Travel off the beaten track and experience

Life can be extremely stressful – I feel like each year we have more and more responsibilities, bills and things to juggle. Most weeks I barely get to do everything I want to do, and then we start the week again. If you’re like me and feeling a little bit stressed, here are my top four tips for reducing stress in your everyday life. 1. Take Time Out for Yourself It’s important to make time every day to focus on the things you want to do – it can’t be all work and no play. Whether you love hitting the gym for an hour every day while listening to your favourite Podcast, or you like lighting some candles, dropping a Lush bath bomb in the bath and slipping away for 30 minutes every evening. It’s important to take time out for yourself in any way that works for you and ensures you feel relaxed and energized. Whenever you’re travelling on a plane and watch the safety video, you’ll see that they always tell you to put your own oxygen mask on fi...

Photo by Anna Fox Wandering Disney parks can make for a long, exhausting day. But it’ll be worth it! Here are some tips on how your family can make the most out of a trip to Disneyland or California Adventure. 1. Get There Before the Park Opens While the Disneyland Resort publishes park hours on their website, they often let visitors through the gates before the scheduled time . While there is no set time for this, it is usually about a half hour before the parks open. So get there early to wander Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A. or California Adventure’s Buena Vista Street. While ropes will be blocking Tomorrowland and Adventureland, you can wait for the rope drop. This will amp up the anticipation even more for little ones—and you’ll be some of the first people to get on rides. Head for the ones that usually have long lines like Space Mountain or Indiana Jones. 2. Try to Avoid Magic Mornings If you are staying at a Disney hotel and have a 3+ day admission ticket, you are entit...

Canada is known for many things, including its natural beauty, great skiing and boarding, bustling cities, top festivals, friendly people and much more. However, something that isn’t talked about enough is its cuisine. Head to this North American nation and you’ll find all sorts of interesting snacks and drinks to try. Read on for a sample you have to test next time you’re in Canada. Fresh Maple Syrup Obviously, one of the most iconic Canadian tastes you have to have try next time you’re in Canada is maple syrup. Around the country you’ll find all manner of maple syrup–flavored items to enjoy (such as doughnuts, toffees, and other candies), as well as the fresh stuff, all ready to pour over pancakes, waffles, French toast and more. There’s a reason why the phrase “as Canadian as maple syrup” is in the vernacular; you’ll find the sweet syrup everywhere. Canada produces approximately 80 percent of the world’s stores and is the largest exporter by far. Nanaimo Bars Another Canadian c...

Northern California is renowned for many things: the majesty of the ancient Redwoods which tower above you, perfect for camping out with horses; the production of some of the world’s finest wines produced in Napa and Sonoma Valleys; and the cultivation of some of the planet’s finest medicinal cannabis in the Emerald Triangle, and the booming multi-billion dollar industry that has sprung from it. Still, in spite of all of the amazing aforementioned natural beauty in the northern part of the state, you might plan your next trip to the area by booking vacation rentals in Lake Tahoe. With its crystal clear, blue waters, many consider the crown jewel of the region to be Lake Tahoe not just because it is absolutely gorgeous, but because of all the activities, summer or winter, that come with it. Whether you are on a road trip up the amazing coastline to northern California, driving up or state highway 1 and decide to veer towards Tahoe for a visit to its bevy of gourmet restaurants and incr...

If you’ve been looking for that perfect destination to increase the romance in your lives, the New Forest is the place to go. Whether you want to explore, relax or just enjoy the gorgeous scenery, the New Forest is an ideal destination for people of all ages. The New Forest was turned into a national park back in 2005, and William the Conqueror once used it as a royal hunting ground. The national park is 566 square kilometres, and you’ll find river valleys, heathland, and plenty of unspoilt woodland. Keep an eye out for cattle, ponies and deer which like to roam free. For those who want to get back to nature with their loved one, the New Forest is ideal and you can enjoy a stay in a holiday cottage there. Ditch the car and spend time horse riding, cycling and walking, taking breaks in shady groves and next to clear rivers. There are also plenty of traditional villages, so spend some time visiting the quaint towns of Lyndhurst, Burley, Brockenhurst and Beaulieu which are packed with...

