Between the daily 9-to-5, rushing two kids to and from football and ballet practices, homework,  and an ever-growing pile of laundry, the weekly Monday-through-Friday chaos can become a little too much to take for my family and me. That’s why every once in awhile a little weekend holiday is not only needed, it’s necessary for our sanity.

While my husband and I would love to jet off for some rest and relaxation on a sunny beach – especially when the days get cold and dreary – this is not realistic for a family of five on a budget. Instead, we stick to more frugal options, such as trips to the country or camping, which are within driving distance of our home. Our favourite places include Beeson Holiday Cottages In Devon and Collacott Cottages In North Devon. Driving to these destinations allows us to save money, but more importantly means our entire family can get in on the adventure, including our two golden retrievers.

My husband and I are true animal lovers. So much so that our first dog was the ring bearer in our wedding. Our dogs are such an important a part of our family that we often bring them on our adventures. Boarding just isn’t an option. Yet traveling – even a short distance – with two rambunctious kids and two equally energetic dogs has its challenges, though. Learning to minimize the stress and maximize the enjoyment for everyone has taken years of trial and error, but during this time I’ve definitely learned how to travel with a full car of two and four-legged travelers.

The following are my tips for traveling with two kids and a pair of pups.

Even dogs need ID. If your dog doesn’t have a microchip, make sure he/she has a tag that states his/her name and your phone number on their collar before you depart. Nobody wants to think about losing a pet, but if this unfortunate circumstance arises, the chances of recovering your furry friend improve dramatically if the dog has a tag or microchip.

Take regular pit stops. Every couple hours, take a break to let everyone stretch their legs – even if none of your two-legged travel companions need a bathroom break, the four-legged ones might. Getting out of the car also allows you to get some fresh air, which helps keep you alert when driving and lets the kids and dogs to get rid of some pent-up energy.

Choose pet-friendly accommodations. Before you leave, check with the hotel, campsite, or other lodging facility where you’ll be staying to find out if pets are allowed. There are several websites that offer listings of pet-friendly establishments, or ask your fellow pet-lovers for a recommendation on where to stay. When you arrive at your accommodations, make sure your pups are on their best behavior so that they are welcome back for future stays.

Make a to-do list. This is probably the last thing you want to do on a weekend holiday, but pre-selecting a few things to do once you arrive at your destination will take some of the guess-work and stress out of entertaining the kids and pets, and ensures that everyone has a good time.

Bring snacks, food, and entertainment. Kids and dogs can get restless even during the shortest trips, so make sure to bring something to keep them occupied while you’re en route. For kids, this means bringing a good book, DVD, or game to keep them busy and for dogs, a chew toy or bone that doesn’t make too much mess or noise is sufficient. Snacks are also important if you plan on being in the car for an extended amount of time. Fruit, crackers, carrot sticks, and juice boxes are all healthy and cheap alternatives to grabbing food at a roadside restaurant or petrol station. You should also remember to pack your dog’s food and water dishes and his/her food so that you don’t have to go searching for it once you arrive at your destination.

- Michelle Payne

1. Saying goodbye to family and friends
It’s hard when you leave home, particularly if it’s the first time or if you know you won’t be back for a while. What you need to remember is that you will see them again, and next time you do, you’ll be regaling them with fascinating stories from your journey. Besides, once you get out there, you’ll be having so much fun you’ll forget all about them!

2. Dealing with delays
Delays are one of the worst things about travelling but sadly something you’ll just have to get used to. Whether it’s train, plane, boat or bus, it’s no fun sat around waiting. Get yourself a good book and make sure when you plan your itinerary, you leave room for possible delays. Being delayed can be a good time to update a travel journal too.

3. Terrible transport
Similarly, when you do finally make it on to the train, you might have to do a 4 hour journey sat on your backpack in the vestibule or standing under someone’s sweaty armpit in 100 degree heat. Unfortunately it’s just part of travelling – but it still sucks.

4. Losing things or having them stolen
It doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of travelling but it often is, no matter how careful you are. There are obvious solutions, like padlocking your backpack, not having anything valuable on display and researching the areas you are going to visit beforehand but the best piece of advice I ever heard was don’t take anything you’d be devastated to lose.

