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Skin Rocks is the skincare and anti-ageing brand founded by Caroline Hirons, and it has a steady stream of fans – including our beauty editor. Here’s her honest review of every product…

Octopus one even moderately interested in beauty will know about skincare super-influencer and author Caroline Hirons – as well as her expanding range of products, Skin Rocks. Shunning gimmicks and trends and instead focusing on brilliant formulas with clinically proven results, as well as with no-nonsense instructions, Skin Rocks has quickly become popular with beauty fans – including myself.

As Reach’s Beauty and Wellness Editor, I and my team have been lucky enough to try every product from Skin Rocks, often before they hit the shelves, from cleansers and moisturisers, through to the latest launch, The Strong Acid, so we know which are really worth shouting about. Spoiler alert: I’ve never used a Skin Rocks product I didn’t like – they’re expertly formulated, never irritate my skin, and are well packaged – but here are the products that I would genuinely rebuy when I get to the bottom…

READ MORE: Caroline Hirons on ‘utter filth’ beauty trend and the one product teens should avoid

READ MORE: This is not for everyone’ Caroline Hirons launches Skin Rocks’ strongest acid ever and it’s ‘barely legal’

Pros

• Really well formulated: they’re very effective but never pill or irritate the skin
• Packaging looks and feels great, and is clear to understand, with notes about who it’ll suit (and who it won’t), and handy guides on the lids showing how much to use
• Clinically proven results
• Lots of the products are refillable, with refills costing a little less
• Lots of the products come in fragranced or fragrance-free options (I always choose fragrance-free)

Cons

• The prices range from mid range to high end
• Bottles are made of glass and are heavy (good for recycling, less good for travelling)

Skin Rocks product reviews

Skin Rocks Cleansers:

Caroline has been a vocal advocate for double cleansing since the beginning (before Skin Rocks, she created the two-in-one Double Cleanse with PIXI).

If double cleansing to you still sounds like too much time and effort, here’s why it’s probably worth you doing:

• Oil removes oil, which is why an oil-based balm cleanser is effective for make-up, SPF (especially water-resistant stuff) and sebum, the skin’s natural oil (which you don’t want to strip, but removing excess can be good). If your skin is normal/dry, you don’t use make-up and you’ve not applied SPF, you won’t need an oil-based balm cleanser. (Though by the way, if you’ve not applied SPF, that’s a bigger problem).
• Meanwhile a cream, gel or foaming cleanser will get off all the everyday grime, sweat and pollution – bits that those oil cleansers are not as effective at. That is why you might find the cream or gel cleansers aren’t the best for removing layers and layers of waterproof mascara – it’s not designed to.

The Cleansing Balm, £58 here

Though it’s probably your first step in a routine, this is the latest cleanser Caroline has released – and it’ll come as no surprise to learn that it’s truly one of the best I’ve ever tried. It melts into the skin, breaks down make-up and SPF easily, and emulsifies away quickly with water and a flannel, leaving skin feeling conditioned but absolutely no oily residue left behind.

There are also a few high street cleansing balms that I love and are cheaper, namely Versed Day Dissolve Cleansing Balm, £16.50, and e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm, £11. However, if you love luxe offerings such as Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm (I’ve reviewed the newest cherry scented one here), I encourage you to try this Skin Rocks one next.

Side note: the Skin Rocks flannels are the biggest – and best – I’ve found.

Skin Rocks The Cream Cleanser, from £35 here

Skin Rocks’ first cleanser, and it’s a real goodie. As I’ve already covered, it’s not completely effective on layered up waterproof mascara, but for everyday make-up and daily grime, especially if your skin is on the drier side, it’s perfect. If I was only going to use one cleanser from Caroline’s range it would be the next one, but my colleague Octavia, with her dryer skin, would pick this one.

Due to popular demand, this and The Gel Cleanser (below) are now available in supersize 250ml tubes.

Skin Rocks The Gel Cleanser, from £39 here

This is nothing like the typical foaming, drying gel cleansers you’re probably used to. The formula is so unique – thick, nourishing and rich in moisture-locking glycerin – yet washes completely away as a milky liquid, that it would suit all skin types: young or old, dry or oily, sensitive or not. I squeezed out every drop of this and loved it, and would buy it again.

Skin Rocks Acids:

Exfoliating acid toners can brighten, renew and refine skin – though they are easy to overdo if you pick the wrong one for your skin type, age or routine – something I’m definitely guilty of. Caroline’s collection of three, covers all skin types and she’s really clear that the Strong is what is says in the bottle – so it’s not for everyone.

