About Tin Box Traveller
Welcome to Tin Box Traveller – an award-winning UK family travel blog written by myself, Claire Hall, a full-time travel blogger, mum to two and military wife. I’m from Devon but currently live in Oxfordshire in the UK.
I use this website to share our adventures and inspire others to explore new places. Coverage ranges from camping and caravanning to city breaks and cruises. You can find an overview of everything I write about on my family travel resources page.
Tin Box Traveller has been ranked among the top 20 UK travel blogs by Feedspot (no.11), the Top 10 UK Family Travel Blogs (no.2) by Vuelio and been recognised as a finalist and winner in awards run by Flight Centre, Britmums and the British Travel Awards.
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Our story
Tin Box Traveller sprung to life in 2012 – just before we started our family. I’d spent a decade in media and PR jobs, and suddenly found myself on maternity leave without a writing project.
So I created one. I couldn’t imagine being without a writing project – even if nappies and baby grows have had to take priority from time to time.
Tin Box was one of the UK’s first caravanning blogs. It has evolved over the years as we have tried out different kinds of holidays and activities with our growing kids.
We love the freedom of self-catering holidays and all the different shapes and sizes they come in. Camping, glamping and cottage breaks are totally up our street. Less so are package holidays – we find it hard to hang out by a pool for more than an hour without getting itchy feet.
Having said that, we love the bite-sized destination and luxury travel experience offered by cruising. Since 2017 we have sailed with Carnival, Royal Caribbean and P&O Cruises to destinations including Spain, the Caribbean and Turkey.
In 2019 we parked our caravan for a camper van. This took us on trips in the South West of England during the pandemic, as well as days out on the coast to indulge in our love of paddle boarding.
In 2022 we switched things up with our biggest adventure yet: moving to Oman – a perk of military life! For the next 2.5 years we adventured around the Arabian Peninsula and used it as a launch pad to explore Egypt, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.
We are now back in the UK and taking things a bit easier with holidays in Devon and exploring our new home in Oxfordshire.
Meet the Tin Box Traveller team
Tin Box Traveller – that’s me, Claire
I’ve been a wanderer from the day dot. Some of my earliest memories are from living in Hong Kong. My family lived there for a few years thanks to my Dad’s job in the Royal Navy.
Back in the UK my weekends and holidays as a pre-teen and teen were spent caravanning all over the country.
So it’s no surprise that exploring the great outdoors and new places are two of my biggest passions. Oh and I love to write, which is how Tin Box Traveller came about.
These days I’m happiest while sharing new experiences with my family, with the promise of good food and maybe a glass of wine at the end of the day.
As well as writing Tin Box Traveller I am now the editor of the Devon with Kids, website which is inspired by our home base in the UK, and I have also launched the Oman Wanderlust website to share our experiences of living in the Middle East.
Favourite trip? Our two-week Caribbean cruise.
Mr Tin Box
If it involves a physical challenge, Mr Tin Box is often first in line. In recent years he’s completed a 100 mile bike ride along the South Downs Way and the London Marathon, as well as training for an Iron Man.
Not only that, his day job in the Royal Navy sets him regular challenges at sea and on land. It’s a career that means we have to chop and change our plans a lot. But it also comes with great opportunities, like our move to Oman!
Favourite trip? Campervanning in Jersey.
Tin Box Tot aka the 12-year-old
Our whirl-wind teen loves sports, beaches and treasure trails.
She’s had the opportunity to go to school abroad, meet friends from around the world and get more stamps in her passport than I could have dreamed of at her age. She’s always talking about our recent adventures and is keen to revisit places ‘when I grow up’, especially Oman.
Favourite trip? Two weeks in Vietnam
Tin Box Baby aka the 10-year-old
The happy-go-lucky Baby in our family – not so much of a baby these days – is willing to give anything a go once; be it new foods, water slides or high ropes that make my legs wobble.
Favourite trip? Also, Vietnam.
Much loved past team member, Misty aka Tin Box Dog – 2011 to 2025
Our well-behaved and well-travelled Labrador Retriever shared our adventures for more than 14 years. Her journey began in Hampshire where she was top dog until the kids arrived.
From here she moved with us to Devon where she threw herself into coast and country life for what she thought would be her retirement.
But more adventures awaited. At the grand old age of 11 she boarded a plane to the Middle East and spent her second retirement swimming in wadis, rolling down sand dunes and catching dog naps under the Omani sun.
In 2025, despite slowing down a lot, she was able to join us back in the UK. But not before travelling though another three countries and the Channel Tunnel to reach here.
Favourite trip? Anywhere with plenty of interesting sniffs.
Find out more
If you’d like to get in touch you can find my details on my contact page. I also welcome approaches by PR companies looking to collaborate. Check out my work with me page for more information about my blog stats.
A media kit is also available on request.
I love hearing what people think about my blog so feel free to leave a comment below or browse around. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.