5. Getting sick
Everyone gets sick from time to time and with plane air conditioning and lack of sleep, it’s almost inevitable you’ll pick something up while you’re away. However, make sure you do what you can to take care of yourself, such as getting all the inoculations you need before you travel, not drinking the water, carrying a small supply of painkillers, anti-histamines and other medicines you might need. If you know you’re particularly susceptible to something then take preventative measures and have treatments on hand, for example an inhaler for asthma. And condoms – no-one wants gonorrhoea in the jungle.

6. Carrying your life around
It’s certainly something you’ll get used to as you go along but carrying all your possessions on your back like a snail can be frustrating. Most people who have come back from travelling somewhere will say they took too much, far too much in some cases. Believe it or not, for almost everywhere, you only need a 40L bag. Many people make the mistake of buying things like mosquito nets at home that can be so easily bought abroad. It’s often cheaper too. When you don’t need something anymore or you’re moving on, just sell it to a fellow traveller.

7. Sleeping in grotty places
If you’re a budget traveller, like most people, you’ll find this difficult to avoid. However, online hostel reviews are now getting popular and can be useful in the planning stages of travelling, but once you’re out there, the best thing to do is to ask other travellers. People are more than willing to offer their help and advice; after all, they’re in the same position as you.

8. Other travellers/falling out
For me this is the worst thing about travelling. The web is stuffed full of travel bloggers complaining about inconsiderate hostel-goers and screaming rows with companions. Just like there are self-centred people at home, you will find them travelling too. What you can do though, is make sure you travel with friends who want to do the same things as you and have the same lifestyle. For example, if you like to sleep in, early risers can drive you crazy and vice versa. The good news is that travelling often attracts the most open-minded and outgoing people and you’re likely to make some amazing friends.

9. Getting lost
While getting lost can be scary, it also presents an opportunity. As long as you’re not wandering around on your own after dark, it can be fun to explore the locality. Sometimes the best things are off the beaten track, and following guidebooks the whole time can give you a generic impersonalised experience. Getting lost can be the best thing to happen to you.

10. What to do with your car
Having to sort out your possessions at home is a complex part of travelling, particularly if you’re going to be away for a while. Cancelling your rental agreement and putting your stuff into storage can be a pain, and it’s difficult to know what to do with things like a car. For short journeys you can get some good deals on airport parking. Besides that, there’s cancelling you insurance (if you can). Unless you really don’t want to, selling your car could be a great solution as it’s out of your hair and you can use the extra cash made to fund your adventures.

Perhaps more important that liking the place that you stay – make sure it’s safe and secure! You cannot overestimate security, especially for those of us who don’t want to look like obnoxious tourists with a money belt and your passport carried around with you at all times.

I have major respect for people who can just up and go, without knowing where they’re going or where they’re staying when they get there. I’m not that spur of the moment. I need to book my hotel before I get somewhere, that way I can plan the quickest route to the hostel from the airport (or train station, or bus station, or however I decide to get there) and crash into exhaustion with little thought in between.

I actually prefer hostels to hotels, even when I have the luxury of budget. Hostels tend to be more communal, and usually are much more interesting. And they are a great idea for solo travelers.

But, my trust in the goodness of my fellow man only ran so far. There were some things that I always looked out for when I was booking a hostel.

• Lockers: Most often I stayed in dorms – a combination of wanting to meet people and price. But that also meant that I really never had any personal space to put important documents and extraneous money. So I always made sure that there were lockers in the dorm rooms to stash those critical things. The things that if I lost, I’d probably have to find an embassy, or call my parents and beg them to wire money.
• 24 hour check in: You can’t plan everything. Sometimes trains get delayed or a flight gets cancelled – sometimes, people get sick and you need to stay at your previous location until they get well. Its the worst and the best of travel – the fact that you can’t (and don’t always want) to predict what is going to happen. Thus – when I had the opportunity, I always looked for hostels that had 24 hour check in, or more flexible check in requirements when making a booking.
• Size of the hostel: Kind of the opposite of places that have 24 hour check in (which, oftentimes, are a bit larger and more buisness-ish) I also look for smaller hostels. I’ve stayed at some quirky, small hostels (think about 15 beds total) run by locals, and have had a great experience. Smaller places will take you in and make sure you have a great experience – many times by taking you out and showing you around town themselves.
• Reviews: There are some people that will go out of their way to negatively review a hostel, perhaps because they were expecting more of a hotel experience, but other people’s opinions of a place are always something I would scan – if nothing else, recent reviews can tell you if there is any current construction going on at the location and other such sundries – usually guest reviews are more up-to-date than the hostel summary.

