I know that you wouldn’t put flying economy class and stylish travel together but The Travel Hack is all about affordable luxury and little tips to give even budget travel a stylish twist. I, like most people, would love to fly upper class on every flight. I’d love to sip expensive champagne, stretch out my …
After spending an incredible three days in Barbados my journey got even better as I travelled to the island of St Kitts. I’d been told that St Kitts is much more chilled out and less developed than Barbados. I had no idea what to expect because Barbados is one of the most chilled out places …
Whenever I tell people I’m a full-time travel blogger I’m inevitably met by a quizzical frown and the question, ‘So…errrr…what do you actually do?’ I don’t mind the questions because it is such a new profession and sometimes I feel like I don’t quite understand it myself. Each travel blogger works in a completely different …
“Relax in barefoot luxury on Dominica, the ‘Nature Island’ of the Caribbean” Jungle Bay is a place where grown-up dreams come true. It was a place that captured my heart and my imagination like no other place has for years and it’s a place that I’m 100% sure I’ll be going back to. I rarely …
There are some things you can be taught; things like reading and writing, how to drive a car and how to bake a cake. (Well, in theory anyway. I’ve never mastered the art of baking a cake!) But there are other things that no amount of coaching can ever help you become an expert at. …
One of my favourite things about flying into a hot country is that moment when you step off the plane. It’s like walking into a heavy fog of glorious heat that instantly warms you all the way to your bones. You take a second before you begin your descent down the wobbily plane steps to …
The observant readers among you may have noticed that I’ve changed this feature from Weekend Reads to Blog Reads. I should have realised that no one would read a post entitled ‘Weekend Reads’ on a Monday. Silly me. Anyways, this weeks Blog Reads are all about hacks. With a blog name like ‘The Travel Hack’ …
When I tell people that I spent 18 months in Australia and I drove around the entire country in a campervan they automatically assume that I must be loaded. Australia is an expensive country for us Brits so, while I wish I was loaded, I had to work really hard to be able to do …
On Thursday I’m going on a snowboarding trip to Catalonia. As I began packing I had flashbacks to my last skiing trip in Canada when I packed virtually every item of clothing I owned. Better to be safe than sorry, right? Well no, not always. My suitcase was so heavy I could barely even wheel …
On Monday I revealed one of my many travel confessions; I’m the most antisocial snowboarder that ever lived. I hate seeing other people on the slopes and will happily hog an entire run if it means I won’t knock anyone flying or go flying myself. If you ever see me snowboarding, stay away because I …
There’s a reason they call it La-La Land and that is, quite simply, because Los Angeles is crazy. Of course, I mean crazy in a good way but it’s crazy all the same. From the botoxed wannabes that strut along Holly Boulevard to the genuine celebs that hide in the hills, LA has always attracted …
Sign up here to receive updates about my 12-week blogger e-course One of the hardest things about travel blogging is that you’re so busy travelling you don’t have time to blog. You may notice a lot of the full time travel bloggers travel very slowly and will schedule in a couple of days each …
Sign up here to receive updates about my 12-week blogger e-course Last weekend I had the honour of speaking at Blogstock, the world’s only blogging festival. It’s a mixture between a blogging conference, with talks and workshops to help improve your blogging skills, and an actual festival with tents and live music and great food …
Sign up here to receive updates about my 12-week blogger e-course In case you missed it, last week I posted the first half of my Blogstock talk about how to be a figure blogger. Here’s the second half of my talk with more about my really basic SEO guide, quick tips and how I make …
The second #BloggerCourse Twitter chat will be Tuesday June 14th at 7-8pm UK time! We’re going to be chatting about ‘Blogger Struggles’ and how to overcome them. Yes, this will be a chance to have a bit of a rant about what’s difficult in the world of blogging. Do you ever try and chat to …
I’m writing this post sat in Montana Airport. I have a short layover before I fly to Minnesota for a 7 day trip exploring some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. I had the usual grilling with US security as they questioned me about why I’m visiting the US. I usually lie and …
I follow lots of bloggers who write monthly income reports for their blogs and I love seeing them. It’s partly nosiness but partly a great chance to learn from others and see where their blogging income is coming from. Blogging is so new and we all work so differently, but it’s really interesting to see …
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 even begin!? I’m going to tackle each …
When I travelled to New York I had a very strange feeling. It was a feeling that I hadn’t experienced anywhere before. New York was a completely new place to me but it all felt so familiar. I recognised entire streets, the monuments felt like old friends and I knew exactly what I wanted to …
Tomorrow morning I’m flying to Denmark for Copenhagen’s fourth annual Wondercool festival! I’ve become a little obsessed with Scandinavian coolness recently and I don’t just mean the temperature. I’m not alone in my obsession and ‘Scandimania’ is spreading worldwide. You see, the Scandinavian’s are just so damn cool. There’s even a new book out by …
