To create an effective blog and generate a steady online income, you have to spend a little money. This is something I wish I’d realised years ago rather than struggling using every second-rate free tool I could find. Some free tools are great, sure, we use many here, but the premium versions are often mind-blowingly … Read more
So you want to start a blog? Or maybe you’ve already started and, just like I did, dived in without really knowing what you’re doing. Hold your horses, let’s backtrack a little. I’ve already given you this post, 6 steps to start your blog ( opens in a new tab), I’m sure you’ve seen it, that’s … Read more
Antarctica with kids. Can you take kids to Antarctica? Is a family trip to Antarctica a good idea? We talk to travellers who have been to Antarctica to find out if visiting Antarctica with children is a good idea. Antarctic cruises are gaining popularity with travellers, should you go? No, we haven’t been to Antarctica, … Read more
On our return trek from Tengboche Monastery, we took a different route to Namche Bazaar to take in some important locations and stunning Himalayan viewpoints. A major highlight for us was being granted admission to the ancient Khumjung monastery and being allowed to see a fascinating sacred relic kept under lock and key. The yeti … Read more
A few days ago somebody on social media asked me what my favorite, all time, travel memory was. Without hesitation I told the lady-of-travel that it was the time I trekked to Tengboche Monastery with my son, then 11 years old. I added a footnote, that I doubted he would agree. I was curious though … Read more
A lady in our Living Differently group was telling me yesterday how a photo I shared had stuck in her head and constantly inspired her to keep working towards her own dream lifestyle. It was the one below, taken in Richmond Upon Thames, London. Home, after too many years away. It was incredible to be back … Read more
Winter has done its worst and the mercury is starting to hit positive numbers during the short days here in the remote mountains of Romania. This area is beautiful, harsh, inspiring and difficult and it’s where we choose to be. Why, when we could live anywhere in the world, do we choose to spend winter … Read more
Adelaide is well-known for its award-winning wineries and amazing restaurants. If it is your first time in Adelaide and you want to book a food and wine tour, you might get overwhelmed with the choices, as there are A LOT. You can also be a local who’s looking for different options. Whatever it is that … Read more
There are places to visit in Kathmandu Nepal that will take your breath away. This post tells you about the best places to see during your time in Kathmandu, most are temples or districts of Kathmandu city. We also cover places near Kathmandu to visit. If you only have a day or two in Kathmandu … Read more
Travelling and vacations are always exciting and fun thing to do. What’s not that exciting, is having to prepare and pack all your stuff along with making pre-travel arrangements. Squeezing everything in a limited amount of time plus squeezing everything into your carry on luggage, backpack or suitcase can be pretty stressful and anxiety inducing. … Read more
What trekking gear do you really need for Nepal? Trekking gear companies tell you to buy a long list of items before you even think of setting foot in Nepal or the Himalayas. I’m here to be more realistic. You don’t need everything they try to sell you. Items to pack, travel essentials for Nepal … Read more
You want to know how to travel the world, right? We’ve done it, so can you. It could be a 2-week vacation to an exotic, far-away place that just puts you a little outside your comfort zone, or you could be wanting to travel for a year, maybe more, as a family, as a single … Read more
World Nomads is the insurance company we have used for extended, open-ended, long-term and adventure travel. Many travel insurance companies do not cover our style of travel. We needed to tailor our cover to our destination and ever-changing plans any time we needed to. Travel insurance for serious, long-term, flexible or nomadic travellers can be … Read more
Yes, you read that right we have a stinging tree in Queensland. It’s not just a bit “ouch” it’s more searing blinding agony that can persist for months. It’s not going to kill you with venom, but suicide could sound like a good option. Yes, it’s that bad. This post is about Gympie Gympie, the … Read more
If you’re visiting the Cairns and Port Douglas region in summer, you absolutely must check out some of our freshwater swimming spots as well as the iconic Great Barrier Reef. These are where the locals go to cool off and some, like Mossman Gorge, receive large numbers of tourists too. Families visit these jungle swimming … Read more
You’ll see things have changed around here! After almost 5 years of blogging with the excellent but outdated Prose child theme from StudioPress, we’ve updated to the sleeker, faster, funkier, easier, Magazine Pro Theme also on the Genesis Framework. A quick post on the hows and whys of updating a theme. I’d been putting it … Read more
It’s traditional to do a year-end wrap post, so here goes with 2016. This year was a big one for me, it was my 50th on this endlessly fascinating planet. I’d like another 50 years of exploration but I doubt that will happen so I’ll just concentrate on sucking all the life out of however … Read more
6 weeks in Thailand, what a ride! If you’ve been following us on Facebook or Instagram, you’ll know a lot about our trip already, but some of you don’t and some of you will want more detail, so here’s a round-up on our 6 weeks in Thailand, where we went, what it cost, what we … Read more
Our review of the Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort and Spa in Phuket Thailand. This is one of the best family hotels in Phuket, and has a kids club and excellent activities. This is a hotel with a wow factor! After enjoying 3 days at Novotel Surin Beach we moved on to Novotel Karon beach, … Read more
Is Phukert worth visiting? There are undoubtedly better and more interesting parts of Thailand, but Phuket has its own airport and huge resort hotels, so is therefore popular in the mass-tourism market. For many it is a dream exotic holiday destination. In this Phuket blog we talk about what we enjoyed about Phuket, and what … Read more
