Category Archives: travel

Holiday Post 3: Yosemite

15th July 2019

We may only have had half a day there but Yosemite National Park made a massive impression on me. Out of the entire holiday, right from the start this was the place I was most excited to visit, and I’d love nothing more than to go back there for a week or so to properly explore.

We headed to Yosemite from Carmel by the Sea, it was an interesting drive, taking us through a very agricultural part of California, through Vineyards, and as the journey progressed, through some quaint old towns that were almost frozen in time from the Gold Rush days.

The second we drove in to Yosemite and paid our entry (which gives you access for a full 7 days) we were blown away. We stopped multiple times on the way to Yosemite Village to try and drink in some of the incredible scenery.

I don’t actually feel like there is an awful lot I can write in this post because the beauty of Yosemite just defies words.

There is of course one part of the visit I have to write about, and the real reason why Yosemite will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Bob and I had just paid a visit to the gift shop, picking up some gifts for our loved ones, and for each other.
It was a warm day so we decided to grab a coffee then head on one of the shorter trails as we only had a couple of hours before we really needed to get back on the road.
We picked the lower falls trail, which was incredible. We got soaked by the waterfall and went and found a secluded little spot by a creek to dry off and soak up some more scenery before heading back.
Whilst we were there we were laughing and joking and both saying how blissfully happy we were.
Bob asked if I wanted another surprise, having already given me one in the form of a hoodie in the gift shop. I assumed he’d bought me something else, as that’s just what he’s like, so when he told me to close my eyes and hold out my hands (our usual tactic when presenting one another with a gift) I happily obliged.
He then told me to open my eyes, and when I did he was down on one knee with the ring in his hand. I just burst in to tears and hugged him, before realising I probably ought to give him an answer. I couldn’t really speak so just nodded then grabbed the ring off of him!

The spot where Bob proposed
About one minute before he proposed.
The last selfie as a non engaged couple!

After that we casually strolled back out on to the path and walked back to the car, beaming big soppy smiles (and I just kept asking if this was real!)

It was back to the car after that, and on to the single most eventful part of our trip…watch this space!

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Holiday Post 2: Ventura, Santa Barbara and Big Sur

06th July 2019

Following on from my previous post, where I left off in the Mojave Desert, we continued our epic drive in to California. This was the longest drive we did, if I recall correctly, with a total of around 11 hours in the car…did we tire of it? Not really, the scenery when you drive through America is incredible vs. what you see in the UK and because everything was new to us it was all incredibly exciting. The worst part of the drive was through LA and Hollywood- somewhere we elected not to stop in favour of other places within the time constrains of our trip. The traffic was INSANE, as were the other drivers- we were both relieved when that leg of the journey was over.

It was late by the time we made it to our Hotel in Ventura (we stayed at The Amanzi Hotel) so we didn’t get a chance to explore the town much. We did head down to the beach after breakfast though, but it was super overcast so we just had a meander down the pier before driving on to Santa Barbara.

The novelty of facing the beach looking one way and the mountains when you looked the other never really wore off.

By the time we got to Santa Barbara and parked up the sun had started to come through, showing us what California beach life was like. Santa Barbara is such a pretty place and although we didn’t have much time to explore we walked the pier, grabbed a coffee and spent some time watching surfers head out in to the ocean.

Surfer heaven?
The clouds finally lifted!

The next part of our journey was probably our favourite drive of the holiday, with some of the most incredible scenery along the way. We drove through Vineyards and past mansions on the way to one of most anticipated pit-stops and somewhere we wished we had stayed much closer to, and for much longer.

Big Sur and the Californian costal route in general is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I have ever seen. Throughout this trip I found myself constantly in awe of nature and it’s ability to create such stunning scenes.

As one might expect, staying in Big Sur was expensive and therefore we elected not to, with great regret. Our next overnight stop was pretty beautiful to though, we drove a further hour to a place called Carmel-By-The-Sea. This was a town like no other I have seen, really pretty and quaint with enviable houses and a real air of affluence (the local shops included Kate Spade and Tiffany!)
We found the local dining options out of our price range- a common story for many parts of this holiday so we headed to the Del Monte Shopping Centre in search of food. We settled on California Pizza Kitchen which proved a worthy choice in terms of value and deliciousness- I’d never considered brie, chicken and grapes a pizza topping up until now but it needs to be a thing!

We bedded down in a more authentic American Motel that night ready for our most hotly anticipated destinations of the trip- Yosemite National Park and Mammoth Lakes.

Looking back I realise we didn’t take nearly enough photos on this part of the trip. We only took our phones with us and we spent so much time drinking in what we were seeing that taking photos didn’t really occur to us until after the event. Thankfully the memories we made are ones we’ll never forget, but it would have been nice to have more visual memoirs of our dream holiday.

