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Monica

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

  My video and Living Room Tree House review from an incredible weekend staying in a tree house in Powys, Wales. This weekend I had the chance to make a childhood dream come true and stay in a real tree house! You may be picturing a rickety shack in the trees but Living Room tree …

Read More about Living Room Tree House Review: A luxury glamping experience in Wales

Life is so much easier when you travel with a tablet. When I went backpacking in 2009 I didn’t even have a smartphone, never mind a tablet, but I can’t imagine travelling without one now. Here are some of the things I use my tablet for while I travel: To store all your documents and …

Read More about Acer Iconia A1 tablet review: A perfect tablet for travelling

I managed to create this Instagram wall collage for less than £8.50. Since making my own collage I found that The Little Square Gallery can make them for you but they charge £295!! I made two of my own collages so I’ve just saved myself nearly £600. I think I deserve a shopping spree with …

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This time last year I was terrified. I wasn’t even admitting it to myself how scared I was. I’d just quit my secure, fairly well paid, interesting and enjoyable job and decided to go it alone. Yep, I’d just plunged into the big bad world of freelancing! I wrote a blog post about it, ‘I’m …

Read More about Freelancing update: How I’m doing after one-year full time travel blogging and freelancing

Two weeks ago I did something I wasn’t sure I’d ever do again. I took an all-inclusive holiday. Yes, really. This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal for most people but I’d put myself in the ‘not-an-all-inclusive-person’ category and I wasn’t planning on leaving any time soon. We usually book our travels independently and …

Read More about An all-inclusive holiday for non-all-inclusive people at Baron Palace Resort, Egypt

Berlin is known as a cool, gritty city. It’s vibrant and cutting edge and filled with creative people who drive the city forward. But did you know that Berlin is an environmentally friendly city too? By 2020 Berlin aims to be the greenest city in the world. That’s an ambitious goal, especially when they have …

Read More about Berlin: Will it be the greenest city in the world by 2020?

There was a time when I loved being a backpacker. I thought of myself like a little turtle carrying all my worldly possessions as I travelled around Asia. I could quickly pack up my life and move onto the next destination without batting an eyelid. I’m currently travelling around Europe with Citadines and it reminds …

Read More about 30 signs you’re no longer a backpacker

“Lille? For three days?” The Parisians would ponder this for a few seconds after I’d told them that, yes, my next stop was Lille, for three whole days. “Hmm, it’s very different to Paris but you will like it,’ they’d tell me. “It’s very pretty.” And this is my first impression from Lille. It is …

Read More about Laidback in Lille and 10 things to see in Lille

My third day in Paris began with a gloriously lazy morning and leisurely breakfast at Citadines Louvre Paris before setting out towards Notre Dame. La Conciergerie: A Fairytale Palace Along the way I stopped at La Conciergerie, a former royal palace on an island in the middle of the River Seine. With its grand façade …

Read More about Travel Journal: Sauntering the streets of Paris

This Travel News post is in association with Visa with some great info on how to look after your money in Myanmar.  Until 2012 there were no cash machines in Myanmar due to economic sanctions. This was a nightmare for tourists because it meant having to bring in enough US dollars to last for the …

Read More about Travel News: How to look after your money in Myanmar, Burma

Mention Paris to anyone and you end up getting a mixed option. “Urgh, I hate Paris. It’s dirty and crowded and too touristy,” some people will tell you. “Oooh, it’s my favourite city in the world. It’s beautiful and romantic and has the best food in the world,” others will swoon. While I don’t know …

Read More about First impressions from Paris and 20 things you need to know

Paris may be the city of love and one of the most romantic places in the world but today I’ve been having a little romance with the city itself. It turns out I LOVE Paris. I spent the day wandering among some of the main attractions, stopping for café lattes and macaroons, shopping in the …

Read More about Travel journal: Ooh la la, falling in love with Paris

As I write this I’m frantically rushing around trying to wash and re-pack my bags for my next adventure. I’ve been in Egypt for the past week but now it’s time for a different kind of adventure as I’m off on a 9-day trip around Europe! Side note: Trying to pack light for a European …

Read More about My next adventure: Paris, Lille and Berlin with Citadines Moments 30 #CM30

Ahh Mykonos, a place I’ve been dreaming of visiting since Pinterest was invented. The islands of Greece are so perfectly photogenic with those sugar cube houses and azure coloured waters. The contrast of white and blue combined with golden sand and pink sunsets makes each photo Pinterest perfect. I’m sure every travel loving pinner has …

Read More about A perfect day in Mykonos

It seems like September is the month of amazing competitions so today I wanted to share with you a new one! This is a Twitter competition from PhotoWorld and it’s focused on photo memories. I’ve said before that I don’t buy souvenirs when I travel. I just take ridiculous amounts of photos and have them …

Read More about Competition: Win a Lyto Camera and £500 worth of vouchers

I’m wrote this last week while sat on my balcony overlooking the ocean. I spent the week cruising from Venice to Dubrovnik to Mykonos to Istanbul and here’s how I got on during my first few days at sea… I can see some islands in the distance I think might be Greece as we left …

Read More about Cruising with Celebrity Cruises: Visiting Venice and foodie delights

I don’t know about you but I’m often overwhelmed by the amount of travel blogs floating around the blogosphere. There are loads of blogs I love to read but they get lost in the epic mass of boring updates and pointless posts. My Twitter feed is a never-ending stream of ‘new posts’ and ‘latest reads’ …

Read More about How to keep up with your favourite travel blogs {+ how it can help grow your social media following}

This is a luggage review for all the backpackers and adventurous travellers out there. I’ve recently been testing out the SMASHII Anti Theft Rucksack, a super secure backpack perfect for long-term backpackers and flashpackers. I’ve included flashpackers because as a self confessed flashpacker I know how many gadgets we have so we need somewhere safe …

Read More about Smashii antitheft backpack: Is this the most secure backpack ever?