Travelling is wonderful for soloists, couples and indeed families. It can be a little more difficult with families though. The added stress of entertaining children, finding a toilet at a moments notice and constantly handing out the snacks can take it’s toll. Suddenly a holiday doesn’t feel like much of a holiday! Use these top family travel hacks though and you’ll be enjoying your travel trip in no time!

Be Comfortable

One of the worst ways to feel on a long trip is uncomfortable. Whether it’s too war or too itchy, it makes the trip feel longer than it is and it can bring annoyance and even tears. Make sure everyone is comfortable before your travel. Be it a pair of joggers and a hoodie so you feel cosy or something a little lighter. If you’re hoping the children sleep on the flight or you’re flying at night, let them wear their pyjamas! Comfort is key when travelling.

Pack By Category

One of the worst things to do is make sure everyone has their own carry on bag with what they need in it. This creates a lot of extra bags! Whilst the kids having their own luggage might seem like a good idea, how long are they actually going to be happy to carry it for? If the grown ups have a bag each (see below) you can simply pack by category. Packing squares are perfect for this, keeping snacks together, entertainment and toys together, spare clothes together and toiletries together. This way you’ll know where to access things when they are required.

Use Backpacks

You might have some wonderful suitcases but suitcases take up space. No one tends to under pack a suitcase, often taking things they don’t need. When you take things you don’t need, you might end up paying to take items with you that you never actually use. A great holiday for a jumper that is never worn! Suitcases also need a hand to pull them along or carry them. By using backpacks, you throw them on your back and you’ve now got both hands still available. Keeping your children close by is very important when travelling, as is the other requirements of being a parent, such as helping them go to the toilet or opening the snack they’ve just asked for! Backpacks could be the ultimate family travel hack!

Pack Some Sweets

If you’re flying, remember some sweets for take off and landing. Children have more sensitive ears than adults and might feel the popping in your ears. It’s the pressurisation of the cabin that you feel through discomfort in your ears and children feel it a lot more. Sucking on some boiled sweets or chewing some gum can counteract this and make the take off and landing process that much more enjoyable for all.

Take Empty Water Bottles

You can’t take liquids over a certain size through airport security. Yet you can take empty water bottles and fill them u on the other side. Many airport lounges have water refill points. Take a couple of empty water bottles with you to make sure everyone can stay hydrated and have access to a drink when they need it.

Keep The Excitement

You might feel stressed or maybe hate flying yourself. But if the children pick up on this they’re likely to lose interest in the travelling side of things.Maintain that excitement by making a big deal about being on the plane, in a positive way. Ask them what they can see, keep them entertained with games or a new toy and some screen time. Excitement and fun will help the time pass too.

Wipes Are You Friends

Be sure that you have some baby wipes in your bag as children will get messy, even when there is no mess to get messy with! From toilet issues in terminals to sticky hands after meals, wipes come in handy everywhere you go.

Buy An Extra Seat

There was a Mummy hack online not long ago showing how with a certain airline carrier, if you booked an additional seat for £100, you got an entire row to yourself. This meant you could take advantage of the fact the special seats fold out to create a bed space. So you can actually get a decent sleep laying down, instead of creaking your neck trying to sleep sitting up. Sounds good to us!

Use Those Services

The final family travel hack is to take advantage of the free airport services that airlines offer. Lots of them offer an escort service, giving you a little bit of extra help getting to the plane. This could be a great idea if you’re a single parent travelling with more than one child, any help is good! You never know, you might even get a ride to the gate or be boarded before other flyers. Ask about these services and take advantage of them!

We hope these nine family travel hacks help you out on your adventures. Happy travels!

Lots of us know or have a family member who loves to travel. What can you get them for a present or a Christmas gift? If they’re travelling a lot they likely don’t want heavy, bulky or to be carrying things they don’t really need. Let’s have a look at a few Xmas present ideas for travellers that they’ll actually use!

Passport Holder

If you’re constantly on the move, travelling from one country to the next, do it with a little bit of style. An attractive and appealing passport holder can add abit of glamour to your budget flight!

Power Bank

You can never have too many power banks and a brand new one might be one of the most perfect of our Xmas present ideas. Make sue it is powerful enough to charge devices a number of times and fast charging itself too.

Water Bottle

You can’t take liquids through airport security, but you can take an empty water bottle. Then all you need to do it fill it up on the other side. A luxurious water bottle with added filter to ensure your travelling friend is supping on the best water possible is a thoughtful Christmas present!

Headphones

A new set of headphones is a great gift for the traveller in your life. Whether they use them to listen to music or watch films, they help provide the perfect escape from the noise of the journey on your travels. Noise cancelling headphones cost a little bit more but provide that silence of peace when babies are crying on your flight. Take your music with you as you relax and enjoy the best beaches in the world.

Bluetooth Speaker

A portable Bluetooth speaker is also a great addition to any travellers luggage. When they get to their destination, popping on their favourite music to relax to is a benefit. Let them enough the perfect soundtrack to those holiday vibes.