• The Control Acid, £45 hereIdeal for oily, congested and spot-prone skin, this salicylic acid (BHA) helps to control breakouts and minimise pores.
• The Gentle Acid, £53 hereThe brand’s original all-skin-types formula, contains AHA and PHA, is for tackling signs of ageing. It’s not actually that gentle compare to a lot that is on the market, but it’s a great balance of suitable for everyone to use but with effective results. I think you’ll notice a difference within a week if this is the first time you’re adding an acid toner to your regime.
• The Strong Acid, £75 here NEWThis is about as strong as an acid can get and stay on the right side of legal in this country. It’s a combination of AHAs, BHAs and PHAs in a secret formula (to prevent copycats) and even Caroline herself advises you don’t add it to your regime unless your skin is used to acid exfoliators already. You’ll feel it tingling on your skin when you apply (use cotton pads – not hands – for this one, and don’t be afraid to scrub a bit with them as you go to aid exfoliation). Two to three times a week is enough to see impressive results.

Skin Rocks Retinoids:

Retinoid 1, £70 here and Retinoid 2, £80 here

Retinoid 1 and 2 were Skin Rocks’ first products, and are a brilliantly formulated – and foolproof – way to introduce skin-renewing and anti-ageing ingredient vitamin A into your skincare routine: start with Retinoid 1, then move on to Retinoid 2. I find that I can use Retinoid 1 every night without any irritation, peeling or flaking; a rarity for me when using this potent ingredient.

Skin Rocks Retinoid 3, £90 here

Designed for more experienced users, Skin Rocks has launched its most advanced retinoid formula to date, created to deliver powerful results when targeting visible signs of skin ageing. The formula combines the brand’s highest concentration of vitamin A with 0.21% retinal and 0.5% Adapinoid — a third-generation retinoid known for helping to reduce breakouts while also addressing fine lines, texture, and overall skin ageing concerns.

According to Skin Rocks’ clinical studies, Retinoid 3 helped reduce the depth of deep wrinkles, minimise the appearance of UV pigmentation, and improve overall skin texture after four weeks of use. The studies also reported improvements in skin firmness, elasticity, and brightness. In consumer trials, 81% of users said their skin felt firmer after two weeks, while 91% felt their skin looked more youthful after eight weeks. The accompanying before-and-after images and customer feedback are equally impressive.

Skin Rocks The Eye Cream, £65 here

I’m fussy about eye creams – lots either irritate my skin, aren’t moisturising enough, or are too rich – but this one is absolutely perfect – immediately silky, smoothing and plumping. I’d happily use this one forever if I could.

Skin Rocks Moisturisers:

Keeping things as simple as possible, there are only three moisturises in the range – light, normal and rich, with each available fragranced or unfragranced. As someone with combination and occasionally blemish-prone skin, I go for the lighter Moisturiser, and it’s as close to a perfect face cream as you can get. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why it’s so good, but it layers well with other products, leaves my skin looking and feeling much healthier and, crucially, doesn’t cause breakouts.

My colleague Octavia on the other hand, can’t get enough of the the rich version: ‘My skin is normal-to-dry, but generally dehydrated (probably because I’m better at drinking coffee than water) so I love, love, love The Rich Moisturiser, which I’ll happily use all year round. I love the instant drink feeling it has and how well it dried down to a make-up base with no pilling. It’s just silky. It’s not my only moisturiser, I change things up, but it’s a core part of my repertoire.’

This is definitely one I would invest in, beaten only ever so slightly in price by my other ‘near perfect’ moisturiser.

Skin Rocks The Eye Cream,£70 here

I don’t mess about when it comes to eye cream – I’m very particular! Many either irritate my skin, aren’t hydrating enough, or are too heavy – but this is instantly silky, smoothing and plumping. I’d happily use this one forever if I could afford to.

Skin Rocks The Antioxidant, £70 here

Admittedly the one Skin Rocks product I haven’t thoroughly tested, mainly because of the aforementioned stripping of my skincare routine down to basics in a bid to repair its barrier, but I has tried it a few times, and it feels so nice on the skin and gives an instant subtle glow, and I love how it contains more antioxidants than just vitamin C.

