Today’s post is a very special post as it’s George’s first guest post. Hopefully it will be the first of many as we travel and explore together. This weekend I took my first holiday to Llangollen in North Wales. It was my first time away so I was a little nervous but I had …
If you’re a regular reader of The Travel Hack you will have noticed that I love baby-wearing. Anything that keeps George happy and quiet (and preferably sleeping!) is a winner in my book. Baby carriers are especially awesome for travelling because you don’t need to bother with a bulky pram and you’re not restricted to …
Travelling with a bump, big or small, is a new and interesting experience. Even if you’re super lucky to avoid any side effects of being pregnant (lucky you), the fact is you’re still carrying extra weight and providing for a little one. Coping with the heat when you’re pregnant is a whole new ball game! …
8 reasons why staying in a villa while you travel with a baby is awesome I love hotels, but staying in a hotel with a baby or young kids can be difficult. You’re restricted to a small room and unless you have a suite you’re all stuck in there together. What do you do when …
If you’re not pregnant the title of this post might sound a little ridiculous. What’s the big deal? It’s just a little bit of extra weight, right? Wrong. Travelling during pregnancy is hard work when it involves traipsing around London. This is especially true if like me, you don’t live in the city so you have …
Having a baby is a lot like a round-the-world backpacking trip. The last few weeks with my new baba, Nova, have had me chuckling to myself as the similarities keep appearing. Don’t believe me? Here are seven reasons... More Friends As much as you don’t believe it before you start your trip, staying in a hostel …
It sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? Getting your baby’s first passport should be a breeze, but actually it’s a bit more than a tick box exercise. However, with this guide you'll easily get it sorted. Promise. I guess before I give my advice I should point out that I’m referring to a UK passport. I …
My LittleLife All Terrain Carrier review, a baby carrier for babies from 6 months until 3 years. I’ve been a big fan of ‘baby wearing’ ever since George was born. While I love strolling around with our trendy Bugaboo, I prefer the freedom of carrying him while we travel. A pushchair can be restrictive and bulky …
Last week I travelled to Tignes with Mark Warner for a family-friendly week in the snow with my guy and our one year old son. Here’s what it’s really like to take a baby skiing... (I'm obviously not talking about actually strapping a baby to you and skiing! This is the logistics of taking your …
While I was pregnant with George I read a lot about travelling with babies. I read tips and advice and a million and one explanations of how travelling helps babies develop into well-rounded children who are open to other cultures and comfortable in new environments. To be totally honest, I don’t know how true this …
Making the transition from a ‘young, carefree and boozy ski holiday’ to a ‘family ski holiday’ can seem a little bit daunting. You don’t want to miss out on your annual ski holiday but bringing young children along seems like more hassle than it’s worth, right? You have a couple of options here. Don’t go …
I recently visited Feather Down Farms, luxury glamping tents for a gorgeous getaway that's close to nature...just not too close! Regular readers of The Travel Hack will already know how much I love a good glamping holiday. I love the side to camping where you’re close to nature, always outdoors and where you’re woken …
Cheap family travel. Now there are three words you don’t find together very often. I remember the days when I could have a weekend away for under £100. I’d book a last minute flight and stay in a grimy hostel, get all my meals from a street food vendor and drink nothing but cheap beer …
I’ve just returned from an amazing weekend in Barcelona. I went with my partner, Sam, and our baby boy, Joseph, who was 12 weeks old when we travelled. Since getting home I’ve had a few readers ask me what it was like to travel to Barcelona with a baby and if I thought it was …
Fancy winning a holiday to the Canary Islands this summer? Yes, I thought you might 😉 We Brits can’t beat the Canary Islands for a good old fashioned beach holiday. The Spanish islands off the coast of northwest Africa are famed for their gorgeous beaches and year-round sunshine. They have long, sunny days and very …
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 …
Last week I shared with you some of my favourite travel vloggers. Since then I've been chatting to them to find out what if they have any vlogging tips to share with us. They've come back with some brilliant advice with practical tips and insider secrets that you can only gain through years of travel …
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 …
Like all things in life, there isn’t a quick and easy way to grow your social media following. I know, I know; it’s the 21st century and we want quick and instant results. We’re used to seeing blog posts with flashy, jazzy titles like, ‘How to instantly grow your blog by millions of followers without …
I came home from Scotland last weekend to find a chunky wooden box waiting for me on the doormat. It was small but solid and had the branding of this blog perfectly etched into the lid. The box itself was so lovely that I almost didn’t want to open it (I have a thing for …