Those are some of the most important factors to me when I’m deciding where to stay when I travel. And of course, there are those places that I want to go back to over and over again, hostels that I’ve bookmarked in my brain that I’ll have to stay at again when I travel to that city next time. And there are the places where I get so many souvenirs I need a man and a van to pick me up at the airport, the places I have a thousand pictures of. Those are the places and experiences that stick with me, and staying at the right place, was, in many cases, an integral part of that perfect experience.

So when you’re traveling, don’t discount where you stay, and remember that your hostel is not your home, even if it may feel like it.

Trying new and unique foods from all over the world is perhaps one of the most exciting experiences about travelling to new places. There’s nothing quite like diving into an authentic Indian curry or sampling some of the best sushi in Tokyo. Foreigners taking holidays to Australia are eager to try a good kangaroo steak or a piece of emu jerky – a delectable treat!

Then there are those more outrageous culinary experiences: how about fried crickets in Laos or deep fried monkey toes in Indonesia? Have we whetted your appetite? Dig into some of the most bizarre food items in the world – if you dare!

Sh*t Burger (Japan) – while not publicly available (for good reason), scientists in Japan have found a way to turn human excrement into a meat substitute. Scientist Mitsuyuki Ikeda calls his invention the sh*t burger, and it’s made by successfully extracting the protein from the solids found in sewage, mixing it with soya and then flavouring the patty with a steak sauce derivative. (Image Source: wurstundfleisch.wordpress.com)

Thousand Year Old Eggs (Hong Kong) – featured in the first season of Australia’s Master Chef, this common Asian food topping can be found in noodles, rice porridge or eaten whole. Duck and quail eggs are preserved (for a couple of months – not actually a thousand years) in a clay, salt and sand mixture until the egg whites turn to jelly like and the yolks turn a dark green.

Tripe (Various) – tripe is common offal extracted from the stomachs of common farm animals including cows and sheep. It is featured in many cultural cuisines, including many European nations and Asian areas. They can be steamed, grilled, spiced, poached, boiled – and served in a variety of ways. Visit your local butcher for a local sampling.

Fried Crickets and Tarantulas (Cambodia) – also common in Laos, Thailand and other South Asian countries, deep fried crickets are a common snacking item. While you won’t find it on the in-flight menu, we hear these crunchy critters taste great with a tall glass of cold beer!

Fried Rats (Thailand) – Thai and Laotians have a unique way of dealing with pests – grill ‘em up and serve ‘em! Roadside stalls in rural parts of these nations can be found dishing out grilled bandicoot rats and other rodents to customers – and they cost twice as much as a chicken or beef!

Huhu Grubs (New Zealand) – while most modern New Zealanders probably prefer to not make huhus a part of their staple diet, it has been long considered a delectable dining delight in Maori tradition.

Birds’ Nest Soup (China) – these swift birds’ nests are considered a real delicacy in China. The saliva of the birds that hold the nest together gives a unique gelatinous quality to the soup that many find quite enjoyable.

Snake Wine (Vietnam) – no you haven’t drunk too much – these unique bottles of wine made in Vietnam feature a whole snake body in the bottle. Used for medicinal purposes, snake wine is made by steeping a venomous snake in a bottle of rice wine – thereby removing the poison and leaving the snake body soaking, which is deemed to have many health benefits.

Balut – Bird Feotus (Philippines) – this common snack features a partly formed chick foetus along with the egg. The eggs are boiled when the foetuses are between 17 and 21 days old, and some older foetuses have already formed beaks and feathers. Just as a common as a hot dog in some places!

