Latest news with #travelhack
Times
a day ago
- Times
The UK's ten worst places for a city break (and why I still love them)
Last year I discovered a life-enhancing travel hack — city breaks in unsung places. After a string of unsatisfying weekends in the likes of Edinburgh and Rome, I decided to give such hotspots a breather and seek out unfancied locations instead. After compiling a league table that ranked cities by popularity, based on stats supplied by tourism boards, I turned the thing upside down and proceeded from there, starting with Sunderland. Over the next year I visited some of the least fashionable cities in the UK — and loved every one of them. The outcome of my unconventional adventure is a book called Shitty Breaks, which is a celebration of the underdog, a love-letter to the wrong direction, and a small and imperfect answer to overtourism. Here are my top ten unsung cities in the UK. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue When I first got a look at Sunderland, a former shipbuilding heavyweight in the northeast of England, I thought I was in California: a couple of Mackems were rollerblading on a sunlit prom while holding hands and drinking directly from a coconut. Over the next two days, I hiked to a folly, skied down a slag heap, jumped into the North Sea and watched a glass-blowing demo. I learnt that the artist LS Lowry was a big fan of the city, and that the Venerable Bede — a medieval boffin considered to be the father of English history — used to rent a bedsit by the river. Pop Recs is the spot for gigs and cappuccinos, Si King's Propa is doing game-changing pies ( while Mexico 70 is ideal for experimental tacos ( Where does the city fall short? I certainly wouldn't introduce all of its buildings to my parents, but other than that it's grand. The Seaburn Inn is a modern seaside hotel that won't let you down. Details B&B doubles from £80 ( The historic capital of Essex gave birth to the radio (via Marconi) and tried more witches than anywhere else in the country (nothing wrong with a strong judicial instinct). I went ice-skating, went kayaking and went green after trying the jellied eels at a place called Robins. A walk along the river delivered me to the best pub in Essex — the Galvin Green Man ( — while a visit to the New Hall Wine Estate allowed me to stick my nose in some chablis ( Hot Box is a fantastic music venue ( and the local museum punches well above its weight. I stayed at the County Hotel, which is blessed with a mural of local legend Grayson Perry on its south elevation. Details Room-only doubles from £104 ( The northwest underdog gave the world Wallace & Gromit, helped kick-start the industrial revolution and hosted the last major battle on English soil. I had the best lunch of my life at a place called Aven ( saw Freddie Flintoff at the bingo, spotted Harry Styles in a café called Brucciani's and even went curling. I enjoyed learning — halfway through a knees-up that began at Plug and Taps, continued to the Conti and wound up at the Ferret — that Preston is the spiritual home of the teetotal movement, and I also enjoyed learning about a local suffragette called Edith Rigby who, back in 1913, burnt down the cottage of a soap magnate from Bolton before escaping to Ireland by bicycle. The best thing in Preston is the bus station. It is massive and otherworldly and looks about to take off, which I suppose is appropriate for a transport hub. Winckley Stays is above the Aven and just up the road from a gorgeous Victorian park that must be one of the finest in the country. Details Room-only doubles from £67 ( Wolverhampton is a Black Country diamond that's the equal of Birmingham. The gallery is a must (not least for its pop art), while the National Trust's Wightwick Manor is a shrine to William Morris wallpaper ( I enjoyed learning that the old constituency office of Enoch Powell, infamous for warning of the horrors that would be delivered by a multicultural Britain, is now a social hub underpinned by the local Afro-Caribbean community. Wolverhampton luminaries include the singer Beverley Knight and two excellent writers in this paper's employ — Caitlin Moran and Sathnam Sanghera. There's a diverting array of architecture — from striking art deco to twee medieval — and local photographer Tom Hicks is in the habit of making Wolvo look gorgeous on Instagram ( I experienced an unfortunate moment at the racecourse, I'm sad to report, where I backed a horse called Probable that duly came last. I stayed at the Mount, which is attached to a golf course and was built by a local lad who did well out of varnish. Details Room-only doubles from £97 ( I spent most of my time in the venerable city of Wrexham looking for a Canadian called Ryan. When I wasn't doing that, I regret to say that I rather wasted my time: I went to a science discovery centre ( visited a gallery called Ty Pawb, and even tramped out to a Unesco-approved aqueduct. My weekend peaked at the Golden Lion, where I learnt that Wrexham was the birthplace of British lager ( and did a duet on the mic with someone called Racquel. Decent grub can be had at Lisbon tapas bar and the Fat Boar pub, while the barista at Bank Street Social deserves a gong for services to coffee ( The Lemon Tree is an excellent small hotel doing top-notch B&B doubles from £70 ( Newry is a small city in the southeast of Northern Ireland, between Belfast and Dublin. It's known for its shopping, being in the thick of The Troubles and ex-goalkeeper Pat Jennings. It's not known for the quality of its museum, the friendliness of its people or the beauty of its countryside — but it should be. Its town hall straddles a river and is a sight for sore eyes; and it has a number of excellent cafés: Nine Squared, Measured Brew Bar, Finegan & Son. The Bridge Bar will see you through to midnight ( Canal Court Hotel is a four-star in the centre of town ( but Balance Treehouse — a five-star retreat that offers a