travel a priority and realising there’s never a perfect time

The sun was blazing as I drove along the North Wales coast with my windows down and the radio blaring. I perched my elbow on the open window whenever I could, partly to catch some rays but also to feel the sea air and the warm breeze whipping past. I never normally do this. The …

Read More about A luxury glamping trip with Wonderfully Wild, Anglesey

Today’s blog post is my Forest Holidays review from your winter trip to their Argyll Scotland location. Forest Holidays offer luxury log cabins in beautiful, foresty locations for a relaxing escape with your family. As an outdoorsy family we’ve loved our breaks with Forest Holidays as you have the chance to unwind in nature but …

Read More about Forest Holidays review, Argyll Scotland

Did you see yesterday’s post about winning a Google Pixel Phone from EE? To celebrate EE’s recent announcement that all existing EE mobile pay monthly and pay as you go mobile customers can take their UK allowance abroad to 48 European destinations, they’ve given me a Pixel Phone by Google, featuring an amazing camera. So …

Read More about 10 photography apps you need for your travel photos

One of the hardest things about travelling with all my blogging equipment is keeping it all safe and secure – especially when I’ve got the little ones with me and I feel like I need 10 extra arms to keep everything and everyone safe! The days of travelling with nothing more than a notepad and …

Read More about Safely travelling with my blogging equipment with the Calumet Rolling Camera Case

Skirts. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the gorgeousness of skirts. The pretty, feminine, twirliness of skirts. But also the ease and practically of them too. It’s so easy to chuck a few colourful skirts into your suitcase, add a handful of plain t-shirts and you’re good to go. [one_half padding=”0 5px 0 …

Read More about Skirting the issue with Fat Face

Today I’m sharing what it’s really like to ride in a hot air ballon after my incredible early morning flight in one! It was 5.30am and the field was covered with a mystical blanket of cloudy mist. The sun was rising and streaming through the trees as a group of guys unloaded the enormous hot …

Read More about What’s it really like to ride in a hot air balloon?

Sam and I are both firm believers that your life doesn’t have to change when you have kids. Of course, it does change a lot (for both the better and the worse!) but you don’t need to change as a person and you don’t need to stop doing the things you love. One thing Sam …

Read More about The best family friendly festivals to take the kids

Saint-Cast-le-Guildo was one of those places we accidentally stumbled across and then wondered how we’d never heard of it before. We visited on our final day during our French road trip with Les Castels and I hadn’t done much research for this part of our trip. We’d already seen and done so much that I’d thought we’d …

Read More about Saint-Cast-le-Guildo, France: Get this place on your French bucket list!

The Canary Islands are one of those destinations we Brits take for granted. ‘Canary Islands’ may conjure up images of cheap and cheerful package holidays but there’s so much more! Now we all love these gloriously relaxing holidays but today I want to share a couple of gorgeous videos from the Canary Islands that prove …

Read More about There’s so much more to the Canary Islands

Dinan is the kind of town that is so pretty and so quaint I didn’t actually believed existed in real life. Sure, towns like this exist in Disney films and between the pages of fairytales but in real life….not so much. In real life, the modern world creeps in and places that are this beautiful …

Read More about A mini guide to Dinan in Brittany, France

I’ve just returned from Almaverde eco-village on the Western Algarve. This was a traditional ‘sun, sea and sand’ kind of holiday and my third trip to the Algarve in three years. I’ve been coming out with Sam and my parents since George was born (and I got to an age where I realised my parents …

Read More about My stay at Almaverde eco village on the Algarve

No matter how old your children are I think it’s really important to travel with them. I do think kids learn a lot through their travel experiences but it’s more than that. Holidays are one of the only times when parents dedicate 100% of their time to relaxing and having fun. There’s no work, no …

Read More about The hardest things about travelling with kids and how to overcome them