Before I begin, I’ve got to tell you that I’m not a perfect traveller in any way. I often overpack. Sometimes I cave and order a room service burger instead of going out. I’ve turned up in new cities and known nothing about the local culture or the things to see and do. I’ve …
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Have you ever been to Morocco? I absolutely fell in love with the country when I visited a couple of years ago. I arrived into Marrakesh and was blown away by the bustling chaos of the colourful city. I loved the sensory overload of the city with the smoky incense, the expressive haggling, the spices, …
I arrived in Timisoara, Romania with no pre-conceived ideas about the city so I really didn’t know what to expect. This was a new destination for me and I didn’t know anyone else who had visiting Timisoara. In fact, most people I spoke to had never heard of it! Of course, I’d searched through Google …
Did you see Tuesday’s post with an introduction to the French campsites, Les Castels? Check it out if you’ve never heard of Les Castels before. Les Castels are gorgeous camping grounds all around France set within the grounds of stunning chateaux’s. Last summer I travelled to France for one week and visited three Les Castels …
When I was younger I watched hundreds of American movies and TV shows about kids going to summer camp. These idyllic summer woodland camps set next to a lake looked like the most amazing places to spend the summer and I was so upset we didn’t have them in the UK. The kids stayed in …
Are you looking for ideas about how to give a holiday as a gift!? Well you are in the right place! I have so many fun, thoughtful, exciting and easy ways to present a holiday as a gift. I’ve written lots of travel themed gift guides over the years but, realistically, the best gift you …
Taking time out to go travelling doesn’t have to mean taking a career break. There’s plenty of ways you can see the world and still further your career at the same time. I’m of the opinion that going travelling proves initiative and a willingness to expand your horizons, but I understand when people are reluctant …
Did you see my last posts about why I think Valencia is the perfect destination for a weekend escape? If you didn’t, check that out first! I fell head over heels in love with Valencia, Spain’s third city. I had a little longer than a weekend in Valencia but it’s the perfect city for a …
I was getting really nervous about visiting the Maldives with a baby. When I told other people we were coming here with a six-month-old they all had one of two responses. It went like this… “Are you crazy!? It’s such a long flight and it isn’t very baby friendly.” Or “You’re brave. It’s such a …
Travelling with a baby is a whole new adventure in every way possible. Navigating the airport, let alone a new destination, is an experience and with each new trip comes a whole host of learning for future ones. Before my baby came along, travelling to and from a destination could be tricky anyway! It’s taken …
Hands up if you’ve got a long haul summer holiday coming up!? Oooh you lucky thing, I hope you’re jetting off somewhere fabulous! As your departure date gets closer I’m sure you’re going to start thinking about packing so I’m here today to share my tips. I used to be terrible at packing and would …
If you’re lucky and you feel well enough to travel while you’re pregnant then there is nothing stopping you travelling the world. Most airlines restrict travel after 36 weeks (for an uncomplicated single pregnancy) but until then, the world is your oyster. Today we’re sharing our pregnancy travel essentials to help you travel in stress-free …
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’re well and enjoyed the Christmas festivities. It feels strange for it all to be over so suddenly. One minute we’re knee deep in mince pies, fairy lights and panic buying presents. The next minute we’re all detoxing and dieting, saving money and digging out our running shoes. I’m …
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while then you’ll have seen me mention the #Take12Trips Challenge at the start of each year. As it’s a 12 month challenge, January feels like the perfect time of year to begin! #Take12Trips is a challenge to take a ‘trip’ once a month for an entire year. …
Glasgow is a city I’ve always been intrigued by. I’ve heard mixed reports from the previous European Capital of Culture so when Thistle Glasgow and Red Spotted Hanky joined together to organise a bloggers trip to Glasgow, I jumped at the chance to decide once and for all if Glasgow is a city worth seeing. Update: …
Earlier this year, Elle visited Ras Al Khaimah, a little-known gem in the UAE. We think you need to get Ras Al Khaimah on your bucket list before this secret destination gets on the radar of travel lovers worldwide…. Check out Southall Travel’s 5* holidays to Ras Al Khaimah for more info. Now it’s over to …
Today is Blue Monday, officially the most depressing day of the year. Just typing those words is making me feel depressed. We’re currently stuck in this miserable winter limbo where Christmas feels like so long ago and spring seems so far away. Looking out the window at those dreary grey skies and bare trees shivering …
Dubai is a place that has always intrigued me but it wasn’t until recently that it made it onto my travel bucket list. Elle visited Dubai last summer and her gorgeous photos blew me away. It was the contrast between the sleek and modern and the more traditional side to the city that really caught …
Hi everyone, it’s George (otherwise known as The Tiny Travel Hack) here today. My mum has asked me to write a packing post with all the things I think you should pack for a baby’s summer holiday. We know there are lots of lucky babies heading on exotic holidays this summer because you’ve been emailing …
Woohoo, you’re going on holiday to the Maldives! You’re going to have the best time ever. You may think that all you’ll need to pack for a holiday to the Maldives would be your swimsuit and your suntan lotion. These will definitely be high on your list but there are a few extras you’ll definitely …
