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. All countries are guilty but in some places it’s visible everywhere, on roadsides, on beaches and in rivers. We, as travellers, are …
Before approaching the sheep station we had to take precautions. The Romanian sheepdogs (AKA Romanian Shepherds) would be loose, so we had to call the shepherd (human) to meet us and make sure the dogs didn’t see us as a threat to their family or flock. These dogs can take down bears and wolves, and …
Abu Simbel is one of the greatest, most spectacular monuments or temples in Egypt and you are most likely to visit Abu Simbel from Aswan. Unfortunately, Abu Simbel is difficult to get to, but you can visit Abu Simbel by air or road from Aswan. We’ll tell you how! We’ve been to Abu Simbel twice, …
Every May, the Tânjaua Hotenarilor or Tanjaua (the spring ploughing festival) is held in the village of Hoteni in Maramures Romania. The villagers, in traditional summer costumes, process and leap through the village of Hoteni to glorify the first ploughing of the fields. It’s something not to miss in Maramures and a great excuse to visit …
Can you tell us a few things to do in Belgrade? No? We couldn’t either until a week ago. We had a vague idea about Tesla and knew Belgrade, the capital of Serbia was to be found in the Balkans ( turns out we were half wrong) but other than that, nope, we knew nothing …
A reader asked me to write a Thailand itinerary for her 3-week vacation, I think it’s best to start with 2 weeks because that’s how long most holidaymakers have, and add on some optional extras as trip time allows. A Thailand itinerary is something unique to each person, one man’s dream tour is another’s trip …
Patan Durbar Square is in the city of Lalitpur, Nepal. It is one of three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley and all are UNESCO listed. The other Durbar Squares can be found in Bhaktapur and in central Kathmandu at the Hanuman Dhoka Palace Complex. Durbar Square simply means Royal Square and describes the plazas …
Hoi An is a magical little town on the coast in central Vietnam and is a lovely destination with kids filled with interesting things to do for your children and for you as a family. This post is about things to do in Hoi An with kids, dangers, practicalities, accommodation, food, day trips and travel …
Hoi An cooking classes are in abundance, some are full day classes, some are half day some are at sunset and into the evening. This post reviews what we found to be the best Hoi An cooking class for us, and gives you some tips and information on finding a good cooking class in Hoi …
Head torches are a must for many types of travel, hiking, camping, running, trekking, fishing, and daily life. Situations will pop up that require the need for not just a phone torch but a good head torch. Sure, most phones these days have built-in flashlights, but they won’t do the job in a lot of …
My dad used to say that to me when I was a kid. ” School days are the happiest days of your life”. I can see from the internet that it’s still a thing, people are searching for posts that tell them how to write an essay, speech or debate on that topic, so I …
Maeklong railway market, AKA “The Train Market” isn’t far from Bangkok and is easy to get to, and well worth the trip. The Maeklong market itself is a fascinating warren of stalls many selling local seafood, but it’s the trains passing through that most want to see. We’ve tried getting to Maeklong by local bus …
Hai Van Pass – Đèo Hải Vân lies just north of the central Vietnamese city of Danang and is part of the Annamite range that extends down to the East Vietnamese Sea. The name means Cloud Pass or Ocean Cloud Pass as a result of the constant fog that can cover the mountains even while the lower …
The kumquats and flowers of Tet were just one of the highlights and interesting happenings during our 6 months living in Hoi An. Tet in Vietnam is a huge festival, Lunar New Year, and it was a privilege to be in Vietnam at this special time. In this post we share Kumquat festival photos and …
Mi Quang- Mì Quảng is a noodle dish that originated in the Quang Nam province of Central Vietnam. It translates as Quang (province) style noodles. Travelling around central Vietnam you will see an abundance of street stalls all offering mi quang for around $1 US. After 4 months in Hoi An I haven’t seen any …
We’ve had a fantastic time skiing here in Romania, the kids took a few private 1 on 1 lessons while Chef and I were free to head up the mountain. Being child-free is a pretty new experience for us, as full time child-wranglers and educators, it kinda rocked! After a short time the kids were …
We’ve been waiting for this. When we first had the idea of basing ourselves in Romania, locals told us winter temperatures can easily drop to -25C. We checked online, we couldn’t find any records of temperatures that low, so we kind of didn’t believe it but wanted to find out what winter weather in Maramures …
Visiting Singapore at Christmas, what is there to see and do in Singapore over the holidays and where should you stay? We share experiences and reviews of spending Christmas in Singapore, plus tips on what activities to book in advance. Nobody will ever tell you Singapore is cheap. Singapore is expensive, that’s a fact. This …
Ask anyone who has traveled through Eastern Europe to name their favorite city and they will almost definitely say Budapest. Home of beautiful buildings, steaming spa baths and delightfully cheap beer, there’s really nothing not to love. Budapest is the ideal destination for people who want a weekend getaway. Two days in Budapest is all …
We spent Christmas in Singapore. Of those 2 weeks the highlight was our 3 days staying at Telunas Resort on their private island site. Along with the Private Island’s luxurious over-water villas, we also had the chance to experience the fantastic family-friendly facilities on the neighbouring Telunas Beach Resort site, for a slightly different slice …
One year of round the world travel. What we did and where we went in our 4th year of travel around the world. Each year we create a round-up of that year’s travel. The other years, where we travelled and what we did, how we travelled around the world for years, plus costs, are all …