The Hyperpigmentation Serum, £90 here

Another I can’t give a full review to as hyperpigmentation or melasma isn’t a big skin concern of mine, but as I’m naturally freckly I used this regularly in summer to try and reduce some of the unwanted post-summer pigmentation. If the clinical studies and incredible before-and-after photos of this new serum are anything to go by, this is the product I’d trust to help to tackle serious hyperpigmentation. I’ve also recommended it to others on numerous occasions and the feedback I’ve had was excellent.

Like all of Caroline’s products, it’s foolproof to use – it doesn’t pill, irritate or need introducing slowly into your routine, and feels wonderfully hydrating on the skin – and the results speak for themselves.

The Amplifier, £70 here

Another newbie on the Skin Rocks roster: a supercharged essence that does more than just hydrate skin – it’s clinically proven to make your other skincare products work more effectively, too, plus it increases moisture and skin firmness, and minimising the look of pores.

I’ve been using this liquid after cleansing and before serums for a couple of weeks now, and it’s an excellent way to add another light layer of hydration to my skin, especially at this time of year when the weather’s getting colder. I haven’t noticed a dramatic difference, but skin does feel smoother, softer and more hydrated afterwards.

I find this one quite difficult, because it’s a literal extra step in your skincare regime that I’d hope was already covered in other areas. But at the same time, it takes every one of your skincare products and makes it work harder, which in turn makes them better value for money. So overall, I wouldn’t say it’s the most essential product to have in your routine (I’d always prioritise a good cleanser, SPF and targeted serum), but if you can afford this additional step, it’s definitely a nice-to-have – a luxurious extra boost.

Conclusions – which Skin Rocks products I’d buy again tomorrow

Overall, it’s difficult to find fault with any of the Skin Rocks products. They’re a brand I completely trust, and I genuinely feel my skin would thrive using nothing but their range. That said, if I had to narrow it down to a few standout favourites, I’d choose the Retinoids, The Moisturiser, and whichever cleanser best matches your skin type and cleansing preferences.

If you’re beginning to notice new signs of ageing and want to introduce something effective into your skincare routine with visible results, I’d especially recommend The Acids. There are three options to choose from, so you can pick the one that best suits your skin’s needs and where you are in your skincare journey.

For more of Caroline’s practical, no-nonsense skincare advice, you can also pick up her books, Skincare: The New Edit, £17, and her latest one, Teen Skincare, £16.99.

RIVALS star Emily Atack has revealed she was touched and sent inappropriate text messages by male co-stars when she was a teenager.

Speaking in a new interview with Grazia, she expressed: “I’ve done so many things; I’ve done 13 movies. I’ve worked on some incredible sets and really difficult ones.

“Where I was a teenager, I learned to accept that on certain sets things were going to happen – whether it was touching me, whispering things in my ear between takes when nobody was listening, or texting me outside of work hours with inappropriate things.

“I’ve been through it,” the 36-year-old admitted to the publication.

Her latest show, Rivals on Disney+ features plenty of raunchy scenes but Emily previously praised the use of intimacy co-ordinators on the sets.

Speaking about the use of them in September last year, the mum-of-one explained: “I’ve seen people roll their eyes about them and say, ‘I don’t need one.’

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“There’s a defensiveness about it, because they feel like they’re being accused of something they haven’t even done yet. 

“Intimacy coordinators are there for support if you feel uncomfortable, whether you’re a man or a woman.

“I’ve been sexually assaulted at work throughout my career, whether it’s on the actual set, or at a wrap party. 

“And since the #MeToo movement, it shows that people are listening and that there has to be a shift in behaviour on sets.” 

The actress, who plays Sarah Stratton, told Radio Times: “I’m really proud of the Rivals gang because, throughout my life, I haven’t felt safe all the time, and we’re all so respectful of each other.  

“We have to do a lot of sexual scenes and we’re very looked after — it’s a really positive thing.” 

Back in 2023, she was a part of the BBC Two documentary, Emily Atack: Asking For It?, which explored the devastating scale of online sexual harassment.

She uncovered the normalisation of cyber-flashing and addressed the societal tendency to blame victims for unwanted explicit messages.

Following the airing of the highly-praised documentary, Emily actively briefed MPs in Parliament to address loopholes regarding sexual harrasment.

Her advocacy helped secure legal protections in the Online Safety Act.

Emily rose to prominence in 2008 when she played Charlotte Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners.

As well as her acting work, she’s also made appearances on television shows including Dancing On Ice, I’m A Celebrity, Celebrity Juice and the new ITV quiz show Nobody’s Fool with Danny Dyer.

Outside of her career, she got engaged to materials scientist Dr Alistair Garner in July last year, with their wedding scheduled to happen this September.

