Read on if you fancy winning a copy of the Rough Guide’s Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth (Compact edition): A Rough Guide to the World

I’m always on the look out for holiday ideas and inspiration and whether it’s hunting out wild camping spots in Scotland or discovering new beer in Australia (Little Creatures anyone?) I always like to take a wee note for that time in the future when work is a distant memory and I’m away round the World with only a backpack and a pair of straighteners (and possibly the Fiance).

If you fancy getting your mitts on your own source of travel inspiration and have a dream to share then get commenting below. I want to see passion and imagination (but I draw the line at polar bears on a tropical island) and the answer I find most amusing or idyllic will find a copy winging their way to them

I want to know:

• Where your dream holiday location is.
• What you would see.
• Who you would be travelling with.
• Why? Maybe you’ve been recommended it or been before?

Closing date for your ideas and comments is Monday the 6th September.

If you like this then why not join me on Facebook too.

Guest Post for ihearttravel

It’s not been easy finding the money to take a well-earned holiday during the economic downturn of the past couple of years.

But with a little bit of good planning and lateral thinking, there are plenty of easy ways to save some cash and stretch your holiday budget that extra bit more.

Plan ahead
It really can make a big difference if you book your air travel and accommodation well in advance. Settle on a destination and bag yourself cheap flights by buying months before you intend to fly. Of course, the “fly for free” or “fly for £1” budget airline offers can be slightly misleading, as you end up paying other fees and taxes, but you do save big money by being an early bird. Sometimes you can also get a discount with hotels for advance bookings, so it’s always worth asking.

Surf the net
The internet really does make a difference now when booking a holiday. Taking a little time to shop around for the best deals on cheap travel insurance, flights, accommodation, car parking and all the other added extras really does knock £s off the price you pay. Sign up to airline and travel company enewsletters so you’re always first to find out about great special offers and bargain discounts.

Choose departure dates carefully
From painful personal experience, you pay a premium for flying on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Unless you are purposely planning a weekend break, try and get a midweek flight as they can cost you up to four times less.

Save money by going for longer
Have a good think about where you really want to go. Compared to the UK, the price of living in some countries, like Turkey or Thailand, means that you’ll actually be spending a lot less money than you would be spending at home. A fortnight away outside the Euro zone can often cost less than a weekend break in more expensive places.

Arrange airport parking
Let’s face it, if you turn up at the airport on your departure day, not only will you most likely be left scrambling around to find an empty parking space, you’ll also end up paying a small fortune. Do a little bit of prior research to see if there any cheap local alternatives. Some hotels provide fairly inexpensive long-term car parking, with the added bonus that most of them are well policed by onsite security.

Food for thought
Rather than eating out every night at expensive restaurants, why not try self catering? You can pick up so many delicacies at bargain prices from local stores and supermarkets. Who knows, you might even come up with a delicious new recipe that you can look forward to cooking again and again when you return home.

Long lunch
Or if you don’t fancy all that work involved with cooking, think about making lunch your main meal of the day. A lot of restaurants and pubs have fantastic value for money lunch deals like two for the price of one or starter, main and dessert for just the cost of the main course. Go back later in the evening when there’s more trade and you’ll end up paying more money for the same food.

Give hotel restaurants a miss
This might be a tad unfair or a bit of a sweeping generalisation, but for me hotel food tends to be rather expensive and bland, although of course it does get top marks for convenience. Unless your resort happens to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, you are always likely to find a cheaper, and in most cases a more palatable meal, a short walk away from your hotel.

Make your own way around
Taxi prices can very quickly add up, especially if you are unlucky enough to end up with an unscrupulous driver who will take you on a nice long “scenic route” and charge you for the privilege! See if you can do most of your sightseeing on foot or maybe even think about hiring a bicycle. Some of my most memorable travel experiences have been when I’ve stumbled (sometimes literally) upon hidden delights that were slightly off the usual well worn tourist track.