I genuinely believe that everyone should write a travel blog to document your trips. One of my favourite things about blogging is reading about my past adventures and each old post brings back so many amazing memories. You don’t need to write lengthy essays everyday or be a world-class photographer, you just need a passion …
Wondercool is Copenhagen’s answer to beating the winter blues; It’s February and we’re all tired of the cold and dark days, no one wants to go out, tourism is low and restaurants and bars are quiet. What better time of the year to lift our spirits than with an art and culture festival? Wondercool is …
Sign up here to receive updates about my 12-week blogger e-course It wasn’t long ago that I was calling myself a ‘freelancer’ and I’d correct anyone who referred to me as a ‘full time blogger’. When I first quit my job to work for myself the majority of my income came from freelancing copywriting and …
I’m a firm believer that everyone should keep a travel blog. I’m not talking about blogging to make money or blogging to ‘travel the world for free’ or any other hype you see online. I’m talking about travel blogging for the love of travelling. For the love of seeing the world and sharing your stories …
Everyone makes mistakes when they travel and I’ve made so many it would be impossible to recall them all. I do my best not to dwell on things or regret anything. I think as long as you learn from your mistakes it makes you a better traveller in the long run. Here are a few …
Have you ever said something and then the second the words have left your mouth you want to suck them back in and pretend they never happened? Imagine if you could just breathe them back in with a huge gasp of air. That would be good. That would get me out of a lot of …
One of the things I love most about living in London is the sheer size of the city. Not only is it huge but there is so much to do. After living here for two years I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface and I’m not sure I ever will. For every restaurant, exhibition, …
Sinking into the hot, milky blue water and I swear I could physically feel my muscles relax and give a little sigh of relief. Now, this is the perfect way to start a holiday and spend your birthday. We arrived at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland by 10am after an early morning flight into Keflavik …
Most cities that are steeped in history can have a spooky side if you’re the type to go searching for it. I’m sure those old cathedrals where we’ve celebrated births and deaths for thousands of years are filled with scary stories and mysterious whispers that fill the pews. If the walls of those ancient castles …
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 …
A trip to Holland to the famous city of Amsterdam has got to be one of the easiest and most fun weekends you can have. The flights are dirt cheap and short; perfect for those on a budget, restricted on time or who don’t like flying. The accommodation choices are endless, from hostel to 5* …
Luban Bajo in Flores, Indonesia, is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination for backpackers looking to get away from the usual routes and see something a little different. It is also the launching point for most people to visit Komodo Island which is why we’d travelled out to this point in Indonesia. But Komodo Island …
The worst thing that happened while I was travelling I spent nearly 2 years travelling through SE Asia and Australia and I was actually really lucky – barely anything went wrong. I was never disastrously ill or mugged. I never ran out of money or had to spend a night sleeping on the streets. I …
“Trust your feet and let your legs take your weight,” my guide shouted from beneath me. Trust my feet? ‘Trusting my feet’ was a totally new concept for me. I can trust my hands because they’re bendy and flexible and they’re right there in front of my eyes but my feet are just ugly stumps …
If you’re a travel lover then I’ve got no doubt you’ll be feeling like you’ve had your wings clipped right now. I know some people are optimistically booking holidays abroad for this year and I’m sure many of those holidays will go ahead, but I’m also sure many of them won’t! I haven’t booked any …
This Seatfrog review has been created in collaboration with Seatfrog and, as always, all thoughts about the app and over-excitement about travelling First Class are all my own! Today I’d like to share a new app I’ve discovered called Seatfrog. Prepare to have your Virgin Train journeys in the UK changed forever! This is my …
When writing about Lake Vyrnwy Hotel I could tell you all about the history of the hotel, the tasty menu, the great selection of wine, the friendly staff and the beautiful old building. But, let’s be honest, when you’re staying at Lake Vyrnwy Hotel it’s all about the view. And what a view it is. Imagine waking …
Starting from mid-March, Sam and I have decided to change our lives completely. We’re working towards ‘lifestyle careers’ where we plan to work less and live more and we’ll both be working with a 4-day weekend. Just excuse me while I go and do a happy dance in the corner for a few minutes!! I …
I took the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam with P&O Ferries and here’s what I thought about it with some travel tips for anyone planning to do the same. I love this fast paced world we live in. A world where you can fly to the other side in a day, you can speak to …
I’m very excited today to have Laura from Wander with Laura sharing her travel guide to Liverpool with us. I went to Liverpool University and I absolutely loved this colourful and creative city. The main thing I feel about Liverpool is that it’s a fun city. No one takes themselves too seriously and there’s a …