Luggage free, hassle-free

When we travel, we try to pack as light as possible. But traveling with a toddler, it’s sometimes a challenge to pack light especially when we literally bring the house. We pack extra set of clothes, diapers, milk, feeding bottles, medicines, some books and toys to keep her occupied during the travel and a sterilizer! The result, excess baggage, or sometimes, we have to carry two big bags instead of one. At the airport, it’s difficult to maneuver two big luggage and carrying a toddler at the same time, and to make it worse, you’re rushing because you have a plane to catch.

image from: been-seen.com

Here in the Philippines, there are plenty of luggage horror stories. Some discovered that their bags were slashed and the thieves stole some items inside, hence, at the NAIA Terminal 3, there’s Protectabag offered as a solution. Another luggage horror story is lost luggage. It’s such a hassle that you packed your clothes carefully and nicely inside your suitcase in preparation for your trip only to find out that it is lost and you have nothing to wear on your destination. I have a friend who experienced this on their family trip to Hong Kong, this particular airline spoiled their family trip because the airline lost their suitcase. The airline paid for the lost bags but still, their treasured valuables and personal items were all gone. On the bright side, they got to shop in HK.

FACT: The Air Transport Users Council (AUC), which says 42 million bags were mishandled by airlines worldwide in 2007, of which approximately 1.2 millions were never found.

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Summer Holiday Favourites

We’ve all got our favourite holiday destinations, and when it comes to summer holidays, there are so many wonderful hotspots to choose from.

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A Weekend in London: Ideal Itinerary Fillers

If you find yourself with some spare time to enjoy a weekend away and you’re in search of a city break, there’s very few places in the UK that can beat our capital when it comes to the sheer range of itinerary fillers on offer. This incredibly versatile city provides visitors with a diverse selection of attractions to choose from, to suit your personal style and taste.

Utilise the good deals on London hotels from Travelodge and enjoy a stint in the city affordably. Take a look at these fabulous examples on what can fill your days, and evenings,  to ensure a jam-packed weekend that is worth every second of your time in the Big Smoke.


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Airport Express: From HK airport to the city in 24 minutes!

On our last Hong Kong trip, we stayed at a studio in Causeway Bay. Since I’m not familiar of the airport buses routes, I decided to try riding the Airport Express going to the Hong Kong station and then transfer to MTR line going to Causeway Bay. So from the airport, I bought the one-way Airport Express tickets at the counter and rode the Airport Express. It promises to bring the passengers to the city in 24 minutes.

If you’re traveling with a group, you can get discounts. Since we’re a group of two, the two Airport Express tickets is 160 HKD instead of 200 HKD, children below 3 years old are free.

The Airport Express is perfect for business travelers who don’t want to waste their precious time on the road. Riding the A21 bus from the airport takes about 45 minutes to Kowloon, while riding the train cuts the travel time in half.

But if you’re a tourist like me, I still prefer taking the bus to have a better view of Tsing Ma bridge.

Isdaan at Gerona, Tarlac

Disclosure: Contains sponsored link.

Last December, we headed to Manaoag, Pangasinan to have my brother’s new vehicle blessed. They decided to sell their old car and bought a new one for his growing family. On our way home, we had our lunch at Isdaan in Gerona, Tarlac. You can’t miss this place because of the huge signage with lots of cars parked in front, it sure is a popular stop-over for roadtrippers.

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Lived like a local in Causeway Bay via Roomorama

During our Hong Kong vacation last November, we booked the first 2 nights of our trip at a flat in Causeway Bay via Roomorama.com. I have $200 credits with them so it’s the perfect time to use it. Basically, Roomorama has a collection of short-term rentals/apartments from around the globe, if you’re looking for affordable accommodation and with complete amenities and with convenience like living in your own home, then booking through the site is for you.

First, I browsed for affordable rates of apartments/studios in Hong Kong island. Why HK island? Because we plan on hiking the Dragon’s Back with our toddler so I chose the most convenient location. I zeroed in on a studio in Causeway Bay owned by Lee Shan Tse (hongkongkiwy), rate is for $70 per night. After several inquiries, I booked the studio and paid Roomorama using credit card. I received a confirmation email from Roomorama instantly, together with some instructions on when to give the Roomorama code to our host. Several days later, Lee Shan Tse also sent me an email for further instructions on how to reach her studio, how to get the keys and her studio rules. One hassle is that I have to get the keys at her cousin’s store in Island Beverly, it’s just one block away from the studio but it’s too taxing to get it especially when carrying our luggage and our sleepy toddler.

Photos of different views of the studio are included in the site so I knew what to expect.

I wasn’t able to take my own photos of the room except for the post-its because our things were all over the studio, hehe…

view of the main door & sink

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