Amongst the more appealing to me are the blogs written by families travelling on [...]]]> In our search for inspiration and information I’ve come across a quite a few blogs now written by families travelling with kids. It seems we’re not alone in our dream to travel the world with our child, and that’s good to know.

Amongst the more appealing to me are the blogs written by families travelling on bikes. These really leapt out at me, despite there being a number of reasons why I hadn’t considered this approach to travelling before. The more I read, the more I like.

My initial concerns on the idea of travelling the world on a bike are as follows… What happens if the bike is stolen? How would we carry all of our gear on a bike? Wouldn’t our child get bored quickly?. That’s pretty much it really, and reading through the blogs of familes who have travelled on bikes, and people who are travelling on bikes right now, the more I am coming to realise these aren’t major issues.

Definitely going to give this a lot more thought!

Here are a few of the best blogs I’ve found written by families travelling on bikes. Between them they have everything you could ever possibly want to know on the subject:
Family on bikes
Pedouins
Family on a bike

Snowdonia national park is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and thats my personal opinion despite the same line modestly appearing on several road signs on the way in. Betws y Coed lies snuggled at the base of several grand snow capped mountains including Mount Snowdon itself, and needless to say the views on a [...]]]>

Snowdonia national park is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and thats my personal opinion despite the same line modestly appearing on several road signs on the way in. Betws y Coed lies snuggled at the base of several grand snow capped mountains including Mount Snowdon itself, and needless to say the views on a clear day are breathtaking. 

Betws y Coed is very easy to get to, although the main access point is via the A55 which trails along the North Wales coast. It’s quite aptly named really, with it quite literally being an ‘Ass’ unless you pick your time of travel wisely. My tip for this run is to travel early, don’t wait for some nice weather and then travel. Also, avoid peak times during bank holidays as the roads simply can’t handle it.     

Betws-y-Coed railway station and the attached row of shops, ice cream parlours and cafe serve as the main gathering point for the crowds at peak times. Opposite is a large green with picnic tables, as Theo demonstrates in this laid back pic, aswell as some adequate public toilets. The station itself encloses a miniature steam railway which runs around landscaped gardens, through a small wood, and past some old railway carriages which have been turned into a restaurant, a home, and even an impressively large model railway exhibit. Kids will love the novelty of travelling in the carriages behind the miniature steam train, although it has broad appeal for young and old alike.

Our main problem was finding a a quiet spot to change our little ones nappy, and having to resort to a bench in the grave yard surrounding St. Michael’s church was an interesting experience.

I don’t know why I always come across crazy people on my day trips, and this trip was no different. Upon exiting the station I saw a man being ‘attacked’ by a single bee, and although in the middle of an area crowded with young children and elderly people sat enjoying tea and scones, he proceeded to fight back by swinging his carrier bag around his head. His family stood back in disbelief whilst the pottery souvenirs contained within promptly ripped through the bag and smashed to bits several feet away, thankfully without injuring anyone. You couldn’t make it up, he was in fact so embarrased he just dumped whatever was left in the bag and scurried away!

Anyway, back to the facts. If you get yourself back on the main road, you can reach the famous Swallow Falls in just a few minutes. This is one of Wales largest waterfalls and although paid entry is required, the money has gone towards landscaping the area with a series of steps and overhanging vantage points offering beautiful up close views of the waterfall. Well worth a quick detour, and certainly one of the trips highlights for me. The main pic at the top of this post shows me posing in front of the waterfall

If I was to return I’d try and fit in a walk through the mountains. It had been on our agenda but we ran out of time due to not researching it properly before we went. I’ve since found out the area is filled with some fantastic trails for all abilities though so don’t let that put you off. The locals are very friendly so you can always ask.

The summer of 2009 for me was packed with days out and weekends away in North Wales. I’m lucky to live so close to such beautiful areas, and Llangollen and the nearby Pontcysyllte Aquaduct are certainly near the top of the list.

I had no idea at the time, but the aquaduct was added to the [...]]]>

The summer of 2009 for me was packed with days out and weekends away in North Wales. I’m lucky to live so close to such beautiful areas, and Llangollen and the nearby Pontcysyllte Aquaduct are certainly near the top of the list.

I had no idea at the time, but the aquaduct was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on the 27th June 2009, and this is around the time I first visited. The list contains only natural and cultural sites of the highest pedigree, and considering other entries include the great wall of china and the pyramids I guess I’m lucky to live so close.

I stayed at the Wild Pheasant Hotel in Llangollen for the whole weekend, and this was actually a prize I won through entering the Daily Post Wedding of the Year competition. Not quite the first prize of a £25k dream wedding , but with a weekend of being fed and pampered in a spa resort I didn’t feel too hard done by.

Llangollen is one of many tourist hot spots in North Wales, helped largely by the Llangollen heritage railway and of course the Llangollen canal which stretchs out over Telfords marvel of engineering, the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct (I wonder how many times I’ll have to copy and paste that! I’m a good speller usually to) and beyond. Maybe it just me, but half the enjoyment was watching families on their hire barges crashing at every possible opportunity, unintentionally of course. I saw them hitting each other, hitting the banks and I even saw one family take a chunk out of the front of their barge by driving straight into a hand cranked draw bridge prior to the aquaduct which hadn’t quite been positioned correctly.

As for the aquaduct itself, it really is a sight to behold and a gentle stroll across it takes around 20 minutes. There are all the usual gift shops and pubs in the area, and amazingly there is plentiful free parking. You can of course cross the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct it in a hire barge, and my dad says he has crossed it in a kayak. I thought he’d have held everyone up, but even at only a moderate walking pace you are faster than a barge. If you examine the top picture you’ll see there is no barrier on the water side so if you suffer from vertigo you may want to give it a miss.