Mind your mobile bills
Pay close attention to your mobile phone contract and the charges you’ll face when using it abroad. One time on a trip to Hungary, I found myself getting hit with massive charges for receiving as well as making telephone calls. If you are planning on being abroad a while on maybe a gap year or backpacking trip, buying a local SIM card can also help you cut your phone bills.

Guest post from Chris Owens of the travel insurance team at Moneysupermarket.com

When we discovered Iron Maiden were doing a tour for their new album we were very very keen to get tickets. We considered the New York options (because Dream Theatre were supporting) but decided this was perhaps taking our love of them slightly too far. Just a little too far at any rate. So when we saw they were plying in Dublin a few weeks later we really had no option but to grab ourselves a few tickets and book our Ryanscare flights and start checking out the Dublin hotels.

We chose to stay for 3 nights and having been before we were looking for something different to do that didn’t involve Guinness (well, not too much), shopping or bus tours.

The first day we were in Dublin we took a wander into Temple Bar stopping in the Porterhouse Bar. Now, I love my beer so the Porterhouse bar was like like my own personal Santa’s Grotto. Beer floor to ceiling, homebrews on tap and a fantastic descriptive beer menu. We’d intended to nip in for a coke and ended up staying for hours (and eating one of the biggest burgers I have ever tackled in my life).

When we dragged ourselves away from there we spent the rest of the day wandering round, looking at the sights and generally relaxing which was fantastic after a hectic few weeks at work.

After we’d had our wander it was time to meet up with a friend and get ourselves all set with the help for a wee touch more beer for (as the Fiance calls them…) the Mighty Maiden.

On the Sat when we tore ourselves out of the hotel we headed up to Phoenix Park. Being the cycling fans that we are we chose to hire a tandem because it “would be fun”. Little did we know how much you had to work as a team to get the darn thing moving let alone to go in any definite, intentional direction. Still, we didn’t do too badly and managed (with a lot of laughing) to get round the entire perimeter of Phoenix Park.

I hadn’t realised prior to going that Phoenix Park was home to 450 deer and I certainly didn’t realise how close you could get to them. It was brilliant and I sat for ages watching them and their babies!

We handed the Tandem back a little sadly and moped off (because of the rain you understand) to a nearby bar (Ryan’s Bar) for some of their finest homebrew. Everywhere in Dublin seemed to be making their own…. and yeah, we pretty much spent the rest of the day in there – we had a slight break for a shower and food at the hotel but we were back in there again that evening.

Our final day saw us with just a few hours to spare before our flight home so we headed off to the Natural History Museum. The museum was great and free to go in which is always a bonus. Some of the critters are very impressive (giant deer!) and I have a weird fascination with looking at things in formaldehyde so there was plenty to keep me happy. I don’t know why (and I seem to be the only one) but I found some of the taxidermy jobs amusing. Take the seal below for example, check out the eyes and mouth….it must make you laugh surely? It looks ridiculous!

No? Oh well, it did me.

Anyway, that was the end of our Dublin short break and we really enjoyed it for letting us relax and let our hair down and of course, seeing Maiden once again!

Every year I like to head back over to Edinburgh for a night at the Edinburgh Festival. I love to visit at this time of year because it was during the festival, 13 years ago, that I moved out of home and down to Edinburgh for my first taste of student life.

I always like to go over in the first weekend because (as I’ve mentioned before) I like a bargain and the first weekend the festival tickets are 2 for 1 :-)

This year it was more of a flying visit as usually we like to treat ourselves a little (but not too much) and book ourselves one of the cheap hotels in Edinburgh city centre. It has to be the centre and prefereably close to the Rutland Hotel as I like to pretend I’m a student again and well, that’s pretty much where I used to live (behind it at least).

Drink

Anyway, this year we only had a few hours so we met up with a few friends and headed to the Holyrood Tavern near the Plesance. It’s a fantastic wee pub with brilliant beer on tap and fantastic surroundings and generally a good, relaxing place to start a night and have a post-work drink. Though I must say, I did quite like the Holyrood Tavern years ago before it had it’s fancy make over and it was more a ’sawdust on the floor’ pub!

