New York is one of the most exciting cities on the planet. Fact. Not only is it crammed full of cultural and historical attractions, has a delectable culinary scene and is home to some of the United States’ most eclectic neighbourhoods, The Big Apple is also one of the best places in the world for …
Since becoming a mum my favourite hobby is taking photos of George. George in the bath, George sleeping, George feeding, George aimlessly staring into space. George pretty much doing anything! Rather than let all these photos float away into the cloud, never to be seen again, I’ve decided to do something with them a create …
Fancy getting your hands on a Milestone Gravitate Activity Tracker? Enter now via the app below. All you need to do follow The Travel Hack on Facebook. You can gain extra entries by sharing the competition on Twitter, Facebook or via email. You can find out more about the Milestone Gravitate Activity Tracker in my full review. a Rafflecopter …
Now that I’ve had a baby I feel like I’m allowed to say the following: Sometimes I hate kids. Don’t get me wrong, I usually love kids. Their chubby little faces and adorable giggles are just too cute for words, but there’s a time and a place for this cuteness and sometimes I don’t want …
Last October I went to Egypt for a good old fashioned relaxing beach holiday. We spent long, lazy days swimming, sunbathing, reading and munching our way through the extensive buffet. It was amazing but I could only do this for a few days before I started to get itchy feet. We were in Egypt and …
I know what you’re thinking. You can’t possibly charter a private jet without breaking the bank. Private jets cost tens of thousands of pounds making them strictly out of bounds for anyone but the uber rich and famous. But what if I were to tell you that there is a way for normal people to …
The USA is massive, and there is more to explore than you could ever fit into one trip. But there are a few more obvious items that you might already know you want to do and if you’re reading this post then I’ll assume that the iconic road trip is one of them. Taking a …
The impressive sight of Mt Kinabalu from the bottom Mount Kinabalu is in the highest mountain in Borneo and the 20th highest mountain in the world. It stands tall and proud at 4,095 meters high (13,459ft) and is an 8.7 kilometre trek in total. Most people prefer to spread the walk over two days and …
Do you remember me telling you last month about the Corinthia Hotel sale? They have some great offers with 50% off many of their gorgeous European properties. And do you know what, the sale has been extended until the end of March! So today I wanted to tell you about one of their properties in …
It’s been a couple of years now since I completed my NCTJ journalism course and I still get lots of emails from readers who ask me if I think it was worth it. One question I’m regularly asked is if it’s worth doing for someone who would like to become a professional blogger. It’s hard …
If you missed last week’s #TravelBookChat on Twitter, do not fear because Jayne has put together a great roundup on Girl Tweets World. #TravelBookChat Australia Round Up & Reading List The book we read for February was Tracks by Robyn Davidson, an autobiographic book about Robyn’s time walking across Australia’s outback with nothing but her …
Today’s post is from Jess Signut and is all about the gorgeous island of Jamaica… 1. Can you tell us how you came to know Jamaica so well? Jamaica has been one of my favourite places since I was little. When I was younger, my uncle was married in Jamaica so my parents and …
Calling all book worms and travel lovers! #TravelBookChat, the Twitter chat all about travel and books, is back. This is the chat for anyone who loves reading but also loves the sociable side of books. Reading is a solitary activity but it’s so nice to have someone to share the experience with during and after …
Do you remember a few weeks ago when I asked in my weekly email if you had any travel questions you’d like me to answer on the blog? One of the first questions to come through was from Nadia and she asked how she can maintain a travel lifestyle when her long term boyfriend wants …
Welcome to the first edition of Friday 5’s. This is a new weekly feature on The Travel Hack (or possibly bi-weekly feature once baby arrives!) with 5 things I’ve loved this week. I’m always coming across quick and simple things I want to share on the blog but they’re not quite enough for a blog …
“I can’t believe I made that! Look, look, I made that!” I was beaming with pride like a child who had just painted their first picture. I looked around at my fellow bloggers who had mixed expressions. Some were smiling fondly at their California rolls like proud parents while others looked completely bewildered as their …
If you’re looking for a perfectly located and budget friendly hotel in London then you can’t go wrong with Mercure London Bridge. It’s stylish, friendly, clean and comfortable and most of the rooms have been recently refurbished so they’re modern and sleek. This isn’t a ‘blow your socks off’ boutique hotel, but it’s the kind …
I was going to name this article something along the lines of ‘Oh em gee, I’ve found paradise’, but no one ever really believes in a paradise island until they’ve seen it for themselves. I also didn’t want to be one of those travellers who throw around the ‘P’ word like it’s no big deal …
Today’s post comes from Lucy, a journalist, blogger and adopted Brixtonite. Here she presents the insider’s guide to her neighbourhood in Brixton… 1. Can you begin by telling us how/why you’re a Brixton expert? I’ve lived in Brixton for two years and either spend time in Brixton or travel through the area every day. I’ll …
January and February are two of the most depressing months of the year. Well, it is for us Brits who are stuck with cold and miserable weather, dark evenings and unpredictable snow storms. And the summer still seems so far away… I’ve been obsessively stalking my friends and family in Australia and drooling over their …
