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Monica

@thetravelhack

86.2K

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👑 Queen of the micro escape
🌍 Because life’s too short to have boring weekends!
✈️ Weekenders, 1-nighters & EDTs
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 North Wales
🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Co-parenting mum of 3

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Hi, I’m Monica!
I share weekend travel ideas and big adventures for busy people because life’s too short for boring weekends!

I’m a 38 year old travel content creator from North Wales with 3 kids and a dog.

I believe weekends shouldn’t be wasted and I love sharing how much you can do with a short break.

I started blogging in 2009 while backpacking around Asia and Australia. This was before smartphones, so I wrote a travel journal which I later typed up into a blog which eventually became The Travel Hack.

The Travel Hack is now my whole career and there’s even a line of Travel Hack luggage and hundreds of thousands of monthly readers (which kind of blows my mind!)

I got divorced 3 years ago and I co-parent my kids 50/50. This changed the whole trajectory of my life and I’m learning to embrace it and live the life of my dreams.

I have this funny life where half the time I’m a normal, suburban mum who works from home, does pilates and my days revolve around the school run and football practice.

Then the other half of the time I feel like a 21 year old with no responsibilities. I’m completely free to go anywhere and do anything! (Only I’ve got more money and more sense than when I was 21 so this is incredible!)

I’m still figuring out how to balance these two lives without losing my mind (to varying degrees of success!)

2026 is going to be all about big trips between a busy life.
I’m talking bucket list adventures you can do in a weekend.
Short holidays that feel like a week away
and new experiences that give you something to look forward to all year. by @thetravelhack

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9 months ago

🥰 The Mini Wellness Break at @theforgecorwen

#glamping #corwen #northwalesglamping

This was a hosted stay. Thank you to the wonderful Sheena for inviting us. Previous stays and my slight obsession with how amazing this place is are all my own! taken in North Wales by @thetravelhack

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4 days ago

[ad] I went to Madrid last week for the most gorgeous autumnal city break. The season is just starting to change so October and November are going to be perfection!
Rooftop bars, epic sunset spots, a gorgeous park, delicious food and loads to see and do. Not only that but it’s also really easy, affordable and a simple city to walk around.
There’s a link in my bio with my full blog post about visiting Madrid in November.

#Madrid #AutumninMadrid taken in Madrid, Spain by @thetravelhack

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5 days ago

🍁🤎 Autumn in Madrid 🍂🧡
Some cities do autumn VERY WELL. Madrid is one of them!
There’s a link in my bio to my full guide for spending autumn in Madrid.

#madrid taken in Madrid, Spain by @thetravelhack

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10 days ago

Take me back 😩

I’ll be sharing more from my trip soon!
🏨 I stayed in Cala’n Bosch at Fergus Style Carema Beach.
#menorca @fergushotels taken in Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain by @thetravelhack

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12 days ago

AD | You want a main character life but your bank balance is giving supporting character energy? I know the feeling!

This is why I’ve switched to @lebara.mobile for my mobile plan. I’m now paying less and I still get a reliable network, great customer service and data in Europe included - which is a real biggy for me! Getting data abroad at no extra cost and no faff with eSIMs is huge!

I’ve even ditched the expensive phone upgrade this year and switched to a SIM-only deal instead which is a game-changer! by @thetravelhack

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19 days ago

Come on, we can do scary things… by @thetravelhack

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20 days ago

I’ve worked in the travel industry for 15 years.
These are the travel trends I’m genuinely seeing in 2026…

These are the travel trends I’m genuinely seeing among my audience right now…
This comes from what people are reading on my blog, what they’re saving on Instagram and what they’re actually booking via my links (yeah, I can see that!)

Most people who follow The Travel Hack are women in the UK aged 35-55. We have families, disposable income and we’re just coming out of the trenches of kids and careers and remembering who the f we are.
The next chapter of our lives is all about enjoying what we’ve been working so hard to build! by @thetravelhack

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a month ago

Let me tell you about this trip to Austria because I shared it on my stories and everyone went crazy for it.
And look at it. It was incredible.
I stayed at @forsthofalm Lifestyle Hotel which is close to #Salzburg and honestly, it was the dream. This was a solo trip and it was an end of summer reset I didn’t even know I needed.
It was very similar to a ski holiday, just swap skiing for hiking and there’s no freezing your toes off on a ski lift!
I love ski holiday vibes with the cosy wooden chalets, the steamy spas, the amazing food, the après-ski, the mountain air and those gorgeous views.
And that feeling at the end of the day when you come back all tired and hungry and exhausted but energised.
But yeah, I don’t really like skiing so Alpine resorts in the summer might be my new favorite thing.
Forsthsofalm also have yoga and meditation every morning and evening, and the food here was just incredible. It was the perfect mixture between relaxing and adventurous and I will 100% be doing a summer Alpine holiday again!

#hostedstay by @thetravelhack

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a month ago

✈️ This one if for all my people in the North West!
Save it for the next time you forget to book airport parking and then realise it’s a squillion pounds to do it last minute 😂🫣
Follow along for more unsexy travel tips!

#travelhack #manchesterairport taken in Manchester Airport by @thetravelhack

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a month ago

AD • Welcome to Trannon Valley Lodges in Mid Wales which we discovered on @holidaylodges.co.uk

Save this for a future trip as it really was the most perfect itinerary for a 3 day stay in Mid Wales! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

#MidWales
#LogCabin
#TrannonValleyLodges
#Aberystwyth
#HafodEstate taken in Mid Wales by @thetravelhack

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a month ago

*It was me. I did the study 😆

More from my trip to @forsthofalm coming soon. Story highlights from last week are all saved. taken in Leogang, Salzburg, Austria by @thetravelhack

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a month ago