Does it take 21 days to form a new habit? Trying it out with Morning Pages
Have you heard the theory that it takes 21 days to form a new habit? There’s evidence to support the theory that you can form a new habit by doing it consistently for 21 days but, to be honest, there’s just as much evidence to say it
What are Blue Zones? And what can Blue Zones teach us about living a longer, happier life
Have you heard about Blue Zones? Blue Zones are areas in the world where people live considerably longer than average. A few years ago I had to do a lot of research into the world’s Blue Zones for a project I was working on for a client.
Experiencialism: What is it and how it can lead to a happier life
Experiencialism is probably something you’ve come across already, but might not have seen it called this. Experiencialism is the thought that experiences make us happier than possessions. If you have a Pinterest account then you’ve probably already seen a billion quotes and posters with this message! If you’re
Things I wish I’d known before I had my first baby
You may have seen that I’ve set myself a challenge to create 31 new blog posts. I had this wonderful vision of writing a new blog post every day but it’s taken me an entire week to get this one live! So I guess lesson number one
Travelling home from Tenerife during lockdown
It’s been two weeks since I posted an update on The Travel Hack and, wow, what a difference two weeks made! It feels like we’re all holding our breath as our world has been turned upside down by Coronavirus. We’re living in a semi-frozen state of panic,
What happens when a blogger has a bad press trip?
This is a question I’m asked about all the time so I thought it was finally time I addressed it in a blog post! When people realise that a big part of the job for many (not all) travel bloggers and journalists is attending press trips, people
20 things I want to do in 2020
Last year I wrote a list of all the things I wanted to do with the boys throughout the year. It was mostly ideas for days out so we wouldn’t waste our weekends trying to decide what to do. I pinned the list to our family
Our first three months with our baby girl
I’d like to introduce you to someone very special. Say hello to our baby girl, Alba Rose. Alba arrived in October weighing 7lb and she’s a snuggly bundle of absolute perfection, if I do say so myself! I’m not sure how I’m going to write this post because all
10 New Year’s resolutions worth keeping
We’re 15 days into January and, according to statistics, 33% of people will have given up on their New Year’s resolutions already. Yes, January 12th is the most popular day to quit those resolutions! The most popular resolution is to exercise more, but almost 91% of people
What to pack in your hospital bag for an elective cesarean
Next week I’ll be going into hospital for my third elective cesarean. I’ve written a lot of packing posts for The Travel Hack but, unsurprisingly, this is my first packing post for going into hospital! Despite it being my third cesarean I’ve still loved reading blog
36 weeks pregnant: Why it’s different having a third baby and how I’ll cope
I was going to write a 36 week pregnancy update today. Yes, that’s right - 36 weeks! But then I realised not a lot has changed since my 27 week pregnancy update which, weirdly, feels like about 3 days ago. One update I do have is that
My 10 year travel and blogoversary!
Urgh, blogoversary. Sorry, that’s a horrible word isn’t it. But it’s been 10 years since I began blogging and left the UK as a fresh-faced 21 year old, ready to explore the world. I remember getting on that plane to Hong Kong like it was yesterday. ^All packed
My 27 week pregnancy update with Baby #3!
For some people, a 27 week pregnancy update might seem like a random week to choose but the 27 week mark has always been a momentous milestone for me. I don’t want to be morbid here but the survival rate for babies born at 27 weeks suddenly
June on The Travel Hack
It’s been a while since I’ve written a monthly update on The Travel Hack but June was such an exciting month with so much going on. I'm also going to be stopping my newsletters for a little while so you'll be seeing more informal updates like
My birth stories: Two positive caesareans, emotional anger and discharging myself from hospital
In just a matter of months I’ll be having my third baby so it’s only natural I’m beginning to think about giving birth and birth stories! During my first two pregnancies I loved reading other women’s birth stories and relished in the gory details – both
Our cheap conservatory makeover
We’re going a bit off-topic today as I’d like to share our cheap conservatory makeover! I wasn't going to post this because the conservatory is actually the one room of the house I don't like but, as it's where I take many of my photos on
16 week pregnancy update
I had high hopes for writing weekly pregnancy updates since I shared the news we're expecting our third baby. I thought I'd be sharing all the nitty gritty details, the highs, the lows and everything in between. I thought I would have written pages of pregnancy
A month without plastic: How did I get on?
I’ve been setting myself mini challenges for each month of 2019. They’re a bit like New Year’s Resolutions but just for one month. In January, I challenged myself to not watch any TV for a whole month. That one was an epic fail but I learned
Pregnancy update and why we told so many people before the 12 week scan
Yes, you read that right! A pregnancy update! If you missed it on Instagram, I recently announced we’re having our third baby! I’m pregnant with Baby #3! I should really get out of the habit of calling it Number 3 because I have a feeling that name will
How to organise your life like a Girl Boss: 26 tips for being organised
If you're looking for tips for being organised and getting your life in order so you can focus on all the fun stuff in life then keep reading for my 26 tips for being organised! Organisation has never been my strong point. I come from a chaotic
Challenge 1: What happened when I quit TV for a month?
Did you see my post about my 12 monthly challenges? I’m not doing traditional New Year’s resolutions this year, I’m choosing 12 mini challenges to do each month in 2019. Each month I’ll do something like go running everyday for a month, do yoga everyday for
The Travel Hack: How it all began
Hi and thank you for stopping by The Travel Hack! This is my blog, my online home and the place I record my travel adventures and share my travel tips and advice. My name is Monica, I’m 31 and I live in North Wales with my fiance, Sam,
A mini guide to absolutely smashing it: How to make 2019 the year you achieve your goals
In January 2018 I did something new. I joined a running club. It wasn’t anything official, just myself and some mums I’d met at a local baby and toddler group and I surprised myself by absolutely loving it. It was a combination of the fresh air, the post-exercise
12 months of challenges for a better 2019!
In 2019 I’ve decided to try something new and set myself a monthly challenge for every month of the year. I’m one of those people who wants to do everything and this is my way of doing ALL THE THINGS but focusing on one thing at a
I live here because…
When I first saw today’s Podmas prompt I thought it wasn’t the most exciting but then I realised I’d never actually told you much about where I live and why. I live on the border of Chester and North Wales and the simple reason I live here
4 things you don’t know about me
This is a tough one. As someone who shares most of their life online I’ve shared a lot about myself over the years, so I’ve been having a think about 4 things you might not know. But more importantly, 4 things you might actually care about.
I’m scared to tell you these three things
It’s another day of Vlogmas and I'm going a bit out of order but today’s prompt is: I’m scared to tell you these three things. And just like I do with anything I’m scared about, I’ll jump straight in… (I literally do this. I was once scuba diving
My travel highlights from 2018
I wasn’t going to write this post because, like every year I’ve ever written a ‘highlights from my year’ kind of post, I’ve initially thought I didn’t have enough interesting stuff to put in it! It’s funny (and also very telling about where my priorities are right
Why I blog
Today’s prompt for Vlogmas is ‘Why I Podcast’, but as I don’t podcast I’m changing it to ‘Why I blog’. Unlike the past few days, I haven’t had any problems thinking of my answer for this prompt. There are lots of reasons why I blog. Where do I
Why I’m happy
It’s day 5 of Podmas and the prompt for today is: ‘I am ….. because …..’ I listened to Lucy’s answer to this in her podcast and she chose to go for, ‘I am vegan because….’ I found this quite a hard prompt because I don’t feel like I