PACK THE SUITCASES

5 days in Boston, MA, USA: things to see, do and eat

18th May 2019 14 Comments

5 days in Boston itinerary, MA, USA | PACK THE SUITCASES

It’s taken me forever to write up this 5 days in Boston itinerary because there’s so much to include. I should add that I definitely mean Boston, MA, USA – not the local one here in the UK. I think you’d struggle to spend 5 days there…

Here’s what I got up to over 5 days in Boston – a bit of an itinerary, featuring everything I did/saw/ate each day (with emphasis on the eating, as usual). I hope it’ll be handy as a general travel guide for anyone else’s first time there or for anyone planning up to 5 days in Boston and feeling overwhelmed by everything there is to do…

DESTINATIONS

Tokyo itinerary: 3 days in Japan’s capital

4th May 2019 9 Comments

Tokyo itinerary 3 days - Japan | PACK THE SUITCASES

Here’s a quick Tokyo itinerary for 3 days. To be honest, I’d recommend more than 3 days in Tokyo if you really want to explore Japan’s buzzing, bustling capital. But if you’re on a time limit, there’s plenty you can cram in. I’ve been visiting friends in Tokyo for several years now and feel like I know the city quite well – until I go back the next time and Tokyo’s madness takes over. Every time, I find more new things going on that I’d never discovered before.

I’ve discovered that you can’t ever get to grips with Tokyo and won’t scratch the surface in 3 days, 5 days or even 2 weeks. It’s a city to be loved but never fully understood and I’m fine with that. So I’ve written this 3-day itinerary, which doesn’t cover even a fraction of what there is to do but has a decent balance of exploring, culture, fun and food. It goes off the beaten track a bit but still includes plenty of the big hits.

So settle down with a glass of sake and get planning your 3-day Tokyo itinerary…

DESTINATIONS

A guide to Manchester, UK: things to do, see and eat

27th April 2019 24 Comments

Manchester: places to visit, eat/drink at and see | PACK THE SUITCASES

If you’re planning a weekend away or if you’re local and looking for new places to visit in Manchester, this might be handy for you.

After years of research (read: eating and drinking too much), I’ve put together a bit of a city guide featuring all my local haunts that I regularly tell my friends to go to. It seemed daft to have so many travel posts about more far-flung destinations and absolutely nothing about Manchester, the city I know best. So here it is…

FEATURES

18 of the best UK city breaks for a weekend getaway

8th April 2019 13 Comments

Here are 18 of (in my opinion) the best UK city breaks for a weekend getaway when you don’t want to venture further afield. And as well as sharing my own favourite UK city breaks, I thought I’d rope in some other travel bloggers as well so that I could cover more of the country and include tips on UK cities that I’ve never visited or have visited but don’t know well enough to write about in any detail.I asked around and some fellow travel bloggers obliged me with their own UK city break ideas, which I’ve included below after my ones.

You’ll notice that London is not listed. Before anyone asks why, it’s because a) I don’t like it, b) it’s already been done to death online and c) I wanted to write about great UK cities that don’t get as much attention.

So, get comfy with a cup of tea. It might take you a while to read this one…

DESTINATIONS

How to do a Ljubljana to Zagreb train adventure: one-week itinerary

16th February 2019 1 Comment

A fairytale city break in Ljubljana, Slovenia | PACK THE SUITCASES

Here’s my Ljubljana to Zagreb train trip itinerary, featuring the best things to see in both these amazing cities and how to travel between them. You could do this itinerary either way. I chose to start off in Ljubljana because it worked better for our flights. But you could easily do Zagreb to Ljubljana too. Just flip reverse it, much like Blazin’ Squad (that noughties cultural reference will be lost on most of my readers, but I’m going with it).

I’d recommend spending slightly more time in Ljubljana than Zagreb. Although I enjoyed both cities, Ljubljana was an absolute fairytale place and I completely fell in love with it.

Anyway. Here’s my suggested itinerary for seeing both these gorgeous cities within 7 days, including how to do the stunning Ljubljana to Zagreb train journey between them…

DESTINATIONS

How to spend a week in Madeira: a 7-day itinerary without a car

9th February 2019 22 Comments

Things to do in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal | PACK THE SUITCASES

If you’re spending a week in Madeira, there are so many things you can do on the island that it can be a nightmare picking which ones to add to your plan and in what order. I’ve put together this one-week Madeira itinerary based on what I’ve done on past trips (there have been a lot of them and I secretly like to think of myself as some sort of Madeira expert) to help you decide.

Madeira is totally doable without a car, so if like me you don’t drive, you’re going to be pleased with how decent the bus system is for seeing plenty of the island. For the bits that are harder to achieve by bus, there are plenty of minibus private tours, but more on that later..

Anyway, here are my tips for how to use your days to explore Funchal and further afield, where to eat and drink and various stuff to do on each day if you’re spending a whole week in Madeira…