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Holiday Post 1: Vegas to the Grand Canyon

29th June 2019

It’s been just over two weeks since we got back from our holiday of a lifetime, and despite being desperate to share what we did and what we saw I’ve been struggling to put it in to words.

We started our adventure on the 31st of May when we headed up to The Hilton at Heathrow Terminal 5- we had booked a park and fly package which worked out brilliantly for us. It was only about £30 more to do it that way than it was to drive up in the early hours of the Saturday morning and park at Terminal 2 and it was a fantastic, luxury start to our holiday. Getting to Terminal 2 was a doddle in the morning and we were far more relaxed than if we’d had to leave our house at 3am!

We flew with United Airlines who were fantastic, we missed our connection to Las Vegas from Chicago due to a delay in London, but once we landed we found we only actually lost an hour and had been booked on to the next flight.

Landing in Las Vegas was insane- straight away you’re greeted with Slot Machines, and as first time visitors to the USA everything was larger than life. We were exhausted at this point and were desperate to get to our hotel. A short Uber ride later and we arrived at The Four Seasons where Bob had booked us a suite.

The Four Seasons is above the Mandalay Bay hotel and has it’s own private entrance, making it one of the few hotels on the strip where you don’t have to walk through a Casino. This was much welcomed after our first full day, and whilst we technically didn’t need a suite, it was a beautiful sanctuary after the heat and madness that is the strip!
The hotel is located at the far end of the strip (near the Luxor) making it a little quieter than some we saw. It’s so easy to get anywhere you want in Vegas- either using the monorail or Uber so we didn’t feel we had missed out by not being more central.

We only had two full days in Vegas, but it felt like enough. Evidently we took very few photos as we were just flat out overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the place, and it felt like by whipping out the camera we were constantly in someone’s way.
Mostly we spent our days walking around various hotels and casinos, but we did take a short trip to the Las Vegas North Premium Outlets which we highly recommend for designer bargains. I picked up the Kate Spade bag and wallet you see above for a mere £103!

With so little time we didn’t get chance to really explore the culinary scene, and the restaurants within casinos were very pricey. We mostly stuck to chains- PF Changs was a hit, however we had an excellent meal in Citizens within the Mandalay Bay- the New York Strip steak and Fish Tacos were divine!

On our last morning in Vegas we picked up our rental car (highly recommend Sixt) and headed to our next destination- Flagstaff in Arizona.
Obviously we had to stop at the Hoover Dam on the way, although it was 40 degrees out so we limited our time there to an hour of very sweaty walking.
The Dam itself is a breathtaking sight, it’s entirely man made and mind-boggling to think about how it was achieved.

Driving in America was something we didn’t tire of the entire trip. 12 hours in the car was no big deal when there was so much to take in. We were blown away by the sheer amount of open space and just how much you can see!
The drive to Flagstaff was our first time on the road and the rules of the road took some getting used to. Once we settled in and got the music blaring we just enjoyed the crazy scenery.

We spent about four hours driving that day before we hit our home for the night- the Twin Arrows resort just outside of Flagstaff. We had already dined on the road – why is Chick-Fil-A not a thing in the UK? Their waffle fries are insane! We were exhausted at this point and after a brief explore turned in for the night ready to be up early the next day for a drive to see the Grand Canyon and then make the epic trek back down through Arizona and in to California.

The Grand Canyon is one of the most insane things I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s just breathtaking. We weren’t really prepared for how busy it would be though, and by the time we had parked and walk to the viewing point it was lunch time and heaving. We had to cut our visit short, with a ten hour drive ahead of us, but it was well worth the heat and the crowds. If we’d had more time in Vegas I think we’d definitely have done an organised trip to see more of it, but just the snippet we did see left us blow away.

We then hopped back in to our car and started driving. And driving, and driving. We spent much of the day going through Mojave desert which is somewhere I have wanted to see for the longest time. It was a balmy 44 degrees when the above photo was taken and I had just made the mistake of googling local wildlife (pro tip- don’t!)
After a USA sized bucket of icy cold drink it was back in the car and on to Ventura, California.

Stay tuned for the next installment!



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Handy Hints for Handling Travel Delays and Cancellations*

05th July 2018
Regardless of whether you travel regularly or not, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up experiencing a flight delay or cancellation at some point in your life. Unfortunately, though our airlines are currently more innovative, and well-organised than ever, they’re not immune to the everyday issues that can cause all of us a little trouble. Anything from a technology issue, to a strike, or even a sudden thunderstorm could leave your flight grounded.
There may be nothing that you can do to eliminate your chances of suffering from a flight delay or cancellation completely. However, the good news is that there are steps you can take to make sure that you come through the experience with as little stress as possible. Here are our top tips.

