My third day in Paris began with a gloriously lazy morning and leisurely breakfast at Citadines Louvre Paris before setting out towards Notre Dame. La Conciergerie: A Fairytale Palace Along the way I stopped at La Conciergerie, a former royal palace on an island in the middle of the River Seine. With its grand façade …
“Lille? For three days?” The Parisians would ponder this for a few seconds after I’d told them that, yes, my next stop was Lille, for three whole days. “Hmm, it’s very different to Paris but you will like it,’ they’d tell me. “It’s very pretty.” And this is my first impression from Lille. It is …
Ahhh Wales, a country of rolling hills and fresh streams, forests and mountains and lakes and outdoor adventures. And rain. Yes, don’t forget the rain and the general unpredictability of Welsh weather. I grew up in North Wales and now live on the English/Welsh border so I feel like I’m pretty well adapted to these …
Scotland is one of those places where, with the right weather, it’s jaw-droppingly beautiful. You can’t believe you’re just a few hours from home (if you live in the UK that is) and I had the overwhelming feeling the whole of Scotland has been keeping this incredible secret from me. Why did they not tell …
New York is one of the most famous cities in the world and was a place I’d been desperate to visit for years before I finally went in December. It’s a city that is familiar to all of us; one that everybody seems to know and love before even setting foot on its streets. Despite …
Why is it that as soon as you’re anywhere near London you instantly turn into a manically stressed idiot? Everyone is in a hurry, there’s so much to see, so much to do and we’re all so incredibly important that we have to be there first. We rush around like 5-year-olds on the playground but …
Taking a Sea Safari with Orca Sea Safaris I bet you thought that I’d finished my ranting about how beautifully, awesomely, wonderful Falmouth is hadn’t you. Oh no, I have one more little gem for you that won’t come as much of a surprise if you managed to read the title. Yes, that’s right, I …
There is a level of tranquillity in a hotel that you can never achieve in your own home. At home there is always washing to be done, projects to work on, food to be cooked, a dog to be walked and rooms to be cleaned. But in a hotel you have none of that. Hotels …
It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of all kinds of planes, trains and automobiles. I love the speed, the excitement of going somewhere new and the chance to sit back, relax and stare idly out the window and watch the world pass me by. I was more than a little excited to catch …
The Hotel Du Vin is one of those places where you instantly feel at home…and seriously wish it was your home. According to Wikipedia (aka, the font of all knowledge), ‘This is where the stars stay when in Brighton’, so it has an understandable air of subtle exclusivity without being too flashy. It’s grand, elegant …
Monica's Mini Guide to Packing for a Weekend Away (and what I'd never leave home without) I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes while I’ve been travelling but I’m pleased to say that there is one thing that I do pretty well and that thing is packing (except that time I forgot my …
Christmas in London is a magical affair. As soon as the lights twinkle to life above Oxford Street, the mulled wine begins flowing and the carols start chiming. That's when the festive season has officially begun. But it can be easy to miss it all by getting carried away with Christmas shopping, office parties and huddling inside …
As a blogger I’m always looking to improve and grow because I want The Travel Hack to be best it possibly can be. I have a million and one ideas about how I’d like to improve the blog in 2016. I’m one of those people who wants to do everything. I want to learn to …
I asked The Travel Hack team to share the #1 thing on their Christmas wish list to Santa. You can tell we're a bunch of travelling geeks by looking at this list of travel experiences and blogging tech! Amy says: An Arctic Expedition When I dream, I dream big! Top of my Christmas wish-list this …
There's a quote that occasionally pops up in my Facebook feed or on a Pinterest board, and it always elicits a nod from me. The quote is this: "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." There really is something about an experience that is so much more valuable than a thing. …
My Corona Capital 2015 Confession I have a confession to make. The last time I went to anything remotely resembling a festival, it was 1995 and miraculously it was free. It was sunny, and the beer was cheap. Since then, I've never felt the urge to camp at Glastonbury, get dirty in the mud at Reading …
Finding the best foreign exchange rate might not be the sexiest blog topic, but it’s something we all have to do when we travel. I’m pretty sure I’ve been ripped off many times when I’ve been exchanging currency – but I never know what to do about it. I could visit every single foreign currency …
A gourmet start The ocean was holding its breath. The water as thick and shiny as caramelised sugar, and as flat as glass; without a fold, a crease or a curl, only the soft churn of blue by the white edge of the ship. On the horizon, the sun softly kissed the edge of the sea, …
I'm wandering along a sandy, white beach backed with heather covered cliffsides, with rolling green countryside in the distance. There's barely a soul to be seen, and the crash of waves on the beach is hypnotising. Sounds amazing doesn't it? Well it is, but there's just one problem. It is bucketing it down, and I …
This is a guest post from James Greener who tells us all about Roomer, the hotel booking site that allows you to save money on hotel bookings thanks to other people's cancellations. For years, I made good use of a sort of time sharing. My uncle owns some holiday homes around America, and he …
