Our kids were exclusively world schooled ( homeschooled or unschooled) from junior school to the teenager years. It worked out well for all of us and we want to help you find your own paths in alternative education. Every now and then I create a blog post on how world schooling changes with time and […]
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Anti Theft Travel Bags & Devices. Some of the Best
When choosing a bag ( a handbag, travel purse, daypack or backpack) for travel or city use most people will give some thought to security. It makes sense to buy a bag that makes a bag snatcher's or pickpocket's life as hard as possible. We've taken a look at the best anti theft travel bags for travellers, the ones designed to keep your passport, cash and other travel essentials attached to you but all of these anti theft bags work just as well for daily use, anywhere in the world.If you don't have time to read this full post, our top picks are below. One is an anti theft bag for travel, work or city, the other is an anti theft backpacks ideal for city life or travel days. Find full … read full post...
Best Places To Visit in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful and culturally rich places on the planet. It's one of my personal favourites of the 50+ countries we've visited and I can't recommend it highly enough for your long-term travel or holiday vacation. This post deals with best places to visit in Sri Lanka, the best attractions and historic sites. We have a Sri Lanka travel home page that can help you with all aspects of travel in Sri Lanka including health, visas, practicalities and so on ( click through on the link above) this post is just about places to see and to visit.One of you, our readers, asked me to write this post for them. I don't mind doing this at all, so if you have any questions … read full post...
London With Kids
Of all the cities in the world, London is my top pick for children because of the wealth of things to do in the UK's capital, many of them free. Of course London can be expensive too, be ready for that, but the devalued pound and good exchange rates could help foreign visitors a lot. Flights to London have become more affordable lately, download the Free Skyscanner App here and take a look. Some ideas, tips, reviews and guides on London with children, 2019 updated, some are my own childhood favourites, some are things and places my kids loved in London. Visiting London with children by a Londoner, a local, a returned expat and a full-time professional traveller.We returned to live … read full post...
Travel Essentials I Couldn’t Travel Without 2019
It's been 6 years on the road now, what are our travel essentials and what should we have left at home? I spent 12 months thinking about what to pack for this, now epic, RTW trip. I wrote a few posts about travel gear and what I was probably going to pack as a way of getting it straight in my head and curing my terrible packing anxiety. When crunch time came I took a lot less stuff than I had planned. We were packing for world travel, but the same items are essential no matter what kind of travel you're planning. We hope our experiences learning what's essential, what's not, are helpful to you.We were travelling without my husband for the firsts 6 weeks of our … read full post...
Thailand With Kids. No Worries!
Are you worrying about travelling to Thailand with kids? We can help you with that. If you'd like to dip your toe in the water of Asian family travel, taking kids to Thailand would be my top recommendation. We have been to Thailand 20+ times, each trip has been fabulous and problems have been few. Hopefully we can help you get your family to Thailand.First let me say hi, my name is Alyson and I've taken my kids to amazing destinations on every continent bar Antarctica. Sometimes I write guides and how-to pieces, sometimes travel stories, sometimes I'm a travel consultant, sometimes just a mum. Have a look around our site when you're done with this Thailand with kids blog and sign up to … read full post...
Europe Travel Blog, Guide & Tips 2019
Europe travel tips, destinations and guides. Collected blog posts on travel in Europe, from living in London and Romania and driving the full length of Europe, often. Also from visiting the tourist hot-spots of Europe that we'd stop at along the way. What about you ? What are your Europe plans ? Are you just starting to consider a first time visit to Europe or will this be a return trip ? Do you live in Europe and want to see more of the continent of Europe ? We hope to be able to help you with any aspect of travel in Europe, from this page. You'll find Europe travel tips and ideas below as well as more detailed information on some of the best places in Europe for you to see.This … read full post...
How to Make Money Travel Blogging ( From Someone Who Does)
I'm asked all the time so here are my best tips on how to make money travel blogging. Blogging funds our life, 2 adults, 2 kids now almost grown, full time travel. Travel blogging and running this travel blog allowed us to see the world. We're 100% legitimate and the money comes from the blog, not selling courses. We genuinely love travel and sharing the world with our readers, we're going to continue to be travel bloggers not course sellers. So here are some pointers and tips to help you make an income from your blog or website.These tips aren't in any particular order and not in huge detail because I'm not writing a book here, but I hope you find these useful.Our story is simple, we … read full post...