9a Holyrood Rd,OLD TOWN, Edinburgh EH8

Show

After we’d supped our beer we headed up to the Plesance Courtyard to see the show I wait all year for…Newsrevue. I love it. It’s the most offensive, un-PC and cringe-worthy show but it also has the ability to make you laugh from the second it starts until well after it’s over. My favourite part by far was the David Cameron rap. If you only go to see one show in the Festival then you should really make it Newsrevue so long as you’re not easily offended!

Food

After a drink and the show we needed to refuel with a well deserved tasty dinner. We wandered up to then down Cockburn Street (pronounced co-burn for all your dirty minds out there) and found a tiny little Thai restaurant tucked away down Craig’s Close called the Ruan Thai. The food was excellent and it was a lovely cosy little restuarant (though were were next to a rather loud ‘luvvy’ but his conversation provided amusement more then anything!). It’s well worth checking out the Ruan Thai if you’re in Edinburgh.

1 Craig’s Close, 29 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1BN

I’ve been talking to a friend recently about holidays to Canada. She’s considering her first one there and talking to her has made me consider that maybe, just maybe I do want another one.

We both have similar interests so on chatting we’ve identified Vancouver and Vancouver island as a potential holiday spot. I’ve been told that Calgary to Vancouver to Vancouver Island is one of the best drives you can do and that there’s nothing like driving out of Calgary and watching the wall that is the Rockies appear in front of you. Or as one girl put it ‘you think, How and I ever going to get my car up and over those!’

I’m thinking it would be fantastic in the Autumn with the leaves turning and the possibility of maybe just a sprinkling of snow. I also want to take the trip it in a camper-van…

Now, if you’ve read my other blogs about California then you’re possibly wondering about the sense in my sleeping in a metal box in a land where black and brown bears roam free and even the odd grizzly. Oh God, the possibility of meeting one of those bad boys doesn’t bear thinking about! But regardless of my yellow-belly behaviour back then I’m pretty sure I could handle it now. Yes I could.

So now I have the dilemma of what to do. Do I man-up and face my (completely justified in my opinion) fear of being mauled alive or do I take a package holiday to Spain.

Mauled alive V’s a run in with eager Thomson package holiday rep…I’ve more chance of coming out the other side if I take my chances with the grizzlies.

I’m of to Flickr picture of Vancouver to get myself in the mood.

The view from the meeting point.

I was on Twitter the other day when I saw a few Tweets advertising a free hotel night in Glasgow. I looked at it and thought..hmmmm…can this be right? My curiosity took over and I clicked on the link. It turns out CitizenM were opening up their first hotel outside of Holland and were looking for testers to stay one night (over a period of 4 nights) and give their feedback once it was over.

Being the bargain hunter that I am I quickly signed up to a night. I chose the Wed and the first night it was open. It occurred to me that this was the first night and therefore likely to have a few teething issues but on the other hand I couldn’t resist being the first visitor to a hotel I mean, how good is it that we were most likely the first people to sleep in the bed, use the pillows, go barefoot in the shower!

I arrived at the hotel for check-in around 3pm. It’s quite strange that you enter into a foyer that has nothing but a flight of steps and a lift when you’re used to seeing a receptionist straight away. It’s not a traditional set up for a hotel but then CitizenM don’t aim to be traditional either.

Check-in was easy as there were loads of staff on hand to take you through the process. It was unclear whether there would always be staff on hand like this but it’s a pretty straightforward process to follow if they aren’t.

The first floor is dedicated to a small check-in area, a well stocked bar/food area (the ‘canteen’) and what can only be described as a ‘play area’. About 50% of the first floor is massive comfy couches, bookshelves, big TV’s and some fun furniture that you can climb on, you can’t ask for more than that can you! Usually I never sit in hotel bars as I find them a bit clinical but we sat in this lounge area with a drink and chilled which made for a nice wee change.

Small but perfectly formed

The room itself is about 2m x 7m and is really compact but is not lacking in any way. The bed take up the entire width of the room so it’s massive and hugely comfy. The shower/toilet area takes up just under 1/4 of the room. It sounds from my description as if there’s not much room but trust me, there is it’s just that space isn’t wasted. Anyway, once you’ve sat on the bed you don’t want to get off it anyway, not with the big TV above it!

