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5 essential travel podcasts to take on your next adventure
One of my favourite parts of travelling is the actual travelling bit. Jumping in a plane, a car or a rickety old bus, staring out the window and drinking in new surroundings. Sometimes, though, I tend to wreck lovely, picturesque views with thoughts from my idiot brain. I’ll be staring at a sunset and thinking…
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What today’s single women really want
An intriguing new report casts light on the priorities of single women in their 30s and 40s, as a growing and influential subculture. US-based research company Hill Holliday/Origin carried out in-depth interviews with over 1,000 single women aged 30-45 who have never been married and don’t have children. They also interviewed single men in that same…
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A simple way to cope with travel anxiety
Anxiety is a funny old thing. Give it centre stage and it will take over your life, turning every little niggle into a full-blown saga (in your head at least). But ignore it completely, and it’s likely to flare up at all the wrong moments, sending you right off-kilter. If you’re the kind of person…
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Ed Stafford: 10 powerful things my solo adventures have taught me
Hailed as “truly extraordinary” by Sir Ranulph Fiennes and billed as “Britain’s most intrepid hero since Scott of the Antarctic“, adventurer Ed Stafford hit the record books after becoming the first man to walk the Amazon. The deadly journey took two and half years and, now a Discovery Channel documentary, ignited a career in solo…
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Upgrade your workout with kickboxing
No longer the realm of hardened fighters, kickboxing gyms are becoming a popular option for city-goers who want to bust stress and boost wellbeing. Here, world title holder Alex Lawson – who trains clients at London’s Springhealth Kickboxing, KXU gym and Equinox gym – reveals the benefits of an intense and thrilling sport: Calorie after-burn Not many…
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7 lessons I learnt from almost losing my life
Paul Middleton was 37 years old and working as a civil engineer in Victoria, Australia, when a freak accident changed his life forever. Here, he explains how he turned a major catastrophe into a positive experience – proving the old adage that you must never, ever give up… I was staying at a friend’s…
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Vegetarian travel: 5 must-try dishes from South-East Asia and Japan
To celebrate National Vegetarian Week, Flash Pack events director and seasoned globe-trotter Jenni Shaw chooses her favourite meat-free dishes from south-east Asia and Japan At Flash Pack HQ there is always much excitement when a new trip is launched. We huddle around our funky reclaimed boardroom table, tasty snacks at the ready, whilst the product…
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All hail Sweden, the world’s single living capital
If you relish being single, you’ll find strength in numbers in Sweden. Our Nordic neighbour has more solo dwellers than anywhere else in the world. Around 47% of households have just one occupant – typically a child-free, single adult. Of course, living alone doesn’t always mean being single. Some solo dwellers may be in long-term relationships. Many…
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More Brits are choosing to travel alone than ever before
A new study suggests that more people than ever are choosing to strike out solo abroad. Travel website Expedia found that 25% of Brits are planning to holiday alone in 2018, for an average of 11 days. Read more: Unusual adventures for the thrill-seeker within Among people who had already travelled alone, 32% reported that…
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How travelling the world disrupts negative thinking
It’s all too easy to be pulled down a rabbit hole of negative thinking. Our minds love habits – even the bad ones – and worrying can form a compulsive loop that becomes rooted in who we are. But there’s good news, too. Our brains hold a degree of plasticity, meaning they’re able to learn new…
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What is social anxiety and how can you tackle it?
Social anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues; around 12% of us will suffer from it over the course of a lifetime. According to the NHS, it means having “a long-lasting and overwhelming fear of social situations”, as well as “a persistent fear of negative evaluation by others” that often begins in teenage…
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“Why I quit my city job to train as a ski instructor”
Frankie Flower, 31, was firmly entrenched in the London rat race last year, when she suddenly decided she needed a change of scene. Having lived in the capital for nearly a decade, she decided to quit her corporate job and instead pursue a passion for skiing in the Canadian Rockies. Now six weeks into her…
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Men are the most stressed at work – here’s why
Some bad news if you have an X and Y chromosome and get paid for a living: men aged between 25 and 34 and work in finance are the most stressed workers in the UK, according to the 2018 UK Workplace Stress Report. Surveying over 3,000 workers, the new research also revealed that the most…
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3 pancake recipes to travel the world with
It’s amazing how a humble pancake can conjure up a sense of place. Crisp and moreish banana pancakes, for example, go hand-in-hand with a Koh Phangan beach. Thick hunks of Kaiserschmarren, dipped in fruit compote, take you straight to an alpine hut in the Dolomites. And as for the delicate waft of a Crepe Suzette –…
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Travelling with strangers: “what if there’s no-one like me?”
Meeting new people is a daunting prospect; especially if you’re about to spend two weeks on the road with them somewhere far-flung and exotic. “Oh my goodness, I was so nervous,” says Kirsteen, who travelled with Flash Pack to Peru and Bolivia. “I still remember the first thing I did after I booked the holiday…
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Fine quotes on friendship from Winnie the Pooh
To mark the birthday of A. A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh and his beloved gaggle of woodland pals, we take a look at his heartwarming prose. Way before Taylor Swift’s #squadgoals became a thing, the likes of Pooh Bear, Piglet and co. were showing us how true friendship works. They knew the value…
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Feel the fear with these 6 daredevil challenges
Fear is a funny old thing. It either fuels you or freezes you, and staring it down can do wonders for your confidence. “Every time you encounter something that forces you to handle it, your self-esteem is raised considerably,” writes psychologist Susan Jeffers, in her best-selling book Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway. “You…
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14 motivational quotes from daring travellers
The world is ripe with avenues for adventure, yet how many of us make the most of it? Travelling takes courage and commitment, and great intentions are easily forgotten amid the hubbub of everyday life. We start the year full of grand ambitions to backpack around Vietnam or kayak through Colombia. And then – just like…
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Trade your city break for a wilderness weekend
Forget elbowing your way through overcrowded tourist traps. 2018 is the year for flinging yourself out of your comfort zone, and getting back to nature. With the relentless pace of the modern world taking its toll – we spend more time on tech than asleep and are working longer hours than ever before – many…
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London is the gin-drinking capital of the world
Here at Flash Pack, we have a penchant for all things gin. You could say that our appetite for this tipple is so great, it rivals our passion for travel. Well, almost – but we will say this. We owe juniper berries quite a lot. Both travel and gin are potent and moreish delights, with…