Your must read travel round up 🧭
Hello from a very sleepy town in Portugal 👋
I’m writing to you this week from Amarante in northern Portugal which is a popular day trip destination in the summer, but come the colder months things get a little - no, a lot quieter.
However, that’s exactly the reason I chose it! I actually love heading places off peak for a chilled escape - where the prices are a lot cheaper!!
Spot all the other tourists in the background… 👀
I guess it helps that I am also working from here - and so I don’t have to pack my days out with things to do - but also I think it’s the perfect place for a relaxed holiday where your sole purpose is to eat good food and drink and finish up a book or two.
Oh and speaking of the food and drink, I have to tell you what I discovered earlier this week…
A glass of wine for €1,20!!!!!
Let’s just say I may or may not be under the influence of another one of these as I write this to you…
But ANYWAY! More on this place soon, but for now, let’s see what else is coming up in this week’s newsletter:
My review of an epic cabin and sauna stay 🛖 🌊
Why I think Estonia is perfect for a cheap spa getaway 🫧
Is Ryanair ditching paper boarding passes? 📲
How to sleep like a baby in your hotel room 👼
Viral vacay: Cute spots for literature lovers 📚
Estonian spas… continued!🫧
You lot went wild for my review of Ring Spa and Sauna in last week’s newsletter… so I’m bringing you even more Estonian spa shenanigans!
I’ve written up my review of Iglupark Tallinn, a collection of waterfront cabins with a free sauna that James and I stayed in last year. And check out my reasons why I think Estonia is THE perfect destination for a cheap spa trip.
Iglupark Tallinn review: My unique waterfront cabin and sauna stay
Cosy cabins by the sea with a sauna - now that’s my cup of tea!
Why Estonia is the perfect place for a cheap spa getaway
Find out why Estonia has such an epic spa culture, and discover my top 10.
Viral Vacay📲
Where we track down travel videos that have gone viral, find out how much it actually costs and if needs be, suggest a cheaper alternative 🕵️♀️
What is it? L’Observatoire, a bespoke carriage suite on the Venice Simplon Orient Express train. It’s got dreamy bookshelves and a hidden library nook (and much, much more), and was designed by celebrated artist JR.
How viral? The reel of this amazing interior has hit over 3.1M views.
How much? Now this train is serious luxury vibes. We can only imagine how much this entire bespoke carriage costs (it’s POA - we did ask!) - but the poshest suite can cost as much as £58,000 per passenger.
Seen a viral video you want me to do this for? Reply with it to this email! 📧
Catch flights not feelings✈️
From this week Ryanair are no longer accepting paper boarding passes - find out what this means for travellers and what to do if your phone dies. Plus, if you struggle to sleep well in unfamiliar places, our tips for sleeping like a baby in your hotel room should help you drift off to dreamland.
Are Ryanair Scrapping Paper Boarding Passes?
Ryanair are all about the DBP - digital boarding pass!
8 ways to sleep like a baby in your hotel room
Don’t pull an all-nighter - drift off with our tips for getting to sleep.
My deal of the week
This week I’ve asked Anna who heads up @holidayexpertshop to pick some of her favourite products and share what’s on offer at the moment.
Hayayu small cabin bag
This Hayayu bag has a zippable compartment at the bottom which means it can extend even bigger to easyJet's dimensions! Now, zipped up, it was the perfect size for Ryanair. But since they've extended their sizing, I recommend just using it unzipped but not stuffed full. It's a great bag if you fly lots of different low cost airlines.
Nothing Ear (a) wireless ear buds
Chelsea bought these as a replacement for her Airpods and she really rates them! They're noise cancelling, compact, and come with 42.5 hours of listening time.
Vavabox make up bag
This is a cheaper alternative to the dearer Flat Lay Co makeup bags (which Chelsea has!), and whilst the originals do feel nicer quality, for a fraction of the price it does the same basic function. You can lay out all of your makeup or toiletries in front of you and then swoop them all up together in the bag with the drawstring.
And dont forget, you can always find our latest, honest, no bull💩 reviews over on @holidayexpertshop.
What the team’s been loving this week!
When we’ve not been working really hard - ahem - here’s some of the things that we’ve been enjoying over on socials.
Anna: I’m including this in my annual leave request to visit Tokyo 😻
Katie: This commute looks kinda trippy… and the opposite of the Piccadilly line! 🚇
Chelsea: Nah this is definitely not me… 👀
Joe: Hi, I’m Joe, and I’m a flight radar addict 🛬
And that’s a wrap!
That’s all for this week – thanks if you made it this far and why not let me know you did so by answering the poll below ⬇️
If you have a mate or family member who loves to travel and could do with a helping hand from us here at Holiday Expert, just hit the button below and share the link!
Is Estonia on your bucket list?
Speak to you soon!
Chelsea x
Yes that’s a full glass of wine… for £1!
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