TRAVEL RESOURCES

I spend a lot of my time thinking about travelling and adventures and the rest of my time planning my travels and adventures. On this page you can find some of my favourite resources to help make your trips easier to plan and waaaaay more fun to take.

things to do with kids in cancun: visit isla contoy. photo taken low down of beach with water gently lapping shore. palapas and palm trees against blue sky

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Flight Brokers

I like to shop around, checking a number of brokers before I commit to a flight. Try these as well as the usual suspects such as Expedia. I also use google flight alerts to help me grab sweet deals.

Public Transport

It can be difficult to know how to book or use public transport in a new place. In Europe, I personally use trainline.com for all my train travel planning and booking.

view along an iron pier out - iron works above too, sun setting on right

If I’m going to be travelling by bus anywhere in the world, I’ll search busbud or Omio first to figure out which companies run where and what timetables look like. I sometimes book through them, but not always.

Car Rental

Booking Accommodation Around the World

There are many great broker sites to choose from. I like booking.com, hotels.com and Expedia when booking hotels and VRBO when looking for apartments.

International Tour Brokers

I’m a big fan of Viator and Get Your Guide. Even if I don’t eventually book through their site, it’s a super useful resource when figuring out what to do in a new place.

Tiqets allows you to book and find tickets for museums, shows and events all around the world. It’s a super handy resource.

Are you looking for fabulous gifts for the traveller in your life?

Tour Operators In Mexico

Yucatán

Co’ox Mayab  is a cooperative of local tour operators who can take you into parts of Yucatán no one else can. From checking out the mangroves to staying overnight in small villages finding un-explored ruins, tasting local honey, these are the people you want organising your trip.

CDMX

Insoli Tours offers fabulous day tours around CDMX (and further afield). We took a tour to Xochimilco and the archaeological site of Cuicuilco. Guides speak fluent English as well as Spanish (and, I believe French and Dutch too) and are passionate and knowledgeable about Mexico.

Comala

Meshico Magico Tours. Lucie, the magic behind these tours is a firm family favourite for us. She took us volcano exploring when we were in Comala. Lucie is also passionate about Mexico. She’s fluent in Spanish, French and English and knows everything there is to know about Colima and Jalisco.

Quintana Roo

Turismo Channel is a tour agency based out of Playa del Carmen. We used them when we wanted to swim with whale sharks. Our communication with them was great, they were responsive, friendly and very open about potential weather issues. The trip itself was phenomenal. We felt safe and well looked after as we swam with these magnificent creatures. Highly recommended

Guanajuato

Mexico Street Food Tours My friends and I took a fun, informative and delicious walking tour around Guanajuato city Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly.

Querétaro

Heart of Mexico Wine Tours These guys were so very helpful in offering advice while I planned my trip to Querétaro. They know everything there is to know about central Mexico’s wine region and are passionate about sharing their knowledge and love with others.

Mexico Guidebooks

Yucatán

For anyone considering moving to Mérida, or even other places in Mexico, my memoir/guide to moving will be invaluable.

If you’re heading to Yucatán for a vacation, of course, I recommend my own book, Yucatán With Kids: A Travel Guide It’s officially for families but really it’s for everyone. Also available in Spanish.

Other Mexico Guidebooks

Other Valuable Travel Books

Travel Products

Packing Cubes: If you haven’t made the switch yet then you don’t know what you’re missing. I admit that I thought they might be a gimmick but then I bought some just before we spent a month in the Copper Canyon. Oh wow. They make family travel so much easier. Every time we arrive somewhere, I just hand everyone two cubes, one with their clothes and one with their underwear. No stress, no emptying a suitcase to try and find anything. So easy.

Kindle Paperwhite: I’m an avid reader. I can’t go away for even a weekend without trying to cram a dozen books in my bag, because, you know, what if I have magically have time to read and I don’t have the right book with me? The kindle has been my best friend since I got my first one in 2010 when I was regularly travelling all over Africa for weeks at a time for work

A universal travel adaptor with space for multiple plugs is vital for anyone travelling these days. I love this one because it has different USB options.

A power bank is something I never travel without. I use my phone as my camera so its battery rarely lasts me a full day when travelling.

LifeStraw Go Water Filter Bottle: Living in an increasingly resource-aware world, this water bottle is the best I’ve found. It cleans water as you drink it. Way better than constantly having to buy bottled water.

Travel Cutlery Set: We use our travel cutlery all the time and never travel without it. We also each have a pocket knife and we take reusable bags and often even plastic plates with us on our travels.

From early morning coffees at the airport to ice creams as you explore, a travel mug is always useful and saves wasting resources as you grab snacks and drinks on days out.

For more of my recommendations, why not check out my storefront at Amazon?

Exploring With Kids

 Choice Youth Kids Snorkel Vest: We spend a lot of time in the water and while both our kids are strong swimmers we still wouldn’t let them in a cenote, go canoeing or take small boats without a life jacket. We love these ones because they’re completely secure and the kids find them very comfortable. They don’t ride up in the same way zipped jackets do.

Kids Car Seatbelt Adjuster: Realistically you can’t take a car seat every time you travel. We discovered these nifty fellas a while back, when exploring Greece, and find them very useful on car journeys where car seats aren’t an option.

Insurance

Please get insurance before you travel! It makes no sense to take risks, especially post-pandemic.