We all love travelling in the summer, especially in Europe when the weather is at its best and there’s an exciting vibe in the cities. Everyone is outdoors, soaking up the sun and making the most of the balmy evenings. American Express® has created Hello Europe, a hub dedicated to providing Card members with …
Monica
Last month I had an incredible 5-night stay at Tregarthens Hotel on St Mary’s island, the largest of the Isles of Scilly. I was travelling with Sam and our four-month old son, George. We’ve stayed in a few hotels with George already but Tregarthens was the best by a million, trillion miles. (Yes, it was …
Yesterday I had the pleasure of popping up to Leeds for a day of blogging and networking. Icelolly, the holiday price comparison site, invited a fabulous group of bloggers to their offices for a beach themed day. There were cocktails, palm trees, more cocktails, sun loungers and…yep…more cocktails. It was a lot of fun and …
Now there’s a blog post title I never thought I’d type. You’re probably thinking I’m crazy. There are a million and one summer beauty products designed for fully-grown adults, why would you use baby beauty products? Since George was born I’ve actually found some baby products are not only cheaper but also much better …
I took this photo as I toasted my toes against a roaring log-burning fire.* I had a glass of red by my side and I was about to press play on a DVD. I’d just eaten an enormous Welsh oggie followed by homemade toffee cupcakes I’d picked up from the local bakery. We’d eaten on …
Did anyone else have grand plans to start a fitness regime in preparation for their summer holiday? I’d planned to start mine in May…then I pushed it back to June…then July…and now my summer holiday is just six weeks away and I’m in desperate need of a kick up the bum. (I have a …
I have a confession I need to share with you today. I am a magazine junkie. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember. I thought I might grow out of the addiction as I grew older but, if anything, it’s getting worse. The addiction started with Girl Talk when I …
A summer holiday is the perfect time to get stuck into a good book. Reading is the perfect way to pass the time during a long flight and the best thing to do while lazing in the sunshine. We've put together a list of our all-time favourite books to give you some reading inspiration for your …
This post is sponsored by British Red Cross I’ll never forget the first time I realised the importance of knowing first aid. I was in Byron Bay on the east coast of Australia and was lazily dozing on the beach. Nearby there was a dad and his three kids who were playing around in the …
I'm suffering from the post- Isles of Scilly holiday blues today. It's a real thing; I checked and other people are suffering too. I'm missing that fresh, salty smell of the sea and icy blue waters where bright boats bob about. I'm missing the flamboyant flowers that line the wonky roads and decorate the windows …
I love glamping. You get to enjoy the great outdoors and feel closer to nature but without the nasty side of camping. You know, the bit with cold, leaky tents and deflated airbeds. I love bell tents and teepees, pods and treehouses and now I have a new type of glamping to add to …
The problem with luxury hotels is that old-fashioned, stuffy air they often have. They can be formal and uncomfortable with outdated routines and overly complicated menus. The décor might be fancy but it looks a hundred years old and I feel like I can’t relax. Why can’t luxury hotels be young and stylish? Why …
It's the final day of our 7 Day Summer Giveaway and, wow, what a week it's been! Make sure you check out the other prizes as you can still enter. Today's prize needs little introduction as I'm sure you're all well aware of the GoPro Hero4. This amazing little action camera is the perfect accessory …
Welcome to the sixth day of the 7 Day Summer Giveaway! Make sure you check out all the competitions from the week because you can still enter! Today’s prize is for all the snappy happy travellers out there because I’ve teamed up with PhotoBox to give you the chance to get creative with your …
Today’s competition is for all the backpackers and budget travellers out there. If you’ve ever backpacked or stayed in a hostel you will have undoubtedly come across someone who has had something stolen. It’s a sad fact but when you’re in communal areas with lots of people coming and going, there’s a really high risk …
Welcome to the fourth day of our 7 Day Summer Giveaway. Today’s prize is one for the bloggers out there as we’re giving away a pair of tickets to Blogstock! What is Blogstock? Blogstock is the world’s only blogging festival. If you love blogging, you love festivals, you want to improve your blogging skills and …
Welcome to the 3rd day of our 7 Day Summer Giveaway! Monday's prize was 2 x tickets to Festival Number 6 and Tuesday's prize was a luxury travel kit from MUJI to Go. Make sure you enter those giveaways too as they're open for 7 days. Today's prize is for all the new parents and …
One of my favourite things about travelling is actually the part before the travels; it’s the travel planning. I love deciding where to go, what to do, where to stay and where to eat. I like to plan a rough itinerary and then I love that excitement just before you leave as you pack your …
Welcome to the second day of our 7-Day Summer Giveaway! If you missed yesterday’s prize you can check it out here. Today’s prize comes from the Japanese lifestyle brand, MUJI - the experts in stylish but practical products for every day life. The range MUJI to Go is a selection of practical, lightweight and …
Welcome to the first day of our 7 Day Summer Giveaway! This week we’ve got 7 amazing prizes to giveaway and we’ll have a new competition every single day. The 7 day giveaway is to celebrate our amazing new team here at The Travel Hack. And, of course, to giveaway some fantastic prizes to …