We all love a good travel competition, especially when there’s an awesome prize involved. And when I say awesome, I really mean it. Today I want to tell you about Mercure Hotel’s #6FriendsTheory competition. I popped down to London last Friday to find out all about the competition and for a fabulous night out with …
Since I’ve been writing these blog posts about how to travel more, I’ve noticed a common theme in the comments. Lots of people want to travel more but they have no one to travel with and they don’t want to travel alone. This is a problem and something all travel lovers face at some point. …
I know, I know, it’s not exactly bikini season for us poor people in the UK but it’s never too early to start thinking about beach holidays. Today I’d like to introduce you to Kini Swimwear, an Australian brand selling custom-made swimwear. Yes, that’s right, you can design your own swimwear! When it comes to …
Today’s post is by Lizze Benton as she gives us an insider’s guide to the gorgeous village of Chatel in the French Alps. I don’t know about you but this really makes me want to grab my skis and spend a week feasting on cheesy fondues! 1. Can you tell us how you came to …
Today I’d like to introduce you to a new hotel booking site, Yonderbound. I know, I know. There are so many hotel booking websites out there already, why would you consider using another? Trust me, this new one is worth taking a look at. Yonderbound is somewhere between a regular booking website and Pinterest (and …
I receive lots of travel related questions from readers of The Travel Hack but I was sent one last week that stumped me and it’s a question that I should really know the answer to: “What’s the best way to look after your money while you’re travelling?” I travel all the time, I should know …
Yes, that’s right. As of next month I will be a full time blogger and social media consultant. *Cue excitement and uncontrollable jumping up and down. *Closely followed by wide eyed fear and a little voice at the back of my head that is asking what the hell I just did? Before I begin I …
As a frequent flier I spend A LOT of time in airports. I’ve been pretty lucky and haven’t had too many flights cancelled but I have had a lot of delayed flights. I used to find it really frustrating but I’ve learnt to chill out whenever my flight is delayed. There’s no point in getting …
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying a fabulous Christmas break and you’re all sporting pudgy Christmas bellies filled with mince pies and far too many turkey sandwiches. Today’s post is a little update and some very scary news… I think I might be an adult. I know I’m 27 years old so, technically, …
I usually feel sadly nostalgic at the end of the year. It’s another year gone and, even if it’s been an incredible year, there’s something sad about time passing and the years ticking by. This year I’m trying to be more positive and optimistic, which isn’t hard because I’m so flipping excited about 2015. A …
This is a luggage review for all the backpackers and adventurous travellers out there. I’ve recently been testing out the SMASHII Anti Theft Rucksack, a super secure backpack perfect for long-term backpackers and flashpackers. I’ve included flashpackers because as a self confessed flashpacker I know how many gadgets we have so we need somewhere safe …
This weekend I travelled to Gothenburg, Sweden’s second city and the home of Scandinavia’s largest Christmas market. Gothenburg is a small city so it’s perfect for a weekend away. There’s lots to see and do but not so much that you feel overwhelmed or like you can’t possibly see everything. I loved the quaint charm of …
Some people are ‘all-inclusive people’ and some people just aren’t. Some people love the long, lazy days, extravagant buffets and the stress free relaxation. Other people can’t think of anything worse than being confined to the same hotel for a week or more. But there are some people, like me, who sit somewhere in the …
This week I’ve been testing the new UPP fuel cell, a portable power cell to give you up to one week’s worth of power to your devices. If anyone else out there is as geeky as I am, you’ll be getting pretty excited right now. This sounds like a modern and convenient device but is …
‘What would you do if you had £500 to spend on a UK adventure?’ This is the question put to all of us by UNIQLO for their latest #ULDadventure competition. (More about the competition at the end of this post) I’m a big fan of a good old staycation and I really believe we have …
Vlogging, or video blogging, has become my latest obsession. I’ve always loved being able to read about other people’s travel adventures but being able to watch their adventures is even better. The only problem with travel vlogging is that it’s hard, really hard, so there aren’t many great travel vloggers in comparison to the number …
Sunset Sunday is in dedication to all the beautiful sunsets around the world. Sometimes we’re so busy that we don’t get the chance to really appreciate how gorgeous the sunset is so I’d like everyone to start noticing! Stop what you’re doing for a few moments and look at all the amazing colours of the …
Sunset Sunday is in dedication to all the beautiful sunsets around the world. Sometimes we’re so busy that we don’t get the chance to really appreciate how gorgeous the sunset is so I’d like everyone to start noticing! Stop what you’re doing for a few moments and look at all the amazing colours of the …
Last month I travelled to Turin in Italy for the launch of Lavazza’s latest calendar. This isn’t the kind of trip I normally take but the photos were taken by Steve McCurry and I’m a huge fan of his travel photography. I was also keen to find out more about this year’s calenadar theme, Earth Defenders. Lavazza produce a …
Life is so much easier when you travel with a tablet. When I went backpacking in 2009 I didn’t even have a smartphone, never mind a tablet, but I can’t imagine travelling without one now. Here are some of the things I use my tablet for while I travel: To store all your documents and …