An early start as we get onboard a small private bus from outside our hotel to take us to Xitang, which is situated some 80kms from Shanghai. It is important that we get the most out of our day as we need to be back in Shanghai for early evening time to get an overnight train to Xi'an. We understand from our tour guide that Xitang is an ancient Chinese water town and very picturesque. Upon arriving at Xitang, we get into smaller groups, put on a life jacket and get on a Wupeng (Chinese type gondola boat). The boat ride down is very pleasant as we go under many small bridges that connect the footpaths over the rivers. This water town crosses 9 rivers and was built in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. ... read more

Planning for this trip ended up being a little rushed to my liking as I wasn't entirely sure where in Asia I wanted to go and it was also dependent on whether I got a bonus at work so I had enough spending money for the trip. Usually I plan my trips well in advance but with decisions around selling my home and buying a new one I knew that I needed to get this trip in quickly. I was torn between Thailand and China as the two countries high on my list for Asia. I decided most people tend to go to Thailand so I thought I'd be different and go visit China. My haste decision planning not going in my favour as I find out that I need a visa for China; all the ... read more

Two short getaway breaks in the UK together and one mini caravan holiday in Norfolk with Fiona's two children and my Mum and Stepdad, Fiona and I were eager to travel to a country we both hadn't been to before. There were many European cities on the list but we narrowed it down to Krakow. I had seen many travel articles with stunning pictures of Krakow and some friends recently visiting it had put it high on my bucket-list. Our trip didn't start off too well as our plane was showing delays of 20 mins so I assumed we had a bit more time before we needed to board the plane. Turns out we didn't as I was about to pop into a shop before we headed towards the boarding gate and just looked at the ... read more

Our first Valentines together and I buy my girlfriend, Fiona, a 2 night hotel stay on Buyagift.co.uk for a romantic getaway where you can select a hotel of your choice in many counties all over the UK. Picking where to stay wasn't too difficult and we decide on Ironbridge in Shropshire as our destination because neither of us have been there before and seems an interesting area to visit due to it's strong connection with the Victorian era. Shropshire is a county in England but it borders with Wales. Although known as one of England's quietest counties there still seems to be plenty to do and see with many historic houses, castles, museums and of course the famous Iron bridge. After a 2 hour car journey from Berkshire, we arrive at our hotel in Ironbridge. We ... read more

Stefano I had hosted Stefano once before but just for the night as he needed somewhere to stay for a business trip. After Stefano had kindly hosted me at his apartments in Luxembourg and France, I really wanted to return the favour of his hospitality by hosting him at mine and to show him some places he hadn't seen before in England. I took the Friday off work and Stefano booked his flight tickets for a long weekend visit. Hartley Wintney I've been living in Hartley Wintney for a year and a half, after buying a brand new home through a government scheme to help first time buyers get on the property ladder. This is the first property that I have ever owned. To buy a house in the UK is not easy as the housing ... read more