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

Travel Light and keep your Info Handy

First up, although there are some trips that you’ll need to pack heavily for – a month-long vacation with the whole family or a gap year for example, but there are other journeys that you can take with less weight on your back. Not only will travelling light make your experience more comfortable but it could make it easier to hop onto the next available flight faster when yours is cancelled.
Ultimately, the airline reps are going to place people who don’t have baggage to find on flights first because they’re less hassle to deal with. Keep all your belongings in one place and you’ll be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Make sure you have all your flight information at hand too so that you can offer up your details in an instant.

Switch on Your Smartphone

Most of us go everywhere with our technology these days so making sure you have your smartphone with you for your next flight shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. However, it’s worth making sure that you have an extra battery pack or charger handy just in case you’re held up.
When you’re hit by a flight delay or cancellation a phone comes in handy by making sure that you’re not stuck in a long line of other people who are complaining about the same thing as you. Get in touch with the airline reps in a different way- by calling their number, or reaching out on social media instead. Some air companies will even have their own apps that you can download and use to get faster customer service.

Know Your Rights

In the UK and across Europe if the flight delay or cancellation you suffer from was caused by something that the airline could control, and it lasts longer than three hours then you should be eligible for some compensation. The best thing you can do is find out as much as you can about your airline’s compensation policy by checking out their website – you can even read up before your flight if it helps.
Additionally, make sure that you keep hold of all the information you might need to make a claim when you get back home – including the names of the people you speak to and any receipts for food or drinks you buy in the airport.

Research Your Options

If you’re going to be on your phone anyway, then you might as well use the time you have to learn as much as you can about what’s going on with your flight. Find out why your plane has been grounded, and whether the cause is going to impact any of the other airlines that come to your airport. If the reason for your cancellation or delay is something that has nothing to do with the weather or something similar then you might be able to find an alternative flight with another airline.
If you can’t wait around for your airline rep to find a solution for you then you can always present the option you have found to them and see whether they can help you out with it.

Keep Your Mind Occupied and Calm
Finally, if your flight has been delayed or cancelled it’s important not to let it ruin your entire trip. One little hiccup doesn’t spell disaster. Take the extra time you have to relax, explore the airport, or even make some new friends by talking to someone in the same situation as you. If you’re travelling a long way and you’re exhausted you could even catch up on some shut-eye if you can find a safe place to rest.
Keeping yourself calm and entertained will also mean that you’re less likely to throw a tantrum and ruin your chances of getting a quick solution to your problem too.

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Exploring Canada’s Eastern Lands*

15th May 2018
Canada remains a relatively untouched country for UK travellers, ands somewhere I personally would love to visit. Perhaps it’s because the US is more familiar, or because Canada is so big, but it’s a trip that few some to make. But this should change, for one simple reason: Canada is amazing! From the wonders of the east, to the stunningly flat middle, to the mountains and vibe of the west, it’s a country that has something for everyone. And if you’re worried about the flight time, don’t be: the eastern coast is one of the shortest transatlantic flights available! Below, we take a look at some of the exciting destinations located in the eastern portion of the country.

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Big City Fun

Toronto isn’t really in keeping with the rest of Canada. It’s a big city…that acts and looks like a big city! Indeed, the skyscrapers of the city mean it’s often used as a shooting alternative to New York City. Take a trip there, and you’ll find there’s much to see and do, from theatre shows to art galleries to sports events. Beware, though, the temperatures can get pretty chilly in the winter time (which can last for five months).

French Influenced City

People tend to think that the coolest Canadian city is Vancouver, but those people clearly haven’t been to Montreal. This is where it’s at! This is the city that produced Arcade Fire, and where Kit Harrington (Jon Snow from Games of Thrones) parties during the summer. There’s plenty of attractions, galleries, and museums, but the best way to experience the city is just to wander around and soak up the atmosphere. There are plenty of cafes, craft beer pop-ups, and delicious restaurants to keep you busy, as well as plenty of live music.

The Eastern Coast

The Eastern Coast of Canada is filled with natural beauty gems, small towns, and cities. Book yourself into Delta Hotels Beausejour, and spend some time exploring the area. The region is noted for its delicious seafood, dunes, dramatic cliffs, and wildlife viewings. While you’re there, make sure you check out some live music; this part of Canada has an interesting musical heritage, and it’s uncommon to hear traditional Celtic songs. There’s also St. John’s, which is the oldest city in North America!


The Thousand Islands Region

Love nature, and want to spend as much time as possible in it? Then check out the Thousand Islands region. It’s best in the summer when the region looks at its best and is teeming with events and activities. There are some thirty miles of trails that pass through creeks, woodlands, and nature preserves, so don’t forget your hiking boots!

Natural Beauty

Finally, don’t think that all the grand examples of natural beauty are in the west! They’re not. Eastern Canada is of course home to one of the world’s great sights, Niagara Falls. Pay a visit, go for a walk, and get lost in the captivating beauty of this dramatic spectacle. It’s better in the summer, but impressive whenever you go!

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