Casu Marzu – Maggot Cheese (Sardinia) – this maggot riddled cheese gives a whole new dimension to the idea of “well aged” cheese. It is now banned for health reasons, but you may still find it on the black market in parts of Sardinia or Italy.

Monkey brains (Indonesia) – monkeys, from their brains to deep fried monkey toes, originated as a Chinese delicacy although the practice is now more commonly associated with Indonesia. Over hunting has made the eating of monkeys quite controversial internationally, although it is still practiced in many native populations throughout the world.

Live Skinned Frog (China) – a delicacy in Cheng Du, these frogs are skinned alive and then served up fresh to be cooked in a hot pot. What can I say – the Chinese like their meat fresh.

What’s the most bizarre food that you’ve tried on your travels?

Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going. – Paul Theroux

Australia - Cairns, Townsville, Mt Isa, Alice Springs, Darwin, Broome, Port Hedland, Tom Price, Exmouth, Coral Bay, Carnarvon, Monkey Mia, Geraldton, Lancelin, Perth, Freemantle, Bunberry, Margaret River, Albany, Esperence, Port Ausgusta, Adelaide, Grampians, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Port Macquarie, Tweed Heads, Noosa Heads, Torquay, Bunderburg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Port Douglas, Tasmania, Hobart, Phillip Island, Ayr, Uluru, Hunter Valley, Dubbo, Silverton and Broken Hill.
America - Miami, Orlando, Kissimee, San Jose, San Francisco, Guam
Brussels - Belgium
China - Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Simatai, Wolong, Xian
Cyprus - Ayia Napa, Pathos
Czech Republic – Prague, Svoboda Nad Upou, Pec pod Snezkou
Dominican Republic -
Egypt - Hurgharda, Luxor
France - Paris, Serre Chevalier
Germany - Munchengladbach, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Hanover
Greece - Corfu – Kavos
Italy - Venice
Netherlands - Amsterdam, Scheveningen, Kinderdijk
Norway - Oslow
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Langkawi, Palau
Maldives - Paradise Island
Malta - Malta, Goza
Micronesia - Weno, Truk Lagoon
Poland - Krakow, Wroclaw, Tychy, Kolo, Warszawa
Romania - Bucharest, Translyvania
Singapore - Not much to put here
Spain - Costa del Sol, Barcelona
Tanzania - Moshi, Killimanjaro
Thailand - Koh Phi Phi, Bangkok, Khon Khan, Satun, Koh Phi Phi, Phuket, Krabi, Kata
Turkey - Alanya

On one side it could be seen as terrible but to me it’s been one of the best years ever.

I’m sat here typing with a broken scaphiod in my right hand with my arm in cast after breaking my wrist in a bizarre and freak snowboarding accident in Milton Keynes. YES before my actual snowboarding holiday!

I’ve worn out my knees and have had to have anthroscopy in my right knee and a lateral release, which allowed me to wear amazing paper pants and involved the cutting of around 6 inches of tissue around my knee. With physiotherapy still ongoing. I’m so looking forward to having the next one done. I’ve had my zygoma broken whilst being on the end of a punch from Gary at karate and another broken nose from getting my face squashed by Casey in BJJ. Whilst with the consultant at Brighton hospital viewing the x-ray of my face to check that my zygoma had healed properly he was more concerned about the top of my right eye socket as it appears that I broke that too. Not sure how as I don’t especially remember being hit there? (I’m still trying to get a copy of my x-ray, it amazing to see an x-ray of your own head!)

I have just had a blood test for Helicobacter Pylori as it now appears that I have been eating human fecal matter. Ever since returning home from travelling Asia I have been unable to eat bread due to servere indegestion which temporailly stops me from breathing from the pain. After numerous trips to my doctor Dr Rogers and the pain becoming more frequent he believes that I have this strange coil shaped bacteria living in my stomach

… and with thanks to the Wikipedia:

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, microaerophilic bacterium that inhabits various areas of the stomach and duodenum. It causes a chronic low-level inflammation of the stomach lining and is strongly linked to the development of duodenal and gastric ulcers and stomach cancer.