Homeschoolers are some of the easiest people to buy gifts for because we (the kids and the parents) just love anything educational. We call them homeschool resources but they can be in the form of books, toys, games, sets and kits. We’ve been homeschooling (also worldschooling and unschooling) for a long time with great results, …
We left home over 5 years ago to travel the world and we never wanted to go back. Becoming a modern day nomadic family, a digital nomad family, and adopting the lifestyle worked well for us. We visited around 50 countries, several of those 4 or 5 times. We’ve been to 5 continents and flipped between …
Tha Kha floating market is a smaller, less well known floating market near Bangkok. It is a much better experience than visiting the popular Damnoed Saduak floating market, which is the market most tourist tours will take you to. Amphawa floating market is also near Bangkok and trips can take you to any of these, …
Northern Thailand is one of the best places to visit in Thailand if you want to see beautiful temples, villages, unspoilt landscapes and “real” Thailand, away from the holiday beaches. This post covers the best, most beautiful places to visit in Northern Thailand and ideas for a Northern Thailand Itinerary. If you have 1 week …
Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand should be a lot higher on people’s places to visit list than it is. We enjoyed 2 very full days staying in Chiang Rai on our Thailand road trip and highly recommend you make the journey just 3 hours (roughly) from Chiang Mai to explore the temples, villages, forests and …
This week we’re touring northern Thailand by car, it’s amazing, fascinating and fun with the added bonus of being incredibly cheap. This part of the world is pretty affordable anyway and for a family of 4, hiring a car beats bus prices hands down, but what’s made our holiday within a holiday super cheap is …
This is how we renewed a UK passport in Bangkok. British passport renewal in Thailand. Our younger son’s UK passport was down to less than 6 months and we had absolutely no desire to head back to the UK to get it renewed. We were in Vietnam and about to travel to Malaysia so it …
The menu just said banh xeo, Vietnamese pancakes. We ordered them, innocent and unexpecting, with no idea what would be delivered to our table. We were in Hoi An, a city in central Vietnam famous for good food so we figured, as we had 3 months to spend in Vietnam, that we should try every …
Tuica (Romanian Țuică) in Maramures is big news. Our village, Breb, is full of fruit trees. The hills roll on for mile after mile, each a patchwork of narrow strips owned by individual families. Some grow grass for winter hay, some potatoes, cabbages, carrots, tomatoes and beans, but most grow fruit. In the harsh winters …
Hoi An is famous as a food lovers’ destination with many local specialities to eat. The Vietnamese food in Hoi An is superb, but there are also some great Western, Asian, and Western/Asian fusion restaurants to try. In this post we share to eat in Hoi An, restaurants to try, and Hoi An speciality food …
We only stayed one night, but the Almanity Hotel Hoi An was a resort, hotel, and spa, to fall in love with. We know Hoi An well now, after 2 months living on the edge of the historic Old Town and we know that standards in Vietnam are superb at the Almanity Hotel’s level. Still, …
Romania has plenty of bears. Half of the European brown bear population lives on the forested hills of this beautiful country. When we talk about saving bears, we’re not talking so much about the wild Romanian bears, as the ones who have had a terrible existence, held captive by private owners and in small Eastern …
The Sunrise Premium Resort Hotel in Hoi An is one of the best places to stay near the UNESCO listed Hoi An Old Town yet also on the beach with views of the East Vietnam Sea and the Cham Island Biosphere Reserves. The Sunrise Premium Resort Hoi An could be the resort hotel for you …
Haystacks are an unmistakable icon of Maramures. You will see them here all year round, punctuating the landscape on white, brown or green fields. For haystack lovers, and I count myself as such, you want to be in Maramures at this time of year to watch just one of the annual traditional processes going on. …
Travel can be one of the most important and incredible things you can do in your lifetime, opening you up to amazing new experiences, teaching you more about the world and its people while giving you a chance to enjoy freedom and exploration. Of course, it also means time when you are not working in …
Our big, number 1 thing to do in Saigon Vietnam is the Cu Chi Tunnels tour and Cao Dai temple visit as a 1 day tour from Ho Chi Minh City. This post covers the best way to get to the Cu Chi tunnels, take a tour of the tunnels, and visit a Cao Dai …
We’ve been travelling and taking tours full-time 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 …
We spent almost 6 months living in Hoi An Vietnam, so we needed to shop at the markets regularly. We started with the Hoi An Central Market near the river in the UNESCO listed Old Town. This is the market that most tourists will see. The Hoi An Night Market is also held in the …
Classic books for 6th Graders and 7th Graders, that they should enjoy! A reading list of classic books for kids, modern classics and old classical books. My children are in the 6th to 7th grade bracket now (10 year olds- 13 year olds) and reading is a big focus as it always has been. Finding …
SunGod Sunglasses offer high performance, high quality, customisable sunglasses that you can order online and have in your hands through mail order delivery. Their glasses are extremely good looking, outstandingly so, they are perfect for adventure, sport and travel use and they come with a lifetime guarantee. What other sunglasses company offers that? We’ve thoroughly tested …
Visiting Vietnam with kids is an incredible experience. Saigon or the wider area, Ho Chi Minh, is an essential city to see and an important transport hub. In this post we’ll tell you how to visit Saigon with kids or as a family and tell you about the family-friendly things to do in Saigon or …
