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Ed Stafford: 5 ways adventure can help you succeed in everyday life
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Changes to make in your 30s for a forever happy life
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Why your 30s and 40s are the best time to travel with your parents
We’ve all tried holiday rentals, but what about a holiday with the ‘rentals? If you think you’re too old, too cool or too likely to spend your holiday regressing to the point where you lock yourself in your room and listen to The Cure on loop, think again. Your 30 and 40s are the BEST…
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6 reasons you shouldn’t travel with your friends
Friends are great. Do we love them? Yes, we do. Can you have a fun holiday with them? Yes, you can. Can they ruin a holiday? Sometimes. Can you get more by occasionally travelling without them? Most definitely. Here are six reasons why you shouldn’t travel with friends. 1. Let’s start with science As you…
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9 unexpected and wonderful things I discovered in my 40s
Turning 40 can strike fear into the heart of the bravest individual, but as Andrew Dickens gladly discovered, your 40s can bring all manner of pleasant surprises. Here are nine of them. Generation gaps aren’t that big Post-Brexit, much as been made in the press of war between the ‘older’ generation and the ‘younger’ generation…
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These 7 words perfectly sum up the reality of life in your 30s
These phrases exactly capture the beautiful struggle of life in your 30s (including why your 30s are better than 20s). In an interview with Vogue, Emma Watson talks about her decision to “self-partner” herself in her 30s. “I was like, ‘Why does everyone make such a big fuss about turning 30? This is not a…
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The rise of flexible co-living for today’s urban tribes
Co-living facilitates freedom and connection for a new generation of solo dwellers, who are looking beyond traditional life goals to form fluid “live and play” communities In the 1950s, a nuclear family unit was the golden standard – but fast-forward 70 years and the social landscape has changed dramatically. We now live in an age…
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6 amazing things I discovered in my 30s that I never noticed before
Move over 20s – the flirty 30s are when life kicks into gear. Here are just a few revelations to expect when you head past the big 3-0 milestone On the eve of my 30s, I didn’t anticipate the delights that lay ahead. I just knew I was getting older – ergo craggier, and less…
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13 things you stop caring about when you turn 40
Your bladder weakens, your jowl loosens and your desire for a ‘nice night in’ increases, but there are many reasons why turning 40 is great: one of which is that you simply stop giving a shit about a lot of things. Here are 13 of them. 1. Getting a six-pack It’s not impossible to get…
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10 ‘new’ dating trends anyone over 30 knows are BS
There seems to be a new dating trend every other week, explaining how Generation Z is getting it on in ways never conceived of before. Except, they’re not. Here are 10 dating trends that people in their 30s and 40s will recognise as being very, very not new. 1. The dating trend: Ghosting What it…
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This man nearly died twice and now travels the world in an ambulance
Be inspired by the amazing true story of Ian Dow, whose TWO near-death experiences changed his life forever It’s rare for anyone to have a truly life-changing moment; for someone to have two, well that’s quite something. Meet Ian Dow. Not only has Dow experienced an unlikely Double Epiphany, but he’s taken those moments and run…
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How Tinder made me swipe right for solo travel
When Alita Brydon saw the (many) pictures of Machu Picchu on Tinder, it got her off her couch and into solo travel I was doing what I did every Saturday night; swiping through profile after profile on Tinder. I’d flick through my potential beaus with speed, from the comfort of my grey two-seater couch, a…
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Being single gets more satisfying with age – for this key reason
In Jane Austen’s time, being a single was something that got progressively worse with age. If fine ladies were not persuaded to matrimony by 21 (ancient!), they may well end up an “old maid” who would “teach your ten children to embroider cushions and play their instruments very ill”. Though well-bred bachelors didn’t have the…
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Why kids can wait and travelling is my priority
30-something digital director Matt Risley explains why – even though he’s now in a position to have kids – he’s pausing parental responsibility for now, to make travel his priority Not to get all ‘Richard Curtis Movie’ about it, but there are certain life markers we can all relate to. The first time you fall…
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What I learnt from my mum’s gap year: live for today
Forget influencers – my mum is my gap year hero, says writer Jenny Novitsky People say I take after my mum. When I used to walk around the Manc neighbourhood where she grew up, I’d get stopped in the street by 90-year-old women calling me by her name. With our ‘petite’ height (thanks for the…
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4 myths about true love from our favourite Christmas movies
fWe love Christmas movies as much as the next wide-eyed believer. But boy, do they peddle some dodgy myths about romance. Even the gritter end of festive flicks (hello, Die Hard and Long Kiss Goodnight) find happiness in a finale kiss, as if Christmas were one long competition with coupledom the prize. Not only that,…
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Men, this is why you should travel solo on a group adventure
Flashpacker Tony Stevens (below) recently joined our hiking adventure in Nepal, and is now a firm convert of solo travel with a group of strangers. Here, he explains why other men like him should jump on the bandwagon too Men aren’t as brave as we’d have everyone believe (a poorly kept secret I know). We…
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Why Japanese men are choosing the single life
Andrew Dickens meets Japan’s ‘herbivore men’ to find out why they’re saying “I don’t” A quick glance at the British press recently and you’d be forgiven for thinking that we can’t have too many people in our romantic relationships. So popular are stories of polyamorous pansexuality that it feels like being in a couple is…
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My 30s life: why I’ve stopped looking for perfection
Every week, Flash Pack operations director and resident columnist Jenni Shaw discusses a different aspect of her life as a 30-something Londoner. This week: how and why her priorities have changed, for a more carefree, spontaneous life. I am the eldest of three sisters and currently the only one of the three of us who…
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Alternative Christmas messages for the festive weary
Now we don’t want to get all George Bailey here, but there’s something about Christmas that speaks to our cynical side. Sure, we love a Mince Pie and the dulcet tones of Wham! as much as the next hedonist, but the relentless churn of Christmas messaging can get even the merriest soul down. Maybe it’s…