Travel & Tourism

This Manc TikTok couple are sharing viral travel hacks and tips on how to holiday on a budget

They travel the world with hand luggage only and do it all on the cheap.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 23rd November 2022

In a time when we’re all doing our best to pinch the pennies and try to enjoy life, any and all money-saving tips are an absolute godsend.

Better still, we don’t begrudge anyone who wants to get away for a few days at the minute; it’s a stressful time to live in this country and sometimes even a short city break can help hit the rest button.

So, when we stumbled across Manc TikTok couple, Ryan and Jade of ‘Live the Dash’ – who have garnered a huge audience through their short but informative travel videos – we thought it only right to share them with you lot as well.

For anyone unaware, these Manchester locals spend their free time travelling around the world on a budget, showing how you don’t have to break the bank to squeeze in a little trip. Led by nothing other than wanderlust, the pair often just throw a dart at a map and visit wherever it lands.

@live_thedash €100 in Latvia. The best things to do! #latvia #latviatravel #rigalatvia #budgettravel #latviatiktok ♬ original sound – Live_TheDash

As you can see, the real value of their videos (pardon the pun) comes when they set themselves a limit on spending and show off how to enjoy a city on nothing more than, say, £100.

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Covering everything from flights and accommodation to food and activities, this canny couple regularly end their travels with money left over. We can’t remember the last time we didn’t overspend on holiday.

One of our favourites, and undoubtedly one of their most popular videos to date, is when they planned an entire holiday which cost them less than a train ticket from Manchester Piccadilly to London would cost.

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@live_thedash Going on holiday for LESS than a train ticket. Where will @luckytrip take you?! ✈️ Let us know in the comments! Use code DASH10 for 10% off #luckytrip #holiday #tiktoktravel #traveltok #ad ♬ original sound – Live_TheDash

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It’s this kind of content that has seen the Mancunian influencers amass countless views, over 10.7m likes and more than 331,000 followers.

Not only do the duo have a very amusing obsession wtih trying McDonald’s from around the world (you know you all do exactly the same the second you step foot abroad), but they also have numerous travel hacks to make going on your jollies that little bit easier.

As well as sharing a really useful flight tracker trick that we really should have known about a long time ago, they even explained how you can save some serious money when parking at the airport.

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@live_thedash Airport travel tip for your next holiday ✈️ #traveltip #traveltipsandhacks #cheaptravel #londonheathrowairport ♬ original sound – Live_TheDash

We’re genuinely annoyed we didn’t find this account sooner, especially when they regularly highlight so many parts of our lovely city and the North West in general.

Be sure to check out our new favourite Manc TikTok couple the next time you find yourself scrolling for hours on end.

Oh, and make sure to follow The Manc’s TikTok page too — it’s great, even if we do say so ourselves.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — @livethedash (via TikTok)

Travel & Tourism

Chester Zoo opens massive ‘African savannah’, one of the UK’s largest-ever habitats

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The Heart of Africa habitat at Chester Zoo. Credit: The Manc Group

Chester Zoo has today opened its doors and revealed a magnificent new African savannah habitat, the Heart of Africa – one of the largest in the UK.

The massive new habitat at the beloved attraction is home to dozens of African species, including giraffes, rhino, zebra, vultures and meerkats.

Chester Zoo has created a vast open savannah where guests can come across species living side-by-side, as well as new indoor habitats where you can see smaller species like never before, and habitats you can clamber inside.

The centrepiece of the Heart of Africa is the savannah, where you can see giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, roan antelopes and ostriches all roaming together across grasses and water.

Just to the side of this you can already see the new safari-style overnight lodges taking shape.

As you weave around the incredible new habitat, which spans an area the size of 17 football pitches (22.5 acres), you’ll also come across several new aviaries where birds hoot, tweet and screech.

