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Monica

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

Of all the city breaks I’ve taken at Christmas time, New York City was my ultimate favourite. You just can’t beat the magic and OTT celebrations of New York City! And if you’re anything like me, you will have grown up watching festive films based in New York like Home Alone 2, When Harry Met …

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My honest review of the Spivo 360 rotating selfie stick, the latest swivel selfie stick for GoPros, action cameras and smartphones.   [one_half padding=”0 5px 0 5px”][/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 5px 0 5px”][/one_half_last] If you were reading the blog last week you will have seen that I’ve recently been sent a new GoPro HERO 6 which I …

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I’ve stayed in London hotels countless times and, if I’m honest, not many of those experiences were very memorable – well, not for the right reasons anyway! Hotels in London are usually small, cramped, bland and boring and even the worst ones will leave a little dent in your wallet. But there is one hotel …

Read More about A magical return to One Aldwych Hotel, Covent Garden, London

Have you heard about the #Take12Trips Challenge? If you haven’t you can read all about #Take12Trips here but, basically, it’s a challenge to take 12 trips in a year – one for each month. These trips don’t need to be epic, life-changing experiences. They can be a weekend break just an hour from home or …

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Our latest contributor, Eppie Shepherd from Eppie.me.uk, recently took a cosy staycation at The Runnymede on Thames Hotel and Spa in Windsor. Here’s how she got on…   Sometimes you just need a break away; to relax, to explore and to recuperate. That’s exactly what I did on a recent trip to Windsor for a …

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I’m really excited to feature Alice from Teacake Travels in today’s ‘What’s in my Cabin Case?’ Alice is a solo adventure blogger and Teacake Travels is one of those inspiring travel blogs that just makes you want to pack your bags and jet off on an adventure. Alice’s enthusiasm is contagious and I love her …

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Today’s post comes from Marie Pottiez as she shares her top things to do in Bangkok if you’re a first-time visitor. Bangkok is a crazy, hectic but incredible city so big thanks to Marie for simplifying what a first-time visitor to Bangkok should see and do! Marie is a blogger and an artist and she’s shared a …

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It’s a travel dilemma we all have. You’re packing your suitcase and you’re managing to keep it pretty light when it comes to clothes. But now it’s time to pack your shoes and you feel like you need a whole extra case just for your footwear. You want heels for nights out, sandals if it’s …

Read More about Teva Arrowood Lux Review: The perfect travel shoe compromise

Loneliness. It’s not something we often talk about but it’s tough topic a few of my blogger friends have discussed recently so I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and share my experience. Even in our constantly connected society, a lot of people are suffering from loneliness. Why is it that we’re always messaging, always …

Read More about Loneliness and the real reason I got a dog

Today’s What’s in your Cabin Case is a little bit different because I’m not chatting to travel bloggers for a change, I’m talking to Amy who, along with her partner John, founded UNLEASH. UNLEASH is a remote-working and travel experience for surfers and people who want to surf more. Next year, they’re taking people to …

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Budapest is one of my favourite cities for a weekend break and there are so many cheap places to stay in Budapest. It seems I’m not alone as it’s quickly becoming one of the world’s most popular cities as everyone discovers what an incredible place this is. Not only is Budapest a beautiful city with loads to …

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After planning and booking countless holidays I’ve got this process down to a fine art – but it’s taken me a long, long time to finally feel confident planning and booking holidays, especially city breaks! City breaks can be complicated to book because there are so many individual things to book, research, reserve and pay …

Read More about My holiday planning routine for city breaks

It was Coco Channel who originally said, ‘A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life’. It might not always be true but cutting your hair is a big thing for a woman! I feel a bit sorry for short haired men who will never experience the feeling of a ‘big hair …

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As promised, I’m blogging about my favourite travel inspired gifts you can give to travel lovers this Christmas. But today’s gift is so lovely you’re probably going to want it for yourself, so you might want to send someone this link to give them a gentle nudge…   Refuge Nightsky Flannel Pyjama Set – £60 …

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We all know we should look after ourselves – both our minds and our bodies – but how many of us actually do? Now more than ever we’re bombarded with messages encouraging us to live a healthier lifestyle. The rise of ‘clean eating Instagrammers’ prove how much we love the concept of living a healthy …

Read More about Azulfit Yoga and Pilates Retreat: My second detox retreat in Fuerteventura

The third bloggers in this new series to celebrate the launch of The Travel Hack Cabin Case are Laura and Claire, the brains behind Twins That Travel. Twins That Travel is all about the travels and adventures of identical twins who run an awesome blog but might be best known for their incredible Instagram account …

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66 days until Christmas! I don’t know about you but I’m getting ridiculously excited. Too soon? Maybe, but I don’t care. I love the build up to Christmas so I’m happy to indulge in the excitement of the festive season as early as possible. Over the next few weeks I’m going to be featuring some …

Read More about Explorer’s Atlas: For the Incurably Curious A perfect gift for the travel and map lover in your life!

This week we’re snooping inside the cabin case of Jayne Gorman, the fabulous blogger behind Girl Tweets World. This new series sees me snooping inside the hand luggage of my favourite travel bloggers and it’s to celebrate the launch of the new Travel Hack Cabin Case (and just because I’m nosy too!) Last week I …

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Amberlair  You may remember back in 2015 I introduced you guys to a really cool boutique hotel concept called Amberlair? At that point Amberlair was just an idea, but a very exciting idea and the first of its kind, as the founders were planning the first ever crowdfunded boutique hotel. Yes, a crowdfunded hotel! Everything …

Read More about Amberlair is here! The world’s first crowdsourced boutique hotel

Today I’d like to introduce you to an awesome audiobook app I’m addicted to. It’s called BookBeat and is like Netflix for audiobooks and is a total game-changer for bookworms who don’t have time to read. I know I’m not the only person who’s yearly resolutions include ‘read more books’. Each year I promise myself …

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If you’re subscribed to my newsletter you will have read the news that Sam and I recently bought a caravan. Gulp. Yea, we’ve become those people. I actually LOVE our caravan but if I’m honest I would have preferred something cooler. Something sleeker and with a bit more street cred. Something shinier, flashier and a …

Read More about Our family weekend in Anglesey in an Airstream trailer