The year before, she became a first-time mum when the couple welcomed their baby boy Barney into the world.

She wrote on instagram: “We have a beautiful son. Barney James Garner. All my dreams have come true”

The post featured a sweet black and white snap of Emily with Alistair and their new arrival lying on Emily’s chest.

FOR years, I’ve had a personal vendetta against bed runners in hotel rooms.

Upon entering the room, I’d have whipped it off and stuffed it in the wardrobe faster than you could say ‘late check out.’

Because while I love a crisp, white, freshly-laundered hotel bed, I am fully aware that the runners at the end of the bed see the inside of a washing machine far less than the sheets.

And I really don’t want to think about how many sweaty, bare bottoms have been pressed up against them before I checked in.

But… it turns out the random, possibly quite dirty piece of fabric actually has an important use – it’s to protect the bed sheets while you unpack.

So your bags, which have scraped the underbellies of aircraft, been dragged along airport floors and left to stand on grubby pavements, usually get spread across the duvet once you’ve checked in, so you can unpack.

The bed runner is there to stop any of that suitcase grime coming off onto the sheets.

Once you’ve hung up all your clothes, the runner can then take its rightful place at the back of the wardrobe.

The humble bed runner isn’t the only little-known travel hack provided by hotels, planes and attractions either – here are nine more that have the power to transform your holiday.

Find out which rows get served first

Different airlines start their in-flight trolleys at different rows on the plane.

Ryanair’s in-flight trolley service usually starts at row 1 and works its way towards the back of the plane.

EasyJet usually starts at row 1 and row 30, at the back of the plane. They work towards each other, with rows 17 and 18 being served last.

British Airways usually starts at the front of each cabin, then works towards the back.

So, if you’re hoping to be the first to get served, keep this in mind when reserving your seats.

Request a ‘special meal’ to get served first on a long-haul flight

Speaking from experience, if you opt for one of the speciality meals when making your flight booking, you’ll almost definitely get served first at mealtimes.

You can usually opt for a whole range of food, from veggie and vegan to religious restrictions.

Reserving sun loungers

We’ve all been there. You’ve enjoyed a lie-in and a leisurely breakfast, as is your right on holiday, then you get to the pool, for a perfectly respectable 10.30 am… and all of the sun loungers have been bagged.

But there are some unicorn hotels where they will actually let you reserve your sun loungers for the week, so that you can skip the early morning race for the beds.

Cyprus is leading the charge on this front, with the Sunrise chain in Protaras and the Kanika Hotels group both offering the service.

Alternatively, if you’re willing to tip the pool staff on the first day, in destinations like Hurghada in Egypt, many of them will get your sunbeds ready every day.

Some of them even bring your drink over as soon as you’ve arrived and settled in.

Free toothbrushes, razors and other bathroom items

Fancy hotels often come with bathroom amenity kits as standard, with everything from razors and toothbrushes to shower caps and toothpaste included.

But many lower-tier hotels also keep these items stocked behind reception, in case guests have forgotten something.

So next time you’ve left your toothbrush at home by mistake, have a friendly word with the receptionist before you pop out to the shops, as they may already have what you’re looking for, free of charge.

Free magazines at the airport

One of the most common items to buy at the airport is magazines and newspapers, especially when you have to kill time.

However, this can quickly rack up in price when many of the glossy mags cost as much as £4.99.

But did you know that many airports have free magazine stands?

They can often be found in the corridors when you are travelling to your gate, or even after you have gone through the gate agent and are waiting to board.

But the best are often found near the posh airport lounge exit.

They vary depending on which ones they have, so you can’t always be fussy.

On flights from London Gatwick, we’ve managed to pick up Wallpaper* magazine, as well as Escapism, Conde Nast Traveller and Stylist.

Freebies at Duty Free

Duty Free shops at airports are like Marmite – you either love them and spend a good half hour browsing, or dash through as quickly as possible.

But by skipping it, you could be missing out on some great freebies.

Many of the counters have samples of products to give away – everything from face serums and perfume to hand cream.

A lot of the larger airports often offer mini makeovers at certain high-end makeup counters, too.

Free airport lounge

If you’ve ever wandered past the easyJet Lounge before a flight after spending a small fortune on Pret, more fool you.

EasyJet passengers who book an Inclusive Plus fare automatically receive up to three hours of access to several airport lounges across the UK.

They include lounges at the following airports: Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Jersey, Gatwick, Luton, Manchester and Stansted.

