Are you planning a trip but are unsure which hotel to book? The hotel you choose is one of the most critical decisions to make with little room for compromise, especially now we are living a "new normal" after Coronavirus lockdown. For your health, you want to ensure your hotel is Covid-compliant.

Being proactive in your choice, carrying out research, and doing a comparative analysis will ensure you pick the right room for you. You may want a standard room with no TV, or a suite with fridge and seating options. Perhaps internet connectivity, complimentary breakfast or airport pick up is important.

When choosing your hotel, there are many things to take into consideration such as your travel budget, location, style, or personal needs. A hotel which initially offers a lower price may end up costing you more than a higher rated hotel which offers complimentary amenities.

To help you minimise your inconvenience, Feet Do Travel have provided practical advice with ten tips to help you booking the right hotel.

Before you embark on any type travel, you need to pack, which is sometimes daunting. Deciding what to pack can leave you with a headache, and you ask yourself "which essential items do I need", and "what should I not pack?" 

We have been travelling full time in Asia for over two years, and have perfected the ultimate packing list. Whilst we may not have perfected how to travel light, we certainly know which items we cannot do without.

We have been using this essential international travel packing list for many years, and it’s worked for us so far!

We have stayed in All Inclusive resorts, been on luxury tours, gone camping and now we are backpacking, plus we have stayed in every type of B&B and hotel in between. In other words, we know what we are talking about. Regardless of your age, how you are travelling and where you are going, we know the essential items to pack for worldwide travel.

We cover everyday essentials such as toiletries and electronics, how to travel plastic free,  which medication you should take, anti-theft protection, plus even what bag to take.
​
This is Feet Do Travel’s ultimate packing list; all tried and tested! What we carry and why.

Extreme weather conditions can happen anywhere in the world at any time, but would you know how to survive a natural disaster?

It’s devastating for residents living within a country, but as travellers, any one of us could be visiting somewhere when a natural disaster occurs. 

When we were in the Lombok earthquake on 5 August, we had no idea what to do, we just tried to think rationally and survival mode kicked in. When a tsunami warning was in place, for this we knew what to do – get to high ground. 

This post isn’t intended to scare, but to educate us all on what to do when faced with circumstances we are unfamiliar with. I haven’t endured all the situations within this post, if I had, I’m unsure if I would be the luckiest person still alive, or the unluckiest to have been in these disasters in the first place! So I spoke with my travel blogger friends to create this post. 
​
I hope we are all able to learn how to survive a natural disaster.

We always thought going on a cruise would be out of our league and we’d never be able to afford it. In our minds, it was synonymous with luxury travel and was one for the bucket list, but we didn’t know if we would actually achieve it.

Then a brochure for P&O fell through our letterbox advertising Caribbean Cruises. The offer was, if you booked before a certain date, you would receive £200 on board credit, plus the cruises weren't as expensive as we thought – deal clincher for us then! AND we flew there and back to ensure we received the most amount of time in the Caribbean as possible – WINNER!!
​
We were super excited about visiting the Caribbean together for the first time and seeing some amazing countries, and this part of the world definitely did not disappoint!

Our first trip to Jamaica was on a Caribbean Cruise for our wedding anniversary which meant we only had one day in this enigmatic Country... but there was only one place I wanted to see – above everything else – it had to be Bob Marley’s home!  

We found a company that combined a tour of Bob Marley's birthplace at “Nine Mile” with Dunn’s River Falls – the latter being the No. 1 tourist attraction for a visit to Ocho Rios. The company we used no longer runs this as a tour but there are many companies who do and, due to the ever-changing tourist industry, I would advise you find one through reviews on Trip Advisor – that is how we found ours.

Out of the entire two-week cruise, Jamaica was the place I was most excited to visit! I had heard so much about the beautiful landscape and its people and I couldn’t wait to experience it for myself. 

It didn’t disappoint!

​I grew up in England where Christmases are generally wet and miserable and if you were lucky, just a little bit overcast and grey! In 2010 we had snow, proper snow where it covered the ground making it pretty and white – now for us Brits, that is the perfect Christmas, the stuff kid’s dreams are made of!

When I was 17 years old, I lost my Grandmother on Christmas Day so for me, the “magic of Christmas” had gone. I didn’t feel I could “celebrate” in the same way so over the years, I discovered that being away from the UK made me the happiest, plus, any excuse to have a holiday, right?

​I have since experienced Christmas in five different continents with both snow and sun. I love them both for different reasons, but one stood out for me the most … when I was 3ft deep in snow!

The cold isn’t for everyone …. so which do you think you would prefer? 

I have always been curious about nudist beaches...
​
Why do people do it? What does it feel like to have the breeze cool areas not usually on public display? Would I forget the wobbly bits and accept my body for what it is? We were born naked so would I feel comfortable being around others who were embracing that?

​A five minute walk down the beach from where we were sunbathing in Negril, Jamaica, was a Couples nudist beach and so the temptation to go was too strong…

From Gospel Church to Nudist beach – and everything in between.....
​
Irie mon from di island of Jaaa-mey-ca!! 

So what can I tell you about Jamaica that you don’t already know? I guess the first question would be “have you been there?”.  If you have, well you will already know about the lush green land; the inviting turquoise sea; the soft white sand lined with coconut palms; stunning sunsets; locally brewed rum used in just about everything; delicious jerk chicken served in abundance; reggae music played everywhere and last but by no means least ….. the people and what enigmatic characters they are!
​
If you haven’t been and you already know some of the above, I will tell you about our time here and the few adventures we had.