Source If you like to travel as much as you can, you might find that there are often circumstances which get in the way of that dream. The truth is that life has a way of making it hard to do, and that can be incredibly frustrating when it is all you really want to do with your life. The truth is however that you can easily make travel a lot easier by simply paying attention to a few key things. In this post, we are going to discuss what these are, and see if you can’t make your next trips abroad even more amazing than the last, all by having an easier time of it too. The Beauty Of A ... read more
Taking to the rails with London Midland
I make no secret of the fact that I love train travel. The opportunity to sit and daydream whilst looking out of the windows, combined with the motion of the train is something I've always loved. I've not had the opportunity to do a long train journey for quite a while (although the other half and I are plotting how we can use our Two Together Railcard to enable a cheap weekend somewhere along the Great Western route at some point) and still talk fondly of the mammoth trip I once had to do for work up to Edinburgh and Glasgow by train so when the opportunity came for a bit of solo train travel ... read more
How To Save Money With The London Explorer Pass
London can be an amazing city to visit. It will give you some unique experiences you won't have on any other trip. It is one of the best places in the world for art, culture, and history, and also for nightlife, attractions, shopping, and general fun. However, London can also be very expensive. Whether you are visiting from another part of the UK or from abroad, the cost of going out in London can be high, and even for people who live in London, visiting the biggest attractions can seem extremely expensive. Luckily, there are packages designed to make a day out or a weekend in London as ... read more
Satisfying my little train addict with a Family and Friends Railcard #maketracks
Anyone who knows me will know that Master C is a massive train fan. He's just obsessed with them. One of his most common questions at the moment is "Mummy.... When are we going to do something trainy?" Combine his train addition with my love of all things thrifty, and it will be no surprise to hear how big a fan I am of the Family and Friends Railcard. We've had one since Little Miss C was old enough to need train tickets buying for her (children under the age of five don't need a ticket on most trains) and it must have saved us hundreds and hundreds of pounds in that time. Living in St ... read more
Bringing Holiday Home at the James Villas Crafternoon
Anyone who knows me will know how much I love crafting. Crochet is my proper addiction, but to be honest I'm not fussy as to what craft I turn my hand to, especially if there's someone there to teach me how to do it right. What might come as a bit of a shock though is the fact that since moving house on 1 July I have only picked up a crochet hook once. Once! That's pretty much unheard of in my life, but it's been the reality of a crazily busy couple of months. I'm hoping that life is about to calm down a bit so that I can pick my crochet hook up again soon. Especially as I had a weak ... read more
Reviving that urge to travel
Anyone who follows my Instagram account will have noticed that the regular pictures of my laptop next to a cup of tea in a cafe somewhere have been coming from some different places lately. A rather large change in personal circumstances over the summer has led to moving house and travelling around the UK and slightly further afield a fair bit more. And that looks likely to continue. Before children I travelled loads. Around the UK for my job, all over Europe for work related conferences, but also around Europe and sometimes further for pleasure. I love travelling. Love meeting new people, ... read more
What to take camping – a camping packing list
I like to think that I'm a bit of a seasoned camper now. I've certainly been enough times that I know what I'm doing and perhaps most importantly I know what I think I need to take with me. I know that when we started out camping understanding what kit to buy and take with us was one of the hardest things. I even blogged about how we had what we thought was all the kit, but absolutely no idea if it was what we needed or not. With summer here again, I keep finding myself being asked for advice on what you should take camping so I thought it time to pull it all together into one blog post ... read more
Children And The Canary Islands: Where Should You Go?
Nothing’s better than giving your children the chance to travel. Summer vacations are sure to broaden their horizons and open their eyes. But, it would be naive to think that travelling with children is all plain sailing. Instead of visiting countries for their cultural highlights, you’ll need to find destinations which can keep your kids amused. Otherwise, the vacation is sure to be a failure. Spain’s Canary Islands are always a safe pick for families. They’re popular tourist destinations, and as such, have plenty for kids to do. But, it can be hard to know which of the seven islands ... read more
Travelling in the Middle East – Traditions You Should Know
The Middle East is a part of the Earth that most of us dream about exploring, but travelling there is nothing like spending a couple of weeks in Europe or the United States. Dubai, in particular, is famous for its strict laws, while other countries and states are steeped in tradition that tourists would do well to respect. Islamic countries have come out of celebrating Ramadan, which is when Muslim followers fast during the daylight hours. This means no food, water, swearing or inappropriate thoughts as the sun shines. While Ramadan is one of the more well-known traditions of ... read more
Collecting Memories with Hope House Press
Cast your mind back to April if you can... Back in April the world seemed like a simpler place didn't it? Yes 2016 hadn't started amazingly, some celebrities had died but we had no idea back then that Brexit and Trump would be coming later on to make the world seem like the crazy, crazy place it is today. The other thing that happened back in April is that we all went off on holiday to the Isle of Wight. You may recall that last year I won a whole load of holiday vouchers in some little Facebook competition and so we were lucky enough to be able to book a more trips away than we might ... read more