Self-catering holidays offer a level of privacy and flexibility that is not available when you stay at a hotel. You don’t have to keep to rigid meal times or dress for breakfast and dinner. You have more space to move around in, and you’re not confined to one room. They provide a relaxed and intimate base for your vacation. Enjoy your holiday to the max by following our simple guide.   Gather as much information about your accommodation as you can. What kitchen equipment will be provided? Will there be cleaning accessories and other sundries? What about bedding and towels? Will you have access to […]

This post was posted by The Hipmunk on Hipmunk’s Tailwind blog on 30th December 2015. Stats suggest 45% of Americans typically make resolutions with the turn of the calendar year, and yet only 8% actually fill them. Perhaps the best way to increase that 8% is to combine an epic vacation with going after goals! Below are three popular resolutions many of us try to attain, along with the perfect places to make them come to life. Be more adventurous Everyone wants to step outside of that comfort zone and be a little more daring in the new year. And just because it’s winter doesn’t mean we need […]

This post was posted by The Hipmunk on Hipmunk’s Tailwind blog on 11th December 2015. The most wonderful time of the year is here, and that chill in the air and long list of parties mean it’s time to imbibe. This year, take in the merry sights and sounds of a new city with a holiday cocktail in hand. Make some new memories this year by trying out these versions of classic wintertime libations throughout the U.S. 1. Eggnog | Rye | San Francisco, CA The quintessential American holiday cocktail, eggnog is a classic yuletide indulgence. And as if it weren’t rich enough, San Francisco’s Rye lays it […]

This post was posted by The Hipmunk on Hipmunk’s Tailwind blog on 11th November 2015. There’s something magical about seeing the real life setting of a beloved fictional world. These destinations draw travelers to places they might not otherwise go for the pleasantly jarring sensation of finding Tatooine in Tunisia or Narnia in Norway. Here are five of our favorite places that serve as intersections of invention and reality, mixing the familiar with the surprising. Mdina, Malta: King’s Landing (Game of Thrones) Westeros may be fictional, but Game of Thrones fans know the series films everywhere from Iceland to Croatia to recreate locations from the books. The medieval […]

This post was posted by The Hipmunk on Hipmunk’s Tailwind blog on 6th October 2015. Traveling through Europe is a great way to experience not only some of the world’s best food, art, and culture, but also some of its best architecture. Architecture in Europe seamlessly blends the ancient with the modern to create a landscape that honors history, while also being innovative and forward-thinking. Though nearly every European city offers up an array of beautiful museums and storied cathedrals, there are a few with magnificent architecture that set them above the rest. Valencia, Spain Popular for its sunny beaches along Spain’s Orange Blossom Coast, Valencia is also well known for […]

My incredible journey to South Africa offered me some things I had never experienced before and opened my mind up to a country enjoying a tourism boom since the 2010 World Cup. I spent 3 weeks touring South Africa and these were my top 5 highlights. 1. Staying in Soweto I loved the district of Soweto. This is a world famous township. I was able to stay in the classic Soweto Backpackers with local entrepreneur Lebo. I toured Nelson Mandela’s House, the Hector Pieterson Museum and went on a bicycle tour. It was a brilliant place to stay and I met some cool people in […]

As we travel, using the phone can be a huge burden and strain on our wallets. Changing countries all the time is never easy. However recently I have come across ZipCall. The guys over at ZipCall have tried to revolutionise international calling with their latest move. When they launched their first international calls product some 12 years ago, a really cheap call to the USA would have cost about 5p/min. The latest move offers Free Calls from the UK to the USA and Canada! Since that launch 12 years back, the world has changed, fast internet, Facebook, the smartphone generation and mobile data have arrived on the scene, and it’s now pretty […]

All we “average” people like to take a break from everyday working life every so often, but it simply doesn’t occur to us that celebrities are just normal people too, working as hard as we are, sometimes even more so, and that they need to take some time off away from it all too. While their holiday spending budgets might be on a slightly different level to ours, it’s certainly not unusual to spot them out and about on their travels in the same destinations that we choose – did you know that 39% of people from the UK who have travelled abroad during the […]