star-gazing hammock and a hot tub — is the place to bed down if you have enough pennies. Details One night's self-catering for two from £592 ( The 1960s new town of Milton Keynes was constructed an equal distance from London, Oxford, Birmingham and Cambridge — presumably so it didn't get in the way. The cakes at Canal Street Coffee are worth dipping into ( one Wetherspoons has no name and there's a dinosaur in the library. I went skydiving, saw Tom Allen at the theatre and strolled out to Bletchley Park, the home of Second World War codebreaking ( The Craufurd Arms is convivial ( while the local street-food scene is something to reckon with, not least Good Times Café, which dishes out superlative cheese toasties ( You could stay at the Travelodge for £30, but La Tour is a fancy alternative that has views of nearby Leighton B&B doubles from £80 ( Bradford is this year's City of Culture, and rightly so ( It is one of my favourite cities in Europe. There's just something about the place that gets under my skin. I walked an alpaca on Baildon Moors ( saw the telly scientist Brian Cox at St George's Hall and copped a lot of local painter David Hockney — first at Salt's Mill in nearby Saltaire ( and then at Cartwright Hall (which will host this year's Turner Prize). Boar & Fable is the place for decent craft beer ( while My Lahore is a British-Asian kitchen that does a banging spicy spag bol ( There's also the Science and Media Museum and plenty of excellent countryside on the city's doorstep. The Great Victoria is an old railway hotel which, unsurprisingly, can be found right by the station. Details B&B doubles from £71 ( When I told Alexis Conran on Times Radio that I'd rather have a weekend in Newport than a weekend in New York, he almost terminated the broadcast to check that I was all right. The Transporter Bridge and Le Pub ( are two reasons to visit the southern Welsh city, while the history and the people are two reasons to stay. I went to the rugby, enjoyed a session of track cycling at the Geraint Thomas Velodrome, learnt all about the Chartist uprising of 1839 (when a bunch of workers chucked their tools out of the pram and duly got deported to Australia), played on a Ryder Cup golf course, and discovered a wonderful Italian, Vittorio's, at the top of Stow Hill ( I also encountered a peculiar monument to the local poet WH Davies, enjoyed some 'rogue' Welsh cakes at the revived indoor market ( and met a statistician in the sauna at the Celtic Manor Resort, where you'll find both comfortable rooms and the golf course. Details Room-only doubles from £115 ( By my reckoning, the ancient Scottish city of Dunfermline has more history per square metre than Edinburgh. Robert the Bruce, Andrew Carnegie, St Margaret: the city is teeming with local talent that made an impression on the world stage. The city is also teeming with quirky diversions within walking distance. I went water-skiing at Town Loch, hovercrafting at Craigluscar Farm ( and saw the local football team come from behind to beat mighty Inverness. Caught a gig at the Monarch Bar, ate handsomely at Jack 'O' Bryans, discovered the work of Sandy Moffat at Fire Station Creative ( and fell for a café called Wynd. I loved the peacocks that bowl around town, strutting between buildings hewn from a handsome grey sandstone, and I will never forget the spicy haggis supper I had from a chip shop called Sauro's. 'Dunfy' is a special place, end of discussion. Garvock House is a good-looking boutique hotel with friendly staff and a formidable breakfast. Details B&B doubles from £155 ( Shitty Breaks by Ben Aitken (Icon £18.99). To order a copy go to Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Air travelers are trying to bypass REAL ID requirements with a hilarious hack
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is shutting down a bizarre travel hack: air travelers attempting to use their Costco cards as valid ID at the airport. Starting last month, US travelers were told they needed a federally approved REAL ID or passport to board a domestic flight, with a standard driver's license no longer cutting it. Still, some hopeful vacationers believed their trusty Costco membership cards would be their golden ticket through security. The TSA made it clear in a Facebook post this week that the membership card cannot act as a substitute. 'We love hotdogs and rotisserie chickens as much as the next person but please stop telling people their Costco card counts as REAL ID because it absolutely does not,' the agency wrote. The TSA's response to the hilarious ID 'hack' sparked over 700 comments - with most amused by the idea, while others insisted the Costco card should actually count as a valid form of ID. 'I'm pretty sure that the Costco card is stronger than some passports,' one joked. 'I mean at least it has a STAR on it,' another wrote. 'Do you take Uncle Sam's Club card though?' a third quipped 'What's more American than using a card that gives you access to hotdogs?' yet another chimed in. In March, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that passengers must have an upgraded REAL ID to board domestic flights without a passport. Created in response to the 9/11 attacks, the REAL ID Act set stricter standards for state-issued IDs - raising the bar on identity verification to bolster national security. Applicants must present documents that prove their identity, legal presence in the U.S., Social Security number, and address. This reduces the chances of fake IDs or identity fraud. In most cases, REAL IDs are marked by a white star inside a yellow circle. They also have enhanced physical features - including barcodes and security holograms - that make them harder to forge and easier for authorities to recognize at a glance. The announcement triggered severe wait times and a scramble for DMV appointments, as Americans rushed to secure their REAL IDs ahead of the May deadline. Although the law was passed in 2005, enforcement deadlines have been pushed back multiple times - more recently due to COVID 19-related delays. By April, 81 percent of travelers presented a state-issued REAL ID or acceptable alternative, according to the TSA. Acceptable alternatives include a valid passport, passport card, or Department of Homeland Security trusted-traveler cards like Global Entry or Nexus. After 20 years in the making, the REAL ID requirement officially took effect on May 7. The IDs have been available through the DMV for years, and those who missed the May deadline can still apply.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I swear by my ‘genius' packing hack you need to try this summer – it'll save you a fortune on baggage fees