Vietnam Travel Blog and Guide
Vietnam is one of our favourite countries, packed with history, stunning landscapes, cultural highlights and amazing food. It's one of the most exciting destinations in South East Asia.We visited back in 1999 for the first time and recently we headed back there to create this Vietnam Travel Blog section for you. We had the luxury of time and 2 x 3 month visas to really get to know Vietnam and share it with you.In this post we'll look at places to go in Vietnam, itinerary ideas, where to stay and how to travel in Vietnam. Links here will take you to more detailed posts. We hope you find our Vietnam tips and guides useful in planning your travel, vacation or holiday in … read full post...
GetYourGuide Review. Why We Use GetYourGuide
We've been travelling and taking tours for over 5 years now and more and more we're using GetYourGuide to reliably get us to the places we want to go, on the day that fits with our schedule. We're savvy travellers and we like a bargain, so why, and when, do we use GetYourGuide to book the tours and experiences we need? Also, why is GetYourGuide often our first port of call when researching what to do in a new global location? We present you with a GetYourGuide review to help you decide if this is the reliable tour company you should use, information on Get Your Guide Dubai and Vietnam along with Get Your Guide Harry Potter Tours. Other tour companies and online providers exist, but … read full post...
Breb Maramures. Our Incredible Village in Romania
In the far north of Romania, nestled in a valley below a long extinct volcano, lies the little village of Breb Maramures County. We first came to Romania, Maramures and Breb in May 2015 and fell in love. Today, we are still unable to fully call it home due to visas and officialdom, but to us it feels like home. It's the place that after 50+ countries and 6 years of full time travel, we really want to be.So here, a brief glimpse of life in Breb, 2 Easters, 2 Christmases, 2 harsh winters and 2 glorious summers, absorbing the stunning countryside, the way of life and the traditions of the village of Breb. Breb Maramures Maramures is a magical county, it's famously home to the "last peasant … read full post...
5 Best Portable Battery Packs for Travel
With more and more travel essential gadgets requiring charging, it's little wonder that people are turning to portable battery packs to help fill the power gap when travelling. Be aware that not all battery packs are created equal in build, quality or price. Below I've listed 5 of the most common and widely regarded best chargers on the market at multiple price points. We carry several portable battery packs when we travel, including traditional and solar powered types. We use them for charging phones, Kindles, Nintendo DS, even laptops on the road. If your travel plans involve long journeys or locations and countries where power availability will be an issue, you should most certainly be … read full post...
Getting a Traditional Thai Tattoo in Bangkok
I've got my traditional Thai tattoo, it's hours old and I love it. It's about hand-sized, in the middle of my back and it holds a deep meaning. It was created by a master ajarn with a traditional metal spike. It hurt, only a little. Want to know more? There is a lot more to the experience than just turning up at a tattoo shop and picking your design. Sak Yant, the ancient tattoos of Thailand and nearby parts of South East Asia, should be a bit more special than that. This is how I got my traditional Thai tattoo in Bangkok, from a master, with a personal consultation, blessings and prayers, and how you can too. I'm a 50-year-old woman, a mum, this isn't just for men and it's not just for the … read full post...
How to Travel With Carry On Only
If you've been following us right from the start, you'll know that I always said I'd never travel with carry on only. I even wrote a post about why we'd never travel light. We just had too much stuff as long-term travellers and the children were too small for their own, decent sized, packs. Well that was then, this is now and lately we've turned to carry on only travel and become quite proficient as our circumstances have changed.These days we're more like you, we're taking shorter trips and we have our home base in beautiful Romania to stash the toys and school books along with the all-weather travel gear. We no longer need to carry everything, everywhere and that's a relief as carry on … read full post...
How to Save Money on Flights with Skyscanner – But Should You?
Of all the tools we used for finding bargains in the travel world, Skyscanner was number 1, until the day we found ourselves at the check in desk with non-existent tickets. That update and scam warning is further down the page. Our tips on how to save money still stand and are here for you to use. Skyscanner is a great tool, but beware certain 3rd party ticket vendors - Skyscanner have contacted me and this vendor was removed from its databases. So go ahead and open Skyscanner right here, ( in a separate window) I'll give you some tips. Through using Skyscanner and the tips here we saved ourselves £100 per person, £300 total, on our flight to Sri Lanka.Let's take a look at how to use … read full post...
Christmas Gifts for Kids and Families who Travel
If you are keen world travellers or you know a travelling family, you'll like our ideas for Christmas travel gifts for kids and families.In this post we include travel related gifts, often educational, as well as small gifts to pack in a suitcase or backpack for children and families on the road. We have practical, fun and useful gifts for kids who travel or love to travel.Buying travel gifts for kids on the move is tricky, will they take their gift with them, or leave it at home through lack of space?We know what gifts have worked for our kids and which we've gladly received as a family, from expensive main presents to stocking fillers, from toddlers to tweens and … read full post...
