Interview: Monica from The Travel Hack

Monica is the founder and editor of The Travel Hack, a blog that she has been running since 2009, relating her adventures and sharing travel hacks/tips to get the best of your holidays & weekend breaks. The Travel Hack has now grown to a team of 10 contributors and has been named as one of UK’s top 10 travel blogs by Cision. We interviewed Monica to understand her story, her favorite destinations as well as her best travel tips.

Hi Monica, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. You’ve been travelling and running your blog for more than 6 years now, how did it all started? Initially, why did you decided to create your blog?

I created my first blog in 2009. I wanted to be a journalist so I was interning with my local newspaper. I worked there for a summer before leaving to go travelling. The newspaper had a section on the website for blogs written by local members of the community and they asked me to contribute a blog to the site during my travels.

At the time I didn’t know what a blog was but I set it up and instantly fell in love with blogging. I travelled for almost two years and kept my blog on the newspaper website for that whole time. When I returned home I set up The Travel Hack.
How many countries have you visited so far and what has been the most inspiring travel destinations?

I have no idea how many I’ve visited. I’m not very good at keeping track! The most inspiring place I’ve visited is Iceland. It’s such a rugged and beautiful country and a gorgeous place to escape from modern day stresses and feel like you’ve slipped back in time.

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You’re combining your blog, being a social media consultant and being a mum, what is your secret to keep travelling?

It’s tough! I have a very supportive family and my partner really encourages me in my work so that definitely helps. Working for myself makes it easier to balance work and family life as I can set my own hours and I often work well into the night.

I also give myself plenty of time off to relax – I’m no good to anyone if I’m over-tired!
I still manage to travel but I usually take shorter trips or bring my little boy with me and travel slowly.
One of your New Years Resolutions was to take as many weekend trips as you can, can you share with our users your favorite City Breaks in UK and why? & in Europe?

When I’m travelling in the UK I prefer to visit the countryside. We have so many beautiful areas in the UK! My favourite place is the Scilly Isles which are off the coast of Cornwall. It’s so beautiful down there and if you have great weather you can feel like you’re in the Caribbean. The beaches are powdery soft and pure white and the sea is crystal clear.
My favourite city in Europe is London because there’s just so much to do!

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You’re providing a lot of travel tips on your blog, what will be the top 3 travel tips that you’ll suggest to make the most of your city break?

1 – Be organised and make yourself a rough itinerary so you don’t miss the things you really want to do.

2 – Use an app like Spotted By Locals to find unusual places to eat and drink so you can avoid the tourist traps.

3 – Travel in the shoulder season when it’s quieter but you’ll still have good weather.
Let’s talk about transport, which mode of transport do you tend to use when travelling?

All modes really, I’ll drive my own car to the airport, then fly on a plane, then take a taxi to my hotel, then use public transport like buses and trams around a city and maybe take a train to a nearby city. When I’m in a city I’ll often hire a bike too. So I use all modes of transport depending on what I’m doing.
What is for you, the biggest source of improvements of the European Transport Market?

The internet and mobile apps. Being able to check schedules online and times of trains, buses and trams makes it so much easier – especially when you’re in a country with a different language and you can’t figure it out by looking at local signs.
What’s on your list for 2016?

I have lots of trips in the planning stage but nothing 100% confirmed yet so I’m keeping hush. I do have a lot of weekend breaks in the UK, some glamping trips and countryside escapes that I’m really looking forward to.

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