Nagarkot is a funny little place. I would have loved to see it 20+ years ago before mass tourism took hold. Was there anything there back then? Today it seems that every building is a hotel. Precarious-looking multi-story guest houses cling to the mountain sides promising spectacular Everest range views. Other than these there are a few wood and corrugated iron shacks, a handful of shops, … [Read Blog...]
Featured : Sri Lanka Guide
Sri Lanka Travel Blog & Guide
Sri Lanka travel blog, for single, couple and family travellers. All our Sri Lanka blog posts, tips, advice, essentials and recommendations in one blog page. This page ties information together, easier for you to find for your Sri Lanka holiday. How we can help you: Costs of travelling in Sri Lanka. Ideas on where to go in Sri Lanka, beaches and cultural. What are the big, … read the blog...
Featured: Vietnam Travel
Vietnam Travel Blog and Guide 2018
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 on our first RTW and in 2017 and 2018 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 … [Read Blog...]
Travel Gear Recommendations for Family Travellers
Trekking Watches. Some of the Best 2018
Trekking watches have made huge advances in the last 5 years. With the invention and continued improvement of GPS based watches they are now more accessible to more people. You can still get great trekking watches without GPS capabilities and I've listed a few favourites below but for me the best trekking watchs should have GPS capabilities along … More travel gear..
How to Use Less Plastic When You Travel
One of the things that really bugs me about travelling, which has been particularly noticeable in South East Asia and Egypt, is the vast amount of plastic trash that we, the population generate. We, as travellers, are in danger of making the plastic problem even worse. That is not OK. I think by modelling better behaviours maybe we can get others … More travel gear..
Long Term Family Travel Realities
Our Self Indulgent Lifestyle
An anonymous commentator dropping their venom under a fake email address felt the need to call our ( 5 + years of travel) lifestyle self-indulgent after we were stranded at an airport recently. So is it? Is our lifestyle self-indulgent? Maybe it is, I actually don't see that as an insult nor anything to be ashamed of. I'm not Mother Theresa nor do … [Read Blog...]
Cancelled Flights Go To Gate London to Dubai, Pegasus and Emirates
Yes, it happened. Yesterday was the day we never anticipated. After 5 and a half years of full time travel we met our first major airport related problem. We turned up to board our flight to be told that no, actually, we weren't getting on their plane today. Our tickets didn't exist, our flights had been cancelled and we were standing there at the … [Read Blog...]
Why Do People Travel ? Because it’s Better Than Staying Home!
What are the benefits of travel, why do we like to travel, what is the purpose or point of travelling and why should we all try to travel abroad or overseas? Top reasons nowadays, below. People ask this all the time. I have one very good friend who just doesn't get it at all, that's OK, it's not for everyone, but I've been thinking about the whys. … [Read Blog...]
The Life I Don’t Want- When a Travelling Lifestyle Sucks
These last 6 weeks in London have been tedious beyond belief and I've only just, this morning, realised that they have been a sharp reminder of the life I, we, don't want. We've been in a house sit and then an AirBnb. Neither are great locations, way too far out of London to make going into town anything less than a major mission and they come with … [Read Blog...]
Travel Blog Latest…
Favourite and Recommended Hotels, Hostels and Guest Houses in Southeast Asia
It's time for us to write a post on our favourite and recommended hotels, hostels and guest houses in Southeast Asia. We've been travelling the world for 5 years now and a lot of that time has been spent in Southeast Asia, some of these places we've used multiple times, others we've used once and really loved them. All are at the lower cost end of the price spectrum but not necessarily ultra budget. They do however, we think, offer good value. We're about to visit Thailand for the 24 th time and will probably pick one of the 2 properties listed below. We return to the same hotels or hostels time and time again. They are 2nd homes to us with good wifi, good food and comfortable accommodation …
One Year Around The World 2017
Another full year of travel completed. Where did we go? What were our milestones, highlights and low points? How did we do it and how did we keep it affordable? What goes into our planning process and how do we cope as a family with full time travel around the world? A recap of 2017, with links to key posts and sections. We hope we can inspire, encourage and help you to travel further, deeper and longer by sharing our adventures with you. It may look like a millionaire lifestyle, but our brand of travel and this one year around the world ( our 4th) really costs very little and gives us, and could give you, so much. 2017, One Year of Travel, How Many Countries? There was only 1 new country …
Anti Theft Travel Bags & Devices 2018. Some of the Best
When choosing a bag ( a handbag, 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 small valuables 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 bacpack ideal for city life or travel days. Find full descriptions and …
Best Family Hotels in Bangkok. Reviews and Recommendations
