I’ve always wanted to visit Thailand, but somehow I’ve always ended up booking holidays to other destinations, with Thailand sort of glaring at me from the top of my bucket list. The Philippines, however, was never on my radar. I wanted pristine white beaches, unspoiled islands where electricity is hard to come by, epic marine …
Last week I took one of the best ‘challenges’ I think I’ve ever been set as a travel blogger. I was challenged to take a 2-day trip to London to make the most of the city as part of GTR’s Hello Spring activity to get more people travelling on trains. They’re offering 2FOR1 on over …
“Keep Portland Weird!” Oregon’s biggest city begs from every spray-paint splattered wall and worn-out bumper sticker. “Weird” is kinda Portland’s thing. It’s less about achingly cool hipsters and artisan coffee joints (although you’ll find plenty of both here), and more about supporting local business, embracing independent ventures and encouraging uniqueness. Perhaps as testament, this city …
Ahh, summer holidays – a highlight of each year for as long as you can remember, right? There’s the excitement of planning and booking your summer holiday, the anticipation as the date draws closer, maybe a bit of excited frustration as the weeks drag by. Then you have the thrill of buying new summer clothes …
Since I returned from Dominica I haven’t stopped telling people how gorgeous the island is. I’ve been cornering people and forcing them to scroll through the photos on my phone because I want them to see it for themselves. ‘Look at how clear the sea is,’ I’ve been swooning. ‘And look at this waterfall. Oh, …
For the past 6 months I’ve been working with Lumix as a 4k photo ambassador. I’ve been using Lumix’s 4k camera range but the camera I’ve had for the longest is the G7. Lots of you have been asking how I’ve been getting on so I thought it was about time I wrote a Lumix …
For the past 5 years I’d been doing my best to convince myself I enjoyed snowboarding. Everyone likes snowboarding and I felt almost guilty about not joining in with the snowboarding excitement. I tried so hard to like it but having a board strapped to me feet just wasn’t for me. Most of my friends …
Oxford is one of those places that you just have to visit at least once. It’s full of incredible architecture, restaurants and cafes serving food from all over the world and of course, opportunities to go punting. It’s an ideal spot for a weekend break and the best thing is you could easily come back …
In today’s travel hacking post, Anne compares two of our biggest british airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. We all know that travel hacking is most effective when you’re loyal to a particular airline so which should you choose, BA or Virgin? Let’s begin the battle of the British airlines… A comparison of British Airways …
Why not skip the flights and the stress and stay in the UK for your weekends away in 2016? We’ve put together a list of great weekend getaways you might not have on your 2016 mini-break short list – yet! North Wales It’s not the most chic destination, but hear us out. With some …
The travel blogging community is obsessed with the term ‘digital nomad’. It pops up on every travel blog with top tips on how to be a digital nomad, why it’s so awesome being a digital nomad, a typical day in the life of a digital nomad and why everyone should quit their jobs to be …
If you read my itinerary to spending 3 days in the Florida Keys you will have seen that my favourite day was the day we took a seaplane to the Dry Tortugas National Park. Key West is said to mark the very tip of Florida…but if you keep travelling west for some 70 miles, over …
If you think that Venice is the kind of destination you can only visit on a romantic break or your honeymoon, you’ve got it all wrong. Sure, it’s the sort of place where you can stroll hand-in-hand, float along in a gondola or share a bowl of pasta, Lady and the Tramp style. But Venice …
Some cities are memorable for their food. Others, their architecture. And then there are some rare cities that you just can’t get out of your head. Sure, the cuisine is good and the buildings are pretty, but there’s more to it than that. The cities I’m talking about are breathtaking – everywhere you look there’s …
I’m a suitcase kind of girl when it comes to travelling. Wheels were invented for a very good reason so we might as well use them. It’s the 21st century, why would you carry a heavy bag when you can wheel it along with minimal effort? But when it comes to my daybag, daypack, hand bag, …
Hands up if you’ve ever tried to write a journal but given up 3 days in? You begin with a beautiful new notebook and possibly even a fancy new pen. You wait for the beginning of the month to start writing (because who starts a diary in the middle of the month!?) and for a …
Is anyone else completely and utterly fed up of winter and ready for spring to hurry up and start warming us up? I always feel like this towards the end of February. It’s been winter for years (10 years, surely!?) and I barely even remember what it’s like to have the sun on my skin …
Yes, you read that correctly, Holiday Inn Expresses are getting cool. Last week I was in London and had the pleasure of staying at the Holiday Inn Express on Ealing Broadway, London. I’ve stayed in more than my fair share of budget London hotels and they very rarely make it onto the pages of this …
Does anyone else find packing your hand luggage can be just as tough as packing your main case? I begin with just a couple of things, maybe a magazine and my phone, and before I know it my bag is overflowing with stuff. Cosmetics and gadgets and entertainment and food are spilling out of my bag …
Today I’d like to introduce you to EarnAway, a hotel booking website that allows you to earn cashback on the hotels you book. I used the website for my recent trip to Budapest and here’s my EarnAway review… You may already be familiar with cashback websites. Basically, when you buy something online, the website you …