Europe is one of my favourite places to travel for a few reasons, but the main one is how close all the countries are. Coming from New Zealand I really appreciate Europe and being able to simply drive to another country. Once I had breakfast in the Czech Republic, lunch in Germany and dinner in Brussels. It was pretty cool. How is that for an international day of eating? I don’t think it gets much better than that. Europe is rich in both history and traditional and as such there are a lot of delicious national dishes crammed into a very small location. That makes it the perfect place to travel for the foodie wanting to sample a few different things. Each country has it’s own famous dish (or dishes) as well as a popular street food meal, which is handy for the budget traveller. Want to know what they are and when you should head to the respective country for its biggest food festival? Well, this infographic has got you covered. Check it out below and start planning your foo...

What could be more relaxing, more eye opening and more soul-hugging than a river cruise? The luxury associated with it, the great views, meeting new people – the entire experience can be indeed exquisite. If you plan on embarking on a river cruise soon, but have no idea where to go, then you should read on and find out more about the most spectacular river cruises out there. Moselle River Cruise Holiday Moselle is a river that flows through France, Luxembourg and German, in this way connecting some of Europe’s most important countries (Germany and France are actually at the very foundation of the European Union so it is really difficult to get more “Euro” than that). A river cruise on the Moselle river can bear your steps (even if not necessarily in the literal sense of the word) through the splendid Paris and, if you want to push your trip even further, you can choose a cruise that will connect Moselle with Rhine and with Maine and you can reach as far out as the magical Prague! Li...

By the time your kids have reached their teenage years, it’s likely that you’ve already succeeded in instilling within them a love of all things travel. Some may have begun to embark on their own journeys or pursue their own interests on family trips. This holiday gift guide for traveling teens will help you find the right present to expand their views of the world and help them to develop their own travel style along the way. For the budding photographer Teens with a pension for artistic photography may have a specific model in mind when they ask for a camera, but those teens who are simply looking to document their travels will adore the compact Olloclip lens that attaches directly to their iPhone for a quick and easy upgrade to their photos. Portability isn’t the only plus, however. The ability to take beautiful photos while still using his or her phone will allow your teen to instantly email, post, instagram or tweet photos and videos so friends and family can keep up with their ...

Love backpacking, but hate the backpack? If you’re a littlun like me, whose back quivers at the mere thought of a lugging a heavy backpack through your gap year, fear not – there is another way. Step One: Divide essentials from non-essentials, then stuff the latter into a small pulley-style suitcase. I’ve pulled a small suitcase around Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia; get one small enough, filled only with clothes, and even the littlest of littleuns will be able to lift it when flat roads aren’t around. If any gapper tells you you’re ‘not doing it right’, use your brand new handbag to swing at them. Step Two: The handbag! The lifesaver, the Mary Poppins, the Things Without Which You Might Die. It should contain: 1. Hand sanitiser When travelling the beautiful wide world, you’ll encounter many not-so-beautiful toilets. A necessity; only a few quid from Boots and lasts months. 2. Tissues Lots of tissues. For reason above. 3. Guidebook, with map and printouts A happy trav...

A question I’m so often asked is where is my favourite place on earth, but after almost 7 years travelling solo across 70+ countries, it is a question I struggle to answer definitively. My second love, photography, seems to determine the countries and cities I choose to travel to. I’m a sucker for beautiful architecture, intricate details, colourful sunsets, and anything out of the ordinary. So with that, here are my top picks for the most photogenic cities in the world! 1. Amsterdam, Netherlands A city built on canals, Amsterdam is often regarded as one of the most beautiful, photogenic cities on earth (its not hard to see why!) Simply walking around this city is a joy in itself, though I would highly recommend doing so at sunrise before the crowds take to the streets. Why its so photogenic: The canals are just the beginning. Look for the details and intricacies of the canal houses. 2. Paris, France Paris is another obvious but well-deserved city on this list, as I...