There are 31 species of bird here, including a fabulous flock of 120 greater flamingos, three types of critically endangered vulture, colourful black cheeked lovebirds, and Africa’s largest owl, the Verreaux’s eagle owl.

One of the most impressive new areas is the Hidden Savannah, where you can clamber inside a safari jeep that’s within the actual enclosure, so that you can see 10,000 locusts all around you from the driver’s seat.

This indoor habitat is also home to adorable, wrinkly little naked mole rats, who have a network of tunnels to burrow through, and other rodents like short-eared sengi and pygmy mice.

Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures

Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures. Credit: The Manc Group

As for the cold-blooded animals, or ectotherms, there’s Trevor the African bull frog, plus dung beetles, red spitting cobra, Ethiopian viper and pancake tortoises.

There are 15 other mammal species to encounter too, including African wild dogs, meerkats, Eastern black rhino, yellow mongoose, and dik-dik.

The Heart of Africa stands as a symbol of Chester Zoo’s continued conservation efforts across the continent, which includes combatting poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

It’s thought that the Heart of Africa will attract an additional 200,000 visitors to Chester Zoo each year while creating 30 new jobs.

Heart of Africa officially opens to visitors on Saturday 5 April – you can book zoo tickets HERE.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Travel & Tourism

Two Greater Manchester towns have been named in The Sunday Times’ best places to live

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Two Greater Manchester towns named in The Sunday Times' best places to live in 2025. Credit: Instagram, @eddie3hundred

Esteemed UK newspaper The Sunday Times’ has published its list of the ‘Best places to live in the UK 2025’, and it features two Greater Manchester boroughs.

Us Mancs didn’t need anymore clarification to know that where we live is incredible but we’ll always take it, especially when the compliment is coming from none other than The Sunday Times.

The publication revealed its annual guide of ‘Best places to live 2025’ which featured more than 70 different locations throughout the nation.

Although we may have been pipped to the top spot, Greater Manchester is featured not once, but twice, which is pretty impressive.

Claiming the victory this year is the market town with a name as pretty as its surroundings, Saffron Walden, which is only 15 miles from Cambridge.

The locations were ranked through a number of key categories including transport, house prices, broadband, schools and a new addition, mobile signal.

All the contributors to the full list acknowledge the obvious missing puzzle piece, food, and we know if this was factored in a few more Greater Manchester locations may have nabbed the ‘Best places to live’ honour.

The first Greater Manchester based entry is The Heatons, a hotspot nestled between the city centre and the city of Stockport, which is actually four neighbourhoods – Heaton Chapel, Mersey, Moor and Norris.

These areas are home to living history in the form of the iconic century old Savoy Cinema and lots of open green spaces.

Food may have been missed off The Sunday Times’ list but it certainly didn’t go a miss on ours.

Mossley has been named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Credit: Instagram, @ariadneexplores
Mossley has been named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Credit: Instagram, @ariadneexplores
The Heatons also made the list. Credit: Instagram, @fourtheheatons
The Heatons also made the list. Credit: Instagram, @fourtheheatons

Keep yourself fuelled with some good grub through our own, A Manc’s Guide to: The Heatons.

The second spot which managed to grab the title of ‘Best places to live 2025’ is Mossley, a town packed to the brim with cosy cottages, blissful walks and a close-knit friendly community.

It’s not too far from Dovestone Reservoir and the Peak District National Park – when you’ve got all this greenery on your doorstep you’re bound to be in a good mood.

As well as catching the attention of The Sunday Times, just 15 minutes down the road, Lily’s Vegetarian in Ashton-under-Lyne has been named one of the best local restaurants by the Good Food Guide, clearly Tameside is doing something right.

Our friends over in Leeds at The Hoot have lots to cheer about as Ilkley, Hebden Bridge, Easingwold and Ripon all got a mention.

You can find out the full rundown on all the spots up and down the country that have been selected as part of ‘The Sunday Times’ Best places to live for 2025′ HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image: Instagram, @eddie3hundred

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