Whether you love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and it’s that time of year to spoil your better half. Flowers, chocolates and balloons are all well and good (what girl doesn’t love a bouquet of red roses and a helium balloons!?) but a true travel lover will be blown …
Monica
First of all, I’d like to say a very happy 30th birthday to my gorgeous guy, Sam, who turned 30 last week! Happy birthday Sam, I have a feeling it’s going to be a good year 🙂 It was a lovely week of celebrations and it got me thinking about my own 30th birthday and the …
There is no way to gracefully fall from a dog sled. They make it look so easy as they stand on the back of the sled with their army of powerful dogs ploughing through the snow. But they don’t tell you is a dog sled is really difficult to stay on! Well, for someone who …
Flights are often the most expensive part of travel and most of us are after the cheapest flight deal we can find. In my previous posts about how to travel more, I recommended booking as many flights as you possibly can in January and filling up your travel calendar for the year. January is a …
Today I’d like to introduce you to a new hotel booking site, Yonderbound. I know, I know. There are so many hotel booking websites out there already, why would you consider using another? Trust me, this new one is worth taking a look at. Yonderbound is somewhere between a regular booking website and Pinterest (and …
You’ve made the decision you want to travel more this year. You’ve realised experiences are more important than possessions and you’ve put together a plan to start saving for your next big trip. But how are you going to decide where to actually go? Budget and time will undoubtedly play a part in the decision making process but …
If you’re lucky and you feel well enough to travel while you’re pregnant then there is nothing stopping you travelling the world. Most airlines restrict travel after 36 weeks (for an uncomplicated single pregnancy) but until then, the world is your oyster. Today we’re sharing our pregnancy travel essentials to help you travel in stress-free …
Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to improve your blog? Or maybe start a blog from scratch? If it is, you’re definitely not alone! Many of us want to revamp and re-energise our blogs in the new year so I’ve put together a list of blogging workshops and e-courses to help. Even if you’re …
This is the second post in my new series about how you can travel more in 2015. If you missed it, here’s last weeks post: How to travel more with the 12 Trips Challenge. This week’s post is all about saving money for your travels and how simple lifestyle changes can have massive results. The …
2014 was an amazing year for The Travel Hack. This was the year I really got my teeth stuck in with blogging and I’m so amazingly lucky to be able to call this my job! My readership doubled during the year and The Travel Hack was named as one of the UK’s top 10 travel …
If there are any Back to the Future geeks out there, you’ll know that 2015 is the year Marty visits the future. It’s the second film, released in 1989, when he visits a world filled with flying cars and hover boards, weird fashions and Nike high-tops with automatic fastenings. Ahhh, if only we really had …
There are 365 days in a year and 52 weekends. When you think of the year like this, it’s actually a lot of time. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be thinking it’s a lot of time to travel! That’s potentially 52 weekends away! But how often does your time slip between your fingers and you’ve …
I know, I know, it’s not exactly bikini season for us poor people in the UK but it’s never too early to start thinking about beach holidays. Today I’d like to introduce you to Kini Swimwear, an Australian brand selling custom-made swimwear. Yes, that’s right, you can design your own swimwear! When it comes to …
Vietnam was one of my favourite countries in Asia. The culture, the food, the scenery and the people are all incredible and I’d love to visit again in the future. When I visited way back in 2009 it was a real faff to get a visa so today I wanted to tell you about some …
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying a fabulous Christmas break and you’re all sporting pudgy Christmas bellies filled with mince pies and far too many turkey sandwiches. Today’s post is a little update and some very scary news… I think I might be an adult. I know I’m 27 years old so, technically, …
For such a small city, Gothenburg is packed full of things to see and do. It’s the perfect sized city for a long weekend break because there is lots to keep you entertained but you won’t feel overwhelmed or as though you’ve barely scratched the surface. One of my favourite things about Gothenburg is that …
Today I’m sharing my tips and advice about how you can use Google Analytics for your blog. Google Analytics is such a powerful tool for bloggers and it can really help you understand your audience and identify ways to grow and improve your blog. But it is also a beasty program that can seem complicated …
I usually feel sadly nostalgic at the end of the year. It’s another year gone and, even if it’s been an incredible year, there’s something sad about time passing and the years ticking by. This year I’m trying to be more positive and optimistic, which isn’t hard because I’m so flipping excited about 2015. A …
A few weeks ago I was incredibly honoured and excited to be invited to Google HQ in London. I was asked to speak on a panel focusing on the opportunities and challenges for travel brands. When on Earth did this happen? When did I become the kind of person to speak on panels? But apparently …
Last weekend I travelled to Gothenburg in Sweden for their famous Christmas markets. It was so magical and festive and my boyfriend and I had a fantastic time. I love wintery weekends away, no matter where they are. They’re often really affordable compared to summer weekends and I hate the thought of hibernating at home …