Backpacking is a style of travelling where you travel on a budget, usually for a couple of months or longer, with a very loose itinerary but often without any fixed plans or schedules. Backpacking is awesome. I’m more of a flashpacker these days but my heart still lies in this carefree travel style. But I …
I wrote this post after many requests from new mammas, soon-to-be mammas and people considering being mammas in the very distant future. “What’s it really like to travel with a baby?’ they’ve been asking. “Come on, tell us the truth!” So here goes, the good, the bad and the ugly when travelling with a baby …
If you’re the kind of person who loves their annual ski holiday and can’t imagine skipping it, but also can’t imagine how you’d cope on a ski holiday with a baby or a toddler then this is for you! We’ve just returned from a family ski holiday to Les Gets in France with our two …
No matter how old your children are I think it’s really important to travel with them. I do think kids learn a lot through their travel experiences but it’s more than that. Holidays are one of the only times when parents dedicate 100% of their time to relaxing and having fun. There’s no work, no …
What not to pack for travelling I moved house recently and I came across the battered and bruised backpack I used for my two year trip around Asia and Australia. Prior to the trip I spent more than a year planning and plotting and excitedly scouring the internet for tips and advice. A lot of …
Whether you’re just starting out with your blog or you want to turn your blog into your full time career, I have lots of blog posts crammed with my blogging tips and advice. Maybe you’d like to set up a blog as a creative online scrapbook or a platform to advertise your businesses, I cannot …
I find that searching for accommodation and finding ways to save money when booking hotels to be the hardest part of holiday planning. There are so many gorgeous hotels, so many websites to book them on and lots of confusing reviews. The hotel is often the most expensive part of the trip so it’s really …
Today’s post is from Paula from Through the Looking Glass and is her survival guide to Songkran Festival in Thailand. Get this festival on your bucket list because it sounds amazing! Songkran festival in Thailand is the Buddhist equivalent of our New Year celebrations, and officially takes place over the 3 days from 13th-15th April. …
Whether you’ve got kids in full time education, you’re a teacher limited by holiday periods or you simply want to travel when the weather is at its best, then travelling during the peak holiday season is mostly unavoidable. Travelling during the peak season, during the school holidays or on public holidays comes at a cost. You’ll …
We all know that travel hacking in the US is big business and many travel hacking experts are reaping the rewards. They’re spending money wisely, using the right credit cards or loyalty cards in all the right places and benefiting from discounted travel and free upgrades. But travel hacking in the UK doesn’t seem to …
Welcome to the second post in our series of Christmas gift guides. Last year, I put together a Christmas gift guide for travel lovers so this year there are going to be lots of guides for different types of travellers and travel lovers. First up, we’ve got the Christmas gift guide for bloggers. My Passport …
“You may well return from your holiday thinking Slovenia is the prettiest country you’ve ever seen.” I read this in the Lonely Planet on my flight out here and I couldn’t agree more. When it comes to first impressions, Slovenia has well and truly blown me away. It’s picked me up and spun me …
The worst thing that happened while I was travelling I spent nearly 2 years travelling through SE Asia and Australia and I was actually really lucky – barely anything went wrong. I was never disastrously ill or mugged. I never ran out of money or had to spend a night sleeping on the streets. I …
Wales is my favourite place for a short break or a weekend away. I’m always surprised by how beautiful this little country is and the small size makes it easy to discover a lot in a short space of time. Road tripping is the best way to discover Wales and I love nothing better than …
Why is it that travelling far away always seems so much more exotic than travelling close to home? What is it that makes us want to spend hours in the car, hours queueing at airports, hours crammed onto tiny planes and hours waiting to get through immigration when we could travel to very similar places, …
The Florida Keys are a chain of islands at the southern tip of Florida and they’re often referred to as the American Caribbean. Life revolves around the white sandy beaches, the warm blue sea and the gorgeous scenery. The average temperature is 25.5 degrees C so it’s not surprising you’ll find most people outdoors. I …
During my recent trip to Southern France I spent an amazing day in Avignon in Provence. I fell head over heels in love with Avignon and it’s now firmly on my list of ‘Places I need to go back to ASAP!’ (Yes, I actually have this list) Avignon is a historic city best known for …
I love using travel blogs to research destinations. Blogs have the personal opinion and authenticity most guidebooks are missing and it’s great finding a likeminded to make suggestions you know you’ll love. I used loads of travel blogs when researching my trip to Budapest. I’ve collated some of the best travel blog posts about Budapest …
Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia. Back in 2015 it received the title of ‘top country to visit’ from Lonely Planet and today it boasts a tropical climate, a multicultural population and the long list of things to do in Singapore will shock any tourist visiting the city. The sheer volume of activities, places …
It’s fairly common knowledge that Singapore is a great stopover destination, especially for those venturing to or from Australia or New Zealand. Singapore’s airport, Changi, is a veritable playground for in-transit passengers, as proven by the fact that it constantly tops lists of best airports in the world. It’s a lesser known fact, however, that …