**This competition is now closed. Congratulations to Rebecca Sharp who is the winner!** Did you see my post earlier today about our new feature here on The Travel Hack? I’m introducing a monthly feature called 'The £200 Weekender’ and, as the name suggests, it’s all about having a weekend away within the budget of £200. …
I’m very excited today to announce the hostel voted as the best hostel in the UK by LateRoom’s Simply the Guest Awards. Simply the Guest is the annual awards from LateRooms.com. They use the 1.5 million guest reviews and ratings published on the site to recognise the highest standards in the hotel industry. Reviews can …
This post is for all the Instagram addicts scrolling through envious holiday pictures, fabulous travels and lives lived in paradise! The travel dream is real and can be achieved by anyone who puts their mind to it. It could be you enjoying the sun on the perfect beach in paradise… but it might not …
“What would you like to see more of on The Travel Hack?” This is a question I pose to readers all the time and the overwhelming response is always, ‘cheap weekend breaks!’ Yes, everyone wants more cheap weekenders. And why wouldn’t we? Weekend breaks give us something fabulous to look forward to and they mean …
“You’ve been converted!” Sam said excitedly over the speakerphone in the car. I was driving home from the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC in Birmingham and was telling Sam all about my day. “The motorhomes were really nice! They were like hotel rooms on wheels!” I was telling him. “They were enormous …
The first thing I noticed about my hotel room was that there was no bed. Curious, I looked in cupboards and searched for hidden panels in the wall where perhaps a Murphy bed could be hiding. Nothing. Then it dawned on me. My room search had revealed that another fairly important feature was missing from …
Today's Insider's Guide is from Sophie, the travel blogger behind Luggage Tags and Ticket Stumps. Sophie lives in China and has put together an Insider's Guide to Xi'an. If you'd like to visit Xi'an but could do with the help and guidance of a tour then check out ChinaXianTour for tailor made, package and group …
Mor Lodge, Newquay, has been rated at the UK's top hostel in the LateRooms.com's annual awards If you’ve been reading The Travel Hack for a while, you’ll know I’d always recommend staying in a hostel if you’re travelling on a budget. Hostels are great if you’re travelling in a group, you’re budget is tight …
This week’s Weekender of the Week goes to Den Bosch. It’s probably somewhere that you haven’t heard of, let alone visited, which I think makes it all the more appealing! It’s a city in the south of the Netherlands, off the well-trodden tourist track. It’s super easy to get to and you can even double …
Cynics amongst you may believe that it simply isn't possible to travel for free in the UK using travel hacking methods (airline and hotel rewards). Usually this would be a fair assumption. After all, the British government absolutely stuffs us on our airline taxes (whilst our American brethren usually get away with a poxy $5.60 …
During the first weekend of September it was time to indulge in the weird and wonderful sights and sounds of Festival Number 6, a unique festival which descended on the picturesque village of Portmeirion in North Wales. Being pregnant and almost ready to pop, I very sadly decided to give the festival a miss this …
Most of us would like to travel more and the thing usually stopping us is the cost. Why does travel have to be so flipping expensive!? Well, actually, it doesn't... I've been scouring Skyscanner is search of flights and deals (please tell me I'm not the only one who does this for fun!) and I …
The city of York brings to mind all things British. Proper cups of warming tea, cakes at world-famous Betty’s Tea Rooms and quaint Tudor architecture are just a few of the quintessentially English things associated with this town. So would it surprise you to know that York’s origins are totally international? It was founded by …
Birmingham is arguably one of the most underrated cities in the UK. I visited for the first time this summer to stay at the brand new AC Hotel Birmingham with Marriott Rewards (more about that further down!). My first reaction to the city was, 'Why haven't I been here before!?' Birmingham is really cool and not …
This was our fifth and final foodie challenge with Huawei and took us to the shores of Wales on a sustainable lobster safari. Huawei had set us the challenge to seek out unusual food trends throughout the UK and to document it with the Huawei P9. Of course, we happily accepted such a delicious challenge! …
It’s so easy for us Brits to hop over to Europe for our holidays, but next time you book your winter break consider a skiing holiday in North America. Seriously. Skiing in Canada and the US is SO amazing and infinitely better than skiing in Europe if you ask me. And those of you who …
The Supa Dupa by Cosatto is a double pushchair I’ve been using for the past few months with my two boys. We have George who is currently 21 months and Joseph who is 3 months. I really struggled to find ‘the perfect double pushchair’ because they’re either too big, too bulky, too expensive or too …
How is 2017 treating you so far? I feel like we’re far enough into January to ask that now – last week was far too soon and I was definitely still in a post-Christmas fog. Actually, I think I’m still in the post-Christmas fog. I’ve mostly spent this week with my head buried in my …
Searching for your next weekend getaway? Well, look no further! The Cotswolds has your name all over it. Besides the dreamy landscapes, the best thing about the Cotswolds is that there are so many lovely hotels that won’t break the bank. This area of natural beauty spans an impressive 800 square mile area through five …
Following on from part 1 of my Les Castels travel journal from my trip to France... Day #5: Exploring Dinan To say Dinan is ‘charming’ is the biggest understatement of the century. Dinan is another ‘Harry Potter-esque’ kind of place and it felt a lot like Hogsmeade (I say that like I regularly go …