Neck Pillow

You can buy inflatable neck pillows, but they don’t do much good. How about the most wonderful bit of luxury like the Cabeau Evolution S3 Travel Pillow? It will help keep your neck straight as you sleep on your flight or train, allowing you to avoid neck pain. It could be the best of all our Xmas present ideas!

Head Torch

If your traveller loves wild camping or heading away into the wilderness, they need to be able to light up the dark. A brand new head torch could be the perfect gift. It provides light whilst keeping your hands free so you can read at night, look through your bag without waking everyone else up or find your way back to your tent. Try and buy one that is high powered and water resistant.

Foldable Bag

Sometimes when you’re travelling you need an extra bag for carrying things you buy. Having a hardwearing and strong foldable bag within your backpack is a great idea. You can always use it to split your gear if you’re staying in the same place for a couple of nights and don’t want to take all your belongings with you. It can also be used as a laundry bag or to carrying your shopping!

Packing Cubes

Staying with the luggage theme, packing cubes are your ultimate friend. They weigh next to nothing and are perfect for keeping the contents of your main back organised. Know where everything is exactly when you need it.

Travel Tripod

For those who are taking a camera with them on their travels, how about a travel tripod for their photography? They don’t have to be huge and can simply fit into your rucksack. Individually movable legs help the user create a level horizon in any situation so they can snap the perfect scene and even use the camera’s timer so they can get in the shot too!

Security Door Stop Alarm

Lost of us worry about our friends and loved ones when they go travelling. Especially if they are travelling solo! A security door stop is a great addition to your belongings. It adds that little bit of extra safety. Simply place under your door before you go to sleep and if anyone tries opening the door during the night, the alarm will be triggered, emitting a loud noise to attract attention and scare the potential intruder off. These can be bought for less than £10.

Portable Luggage Scale

The final item on our list of Xmas present ideas is a portable luggage scale. They don’t weigh much themselves but are a great addition to your luggage. Different flight companies have different luggage allowances before you have to then pay more. Having a luggage scale with you lets you figure out what you’re going to be spending before you get to the airport.

Have lots of fun searching for gifts for your travelling friends.

Have you ever wanted to explore some places which are off the beaten track? Places away from the usual tourist traps? There are some incredible destinations which are as good as, if not even better than those tourist places which get inundated with floods of people. Instagrammable alternatives we could call them! Let’s discover some of the best kept travellers secrets.

Light It Up

Everyone who is everyone seems to want to witness the Northern Lights. And why not. They are spectacular. Wonderful lights dancing across the sky in unbelievable colours. But did you know there is also the Southern Lights? It’s basically exactly the same but in the Sourthern hemisphere. You can’t get quite as close to them from a mainland location but they can still potentially be seen. The tips of Australia, New Zealand or Chile are ideal but head to the islands of the Southern Ocean for the best chances. Proper travellers secrets! The Northern Lights are the popular place so why not head to the less popular place where you can see stunning displays too?

The Original, Not The New

Did you know that the Taj Mahal, in many ways, was based on another building? There was a, kind-of prototype! Makes you wonder why so many people queue up to enter the wonder of the world every day. Instead of join the queue, check out the red-stone arches and bulbous dome of Humayun’s Tomb. Escape the hustle and bustle of Delhi, enjoy the grounds, take in the gardens, witness the 16th century architecture without so many of the crowds. You might even be able to get a decent photograph without someone else’s head in the shot!

Witness The Waters

Did you know that more people visit Venice every day during the summer months than actually live there? Many of them are just day trippers there for the photos who don’t really bring that much cash into the city itself. Some travellers who hate the crowds but love the location are looking for alternative locations. They may have found one in Annecy in France. The ‘Pearl of the French Alps’ as it’s known has the Thiou river and canal waters running through old town. You can take in the waterside markets, walk the narrow streets and cross the waters via little bridges as well as drifting along the stunning waters. On top of that though, and try doing this ins Venice, you can access mountains or alpine lakes.

A Catalonia Alternative

Barcelona is a wonderful place and the home of some fantastic things to experience. The capital of Catalonia is pretty special but it has millions of visitors every year. Where can you go to get that fix of cobbled lanes, courtyards and wonderful views? Head to Girona, which is 100km from Barcelona and you’ll discover 14th-century city walls with brilliant cafes, a stunning cathedral and spectacular views over to the Pyrenees. Everything you love about Barcelona without the 32 million tourists who visit every year.

Dive In Differently

If you love the ocean and are a keen diver, the Great Barrier Reef is likely on your bucket list. However, with so many people having the same thought, the dream destination is becoming affected. Looking for an alternative takes you to the other side of Australia and the Ningaloo Reef. It’s one of the longest near-shore reefs in the world and the world’s largest fringing reef system! Snorkel with humpbacks, sharks, manta rays and turtles. The Ningaloo Reef won’t be one of the travellers secrets for long!

Change The Game

It’s down to Game Of Thrones and dirt cheap flights that have forced the local authorities to enforce a maximum of 4000 visitors per day to Dubrovnik in Croatia. The popularity is obvious and the views are incredible from this clifftop location. However there are other places which are similar, without the tourists and capped visitors. Óbidos in Portugal is a hilltop town with white washed facades, cobbled streets and amazing views. The highest point is the castle which is now accommodation. A stay here would allow you to witness the town going to sleep after most of the visitors have retreated home. As well as witness the next day begin, as the sun rises over the medieval churches and the pastry shops open for business.