The other thing that has to be mentioned is that CitizenM is a technology savvy hotel so if you’re a technophobe you’ll have to just learn to love it!

Just about everything in the room is controlled by a remote control. The blinds, the TV, the mood lighting and the radio you can literally sit on your bed and control everything – it’s fantastic!

Love me...I'll be your new best friend

Oh, and the mood lighting is something else. You can set it to a static colour (to match your mood) or leave it to rotate through all the colours of the rainbow. The Fiance was mucking around with it when I was in the shower so I ended up having a ‘disco shower’ which was…interesting.

As I was at the hotel so early I had time to watch a movie (all free and a decent selection but if you’re there with kids set your parental controls!) and finish my working day (sitting at the provided work station) thanks to their free WiFi.

After my movie I reluctantly popped out for dinner and was able to lock my laptop securely away in the provided safe which was a bonus as I’d been stressing about leaving it on show.

Free movies for all tastes!

As it was the first night there were a few teething issues but it was to be expected in a hotel that makes use of so much technology. Our air conditioning wasn’t working which is worth mentioning if only to tell you how amazing the staff were. They checked it out while we sat in the bar then came up later and moved us into another room (when it wasn’t cooling). They had smiles on their faces the whole time and were chatty and friendly – they must have had so much on their plates that day but you’d never have known it from their attitude. Hopefully their loveliness wont change once they’ve had a few months of arsey customers! The staff are what make this hotel such a pleasure to stay at…well…the staff and the mood lighting.

There are one or two things I think the CitizenM could improve on for example, there are no tea and coffee making facilities which, if you’re spending a few hours working it would be nice to be able to grab a coffee. I don’t even think it would be necessary to have these facilities in each room but an area on each floor would be helpful. Also, a guide in the room would be good saying check-in/out times, how to use the safe/remote control etc. for those who were not too tech-savvy.

All in all, I loved my stay and would heartily recommend it to friends and family (in fact, I already am) and I am incredibly jealous of all my friends who also booked the tester night and are in the hotel with a glass of wine as I type.

To try it for yourself go to www.citizenm.com

The welcoming committee

I’ve been intending to write this review for a long time now as it really deserves it’s own page on this blog. It’s a review of the Jabberwock Inn in Monterey.

When we first started planning our holidays to San Francisco we’d originally thought we’d do the cheap and cheerful motels and B&B’s along our road trip route. We’d decided on our route and knew we were going to stop off in Monterey if only to visit the aquarium! Off we trotted to Google and started searching B&B’s in Monterey.

One of the first B&B’s we found was the Jabberwock Inn set a 5 minute walk from Cannery Row. It wasn’t the cheapest and certainly didn’t fall into out cheap and cheerful thinking but the images on the website blew us away.

Before we even arrived we were impressed. The owners had sent a thank you for booking letter and leaflet about the guesthouse which we thought was a nice touch especially as nowadays you’re lucky to get a confirmation email!

It’s a quaint wee hotel with loads of nooks and crannies and decor relating to “Through the Looking Glass.” From the website:

Our Monterey Bed and Breakfast Inn was named after the Lewis Carroll poem from his famous book, “Through the Looking Glass.” The ambiance of our seven room inn is light-hearted, warmly comfortable, and decidedly upscale. We enjoy meeting and caring for our local to international guests. Many come for romance, others are in town for conferences or business meetings, some come as a group for a family reunion … many return often to re-experience the beautiful blend of elegance and innocence that is woven into every aspect of Jabberwock Inn!

Arrivals and Upgrades

When we arrived, tired and ratty after a full day’s drive, the owner took his time to show us round the house an grounds and showed us lots of hiding spaces where jelly beans and sweets were hidden. There were guests playing boules on the front law and it really was quite idyllic!

As the owners knew we were on holiday for my 30th they had upgraded us to the Mome Rath room with our own bath jacuzzi, ocean views and a Californian king bed. We’d also pre-booked their chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne option. Bliss.