It's hard to know where to stay in Bangkok and finding family accommodation in Thailand's vibrant capital is harder still. We're hunting for the best family hotels in Bangkok at every price point, budget guest house, hostel, mid range hotel and luxury resort because we travel all ways. Many hotels cater for singles and couples, but we've searched for the best hotels with family rooms or suites, tried many and can share our reviews and recommendations here with you. We've found the hotels with the family facilities and the family-friendly establishments from budget to luxury. We list family-friendly hostels that have private family rooms here too, they are often a good choice and there are a …
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. Travel is more of a holiday or vacation for us now, rather than our …
How to Save Money on Flights with Skyscanner 2018
Of all the tools we use for finding bargains in the travel world, Skyscanner is number 1. This week we saved ourselves £100 per person, £300 total, on our flight to Sri Lanka, just through using the Skyscanner tips we share here. Let's take a look at how to use Skyscanner to scan flights and find the best bargains. We still prefer Skyscanner to new flight comparison tools, including Kiwi, it also often gives us cheaper prices than going direct to the airlines themselves. Skyscanner Tips, Tricks and Hacks to Save Money On Flights We all want to save money on flights, right? Let me walk you through a few Skyscanner tips. Of course, you need to be flexible, if you need a direct …
Christmas Gifts for Kids and Families who Travel 2018
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 teens. We've been …
Bhaktapur Nepal- Staying and Visiting
Bhaktapur is a lot quieter than Kathmandu and has the third, less visited, Durbar square of the Kathmandu Valley. All are UNESCO listed, all are magnificent. Why is Bhaktapur less touristed? Well I guess because it's more difficult to get to, being a fair way out of Kathmandu, and most people will be Durbar-squared out after seeing the two in Kathmandu. That and of course, 3 week treks actually leave you very little time to explore more of Nepal. We chose to spend 3 days in Bhaktapur ( which became 4 ) as we'd heard good things, and with this being our third trip to Nepal, we thought it was about time we went, in part, to get it on the blog. Bhaktapur Bhaktapur means place of devotees …
Arriving in Kathmandu ( With Video of Thamel)
It's so good to be back in Kathmandu! This is our third visit to Nepal and it will be our longest. We are in possession of 3 month tourist visas and have plans to make the most of them. Empty time stretches ahead of us, no more rush, stress or anxious preparations. Let's just do this thing! It's 20 years since we first flew into Kathmandu in daylight via Bangladesh, all subsequent flight have been after dark, which is a shame. The descent into the Kathmandu Valley and views of the Himalayas are pretty spectacular. As it was, we could make out that unique Nepali double triangle flag picked out in neon on a hillside. Welcome to Nepal, land of mystery and mountains. Arrival at …
Egyptian Beaches- Best Beaches in Egypt
Of all the Egyptian beaches we have only visited Hurghada. For the rest, I asked a friend, Emma, to contribute as she's spent a lot of time living in Egypt and visiting beaches, resorts and more. Over to Emma. Egyptian Beaches I visited an Egyptian beach before I visited the Egyptian desert. Although over the course of my two years in the country I did eventually spend a few nights in the vast untamed sand, the beach is where it’s at. We had hardly been in Egypt for a month when we took our first trip to the beach. We had a long weekend and, like so many Egyptians, we headed to the North Coast and landed in a small beach town called Marsa Matruh (which borders the Mediterranean Sea). …
Things to Do on Fraser Island. For Adventure Lovers!
A must-visit for adventure seekers, wildlife enthusiasts and beachgoers alike, Fraser Island is a sand island (the largest in the world, in fact!) located in southern Queensland. A popular spot for many people both backpacking in Australia, holidaying with friends or family or for locals, Fraser Island is definitely one for the bucket list. There are so many things to do on Fraser Island for people of all ages: so whether you fancy catching a gorgeous sunrise or sunset, four wheel driving through subtropical rainforest, swimming in an impossibly blue lake or bush camping – your needs will be met here. The native people of Fraser Island were the people. In their language, Fraser Island …
Go Ape Chessington UK. Hanging with Where the Jones
We visited Go Ape at Chessington UK with our old friends from Where the Jones. Lots of fun! A review of Go Ape will come but for now, a video of our Go Ape tribe swinging through the trees near London. Our treetop tribe consisted of 4 kids between 10 years and 14 and adults from 30s to 50s. One of us is absolutely terrified of heights ( did you see my performance on the bridges up Everest?) so that person was in charge of taking photos. We all had a great time, see the video to find out more. For more like this you should be following us on Instagram, we add live movies, stories and images regularly and with Wales, Dubai, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Australia coming up it should get …
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 destinations in …
The Google Update on 1 st August Smashed My Traffic. Data and Fixes
If, like me, you saw a big downturn in your search traffic from around the 1st August 2018, I bet you've been scratching your head as much as I have for the last month. Google announced the algorithm change but gave us nothing to go on. No clue as to why our content was the best in July, then suddenly in August it wasn't. This week we released a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. Our guidance about such updates remains the same as in March, as we covered here: https://t.co/uPlEdSLHoX — Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) August 1, 2018 Looking at my data there was nothing obvious or major jumping out. It seemed like almost every post …