Dubai Travel Blog and Guide
It was love at first sight for us in Dubai. From the moment you leave the airport, Dubai is one big wow. We posted about our fantastically fun camel-riding, belly-dancing, dune-jumping adventure in the desert. We've told you about the cultural heritage tour that took us beyond the glitz into the living heart of Old Dubai. I may have mentioned, more than once, what an incredible experience seeing the dancing fountains at the Burj Kalifa was. Now some tips, guides, things to do, places to stay and more on our Dubai travel round up and blog page. The problem with Dubai is, you need a month to see and do it all. We can't say we've been there that long, but we've been there 3 … read full post...
Amphawa Floating Market Travel Guide and Review
Amphawa Floating Market is one of Thailand's best floating markets and is an easy distance from Bangkok for a day trip, weekend or overnight stay. It's in a lovely part of Thailand, Samut Songkhram and this area is worth your time. Amphawa Floating Markets are open on the weekends, Friday to Sunday and they are afternoon / evening markets. They officially open between 2pm and 8pm. They are also open on Thai holidays. Read more on the markets below, how to visit, tours, why you should visit and more information on other floating markets in Thailand.Everyone has heard of Thailand's floating markets and many visitors take an organised tour to the tourist Mecca, Damnoen Saduak. There … read full post...
Thai Food for Beginners
What is Thai food? Most of us know these days. Many have eaten Thai food in a restaurant at least once, so maybe a guide to Thai food for beginners is a little redundant. All the same, Chef and I thought we'd put together a beginner's guide to Thai food to help you out if Travel in Thailand is new to you. Maybe you're taking kids to Thailand ( great plan!) and wondering what they can eat, or maybe you want to try cooking Thai food and aren't sure where to start. Maybe you're just visiting a Thai restaurant for the first time and need to know what to order. This guide to Thai food is for you.Thai Food for beginners, it all starts with the ingredients.There is a lot of bad Thai … read full post...
Bali with Kids
Visiting Bali with kids is relatively easy and there is plenty for children to enjoy on this amazing little island. In this post we look at where to stay, things to do,temples, attractions, food in Bali for kids and more. Check out the video my son made of the Bali snorkel tour recently, it's further down the page. If you have any questions on Bali with kids please put them in the comments.I would say that Bali and Thailand are the two easiest places we have travelled in South East Asia with children because of their well established tourist infrastructure and good facilities.Bali must be one of our favorite family destinations so far, we have spent time exploring the island, … read full post...
Cardiff, Wales at Christmas. Winter Wonderland!
A look at Cardiff at Christmas, Cardiff's Winter Wonderland 2019, things to do in Cardiff at Christmas, where to stay, what to eat, winter weather and what to wear in Cardiff and Welsh Christmas traditions. I'm a Cardiff girl, and a traveller, we don't live in Cardiff these days but we love going home to Cardiff Wales at Christmas time.Enjoying Cardiff at ChristmasWell, it didn't snow. But our recent Christmas in Cardiff, Wales was nothing short of fabulous. I've mentioned before on our Facebook page that Cardiff does Christmas well, it really does. From the spectacular Christmas lights, to the festive market to the official Cardiff Winter Wonderland that stands outside Cardiff … read full post...
Sri Lanka with Kids
Sri Lanka is a justifiably popular holiday destination for people of many nationalities. But Sri Lanka with kids? Does that work? Is Sri Lanka a good destination for families, toddlers, babies or children of any age? We've taken our kids to Sri Lanka many times and it's been great. So let us help put your mind at rest about trying a holiday in Sri Lanka with kids. I promise to keep it real and honest. I'll give you the good and the bad of family travel in Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka With Kids, Is It Sensible?Yes, it is, millions of holiday makers go to Sri Lanka every year and many of them are families, but Sri Lanka isn't as easy and child friendly as other holiday or vacation … read full post...
Nagarkot Nepal 2019
Nagarkot Nepal is a village on the rim of the Kathmandu Valley just under 30 Km from Kathmandu, 14 Km from Bhaktapur. It famously offers stunning Himalayan views and some nice shorter treks. You can get to Nagarkot from Kathmandu by road in under 2 hours, depending on traffic. It is possible to see Mount Everest from here and sunrise and sunset mountain watching is most popular. At certain times of the year the view will be better than others. Its population is just under 4,000 and there are plenty of hotels, some luxury, and small guest houses. Read about our experiences visiting Nagarkot and decide if you'd like to visit while you're in Nepal.Nagarkot is a funny little place. I would … read full post...