IF you're lucky enough to be jetting abroad any time soon, you've come to the right place. And particularly if you've already spent a fortune on new clothes, beauty treatments and a posh hotel for your next holiday, then this could just be the perfect money-saving trick for you. 3 3 3 Josh and Amber, a 'creative couple ' with a 'passion for travel ', have shared their top tip that will save travellers 'a fortune' on baggage fees. So if you're going away for a weekend and are only travelling hand luggage, or you're a heavy packer and always have to take stuff out of your suitcase to get the weight down, you'll need to take notes. Posting on social media, Josh and Amber shared the 'genius' way they manage to take more clothes on holiday without having to squeeze them into their suitcase or cabin bag. The content creators demonstrated how they use neck pillows to take at least three extra tops, a pair of trousers and a hat on their trips. Alongside a clip that was recently shared on Instagram, the couple questioned: 'Tired of breaking the bank on luggage fees? We've discovered a simple yet genius travel hack that's saved us a fortune!' With this 'fly smart' trick, the travel fans are now able to take more clothes abroad, without having to stuff them into an already overflowing bag. The duo simply removed the stuffing from inside their neck pillow and added in their belongings. Overjoyed with the simple but effective idea, they explained: 'Remember this travel hack to avoid extra baggage fees. 'Your neck pillow can hold at least three shirts, a pair of leggings and a beanie.' The Instagram clip, which was posted under the username @ first_class_seats, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly gone viral and racked up 1.9 million views. Not only this, but it's also amassed over 14,000 likes and 331 comments. Social media users were impressed with the savvy idea and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this. Holiday packing tips Jemma Solomon, aka The Label Lady has got 5 packing tips to help you get organised for your next holiday. 1. Write a list Think about all the essentials you need to take with you; suncream, medicine, a few games for the kids, beach towels, and write everything in one list, which you can tick off as you add it to your suitcase. Or for complete ease, try Google's AI app - Gemini - which will create a list for you and help you not over pack. 2. Involve your kids Jemma said: 'My girls are getting older, they're 11 and nine, and they enjoy helping to pack. So I send them a list, and say 'this is what you need' and they follow the list. 'And then I give them a rucksack each - and say to them 'you can have whatever you want in there as long as it's not liquid', and they can take that on the plane. And that's their 'home away from home' items.' 3. Try a hack or two She said: "I think they all work, but for different reasons - and you've just got to pick the right one for your trip. "Rolling your clothes is really good to stop your clothes from getting creases. And if you're trying to get a lot of items into your case, it's a space saver. 'Packing cubes are great - for example, I'm going on holiday with my three kids and we're all using the same suitcase for our clothes. "These handy compartments let you separate your clothes, toiletries and tech into designated cubes, maximising luggage space by keeping your items compressed and neatly stacked. "I love taking them abroad with the family and it means my kids can easily take charge of their own items once we've arrived." 4. Decant beauty products Do you really need to take full-size bottles of shampoo and conditioner with you? The beauty industry has evolved so much, you can now buy shampoo bars or sheets - which are much lighter and smaller. Or, if you'll be popping to the shops when you're abroad, consider buying some items when you arrive. 5. Get organised before you come home Jemma said: 'When you repack on holiday [before coming home], the trick is to separate clean from dirty clothes. 'Also pack it in some form of order - so lights, darks, colours for items that need washing, or if you wash your clothes by person in the household, piles for each person. "Then you can put it straight into the washing machine. Do it straight away, don't leave it." One person said: 'Well played.' Another added: 'Great idea!!!' A third commented: 'I guess this is smart.' Meanwhile, someone else shared: 'Ingenious.' At the same time, another travel enthusiast beamed: 'Smart packing!' The Sun Travel team's holiday essentials WITH decades of experience and hundreds of countries under their belt, the Sun Travel team have shared some of the essential items they always pack on a trip. Here are some of the game-changing items we always pack - and some will barely cost you a thing. Lisa Minot, Head of Travel - Global travel plug with USB (£64) Caroline McGuire, Travel Editor - Hotel Slippers Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor - Pack of 40 earplugs (£40) Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor - 1 litre water bottle (£8.99) Ryan Gray, Travel Reporter - Bluetooth eye mask (£16.50) Giuli Graziano, Travel Writer - AirTag luggage location tracker (£29.99).
