The more hotels I stay in, the more I appreciate quirky, unusual and exciting places to stay. Don’t get me wrong, I do love a luxurious 5* hotel but it’s the cool and quirky places I’ll remember for years to come. Here in the UK we have a lot of unusual glamping options – here …
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I’ve been keeping a little secret from you guys for the past few months. Actually, it’s not a little secret, it’s probably the biggest secret I’ve ever had. I don’t even know where to begin so I’m just going to blurt it right out… I’M PREGNANT!!! Yes, I’m having a baby. A baby! It still …
Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments and congratulations from Tuesday’s post. In case you missed it, yes, I’m pregnant! Despite a growing bump and five long months to get my head around this, I’m still totally in shock. I actually cannot believe I’m going to be a mum. Each kick and …
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 …
Last year I took part in a yoga retreat with Azul Fit on the island of Fuerteventura. It was a fantastic week and it left me feeling fitter, healthier, slimmer and more relaxed. I vowed to make yoga retreats a yearly ritual and I’m desperate to take another one this year. Ibiza looks like the …
I’m absolutely delighted to have Angie Silver from Silver Spoon London as the second guest blogger on The Travel Hack. Angie is such a romantic so I can’t think of anyone better to tell us about 5 of the most romantic hotels around the world. She’s also seriously well travelled and has stayed in some …
37 weeks. How have 37 weeks passed so quickly? I will have a baby in about 2 weeks time! When I first found out I was pregnant I thought the following 8 months would be the longest 8 months of my life. Imagine booking the most incredible holiday of your life and then the excitement …
This is a post I’ve been excited about sharing for about 9 months now. I’d like to introduce you to the new little man in my life. This is George! He was born on March 11th weighing a perfectly tiny 6 lb 11. He’s less than two weeks old and already he’s stolen our hearts …
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 …
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 …
It’s coming to the end of the summer holidays and many of us are heading back to work after an incredible holiday. We all love going on holiday but the comedown that inevitably follows can give us a real case of the post-holiday blues. So in order to help you readjust to life at home, we’ve compiled …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
It’s the weekend! Get the kettle on or pour yourself a cold one while you dig in to some of my favourite posts from around the blogosphere. Warning: Most of these posts will cause serious wanderlust. The Jungalow It’s not very often I recommend an entire website but I’ve just discovered this site and …
I love staying in hotels. Everything from the scent of fresh flowers in reception to crisp white sheets and freshly baked croissants at breakfast makes me tingly with excitement. I love miniature toiletries, bath robes that are way too big, ordering room service and waking up to an unfamiliar view. It doesn’t even need to …
Update: The votes are in and I’m going to Paris for the day. If you have any suggestions for things to see and do in Paris with a big budget, please do let me know! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to share this post. This is so surreal and …
It’s time for another #TravelBookChat! This month we’re going to be chatting about Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, a book that is sure to be on every ‘Beach Holiday Reading List’ this summer. You may recognize Liane Moriarty as the author of The Husband’s Secret which has sold well over a million copies and has …
Now that I’ve had a baby I feel like I’m allowed to say the following: Sometimes I hate kids. Don’t get me wrong, I usually love kids. Their chubby little faces and adorable giggles are just too cute for words, but there’s a time and a place for this cuteness and sometimes I don’t want …
If you missed last week’s #TravelBookChat on Twitter, do not fear because Jayne has put together a great roundup on Girl Tweets World. #TravelBookChat Australia Round Up & Reading List The book we read for February was Tracks by Robyn Davidson, an autobiographic book about Robyn’s time walking across Australia’s outback with nothing but her …
Calling all book worms and travel lovers! #TravelBookChat, the Twitter chat all about travel and books, is back. This is the chat for anyone who loves reading but also loves the sociable side of books. Reading is a solitary activity but it’s so nice to have someone to share the experience with during and after …
Do you remember a few weeks ago when I asked in my weekly email if you had any travel questions you’d like me to answer on the blog? One of the first questions to come through was from Nadia and she asked how she can maintain a travel lifestyle when her long term boyfriend wants …
Welcome to the first edition of Friday 5’s. This is a new weekly feature on The Travel Hack (or possibly bi-weekly feature once baby arrives!) with 5 things I’ve loved this week. I’m always coming across quick and simple things I want to share on the blog but they’re not quite enough for a blog …
January and February are two of the most depressing months of the year. Well, it is for us Brits who are stuck with cold and miserable weather, dark evenings and unpredictable snow storms. And the summer still seems so far away… I’ve been obsessively stalking my friends and family in Australia and drooling over their …
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 …
Yes, that’s right. As of next month I will be a full time blogger and social media consultant. *Cue excitement and uncontrollable jumping up and down. *Closely followed by wide eyed fear and a little voice at the back of my head that is asking what the hell I just did? Before I begin I …
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, …
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 …
Last month I travelled to Turin in Italy for the launch of Lavazza’s latest calendar. This isn’t the kind of trip I normally take but the photos were taken by Steve McCurry and I’m a huge fan of his travel photography. I was also keen to find out more about this year’s calenadar theme, Earth Defenders. Lavazza produce a …
I feel bad even calling this a challenge because we all know it was the best ‘challenge’ ever. World Duty Free set me the task to buy all my Christmas presents from their store in Terminal 5 (read more about my travel blogger shopping challenge here). As always, I was running a little behind schedule …
The lovely Char Taylor from Taylor Hearts Travel has nominated me to take part in the Blog Hop. It’s a chance for bloggers to show what’s going on behind the scenes of their blogospheres. I don’t know about you but I’m super nosy when it comes to bloggers and I love finding out how and …
Introducing Girl Tweets World {Girl Tweets World} Eeek, this is very exciting. My friend and blogging buddy, Jayne Gorman, has revamped her blog, 40 Before 30, and given it a whole new look, feel and name. Jayne was on a mission to visit 40 countries before she was 30 but when she reached this number …
I am one of the few travel bloggers who will not claim to ‘love’ budget travel. I know it’s the sensible option if you want to travel long term but if I had the money I would be lapping up the 5* luxury everywhere I went.
I wish I’d be alive in the days when flying was glamorous and exciting. When people dressed up for a flight and the air stewards breezed through the cabin in a stylish waft of expensive perfume. It was a fun and fascinating time that few people had the chance to experience and this only added …
“I’ve done South America, China and India. Where have you done?’ DONE. It’s just a tiny four-letter verb. It’s just a word. It’s inoffensive and means so little so why does it wind me up so much? ‘Done’ can’t offend anyone but when it’s used in this context it makes me cringe. How the hell …
“If you were a biscuit, what would you be?’ “I’d be a Hobnob. One with chocolate but only half the amount of chocolate so I’d be a bit naught but not too naughty.” There’s a pause as I silently ask myself why the hell I just asked Ben Fogle what kind of biscuit he’d be. …