… and again:

Person-to-person transmission by either the oral-oral or fecal-oral route is most likely.[3] Consistent with these transmission routes, the bacteria have been isolated from feces, saliva and dental plaque of some infected people.[3] Transmission occurs mainly within families in developed nations yet can also be acquired from the community in developing countries.[64] H. pylori may also be transmitted orally by means of fecal matter through the ingestion of waste-tainted water, so a hygienic environment could help decrease the risk of H. pylori infection.[3]

Even with all this I’ve still had an amazing year with trips to 10 countries, meeting Dorota, an amazing girl who also shares my passion of travelling, scuba diving, adventure and knowledge with which I went to the last 8 countries with:

Norway – Oslow
Romania – Bucharest, Translyvania

Turkey – Alanya
Netherlands (x18) – Amsterdam, Scheveningen, Kinderdijk + many more places I can’t think of right now
Brussels (x3)- Belgium
France – Paris
Egypt – Hurgharda, Luxor
Czech Republic (x2) – Prague, Svoboda Nad Upou, Pec pod Snezkou
Poland (x2) – Krakow, Wroclaw, Tychy, Kolo, Warszawa
Germany – Berlin

So for 2009 I will try my upmost not to eat developing world feces and hope that I don’t get stomach cancer. We have booked a trip to Venice, have one planned for Sydney and not sure what else as yet. Ideas on a post card.

Bring on 2009!

On Friday 19th December I took my EasyJet flight to Schiphol (AMS) airport in Amsterdam to meet Dorota. We would have a nights rest before we set off on our 2,746km roadtrip to Poland and back.

We got to Tychy in Poland around 2100 after 1,157km and an 11 hour drive. The best part of the drive there was driving from perfectly flat roads in Germany to passing through the old border control and entering Poland the other side. Video to follow

I will write about the places we visited in more detail later but here is our itinary below.

20th Dec – Amsterdam to Tychy

21st Dec – Tychy

22nd Dec – Drove to Krakow from Tychy
Stary Rynek (Main Market Square)
Brama Florianska (Florian’s Gate)
Barbakan (Barbican)
Bazylika Mariacka (St. Mary’s Basilica) with Oltarz Wita Stwosza (Altar of Veit Stoss), 2m Wooden People, Trumpeter who know one knows

Sukiennice (Sukiennice Cloth Hall) – Middle age cloth hall
Wieza ratuszowa w Krakowie (Town Hall)
Adam Mickiewicz Monument
Wawel – Hill, Castle, Katedra (Cathedral), Dzwon Zygmunta (The Sigismund Bell), Groby Krolewskie (The Royal Tombs), Private and Royal Apartments, Smok, Vistula River (Wista)
Kazimierz Jewish Ghetto – The biggest in Poland

24th – 26th – Polish Christmas in Tychy
Here are some of the Polish dishes we got to enjoy:
Sledzie w Smietanie (Herring in cream) i ziemniaki (with Potatoes)
Smazony Karp (Fried Carp)
Kapusta z grochem (Cabbage with Peas)
Duszone grzyby (Strangled Mushrooms)
Barszcz z uszkami (Borsch with “earlings”, dumplings stuffed with minced meat)
Pierogi z kapusta i grzybami – dumplings with cabbage and mushroom
Kompot z suszowych owocow – dried fruit compote
kaczka z nadzieniem – stuffed duck (with herbs, spices and chicken liver)
Karczek – Pig Neck
Salatki Warzywne – Vegatable Salads
Kielbasa – Sausage
kurczak w galaretce – jellied chicken
Kapusta z grzybami w ciescie francuskim – cabbage with mushroom in French bread
25th Dec – Ice Skating in Pszczyna
27th Dec – Oswiecim /Auschwitz, Brzezinka / Birkenau – the Museum
My first sample of Zapiekanka (Halved baguette topped with mushrooms and Ketchup)

28th – 29th Dec – Czech Republic
Svoboda Nad Upou, Pec Pod Snezkou

30th Dec – Wroclaw
Panorama Raclawicka
Krasnale (Dwarfs)
PRL
Spiz (http://www.spiz.pl/) (Underground pub built within mini Brewery)
Piwnica Swidnicka (http://www.piwnicaswidnicka.com/ Oldest Pub in Europe)
Jatki
Jas i Malgosia (Two buildings)
Garnizon Church & Tower, today Kosciol Sw. Elzbiety (St. Elisabeth’s Church)
Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island) with Wroclaw Cathedral
University

2nd – 3rd Jan – Berlin
Feeling extremely rough both with flu and after a near crash experience that day we managed to bear the 1 hour queue to go to the top of the Fernsehturm (TV Tower), the view was ok, but nothing as spectactular as the Eiffle Tower.