“But how can you afford to travel the world?” That’s the question I get asked most often when I tell people I’m going travelling. I think it’s also what holds most people back from doing the same thing; they’re so worried about the money, that they almost don’t even let themselves think about the incredible …
I’d love to fly first class every time I travel but, the sad reality is, I turn right almost every time I get on a plane. I tell myself I’d rather save my precious pennies and spend them a gorgeous hotel and amazing experiences once I reach my destination. This is true, but I …
You probably already know that I’m an ambassador for Lumix and their range of 4k cameras. Over on my announcement post I gave you a brief introduction to 4k photography but today I’d like to tell you a little more about it – and explain why it’s so flipping fantastic. The main advantage of …
I've just return from India, one of my favourite countries; home to yoga, meditation and my hippie alter-ego! I've been dipping my toes in the Indian Ocean, unrolling my grumbling back onto my yoga mat, and been massaged into blissful oblivion. It takes roughly 24 hours of travelling from the winding, moody Pennines to Manchester, via …
Before I hit the slopes I didn’t think there was much of a different between skiing and snowboarding. Obviously, I know the physical differences but they both seemed to be ways to get you down a snowy mountain, right? Oh no, so wrong. Skiing and snowboarding are both exhilarating winter sports but the attitudes …
Now that the leaves have started to turn those gorgeous shades of gold and deep red, it’s time to get planning! Soon those leaves will be frosty, which means winter is coming, which means....it’s time for your winter city break. Obviously. Need some inspiration? These are my top five stylish weekend breaks for the upcoming season... #1 …
No matter how old I get, I will always be a big fan of celebrating birthdays. Your birthday is the one day of the year when it’s all about you and celebrating your very existence. And if that’s not something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. I’ve been very lucky and I’ve celebrated …
Here at The Travel Hack we like to think we’re great at digging out unusual destinations to add to your travel wish list. We love cities like Paris, Barcelona and London but there’s nothing like visiting a quieter and less known destination for a more authentic and much more affordable option! Today we’d like to …
We all love a good sunset photo. They’re beautiful, vibrant and gorgeously exotic. These days, it’s really easy to snap a great sunset photo thanks to all the apps that make the colours really pop. Here are some of my favourite sunset shots. If you’re a fellow blogger and a fellow sunset enthusiast then …
If you thought Lanzarote was all about beaches and booze and Brits abroad then you can think again. Elle discovered just a few of the amazing sights this tiny island has to offer. Here are 5 of her favourites... When I wrote about whether you should visit Fuerteventura or Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, I …
Our travel hacking expert, Anne, has embarked on a different type of journey as she heads to India to restore her mind, body and soul with Ayurveda. The Ultimate Stress Head It's been a stressful year. Hassles at work, step-mom anxieties, and a long suffering back injury which limits running (my usual stress antidote!) My …
Packing light in autumn becomes inherently more difficult than packing in the summer because warmer clothing tends to be heavier and bulkier. Below are my best tips for packing chilly weather clothing without overpacking. Wear your boots, coat, and hat on the plane. These are often the heaviest items you will bring with you, so …
When we arrived at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu we were told there was a turtle nest on the island and asked if we’d like a phone call if the baby turtles hatched. ‘Yes!!’ we nodded enthusiastically at the thought of seeing baby turtles hatching but were told it was unlikely to happen during our …
It’s time for another #TravelBookChat! This month we’re going to be chatting about Marching Powder, by Rusty Young. This is the true story of Thomas McFadden, an English drug smuggler who was arrested in Bolivia and thrown inside the notorious San Pedro prison. He found himself in a bizarre world, the prison reflecting all that is …
One of the most common emails to ping into my inbox is from girls who really want to travel but have no one to go with. Their friends either aren't interested or can't afford it and the thought of travelling solo is really scary. But it doesn't need to be! Read on to find out …
I’ve just returned from an incredible holiday to Coco Palm Dhuni Kholu in the Maldives. It was one of those dream holidays with beaches that looked like they’d been ripped out of a holiday brochure. White sands, turquoise seas, swaying palms, fresh coconuts, idyllic beach villas and endless sunshine. It had every cliché you could …
If you’re anything like me, you left school, graduated uni, got a job, and started to settle down into what the rest of your life might look like. Only, you’re not quite sure if you’re ready for that yet. You’re getting itchy feet. You dream of far-flung beaches and nameless mountains. Of long-haul flights and …
I have a confession to make: when I was invited to explore the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, I had to go straight to Google Maps to find out where these destinations were. In case you're also wondering, they're in the Canary Islands which, although owned by Spain, are situated off the coast of Morocco. …
It's not often you find somewhere quiet in a city as loud and brash as Bangkok, but stepping behind the grassy wall to the Maduzi Hotel, you could be forgiven for forgetting that you're in the second largest metropolis in Southeast Asia. But here I am after a 22 hour stretch from my door in West …