There are so many places which we can explore and enjoy without adding our feet onto overly touristy destinations. There are alternatives for Petra in Jordan, the Colosseum of Rome and even the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. Have a great time discover some travellers secrets!

Travelling is a great way to discover who you are, see the world and open your mind. Lots of us do this with friends, partners or loved ones but have you ever considered traveling alone? If you want to get away from it all and enjoy some independence, or you’ve simply found yourself in a situation where you have no one to travel with, there are some amazing singles holidays for you to enjoy!

Travelling Alone

People travel by themselves for many reasons and even though some may find it strange, there’s nothing odd about it. People end up by themselves for many reasons. Perhaps their travelling partner or loved one has died by but they want to continue to see the sights and enjoy the road trips for the both of them. Maybe it’s some self care time where you just want to be by yourself and discover who you are. It could well be the fact that they’re a bit of a lone wolf and don’t have many friends but have never let that hold them back. For whatever reason you consider travelling alone, you are brave to do it. Having to rely solely on your own decision making and venture into unknown lands on your own is extremely courageous.

Single Travel Surcharge

Some travel companies see single travelers as a negative and often put a single person surcharge. This, I don’t think, should be something they do and there are in fact some specific companies who don’t because they don’t think it’s right either. Your best bet is to find one of those singles holidays companies who see each traveler as an individual and don’t charge you extra for being by yourself. They specialise in it and actually help aid single person travel. The single charge surcharge should be abolished. It really shouldn’t matter who we travel with, or don’t travel with. We should be encouraging getting out and enjoying the world.

Meet New Friends

One of the great things about travelling by yourself is all the potential new friends you might be. They could be travel partners for a few days or week or even become lifelong friends. With social media you can keep in touch and see where each of your travels are taking you. You might have to push that bravery a little further and push yourself out the box. Have the confidence to speak to strangers but you never know just who you might meet. If you’re on the lookout for love, you might even find someone to travel with long term!

Solo Adventure Is Waiting

From travelling the world with a backpack to enjoying relaxing by the pool in the sunshine, there are singles holidays for everyone. Some may be to helping you as a solo traveler enjoying an adventure. Others might connect you with other single people with the hope of romance blossoming. Where will you be heading to? Will it be a short train trip or a long haul flight? Whatever you’re looking for on your solo adventure, be sure to embrace chances, open your eyes and enjoy the journey just as much as the destination.

If you’re on holiday, travelling the world, backpacking through your gap year or jet setting across the globe, if you’re tweeting your trip, you want to be seen. Get your travel hashtags game on point and you’ll see your interaction and engagement rate rise and grow your following. Let’s look at some hashtags for travel.

Before Your Tags

Let’s consider your content before we even start looking at your hashtags. You need to give any potential followers a reason to follow you. Your photography needs to be top notch and your surrounding copy needs to be on point. Tell a story, give details about where you’re going, who you are and the travels thus far. If you want people to hop on your exploration with you, let them into your life, fully. Real stories full of personality. Get all of this in place before you start adding travel hashtags and people will follow your journey.

Know Your Social Network

Different social networks allow you to use different amounts of hashtags in your posts. Instagram limits you at thirty and you can put as many as you can fit into Facebook and Twitter posts. However there is also a certain etiquette you should try to follow. Flooding your posts with loads of hashtags can look very spam-like. Twitter etiquette suggests two or three tags in your tweets and Instagram is similar. To get around this you can drop your hashtags a few links below the text you type about your gram or pop the tags in a reply to the post. Get to know where you are posting and do you best to not put people off.

Pick Your Travel Hashtags

Next up is figuring out which hashtags to use. There are obvious ones like #travel and #travelling but you also need to make sure you tag in the location you’re visiting. This will help people to find your images when they look for a specific location. If you’re posting on a Tuesday, which might be an idea to keep up every week with #traveltuesday. This will help you create structure to your content and also show your audience that you are posting regularly. #travelgram is perfect for Instagram as are #backpacking and #solotraveller if you’re exploring the world with your belongings on your back. One of the big hashtags for travel is #wanderlust. This is perfect for thos incredible locations where you just fall into the landscape, lose yourself in the view and witness stunning sights. Be sure to add some specific travel hashtags too. If you’re at a waterfall use #waterfall. #TTOT (travel talk on Twitter), #TRLT (the road less travelled) and #TWWT (the way we travel) are also worth using. #LP stands for Lonely Planet and #RTW is round the world. Other words and phrases you could tag include adventure, travelpics and letsgoeverywhere.

Get It Out There

Now you’ve got your hashtags for travel in place you need to submit your post. Hit publish and then go enjoy the rest of your day. Don’t get too hung up on keeping tabs on people replying. Put your phone away and enjoy the journey. Give yourself some time every day to upload photos and reply to messages but don’t forget that you’re travelling! Social media can sometimes get in the way so make sure if you’re posting about travel, you’re actually doing some of it as well.