Seattle is a city located in the North West of the USA, and sees itself ideally  situated just 100 miles south of the Canadian Border and within range of the  world class skiing and snowboarding resort of Tahoe.

For me, when someone mentions Seattle all I can think of is fish. Maybe that’s  because I’ve seen [...]]]>

Seattle is a city located in the North West of the USA, and sees itself ideally  situated just 100 miles south of the Canadian Border and within range of the  world class skiing and snowboarding resort of Tahoe.

For me, when someone mentions Seattle all I can think of is fish. Maybe that’s  because I’ve seen fish video a few too many times, a daft motivational video used  by many companies to pump some life into their staff. It centre’s around the  happy go lucky staff at the now infamous Pike Place fish market in downtown  Seattle. It’s literally a video about crazy fish sellers throwing fish around,  and somehow you have to translate that into having fun at a crappy call centre or  office. Go figure.

A bit of research tells me its the birthplace of Jimi Hendrix and also home to  the the grunge movement which kicked off with the world famous band Nirvana.  Awesome.

I’m writing about Seattle though because my brother just moved there, so thats  free accommodation in the bag if we travel around the USA or Canada. He actually  lives in Kirkland just outside of Seattle, home to Costco, or at least Kirkland  brand associated with Costcos own products. Sorry, thats a useless fact but I  find it interesting so maybe someone else will to!

Moving on, Seattle is ideally placed on the coast which means it offers beautiful  views out across the Pacific Ocean. Added to that it is only around 2 hours from  Vancouver and about an hour away from Tahoe which offers some excellent slopes  for winter sport enthusiasts.

Seattle would be a good place for some cheeky cash in hand work*  which  makes it good for an extended pit stop. Almost everybody in Seattle has a dog, and people in  Seattle have a lot of expendable cash. Residents often pay people cash in hand to walk their  dogs, and I’ve been told from a reliable source that you can get £50 a week just for clearing dogs mess from a persons lawn. Not a  particularly nice job, but if you get a few houses you’d earn enough cash in hand in Seattle for some nice accommodation and good food!

The way to tackle this would either door to door whilst looking presentable and trustworthy, or stick to friends of friends in the area (if you have any).

*Disclaimer: Cash in hand work in the USA is illegal without the correct paperwork.

Other than the abundance of bars which my brother would no doubt show me around,  Seattle does offer quite a lot for the regular tourist. From an annual  Hempfest to the Seattle International Film Festival, I’d say there is something  for everyone. Seattle also has mild climate almost year round which makes taking  in the sight of the local parks and nearby national parks a pleasure.

Seattle is a definite for us if we embark on a road trip around the USA & Canada 

Both me and my partner are in fact ‘federation aeronautique internationale’ B certificate holders. To anyone outside of the sport this means we can visit any dropzone worldwide and throw  ourselves out of perfectly working aeroplanes. It also means we are licensed to pack parachutes, and this is the snippet of most importance as this [...]]]>

Both me and my partner are in fact ‘federation aeronautique internationale’ B certificate holders. To anyone outside of the sport this means we can visit any dropzone worldwide and throw  ourselves out of perfectly working aeroplanes. It also means we are licensed to pack parachutes, and this is the snippet of most importance as this is a skilled cash in hand role.

The life of a skydiver consists mainly of heavy drinking, but when the sun is shining it goes something like this: jump, land, pack & repeat! However, there are a number of people in the sport who either don’t have the time or really can’t be bothered with the pack bit. This is where parachute packers come into play

There are well over 1000 dropzones around the world, in some of the most beatiful places imaginable. From UK skydiving destinations in the lake district, to Cape town in South Africa. The very nature of a dropzone demands it to be set aside from towns and cities, so they often find themselves in areas of outstanding natural beauty. Your average skydiver also pumps most of their cash into the sport, so to compensate dropzones offer very affordable accommodation ranging from bunk houses to camp sites with toilet and shower facilities. In terms of my travelling needs this ticks all the boxes; clean, safe & cheap.

So, staying at dropzones could offer us a potential route to world travel, with enough cash in hand work available to cover basic living costs, and potentially a handful of skydives aswell The skydiving community is a tight nit one, so no matter how remote the dropzone it will always have a friendly atmosphere and there is often a good chance of bumping into fellow brits.

I think no matter how our trip pans out it will almost definitely involve a couple of dropzones. They’re like a home away from home

From visiting famous landmarks like the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon, to experiening a walking down the [...]]]>
I’ve always dreamt of travelling the world, but up until recently these dreams have always involved tropical beaches  lined with palm trees.  This past week though I’ve had an insatiable desire to travel  around the United States.

From visiting famous landmarks like the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon, to experiening a walking down the Las Vegas strip, it all seems pretty awesome to me.  I skimmed across a blog post about a family travelling around in a hired campervan, and I think that sounds like a great idea. Travelling around in relative comfort with no stresses & no real time restraints. Just me, my family and our sense of exploration and adventure left to run wild.

I think the place names in America are what really kick my imagination into overdrive though;  Oliver Springs,  Mule Hollow, Marble Hill, Cedar Bluff,  Sweetwater and Jenkins Meadow to name but a few. For me these stir up images of quaint villages made up from log cabins nestled within vast forests, with awe inspiring views across snow capped mountain ranges.  I’m sure this isn’t too far from the truth either, as the picture above demonstrates!

I live in Wales, and I’m surrounded by towns with names like Mold and Shotton. Where are the hollows, creeks and springs to liven things up a bit?

This deserves more of my time, and I’ll be reasearching such a trip in more details for sure. Here’s to hoping the American dream is still alive, Cheers!