Food is one of our favourite things and food photography is part of that. Chef and I were very impressed with the food on offer at Novotel Surin Beach and we have rather a lot of photos to share, so here’s a selection for you to enjoy. Everyone Instagrams their breakfast right? Thai salads and … Read more
Just behind the clear blue Andaman Sea, the sand, the palm trees and the scrubby foreshore sits Novotel Phuket Surin Beach Resort. We checked in for a few nights to take a break from long-term family travel, to relax, pamper and unwind after 5 weeks exploring Thailand. Our stay coincided with the Phuket Ironman event my husband … Read more
Yesterday my husband, chef and dad at World Travel Family, competed in the Ironman Thailand Phuket half distance Ironman event. This was his second event in a couple of months, most recently he completed a full distance Ironman event in Tenby, Wales. (See photos and write up on Ironman Wales 2016 here). We travel the world … Read more
Thailand is one of the more tricky countries for travellers to handle their travel money at minimum cost. We normally tell our readers just to get money out at ATM s or cash points, but in Thailand, that costs a lot. Just withdrawing cash from an ATM in Thailand can cost you half a day’s budget, … Read more
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, … Read more
There are plenty of ” things to do in Chiang Mai” posts on the internet, even when you add the “with kids” bit to the end. I’m not going to write one, it’s been done to death and everything you need to know about Chiang Mai will be in our Living in Chiang Mai post. But … Read more
The long neck women of Northern Thailand, on the Burmese border near Mae Hong Son. These long-neck ladies belong to the Karen tribe and the rings around their necks are traditional in their culture. We were welcomed in their village, bought some trinkets, had a look around. We were the only Western tourists visiting on … Read more
There are several Hill Tribes in Thailand, mostly in north Thailand. These Thai villages can be visited by tourists, and it is possible to arrange overnight stays in Hill Tribe villages. 20 years ago I took an extended trek in Northern Thailand staying in various Hill Tribe villages in the Mae Hon Song area. This … Read more
A typical Long Neck Karen village house near Mae Hong Son, Northern Thailand. We visited by hire car and local “taxi” read more about our experiences Visiting the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand by clicking through. Back to our main Thailand Travel page
We’re loving this city in strange and unexpected ways. I’m loving the Thai environment, the Old City of Chiang Mai with its ancient walls, stunning temples and teak houses. The amazing Thai food and its abundant availability, the clear blue skies and tropical heat, but I love it more than in a tourist sort of … Read more
A “things to do in Bangkok” post could easily turn into a book. This is a city with so many facets, so many variables that in 20 years of travel to Thailand, I’ve still not seen it all, nor had enough. These days I bring my children, they love this city too and ask to … Read more
Sometimes we all like to stay somewhere a bit special. In Bangkok you can take your pick of the cheap hostels and guest houses or stay in any one of the huge chain hotels, we’ve tried many Bangkok hotels before and the experience has always been good and affordable. This time, for my 50th we … Read more
I received an e-mail from a reader recently. He and his wife were thinking of taking their child on a travel adventure, a taste of worldschooling, but were concerned about socialization. They thought she wouldn’t “get enough socialization away from her friends” and asked for my opinion. It’s an interesting question. Homeschool socialisation (and here … Read more
Our Hungary Travel Blog page is based on road tripping our way though the country 4 times. All our experiences of Hungary have been good and we’ve stayed overnight in 5 very different places, magnificent Budapest, the pretty city of Györ, Hortobágy National Park , Lake Balaton and in a cabin on a lovely lake. … Read more
We had such a great experience with this family apartment and hostel in Budapest that it gets its own post. We found it by accident, searching for a place to stay in Budapest just the night before in Prague (where we used Hostel Elf, good, but not this good!) Looking at the pictures online it … Read more
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 … Read more
We’ve done our share of driving across Europe in the last 18 months. We’ve done it 3 times now, from London, to Romania and back again. The first time it went pretty well and I posted about that Europe road trip here. The second time we were caught in the middle of a crazy heatwave … Read more
If you’ve visiting Wales’s capital with your family we have a selection of reviews for best family hotels in Cardiff, for you. Also included are apartments, hostels and other accommodation in Cardiff to suit all budget points. All of these family hotels have rooms for at least 4 people and either a good reputation, or … Read more
After sitting tight in Tenby for 9 days for the Ironman Wales event, we hopped in the car and headed West to explore more of Wales. Tenby, Pembrokeshire and the central South Wales coast are very familiar holiday destinations so driving further west into new parts of Wales and Ceredigion was a real pleasure and … Read more
Richmond London, in England, is a pretty Thames-side town with stately architecture, passing rowers, great shops and dining, along with easy access to central London. It is a place well worth visiting or staying and its village feel and waterside setting make it a good place to live. Living in Richmond Upon Thames, UK, on … Read more
I’m sure you know that September 17th was the big day, Wales Ironman 2016 and Chef absolutely nailed it! Thinking though, there’s a simple message here, you can do it. Whatever dream or ambition you carry, you have the power within you to make it happen. Set a date, buy a ticket, next stop the … Read more
Driving west of Cardiff you can’t miss a stunning fairy tale castle emerging quietly from the otherwise uninterrupted forest green of the Welsh hillside. A castle with cylindrical turrets and pointed rooftops worthy of Rapunzel or Sleeping Beauty which fascinates children and parents driving by. This castle is the red castle, Castell Coch in Welsh, … Read more