TLC with food!

Before dinner (chosen from one of the manu menus available) we met up in the parlour(!) with the other guests and got to know each other over a limoncello, a glass of wine and some hand made canapes. This was a fantastic touch and really didn’t make us want to leave!

After dinner we settled back into the room as we wanted time to enjoy it and try out the jacuzzi bath oh, and drink our champagne of course!

In the morning, after one of the most fitful sleeps I’d had in a  long time (well, since Wawoma) we went downstairs for breakfast. There is one dining table for all guests so everyone has the chance to chat. Breakfasts are amazing, massive and vary each day. They also follow the course of Alice with names such as “Snarkleberry Flumptious, Phantasmagoria, or another wondrous fulsome treats”

Would I go back?

No doubt about it. I really do recommend this hotel if you’re ever in Monterey. It might not be the cheapest but sometimes it’s worth the extra and the love and attention to detail that the owners put into your stay more than makes up for this.

For more information or to book see:

www.jabberwockinn.com
598 Laine Street, Monterey, CA 93940

If you’ve look through the USA category in this blog you’ll know I’m a big fan of San Francisco and California. Before I went over last year I spent months and months going through every tourist attraction/deal and route I could find to try and plan our holiday so not a minute was wasted. The result was a carefully tailored fortnight that had us seeing a huge portion of what North California has to offer.

I felt that my research/tips/thing I would change were worth sharing with you should you find yourself going on your holidays to America and in particular, California.

1) Book ahead but don’t book too much.

Before I went I booked up all our accommodation so we knew exactly where we would be each day and for how long. I was concerned about finding accommodation on the day as it can be a bit hit and miss in the UK. Next time I’ll probably book the start and the end and that’s about it. We found there were motels all over and not only were they all looking clean they were all pretty cheap as well. There were a few I would have liked the chance to stay in because of their views but I couldn’t because I’d already pre-booked. Take the chance and see what takes your fancy when you’re over there.

The view I could have had

2) Pay a little more for Yosemite

If your budget allows then take it from me…there is nothing that can compare to waking up in Yosemite and eating your breakfast looking up at the sheer size of the rock face in front of you. It was amazing and yes, we could have saved a fair wad of cash by not being in Yosemite Valley or Wawoma but this was potentially the only time I would be there so splashing out was worth it.

Breakfast

3) Don’t be afraid to act the tourist

Like anything in the world there can be a huge amount of snobbery attached to travelling. From those who wouldn’t stay anywhere other than a 5 star hotel to the inverted-snob who wouldn’t dream of doing anything that a ‘tourist’ would do. Well why the Hell not I say!? One of my greatest memories of San Francisco was breakfast in a 50’s style restaurant (Lori’s Diner I believe). Yes, it was FULL to the brim with tourists but so what, all that mattered to me was that I get the best pancakes I’d ever tasted (sorry Mum!) It would have been easy to walk past as it was packed out with fat, bum-bag wearing tourists but I’m glad my stomach took control and insisted I go in and besides, when I was sitting at my table across from the Fiance I didn’t take much notice of the fat bum-bags…bleugh – I made myself ill being so nice about him there.

Touristy milkshake

4) Check your driving distances

Two for one in this tip. Firstly, make sure you check and check your distances. Driving speeds are slower than the UK so it takes a little longer to drive the same distance plus all the stops you’re likely to do along the way. We learnt this the long way in Canada where we drove literally an inch on the map in one day and arrived at our destination 10 hours later – that was one long day. In California we stuck to a max of 250 miles a day to give us time to relax and enjoy the trip.

4) Check your road conditions

Secondly, check road conditions if you’re in any doubt. You can go from blazing sunshine to snow topped mountains in a matter of a few hours in California so if you know you’re going to an extreme then check. Likewise, if you’re travelling into Yosemite then check the conditions – we didn’t and ended up doing a 5 hour detour so we could avoid a mile of road in the centre of Yosemite to avoid a fire. You can check conditions for Yosemite at http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

I saw a friends status update on Facebook yesterday complaining about how he was about to get on a flight and there were hoards of kids waiting to get on with him. He wasn’t looking forward to it but it had a happy ending – he got a row to himself!