The next day we decided to take the easy route and paid for a tour bus to take us to the following:
Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie
Kurfürstendamm – The Protestant Kaiser William Memorial Church (in German: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche
Dom Aquaree/Sea-Life
Hotel Berlin
Kulturforum, Kemperplatz
Potsdamer Platz
Judisches Museum (Jewish Museum)
Gendarmenmarkt
Alexanderplatz
Friedrichstrabe/Unter den Linden
Brandenburger Tor/Brandenburg Gate
Berlin Hauptbahnhof/Central Station
Flohmarkt
Schloss/Palace Charlottenburg

4th January – Amsterdam then back to Brighton

More to come…

Unfortutely it can’t be too active, well by that I mean I can’t do any repetitive knee movements (well not for the next 6 months). I injured my knee training for the South Downs Randonnee in 2007 and I ended up having to have a lateral release, real life example here. I’ve had to have one operation and am waiting on the other now, with a 12 month recovery period. Anyway the South Downs Randonnee is a 100 mile mountain bike ride from Winchester to Eastbourne across the south downs way and has to be finished in around 12 hours.

My second big event was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa which was simple amazing. It is just short of 6000m and took 7 days to complete the climb. I’m one of the above in the photo, that was an additional bet for a few additional pounds.

But now I am stuck for what to do? So far I have thought of maybe climbing Mount Cho Oyo, or infact summiting any mountain naked, walking the Bering Straight, or canoeing the Amazon, your ideas and suggestions below please.

Anyway about the camera it shoots full HD 1080p, records onto memory card so I don’t have to worry about damaging tapes and moving parts, meaning I can just throw it in my backpack without any care in the world. AND most of all it’s TINY!

The only drawbacks with the camera are firstly the fact that you need to be around 4m away from a person to get a full framed shot (this is the same problem with all compact camcorders) and you are lucky if the battery lasts an hour. So I have also ordered the Canon TL-H37 Wide converter (MVX150i) which will enable this distance to be almost halved, and of course the Double Capacity Canon BP-819 battery. Don’t be fooled by the cheap alternatives on Amazon as the majority of these are 1400mah and not 1780mah the same as the genuine one, AND you won’t be able to charge it on the camera but they are a quarter of the price.

Anyway in the meantime before I update this post there is a great review over at Trusted Reviews on the Canon HF10.

**** EDIT ****

Well after some use my first impressions are the same, it’s fantastic.

It’s TINY
Amazing image quality
Has great image stabilisation
Has manual controls including exposure, perfect for my dive filming
Uses standard 37mm filters
Uses readily available SDHC flash cards (Min. Cat 4)
Has mini hotshoe and mic/headphone jacks

However there are a few issues you should be aware of:

You can’t download the footage without it being plugged in to the mains!
Standard battery life is very short so expect between 50-60 minutes of video
There’s no viewfinder, only the LCD screen
Built-in microphone is very susceptible to wind noise, like all camcorders!
No firewire

Anyway I explained to the man on the phone that this is often happening to me and he informed me that when I know that I am going to be travelling to many different countries in a short space of time to let them know and they can stop this from happening. I told him of my future destinations for the next two months which consist of Poland again, USA, Netherlands and Brussels and to my satisfaction I’ve been informed that my card use will be fine. Horary to Barclays

I suggest that anyone who is travelling frequently to call your credit/debit card provider and let their fraud department know where you are travelling. You don’t want your card suspended whilst thousands of miles away from home.

Have you encountered your card being suspended whilst travelling away from home?