If you saw yesterday’s post about Scandi style bloggers you will have seen I’m slightly obsessed with the laidback Scandinavian fashion. I was more than a little excited about the prospect of a shopping spree in Gothenburg! The style is chic, it’s classy and it’s just so easy for travel. It’s not just the clothes …
Have you ever looked at someone and thought, ‘Wow, they look amazing, but I’m not really sure why….?’ They’re wearing old jeans and a t-shirt, slightly scruffy boots and chunky jumper. It’s almost exactly the same outfit I wear everyday. But why does theirs look so much better? If you’ve ever been to Scandinavia you …
Before we begin, you have to watch the video above so you can see for yourself just how magical and Christmassy Liseberg is! My main reason for visiting Gothenburg in December was for Liseberg Christmas Market. It’s the largest Christmas market in Scandinavia and if anything is going to get you in the festive spirit, …
This weekend I travelled to Gothenburg, Sweden’s second city and the home of Scandinavia’s largest Christmas market. Gothenburg is a small city so it’s perfect for a weekend away. There’s lots to see and do but not so much that you feel overwhelmed or like you can’t possibly see everything. I loved the quaint charm of …
Some people are ‘all-inclusive people’ and some people just aren’t. Some people love the long, lazy days, extravagant buffets and the stress free relaxation. Other people can’t think of anything worse than being confined to the same hotel for a week or more. But there are some people, like me, who sit somewhere in the …
Happy Friday everyone! It’s nearly the weekend! I’m not normally quite so excited about the weekend. Working from home means the line between weekdays and weekends is a little blurry, but this weekend I’m going to Sweden so I’m like an excited kid gathering up my winter wooly’s and packing my bags. My trip to …
I know what you’re thinking. Selfies are one of the most self-absorbed cries for attention possible. Almost every selfie I see on Facebook is accompanied by the hashtag #SelfieWanker in a hopeless attempt to seem like less of a, well, selfie wanker. But I’m a massive fan of the selfie and in 2015 my resolution …
When I was first arranging my trip to Egypt I was super excited at the prospect of scuba diving again. I haven’t been diving for so long and I miss the underwater world so much. I’ve been lucky enough to go snorkelling in gorgeous places like Barbados and Dominica this year but it doesn’t compare …
On Saturday I attended Nuffnang’s blogger’s workshop at CitizenM hotel in London. I’ve written about a few different blogging conferences and workshops such as Cybher, Traverse, Blogstock and Food Blogger Connect. I love going to blogging workshops mainly because I love being able to meet new bloggers, no matter what blogger category they fall into. …
It’s been such a long time since I’ve written any kind of personal blog post so I thought a quick catch-up was long overdue! You may have noticed that last week was a worryingly quiet week on The Travel Hack. Just one post in 7 days. What on earth is going on!? Here’s what… Home, …
The Travel Hack is all about affordable luxury so that means saving on one aspect of travel in order to splurge on another. I would love to travel in first-class luxury and dine in nothing but famous Michelin-Stared restaurants but, unfortunately, my budget doesn’t quite stretch to doing this ALL the time so I combine …
This week I’ve been testing the new UPP fuel cell, a portable power cell to give you up to one week’s worth of power to your devices. If anyone else out there is as geeky as I am, you’ll be getting pretty excited right now. This sounds like a modern and convenient device but is …
“I can’t believe I made that! Look, look, I made that!” I was beaming with pride like a child who had just painted their first picture. I looked around at my fellow bloggers who had mixed expressions. Some were smiling fondly at their California rolls like proud parents while others looked completely bewildered as their …
One thing a travel lover can never answer is the question that pops up all the time. ‘Where’s the best place you’ve ever been?’ I’m asked this all the time and usually refuse to answer because there are just too many options. It depends on your mood, who you’re with, your budget, the season and …
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for a travel lover? Read on for unique and affordable gifts they’ll love… For the first time in my life I’m actually feeling pretty organised about Christmas. Lots of my presents are bought and even wrapped already and I’ve sent my Christmas list to Santa. (I know this sounds …
It’s hard to give tips about anything to do with pregnancy because every woman is so different and everyone has a different experience. So today I’m going to share what travelling while pregnant has been like for me and some tips that made it easier. This post may not apply to every pregnant woman. I’m …
It may be a few years ago now but my favourite travel experience is from my time travelling around Australia in a campervan. Nothing beats the freedom of a campervan, especially in such a huge and beautiful country like Australia. Every time I think about that battered old, green campervan I get a little tingle of excitement …
pintrk(‘load’,’2612413566639′); pintrk(‘page’); pintrk(‘track’, ‘pagevisit’); How do I start a blog and get free stuff? This is a question I’m asked a lot. Actually, it’s the question I’m asked the most so it makes sense I write a blog post about it. This also means I can give a more detailed answer than I ever could …
Has it really been nearly 2 months since I posted a Weekend Reads? It’s been such a busy few months I’ve barely had time to write, never mind read! What I’ve been Writing A Blood and Earth Cookery Course in Dublin with Domestic Godless A sneaky peak at Lavazza’s gorgeous 2015 calendar with Steve McCurry …
‘What would you do if you had £500 to spend on a UK adventure?’ This is the question put to all of us by UNIQLO for their latest #ULDadventure competition. (More about the competition at the end of this post) I’m a big fan of a good old staycation and I really believe we have …