With just one day in Tokyo, an enormous city bursting with sights and flavours and jaw-dropping contrasts, how much can you really see? This was the unenviable task that Sam, my guide, was given when he met me at Asakusa View Hotel on a sunny Sunday morning. I've been to Tokyo before, briefly and many …
Happy Sunday everyone! It’s a long Weekend Reads this week. I missed it last week as I was in beautiful Barcelona. It was my first trip to Barcelona and I booked it as a surprise holiday for Sam’s birthday. I somehow managed to keep it a surprise right up until we got to the security …
I used to do it all the time. I'd scroll through my newsfeed and have to bite down a rising sense of envy as I saw that another one of my old school friends had taken off on some kind of once-in-a-lifetime travel adventure – or even just an incredible, sun-soaked two-week getaway. I’d reason …
We’d been in the Maldives for just a few hours. We’d had a walk around the island, swam in the ocean, had a cold beer and then – boom – the long flight finally caught up with me and I sank into our enormous bed with a sigh of relief. The air-con was on max …
How to get to Murcia It's easy to fly to Murcia either directly to Murcia airport, or Alicante which is about 30-45 minutes drive away. There are flights throughout the year to both airports including with budget airlines such as Ryanair and Monarch. Where to stay in Murcia Murcia city has loads of hotel options …
2016, what a year! But I’ve got to admit, before writing this list I genuinely thought I hadn’t done much this year. In some ways the year has flown by in the blink of an eye but in other ways it’s felt like the longest year of all. The things I did in January feel …
Located in southwest Canada, the wild and sparsely populated Yukon territory is paradise for every adventure seeker and landscape lover. It's a place to escape from everyday life and enjoy a natural, unedited version of the world. Glassy blue lakes fringed with impossibly straight trees and rugged mountains with snowy peaks lingering in the distance. …
Happy New Year! And welcome back to Weekend Reads. Remember I used to do this series all the time where I shared some of my favourite articles from around the blogosphere, competitions, stuff I’ve found and loved and a little life update? I don’t remember why it dwindled away but I’m determined to bring it …
Before visiting Miami I asked around for some tips and ideas for things to see and do. As always, my fellow travel bloggers and Miami locals were amazing and came back to me with some great suggestions. As the suggestions starting coming in I noticed a common theme here, nearly all of them were recommendations …
If you’re travelling to a cold destination this winter then you’re definitely going to need a pair of stylish but practical winter boots. I get a lot of emails from ladies travelling to Iceland who want to stay warm, cosy and dry but don’t want to spend their holiday in walking boots. I feel you, …
I remember when I was learning to drive (a terrifying 12 years ago) and during one driving lesson my instructor made me spend the entire hour getting on and off the same roundabout. It was the dreaded ‘B&Q Roundabout’ and I hated it. Every time I approached it my palms would be sweating and my …
I couldn’t help but giggle as I sat on the Eurostar with a glass of champagne in one hand and over €3,800 in cash in the other. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening and I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have been selected for this ‘challenge’. In case you missed it, I …
Do you fancy staying in one the towers of a medieval town wall, facing the Menai Strait in Wales? Read on to find out about Monica’s weekender with The Landmark Trust at Bath Tower in Caernarfon’s fortified walls. One feeling I’m sure will never get old is the amazing feeling you get when you step …
Bristol is famous for a few things: street art, a stunning harbour, cider, hot air balloons, and...Caribbean food? It may not be the first thing you think of, but Bristol is home to an up-and-coming Caribbean food scene that’s been simmering under the surface while other food trends have come and gone. When Jamie Oliver …
My favourite thing about a luxury hotel is that first moment when you enter through the enormous doors. The doorman wearing a top hat and tails is like someone from an old-fashioned film. He greets you warmly while you step over the threshold into this luxurious world that feels a million miles from the busy …
You may be thinking it's impossible to find an affordable but stylish and luxurious hotel in Paris. Admittedly, it's a difficult task but it's something I cracked during my last visit. With a perfect location near to Le Marais district, Place de la Republique, Canal Saint-Martin and Gare du Nord, Renaissance Paris Republique Hotel ticks …
There’s something about the Yukon that just gets under your skin. While I was there I heard the same story over and over again, from countless people. “I came for a week, for a holiday,” they’d say with a shrug. “That was twenty years ago.” “So what made you stay?” I’d ask, and they’d simply …
I tried so hard to get into the festive sprit this year but I just wasn’t feeling it. This really isn’t like me because I usually start feeling excited just after my birthday in October! This year is particularly exciting because George knows what’s going on a bit more. I don’t think he understands Santa …
I’m typing this sitting on a flight to Perth, a five-hour long haul to Western Australia, as we leave the East Coast of Australia. It’s starting to sink in that it’s over, we’ve finished our once in a lifetime trip and I have the overwhelming urge to turn around and start it all over again. …
It's time for our final Christmas competition. Today's prize is the gorgeous North Face Thermoball Jacket from Blacks. Check out the ladies jacket here and the mens here. I've been wearing this jacket for a couple of weeks now and I love it. With the fitted, nipped-in waist it looks stylish but is still really …