Is it just me, or does skiing seem to be one of those things that everyone else can just do? It was never that way for me. For some reason or another, I’ve never been on a skiing holiday, school trip or weekend at the slopes. Strap me into some skis and put me on …
You might already know that I’m currently a Lumix 4k photo ambassador. I’ve been trying out Lumix’s range of 4k cameras and I’ve been sharing some of the photos across my social media channels and blog. I’ve been having so much fun with these cameras and I’ve been surprised to find that taking photos with …
This week’s weekender of the week is a little different as we take to the waves for a more active and adventurous trip. We usually talk about city breaks for a weekend away but what about heading to the beach and brushing up on your surfing skills? A weekend of sun, sea, sand, surf, …
If I could combine a few things to make the perfect weekend, it would be travel, treatments, food and wine! So if this sounds like your idea of a great weekend, book yourself a few half days, and prepare to melt into blissful abandon on this spa and food combo in 48 hours in County …
This month I’ve challenged Anne to write a travel hacking guide for people who don’t use credit cards. There’s often the feeling that travel hacking without a credit card is impossible and you have to be spending huge amounts on a credit card to collect any points. Admittedly, this does make travel hacking a hell …
One thing a travel lover can never answer is the question that pops up all the time. ‘Where’s the best place you’ve ever been?’ I’m asked this all the time and usually refuse to answer because there are just too many options. It depends on your mood, who you’re with, your budget, the season and …
“Why have I not been here before!?” This was a genuine question I kept asking myself just a few hours after I’d landed in Valencia. This city is gorgeous. It’s warm and it’s beautiful and it’s interesting. It’s historical and filled with culture but also modern and filled with young creativity. It feels a …
Driving into the village of Downham is like driving through a portal and emerging into a world that existed 100 years ago. If I were to describe it as ‘quaint’ it wouldn’t quite do it justice, as it’s so much more than quaint. Downham is beautiful and charming and cosy. It has an old fashioned …
THE OLD STOCKS INN – Things are not quite as they seem in Stow-on-the-Wold. There’s a defector in town. A quiet rebellious type; happy to rub shoulders with the elegant tearooms, polished antiques shops and prim galleries, before necking a Gimlet and heading back to the bar with a swagger that’d put a Bond villain …
Our recent trip to Mexico City resulted in a rather unexpected experience. We were only there when an earthquake occurred! After the euphoria of surviving wore off, it became glaringly evident that we had absolutely no idea what we were supposed to do in the event of an earthquake. So here’s my handy little earthquake survival …
Is anyone planning a holiday and feeling a bit overwhelmed? There are so many places to go, so many things to see, so many things to do. If you’re anything like me, your bucket list is just getting longer and longer and holiday planning can be tough when you just want to go everywhere! To …
Are you travelling to London in 2016? Here are the London apps you need to download to make your trip to the Big Smoke a breeze. Do you remember a time when we used to travel with heavy guidebooks and paper maps? When you had to go into internet cafes to check your emails …
Welcome to the first Weekend Reads of 2016! It’s been a big and busy week in the blogosphere. The first week of the year sees bloggers sticking to their New Year’s resolutions and posting more so there’s a lot for us to read! And please tell me I’m not the only one who has spent …
Anne recently spent 24 hours in Mexico City when she was visiting for Corona Capital 2015. Here’s what she got up to in such a quick trip… If you only have 24 hours in Mexico City, and really want to get a taste of the city, then this combo is for you. It will give you …
I feel like New Years resolutions aren’t the cool thing to do this year. Everyone is talking about celebrating your achievements rather than setting yourself unrealistic challenges. Other people are talking about small ‘goals’ and other people have ditched them all together but they never stick to them anyway so what’s the point? But I …
Do you know what ‘Shiok’ means? No, I didn’t either until I watched this video by the Singapore Tourism Board. It’s a word mostly used in Singapore and is used to express pleasure or the highest quality. It means ‘amazing’ or ‘awesome’ but it’s shorter, snappier and all together cooler. Shiok is a good …
If you’re looking for an affordable and unique weekend away then glamping in a yurt might be the perfect option…. I remember a time when camping holidays in the UK were something to be dreaded. Cold, wet nights were spent eating burnt BBQ food while huddling under a canopy to stay dry. I always ended …
Well hello there and happy Sunday. I hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend. I’ve been enjoying the last of the autumn sunshine this weekend – and a hell of a lot of autumn rain too! Autumn is my favourite season. I love the chilly mornings and the blue skies, the amazing colours and the …
I’m always on the lookout for nice but affordable places to stay in London. Now, there’s two words that don’t go together so well in the Big Smoke. Nice + affordable is difficult to find in London so today I’d like to introduce you to FG Properties. FG Properties offers short-term apartment rental in …
Have you ever felt like New Year’s Eve was…well…a little bit of a let-down? There’s something about the anticipation – the expectation that I absolutely must have an epic time – that leaves me with a nagging sensation. A feeling that my New Year’s Eve experience isn’t going to be quite good enough. But that’s …