11 Gardening Tips to Attract More Airbnb Guests

As a regular Airbnb guest, one of the first things I notice when booking is whether a property has outdoor space.

A garden or backyard can genuinely be the deciding factor between two similar listings, especially for longer stays or family trips – and if you want to save money on Airbnb when booking, outdoor space is often better value at smaller independent properties.

But it’s not just about having a garden – it’s about how it’s set up.

Whether you have a large garden, a compact courtyard, or a small balcony, there’s plenty you can do to make your outdoor space one of the highlights of your listing.

Here are some practical garden and backyard ideas for Airbnb hosts that make a real difference to guests.

Continue reading “11 Gardening Tips to Attract More Airbnb Guests”

How to Overcome Loneliness When Travelling Alone

Travelling alone can be one of the most exciting things you ever do. There’s freedom in it that’s hard to explain until you experience it yourself. You wake up when you want. Eat where you want. Change plans on a whim. Spend an hour watching the sea if that’s what you feel like doing.

And honestly? Sometimes it feels incredible.

But solo travel also has a quieter side people don’t talk about enough.

The lonely moments.

Continue reading “How to Overcome Loneliness When Travelling Alone”

Creative Ways to Use and Display Your Travel Photos

One of the best ways to relive travel memories is to go back through your favourite photos. But if yours are sitting in a camera roll on your phone or buried in a folder on your laptop, they deserve better than that.

I take hundreds of photos on every trip, and over the years I’ve tried most of these ideas myself – from scrapbooks and photo books to canvas prints and a family gallery wall that’s slowly taking over our hallway. Here are some of the best creative ways to use and display your travel photos, whatever your budget or time.

Continue reading “Creative Ways to Use and Display Your Travel Photos”

Is Segovia Worth Visiting for a Day? What We Saw in Just 6 Hours

On our recent family road trip from the UK through Portugal and Spain, we needed somewhere to break up the long drive from Sedella in the Andalusian mountains to Santander on the north coast.

Segovia was an easy choice.

My husband had wanted to visit for a while, mainly to see the famous Roman aqueduct, which is one of the best-preserved in the world.

The only issue was time.

Continue reading “Is Segovia Worth Visiting for a Day? What We Saw in Just 6 Hours”

Visiting the Costa Nova Striped Houses & Cool Architecture in Portugal

Colourful striped houses right on the beach, it looks like one of the most photogenic places in Portugal.

But what’s it actually like to visit?

We spent two nights in Costa Nova as part of our Spain and Portugal family road trip in April, arriving late in the dark after our overnight ferry crossing and a long drive across Spain and Portugal.

The next morning we were visiting family in Viseu, then heading all the way south to Salema in the Algarve.

That meant we only had one full day here, and so the weather was just whatever it was going to be.

And honestly, our experience wasn’t quite the sunny postcard you might expect!

Continue reading “Visiting the Costa Nova Striped Houses & Cool Architecture in Portugal”

Sedella, Spain, in April: Return Visit for 2 Days to the Andalusian Mountains

Sedella isn’t somewhere you stumble across by accident.

It’s a small white village set high in the mountains of southern Spain, and you really have to want to go there, or know about it.

Continue reading “Sedella, Spain, in April: Return Visit for 2 Days to the Andalusian Mountains”

Salema, Portugal, in April: Return Visit for 3 Days on the Algarve

You know when you return somewhere and hope it feels just as good as the first time?

That was Salema for us.

We’d visited Salema in February once before and loved this quiet pocket of the Algarve. We’re not fans of built-up, tourist-heavy places, and Salema offered a peaceful escape that felt completely different from the busier parts of the region.

On that first visit, we stayed at NAU Salema Beach Village and honestly felt like the only guests there. It was that quiet.

So coming back again during the UK school Easter holidays in April, how would it compare? Would we love it just as much?

Continue reading “Salema, Portugal, in April: Return Visit for 3 Days on the Algarve”

Is Priority Disembarkation Worth It on Brittany Ferries? (With vs Without)

When you’re on a long ferry crossing, especially one that lasts over 20 hours, the last thing you want is to sit waiting to get off.

So when booking our ferry with Brittany Ferries, we added priority disembarkation on the outward journey.

We were travelling lots with long drives on a road trip across Spain and Portugal, so thought it would be nice to get off quickly and crack on with our first long drive. 

On the way home we decided not to pay extra for the priority disembarkation as we didn’t have such a long drive and thought we’d just save the money, as we were heading home anyway by this point.  

But did we make the right choice?

Continue reading “Is Priority Disembarkation Worth It on Brittany Ferries? (With vs Without)”