If you’ve been following October’s Destination of the Month, you’ll probably have picked up by now that I’m just a little bit obsessed with the Yukon. It’s an area of the world I knew very little about before I arrived, so I was totally blown away by the beauty, the friendly people, the absolute wilderness all …
“Are you employed?” “Yes, I’m self employed. I’m a…blogger….” I say with uncertainty, knowing my answer would be met with a familiarly blank expression. “I’m a travel blogger,” I add with a bit more conviction. “A….blogger….? That’s your job…?” I know the drill now. Her expression will either turn from confusion to intrigue as she …
Do you want to know the best places in London for a selfie? Or gorgeous locations to get the best photos of the city? London is such a beautiful city but it can be difficult to photograph, especially when you’re at street level. All those tall and historical buildings actually make it really difficult to …
This is the kind of competition prize you’ll only get truly excited about if you’ve ever had the message below. You’ve just taken your phone out to snap the perfect picture. It’s either the perfect lighting or the perfect moment and you just know it’s going to make the best photo ever. And then your …
Today’s Christmas competition prize is something you’re all going to love and is a £100 voucher to spend with Doris & Dicky. If you’ve never heard of Doris & Dicky before, let me introduce you… Doris & Dicky offer the best in affordable luxury hotels with budget boutiques around the world. Usually, if you add …
For those wishing to inject a little vivacity into their holidays or weekend breaks, then we’ve got you covered with this list of the UK’s best adventure getaways! Jolly Days Glamping A luxury tents and huts camp site with beds, fires, hot showers, BBQs kitchens - and all in the middle of a wood …
Today's prize in our Christmas competition is a pair of Fremont winter boots from KEEN. These are cosy, warm and stylish so they're perfect for winter and great if you're travelling to any cold destinations. They come in a choice of three colours, whiskey, black or cookie dough and they're worth £139.99. I have a pair …
Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year but it can also be the most stressful - especially when you have a lot of gifts to buy for as lot of people who already have EVERYTHING! Add to this a busy schedule, a tight budget, and every high street being so manically busy …
This is the cutest prize for anyone with young kids. It’s from two brands I absolutely adore, Great and Small Clothing and Elf for Christmas. Great and Small Clothing make gorgeous PJs for the whole family. I don’t know if matching family PJs have always been a ‘thing’ or it’s just something I noticed since …
The first prize in our Christmas competition is to win a Camsafe® Z16 anti-theft camera & 13" laptop backpack in slate green worth £179.90. As someone who regularly travels with a laptop and a DSLR camera I’m always on the lookout for that ‘perfect bag’ and this one comes pretty close. I’ve also been using …
When was the last time you received a postcard? Go on, wrack your brains and think about it. I was about nine years old and it came from my neighbours who were on holiday in Spain. They sent the postcard because I was looking after their cat while they were away and I have a …
Next Wednesday I’ll be joining gocompare to co-host a Twitter chat all about Christmas travel. We’ll be talking about the places we’d like to go, tips for travelling during the festive season and exciting plans for New Year’s Eve. It’s going to be the perfect chat to get you into the festive spirit - …
Isn’t it funny how by doing something that you don’t think you’ll like you usually end up learning a lot about yourself? And sometimes you even end up loving the thing you thought you’d hate? When No Becomes Yes Take for example, the venture into the rainforest that I did in Cairns, Australia. Pre-trip there …
In my never ending quest to pack light I’m always looking for great quality travel clothing that looks good but is also practical. Not only that but it needs to last and not look crumples or dishevelled after a couple of washes. I want to be able to pack a capsule wardrobe and continue to …
If you go back to our first post on The Travel Hack, one of our travel hacks when travelling in Australia is volunteering. You get the best experiences with a twist, and we have to practice what we preach, right? So off we went to volunteer with gorgeous Australian animals at Cooberrie Park… About Cooberrie Park Cooberrie park is a …
Do you know what silence sounds like? It might seem like a stupid question, but until I travelled to the Yukon, I’d never experienced true, uninterrupted silence. It was one of the most startling things I noticed while I was there. Life in London is noisy at the best of times, so for me, silence is …
It probably doesn’t sound like an obvious choice for shopping, but the city of Edmonton in the Canadian Province of Alberta is, surprisingly, the perfect destination for a shopaholic. Dangerously good, but perfect. Whether you love huge malls with international brands and gleaming department stores or you’re more fond of independent boutiques and hunting for …
If you saw yesterday's post about Scandi style bloggers you will have seen I’m slightly obsessed with the laidback Scandinavian fashion. I was more than a little excited about the prospect of a shopping spree in Gothenburg! The style is chic, it’s classy and it’s just so easy for travel. It’s not just the clothes …
Edmonton, a Canadian city relatively unknown to many outside of that great vast country, especially when compared to the mighty beasts of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Yet, Edmonton is one of those hidden gem kind of cities that us travel-folks love to discover! When I was invited on The Travel Hack trip to Edmonton I jumped …
When I arrived in the Yukon, I announced to my guide that I wanted to see two things: a moose, and the northern lights. I knew better than to expect the aurora borealis - also known as the northern lights - on demand. There was a time when I was obsessed with seeing them. I …