HOW TO HOLIDAY: KIP

I have lost a fair few hours of my life (probably days!) scouring Air bnb and rental sites for the perfect little place to stay for a little break, maybe one or two nights – a little bit fancy but also not too pricey. Sometimes I’ve succeeded but many times I have failed. For it to really work, it needs to be from a trusted source, a friend’s recommendation, a blogger you trust – it’s hard to take a punt on a trip you’ve worked so hard to put together.

That’s where Kip comes in…it’s a membership only website set up by two women who have worked in the travel industry for years (namely i-escape, a site I have booked through many times), using their keen eye and expertise in their field to put together the best, chicest most affordable little UK boltholes, from £50-£200 a night.

Just think of it as your really stylish friend (who also happens to work in the travel industry and whose job is to find the best value places) giving you the lowdown on the best, in the know locations.

They have hand-picked all the properties using their trained eye, from tree houses to Eco cabins, across a wide range of platforms/sites/hosts. At the moment they have 35 locations (and growing), categorised to suit your needs – dog-friendly, with a hot tub (!), digital detox – basically, they’ve done all the leg work so you can browse with ease, without the slog of viewing a search result of 2758 apartments, with only one being right.

No booking fees for guests, simply a £10 a year membership fee (or a rolling £1.99 a month). I’m already signed up!

Personally, I am doing a lot less long-haul travel so this looks like the perfect site for us to plan some upcoming trips, we loved Norfolk earlier this year and want to explore more of Scotland (there’s a fab location in Skye on Kip!) – just hope it doesn’t get too booked up after writing this article!