I commented on his update and it gave me an idea for this post. I’ve had a fair few flights over the years, some have been fantastic and one or two have been comedy flights to say the least so here are my top 3 ‘comedy’ flight experiences.

Oops, butter fingers.

Our last trip to San Francisco was the break of a holiday drought. We hadn’t been in a few years and I’d been working my fingers to the bone before it so when the drinks trolley came round I was more than receptive to a few glasses (read: small bottles) after a few glasses we got a beer because it was still early on a very long flight. Approximately two sips in I moved in my seat, caught my hand on the (stupid, flimsy, little) table and promptly threw a ull glass over beer over the Fiance’s crotch.

It was hilarious.

I laughed and laughed and laughed then I looked at his face then I laughed and laughed and laughed.

The people next to him looked on horrified and I continued to find his lovely but grumpy face the funniest thing I had seen in a long time. We arrived in San Fran around 12 hours later and the Fiance had to squelch off the plane with a still damp crotch and it’s probably fair to say I was still sniggering about it. Well…it would be fair to say I’m STILL sniggering about it now as I type.

Awwww, i’nt he cute?

One one of my flights to Toronto I was a little nervous, it was my first big holiday without the Fiance and I was nervous about being on my own. When I took my seat I looked at my neighbour and thought two things :

1) It’s a woman – this is good
2)What a cute looking wee boy she has with her

Approximately 30 seconds later I was eating my words. The kid began to kick me on the leg from the minute I sat down. This then progressed to kicking me full whack in the side and kicking the back of the seat (so the entire row was jiggling about). I looked at the mother imploringly (waaaay more than once) and made a few ‘oops he slipped and kicked me’ comments while she looked on lovingly telling me how cute this was “isn’t he cute?” No.

It was a seven hour flight and the kicking finally stopped when we came in for land and he got scared (I was laughing at this internally!)

I get scared but it’ll be fine – I promise

On another trip I went on holiday with a friend. I had no idea whatsoever that she was scared of flying…on the way over we got to the airport and had time to share a bottle of wine before take off. The flight was perfectly calm and was over in record time. On the way home there was no wine. The flight was a Little bumpy and lasted forever.

My friend ended up in tears at one point (I never know what to do when someone cries so I just kind of watched her a bit)  then she started to hyper ventilate. The rest of the flight was spent with an air-hostess sitting beside her saying soothing things while I just sat and watched thinking ‘must talk…must say something soothing’ over and over.

I never ever did say anything helpful.

A few months ago we took a wee trip to London. We like our long weekends in London because it reminds the Fiance of when he lived down there with work and it reminds me of the visits I used to make to him and the museums I went to, shops I shopped in and cafes I ate in while he was doing said work! Them were the days….

This time when we were planning it we had a right pain trying to find a decent hotel that wasn’t a fortune but was in a decent location (we were also visiting friends all over London so it had to be accessible). It shouldn’t have been a difficult task but it was. I must have Googled and researched most of the hotels in London city centre before I hit on an absolute gem of a hotel right in South Kensington – you can’t get a much better location than that in my opinion.

The hotel we found was one of the Grange hotels called the Strathmore.

I’d checked a few reviews before we went and most said that the reooms were tiny and yes, they were wee but they were perfectly clean and very comfortable and lets face it, unless it’s a celebration weekend long weekend who wants to stay in their hotel room anyway ;-)

The staff were really lovely at the Strathmore too and it had a cute homely atmosphere. We had a ncie welcome when we arrived and were checked in and in our room quickly which is just what you need after a long journey.

The hotel was 2 minutes walk from Gloucester Road tube and literally round the corner from the Natural History Museum. A few more minutes would get you to the V&A, Science Museum or Hyde Park.

I’d recommend the Strathmore and will be staying in it for the next few London long weeknds at least. If you fancy giving it a shot then the details are below.

41 Queen’s Gate Gardens
London SW7 5NB
020 7584 0512