Waterfalls and the Valleys

Let’s face it - the definition of a “holiday” is really rather reliant on whether you’re doing it with or without children. Everything from how much flights cost, to how you pack, to perhaps whether you ever even go again. Take us for example. Before children came along, the phrase “half term” really only meant one thing - expensive flights well worth avoiding. Now of course, half term has an entirely different meaning altogether. In fact, that’s a perfect word for it - half term for us literally means being all together, and on this most recent holiday that meant one thing and one thing only - more family adventures…

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Getting lost in the Forest of Dean

Exactly one year ago to this day we were sat on this beach in New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula, marvelling at the way this volcanic, black sand sparkled under the midday sun, pondering how to live a life that makes the most of this fragile time we’re given. Fast forward 12 months, and we’re here on the edge of the Forest of Dean, determined to continue that adventure…

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El Cabanyal - Valencia’s Fishermen’s Quarter

The final leg of our Spanish jaunt sees us in Valencia, that sun-drenched, Paella-inventing, Horchata-drinking gem. Our last trip here was 8 years ago, and with no children to savour the delights of travel, all we could do was gorge on seafood Paella and Sangria by the beach, relax in the hotel spa pool and sunbathe indefinitely. Not much to live up to this time then…

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Vejer de la Frontera - an Andalucian hilltop gem

Our journey to Vejer takes us through Jerez, the smaller and less extroverted Andalucian city compared to it’s capital Seville, famed for its palomino grape sherry and Flamenco. We find ourselves sat outside this unassuming restaurant, the sunlight only just starting to creep past the castle-like walls surrounding the cobblestone courtyard we are about to eat in…

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A jungle escape in Northern Thailand

What is it about water that makes us feel the way we do when we’re near it? Whether its waves, or rain, or waterfalls, something about this mysterious beast grabs us by the ears and forces us to stop whatever we’re doing, just so we can feel for that single moment in time, as small as an ant crossing the sea, and as alive as the water beneath it.

This time, we find ourselves surrounded by waterfalls; too many to count, and all a stone's throw away… Read more

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Ticking off the bucket list in Canggu

It’s 6.00 am. I haven’t woken up this early in such a long time that I can barely remember how to turn off the alarm that’s now blaring at me. I’m suddenly thrust back into an old world of getting to bed on time, of showering to wake yourself up, and of fumbling around in the morning darkness to avoid waking the sleeping family sprawled out all around me. Turning the alarm off before the entire family wakes up feels like a massive victory at this point, but I succeed. Still got it.

Whilst getting up this early is reminiscent of my old 9-5 life, everything else about this morning is entirely different. Read more

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The private luxury villa and its superhero cast

Some of the sweetest moments on this trip have tended to be the simplest. Like sitting at the departure gate as a family, quietly waiting for our delayed flight to board, and hearing our little two year old suddenly shout out at the top of his lungs, “SO, WE MEET AGAIN!!!”, in what may be the cutest superhero voice ever spoken. It was a beautiful way to inspire laughter amongst a random group of strangers all wishing they were somewhere else, and yet all stuck there just the same…

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Finding freedom in Abel Tasman

One of the best things about travel is that feeling of being somewhere new and exciting, whilst at the same time feeling a subtle sense of connection to this place you’ve just stepped foot in. Like hearing an old song and being suddenly transported back to a very specific moment, travel has a way of making you feel a certain way in a certain place, of taking you out of the everyday and therefore of exposing you to new things, new stories, new feelings, even if those feelings are hard to put into words sometimes. And there is definitely something about New Zealand that does this for us.

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7 life lessons from a Kiwi campervan

This is where we used to live. It wasn’t a mansion, but at 1500 square feet it felt a tad bigger than the home we swapped it for recently on a 7 night campervan trip in New Zealand. And whilst we love our old home, and whilst we miss our old home, we won’t be forgetting our time spent sleeping in the great outdoors anytime soon. Here are the 7 life-affirming lessons we learnt when we downsized our square footage by a casual 95%, and felt more alive than ever.

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The story of a digital nomad

Digital nomad. A term I first came across ten years ago when I was a fresh grad out of Central Saint Martins, trying to break into the ad industry in London. There I was, sitting in the uber cool open-planned offices of a digital agency in Shoreditch as an intern, when I was given a brief to work on their latest campaign - the Skype nomad. The idea was to send someone - this ‘digital nomad’ - travelling around the world in a month. She would be photographing, blogging, vlogging her journey all via Skype, and I remember thinking, is that for real?

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Black Truffle Sang Jin Bao

We’re sat along a communal bar, facing a wall full of magazine clippings and reviews for what this place specialises in - Black Truffle Sang Jin Bao. A sign tells us not to add any vinegar to this variant of the traditional Shanghainese bun, for fear of ruining the flavour. We obey. Another sign warns of the dangerously piping hot sauce within the buns - we’ll later regret not paying more attention to this...

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