explorer

Five Star Service at Sirkeci Mansion Istanbul

We drove into Istanbul at peak hour.  We arrived in the dark and stopped outside the front door of the Sirkeci Mansion Boutique Hotel.  Like a scene from a movie, staff seemed to spring from nowhere and in one minute our bags were in the lobby, and next thing a staff member (at my suggestion) […]

We find a cool bull in Istanbul

We just spend a few days in the Historical old town section of Istanbul on the European side. Now we move to the ‘trendy and hip’ European side, but also go and visit the Asian side of Istanbul And this where … … We find a cool bull in Istanbul It was only supposed to […]

We drove our car through the Bazaar in Istanbul

After a fantastic stay in Safranbolu Ottoman town, we headed toward Istanbul. But the car needed a mechanic – again.  It has a loud noise in the front wheel.  We had already had a service in Kalkan.  There the mechanic promised us he had attended to all on the list.  The next day, we had […]

Staying in a 200 year Ottoman Mansion at Gulevi Safranbolu

We are part of a Facebook group called ‘Families on the Move’ – a group of long-term traveling families who encourage, swap tips, share advice, and generally help each other. We also meet up from time to time, so the kids can play, and the adults can talk. One family in this group has been […]

Are we Exploring Outer Space ?

The last few days we have had a great time in Cappadocia, a region of Turkey that feels more like you have landed on another planet, but we haven’t – we have actually arrived in Central Turkey. You can read about it here. It is a weird and somewhat freaky place. It is like a […]

Visiting the Ottoman town of Safranbolu Turkey

We are here in Safranbolu – an incredibly old Ottoman village, nestled in the valley, toward the Black Sea in Turkey. It is raining and we only have one full day and two nights here. But we want to go out and see this amazing place. So our hotel organizes a golf cart tour. This is perfect. […]

The Travelers Perfect Packing List

Sponsored Post It’s true that when you first begin nomadic travels as a family, you are bound to over pack. As the days, weeks, months (and sometimes years) go by…you more seriously evaluate how often you use each item in your pack, and how essential it is. Is it worth hauling?  Is it worth packing […]

Flying above the clouds in a hot air balloon

When we decided we wanted to visit Turkey, Cappadocia was high on the list of places to see. And a balloon flight over the valley, along with staying in a cave, were the two things on our ‘MUST DO’ list. There are a lot of balloon companies to choose from, but Cappadocia Voyager Balloons stood out […]

The Mystical Fairy Chimneys of Turkey

STAR WARS 1977 was filmed here! Our road trip through Turkey has taken us from the sandy beaches at the base of this beautiful country, through the mountains that are covered with snow.  You can read about it here. We’ve just had a fabulous traditional Turkish lunch right opposite the most incredible area. We are […]

We Slept in a Cave in Cappadocia

We Slept in a Cave in Cappadocia This is our third year of travel, and over that time we have slept in many weird and wonderful abodes. We’ve slept in a Palace in Paraguay, a Tent in Croatia, a Treehouse in Guatemala, a Yurt in England, a Castle in Wales, and many more interesting places. […]

From sandy beaches to snowy mountains in a day

We have just finished a three-week stay at the bottom of Turkey.  Why were we here? Because we house-sat over 20 animals!  You can read about that adventure here. This morning is a bit of a late start.  The car was mainly packed yesterday, but as we couldn’t leave it parked on the property overnight […]

The Truth About How Santa Started

Explorason is now nine years old. For nine Christmases, Santa has played a big part in the fun of the festive season and our family Christmas. Each year, there are visits to sit on Santa’s lap, with photographs of ‘a man in a jolly red suit with rosy cheeks and a white beard’. And each […]