For those wishing to inject a little vivacity into their holidays or weekend breaks, then we’ve got you covered with this list of the UK’s best adventure getaways! Jolly Days Glamping A luxury tents and huts camp site with beds, fires, hot showers, BBQs kitchens - and all in the middle of a wood …
I'm so excited to introduce you to the new Travel Hack Team! For nearly four years this blog has been a one-man-band and all of a sudden we're a team of 10. I had over 280 applications to join the team. I was absolutely amazed that so many people were interested and I'd like to thank …
I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at a travel blogger event in Leeds next month. The event will be hosted by icelolly.com, the UK’s leading holiday price comparison site. They’re holding #BlogAtTheBeach so they can get to know bloggers who they think could potentially be ambassadors for the brand. It will be taking place …
Today's post is from Jess Signut and is all about the gorgeous island of Jamaica... 1. Can you tell us how you came to know Jamaica so well? Jamaica has been one of my favourite places since I was little. When I was younger, my uncle was married in Jamaica so my parents and …
What's that? There's a stroller that converts into a car seat? WHAAT!? Yes, if you're looking for a stroller into car seat contraption then I've got just the thing for you. Let me introduce you to the Doona and keep reading for my Doona car seat stroller review. I’ve been putting off writing my review …
Wales is my favourite place for a short break or a weekend away. I’m always surprised by how beautiful this little country is and the small size makes it easy to discover a lot in a short space of time. Road tripping is the best way to discover Wales and I love nothing better than …
Here at The Travel Hack we’re all about luxury hotels without the luxury price tag so I’m excited to share with you a new hotel-booking platform. This new platform is called Dayuse.com and allows you to book hotels during the daytime for between 3 to 8 hours. OK, OK, the alarm bells are ringing already, …
Nothing can induce the jealousy in me like someone who lives in Thailand. Yes, actually lives in Thailand. And that includes all Thai people because Thailand is one of my favourite countries in the world. That's why I'm really pleased to have an Insider's Guide to Chiang Mai on the blog this week. Big thanks …
I’ve been taking the concept of a ‘staycation’ to a whole new level recently as I’ve been taking holidays close to home. REALLY close to home. A few weeks ago I even went on holiday just half an hour from home when I visited Llangollen. Yes, I packed a suitcase, filled up the car and …
I've had a fairly chilled out week this week. Well, as chilled out as it can get when you've got a 3 month old baby, you're renovating a house and you're expanding your blog to include a whole team of bloggers! I've had over 200 applications from people who would like to join The Travel …
This week I'm delighted to welcome Char Taylor from Taylor Heart's Travel to The Travel Hack. She's put together an Insider's Guide to San Francisco. As you can see, Char really knows her stuff when it comes to this gorgeous city and has some great recommendations for things to see and do. Enjoy! Photo credit: Golden …
Some people are naturally organised in every area of their lives. You know, the kind of people who never lose their passport 30 seconds before they board a plane. They always wear matching socks, they know exactly what they’re doing next week and their lives seem to run like clockwork. I am not one …
On Wednesday evening, PhotoBox gave a handful of lucky dads an amazing opportunity. They gave them the chance to be featured in London’s National Portrait Gallery alongside other dads like David Beckham and Henry VIII. I couldn’t quite believe it when an email pinged into my inbox asking if I’d like to surprise Sam and …
Today's guide is from Ella and is an Insider's Guide to Tel Aviv. I've got to be honest and admit that before reading Ella's guide I knew virtually nothing about Tel Aviv. It was never a place I'd even considered visiting but Ella has completely changed my mind. It looks and sounds like a beautiful …
“Oooh a country house. That sounds fancy.” My mum and I were searching through the trivago App looking for somewhere to stay for the following night. We were half way through our trivago App Family Challenge whereby trivago had challenged us to use their new app to find family-friendly hotels. We were in North …
I wrote this post last year, '10 things I wish all hotels had'. It's about all the silly mistakes hotels make and the little details that make a hotel stay either bland or brilliant. I've stayed in a lot of bad hotels and I think that all these bad experiences could be used to create …
If you’re a regular reader of The Travel Hack you will have noticed that I love baby-wearing. Anything that keeps George happy and quiet (and preferably sleeping!) is a winner in my book. Baby carriers are especially awesome for travelling because you don’t need to bother with a bulky pram and you’re not restricted to …
Happy weekend everyone! I've got another 3-day weekend this week because I'm off to Swansea today. If it's all gone to plan, I should almost be there by the time you read this. Fingers crossed but I'm starting to realise that nothing really goes to plan when you're travelling with an 11-week old baby. Make …
A few weeks ago an email pinged into my inbox asking if I’d like to take part in a trivago App Challenge. Of course, anything to do with travel + challenges will catch my attention so I immediately accepted. I'm now very excited to tell you about my trivago App Family Travel Challenge. It …
Did you know that I’m ‘Winglish’? OK, it’s not a real thing but it should be because there are lots of people who feel a little bit Welsh and a little bit English. Therefore we’re Winglish. I was born in England but I moved to Wales when I was five. I learned Welsh in school, …