Visitors can get tea, coffee and soft drinks, as well as beer and alcohol, plus hot and cold food.  

The Inclusive Plus fare is more expensive than the standard fare, but it comes with a bunch of extras like fast track security and free meal deals onboard.

Max out the free hot water

This one might seem trivial, but you could save at least £15 on a flight by asking cabin crew for hot water fill-ups.

Bring your reusable cup and some teabags on a flight and have tea for the whole journey.

Alternatively, you can also bring an instant noodle cup and ask them to fill it with hot water for a very affordable and hot in-flight meal.

Loyalty perks

Plenty of hotel chains offer free perks for customers who sign up to their loyalty programmes – and many of those programmes are either free or cost very little to join.

Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott Bonvoy and IHG all have loyalty schemes that give you little extras like late check-outs, free wifi, booking discounts and even ‘extra night free’ offers.

I’VE been reporting on the darker side of Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews since she married him back in January – and now believe his “kidnapping” is simply another brazen storyline he’s written to try and hoodwink her further.

And now it’s all unravelling faster than he could have imagined, with Katie finally admitting she is giving up on searching for him because (spoiler alert) she’s realised it’s all a massive lie.

For four months, I have been unravelling Andrews’ web of untruths – and it would be correct to say he absolutely loathes me now.

From day one, I have refused to let his lies get in the way of reporting the truth.

Every time a woman shared her story with me, he berated them and claimed he’d never heard of them – despite me having evidence to the contrary.

Those close to Katie have since sent vile messages to his ex, Alana Percival, who has gone through more with Andrews than I think anyone will ever know.

If she chooses one day to share the rest of her story, I would urge you to listen to her. I did, and it made me feel physically sick.

Andrews threatened that he had lodged criminal charges against me in Dubai, which would see me arrested if I ever landed in the country and said he was suing me for defamation, which, comically, he spelt “deformation”.

Andrews then bragged he was going to get me sacked before messaging me on social media with a meme calling me a “c**t.”

I replied, “Likewise,” because he really is.

Now Katie has finally admitted she’s given up on “searching” for her husband, and I know it is because she’s finally realised this entire “kidnapping” scenario is just another part of Andrews’ elaborate lies.

Over the past few days, I have taken numerous calls from people all over the world who wanted to share their experiences of Andrews.

People have claimed to me that Andrews owes millions to businesses from failed schemes and warned there are more women who willingly handed over cash to receive nothing in return.

The “kidnapping” scenario is worthy of a Hollywood film script.

But it’s not unusual for wrong ‘uns who, after realising the jig is up, introduce an elaborate narrative to try and distance themselves from the chaos they’ve left in their wake.

In my opinion, the events of the past seven days are all a narrative being spun by Andrews to be parroted out by Katie, whose friends insist has nothing to do with his lies.

Now she’s reached the end of her patience.

“Katie knows something isn’t right about this scenario deep down,” a friend told me.

“Lee was active on WhatsApp two days after he told her he was going missing. She has heard nothing and has just been ghosted.

“She was so panicked at the start, but now it’s become a drain on her. The people around her have warned that this isn’t normal and that it all seems a bit suspect.”

In my opinion, Andrews has been laying the groundwork for his exit from Katie’s life for some time.

Some weeks ago, a contact of mine was gossiping about Andrews and his seemingly endless stream of fibs – including that he’d boasted to Katie he was an international arms dealer.

I’d never heard that porker before, and I laughed as I regaled a story his ex-fiancee, Alana, who bravely spoke out to warn Katie off Andrews back in January, had told me about Andrews telling her he had worked for MI5.

Much like his now-debunked claims from his fictional CV, including that he worked for the Labour Party and was the Director of Philanthropy at the King’s Trust, I laughed it off and forgot about it.

But after seeing the messages Andrews sent Katie, where he claimed he had been kidnapped and taken to a “black site”, to me, it suddenly all started to make sense.

In my opinion, Andrews’ MO is twisting narratives in a bid to make out he is something he plainly isn’t.

Suggesting to Katie and others that he works in a more than shady industry as an arms dealer to me suggests he was laying the foundations that he worked in a dangerous underworld.

So when Andrews suddenly walked off the face of the earth on Thursday after telling Katie he had been arrested and was being taken to a “black site” – the name given to clandestine state-operated detention centres – naturally, she would believe it.