News.com.au
01-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Young couple reveal how they lived rent-free in Australia for three months
A young couple recently revealed their secret to living rent-free for three months while travelling across Australia, and their little-known hack is going viral on TikTok. In the video, the woman, Esmae Lewis, explained how she and her boyfriend managed to avoid paying rent, bills, and even Wi-Fi and air conditioning costs during their travels. 'We didn't spend a single dollar,' she claimed. The pair said knew they wanted to live in Australia, as it's such a 'beautiful country with great weather'. However, she quickly realised it also has a high cost of living, pricey food, drinks, gyms, and hostels, which aren't always ideal for couples. So, they found a platform called Trusted Housesitters, where people can look after homeowners' pets and properties in exchange for free accommodation. 'We landed every sit we applied for,' she said, before sharing tips to help others succeed on the platform. These included creating a detailed profile that showcases personality and experience, asking friends and family for initial reviews, personalising each application by referencing the pets and their quirks, and focusing on care and connection with the pets rather than the location perks. Ms Lewis also recommended offering video calls or meetups to build trust with homeowners. The concept of house sitting is not a new one. Sitters care for pets, maintain gardens, keep homes clean and safe, and sometimes handle mail or deliveries, all in exchange for rent-free living. This benefits both parties as homeowners get peace of mind while away, and sitters enjoy free accommodation. Commenters loved the idea, with one saying, 'Love love loveeee this! I've had my eye on signing up and starting this'. 'This is such a cool idea!' and 'Love house-sitting!!! Such solid tips,' read other comments. 'I want to do this!' admitted a fourth. 'This is so useful,' said a fifth, as someone else mentioned they live in Australia already but are keen to give this a go. 'This is goals,' another TikToker declared. House-sitting platforms like Trusted Housesitters and Aussie House Sitters have grown in popularity in recent years, offering thousands of opportunities across Australia. These services often require a membership fee but provide a trusted community and support to ensure both sitters and homeowners feel secure in the arrangement. Ms Lewis said she made the annual membership fee back in a couple of days just by not having to pay any rent.
Fox News
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Travelers are stuffing basic household item with clothes to avoid flight baggage fees
Summer travel is in full swing after a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend. A massive 45.1 million Americans were predicted to travel at least 50 miles from their homes, with 3.61 million Americans flying to their destination. For those flyers who tend to bring a lot of baggage with them, a viral travel hack involving pillowcases is now apparently helping some passengers avoid checking a bag. The pillowcase travel hack disguises clothes and other soft items as a travel pillow. People are stuffing items into an empty pillowcase — then bringing this item on board for free. Most airlines allow passengers to bring travel pillows without counting the items as baggage. Travel expert Francesca Page of New York told Fox News Digital she recently returned from a trip and noticed an influx of people traveling with their own pillows. "I always thought it was for in-flight comfort, especially for red-eye flights," said Page. "However, I came to find out that that isn't the ONLY reason people are taking their own pillows." Page said that with the "additional tightening of onboard luggage and fees, people will start getting smart about using the case itself to take whatever bulky items can't fit in their bag, because it's not technically considered more than a pillowcase." "You're betting that it just gets a pass." Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog "View From the Wing," told Fox News Digital he saw the hack circulate on social media in 2023 and 2024, too. "Nobody minds a pillow as an extra carry-on," said Leff. "It's not going in the overhead bin, or underneath your seat, usually. So you're betting that it just gets a pass." "This trick has been talked up enough, I think, that it's become too obvious to work in many cases. At least there's enough risk that it won't that it's probably not worth trying," he added. Leff said that by bringing more items than allowed just to save on fees, he's seen passengers turn themselves into "human suitcase[s]." Some passengers are even wearing as many clothes as possible along with stuffing their pockets with additional clothes.