My esteemed boss Clemmie Moodie persuaded Katie to share the final desperate texts she received from Andrews in The Sun newspaper – and to me, his messages bear all the hallmarks of a man trying to pen a story with a better twist than some of Agatha Christie’s greatest works.

“Katie was basically told by Lee that he was involved in all sorts of business, and not all of it was savoury,” my contact explained.

“He told her he was an international arms dealer. It was something he openly boasted about.

“Lee made her think he had his fingers in all sorts of pies.

“So when he spun her a story about being kidnapped, she fell for it. Because, as far as Katie is concerned, this is the kind of world Lee has connections with and operates in.

“Now with everything that is coming out, she’s realising she may have been played for a fool.”

Far from being kidnapped, I firmly believe Andrews is now simply hiding out in Dubai – a country he cannot leave because, as Katie herself confirmed, he has a travel ban… even though Andrews went on to deny it.

Clemmie’s work uncovering his scam first hand, and the pressure piled upon him by the thousands of people invested in this story, has backed Andrews into a corner..

He initially managed to shrug off the criticism.

But after he publicly humiliated Katie live on Good Morning Britain, and she publicly turned on him for the first time, I believe Andrews realised he had entered uncharted waters and knew it was time to get out.

Katie has not heard from Andrews since the early hours of Thursday morning, when the live location he shared with her on WhatsApp turned off – along with, it seems, the phone he used to contact her.

But I know Andrews uses multiple phones, and we know he was online and using one of them on Saturday evening.

Today, an even wilder twist – with Andrews going back on Instagram to follow another woman – adds to my theory.

Andrews had an escape route planned. And now he’s out – he’s moving on to someone else.

This man is in hiding, and he will stay there for as long as it is physically possible.

I’m not sure even Andrews, who probably could get a PhD in deception, could lie himself out of this one.

A KEEN traveller is determined to visit EVERY country that flies from his local airport – and is more than halfway there already.

Savvy jet-setter Neil Loft is attempting to tick off all 120 destinations that fly from Bristol Airport.

Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel. 

So far, Neil has ticked off 86 locations offered by Bristol Airport, leaving him with 34 left – although he does have an advantage working as cabin crew.

But not all of his travelling is done through work. Neil also spends lots of his free time exploring the world – last year he managed to visit 21 destinations.

Neil has only upped his efforts this year visiting as many as three places in one day, which he managed to do for as little as £3.

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He travelled from Basel in Switzerland, to St Louis in France, and Weil am Rhein in Germany all within 24 hours.

Neil said: “It was quite straightforward, really. Without even realising, I had crossed the bridge and walked into a new country.”

On day two of his trip to Basel, Neil caught the tram to the French border, where he walked over to St Louis to enjoy a local delicacy: croque monsieur.

Neil then returned to Basel before hopping on a tram across the border to Weil am Rhein in Germany.

There, he had a beer at a rooftop bar before heading back to his Swiss hotel.

Despite travelling to three different countries in 24 hours, the entire day trip cost him just £3 thanks to the travel pass he got on arrival in Basel.

Neil explained: “It was shockingly easy. I took a bit of time in each to have a drink and a mooch about but you could have done all three countries in two or three hours if you wanted to.”

Other spots in Europe that Neil has visited include Zurich, Vilnius, Kaunas, Almeria, Bilbao, Turkey, Innsbruck, and Bucharest.

When it comes to being savvy with flights, Neil says his jobs as a holiday rep and then cabin crew for 10 years helped.

Through this, he knows how to get the best flight and pair them up with the hotels and transfers.

Neil added: “I am well on track to achieve [all 120 destinations]. I have only got a handful more to do.

“I have no commitments to hold me back, so I am just an intrepid traveller really.

“I have to go on my airline apps to remind myself where I am going some of the time. I just tend to see a deal and go book it.”

Frequent flyer Mark Wolters has shared his airline travel secrets – and one of them involves setting your alarm for a very unsociable time

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of air travel is discovering that your flight has been delayed and realising that you’re doomed to spend the next couple of hours in an uncomfortable plastic chair. But American travel expert Mark Wolters has some valuable tips that can save holidaymakers from the heartache of hanging around in the departure lounge.

In a new video on his Wolters World YouTube channel, Mark has a range of savvy solutions for finding the best restaurants and the cleanest loos at any airport.

He also advises, in the US at least , picking flights that depart from purely-international terminals as opposed to terminals that service both domestic and intercontinental flights.

He explains that quest for security checks will always be far longer at dual-use terminals: “For example,” Mark say, “when I go to Chicago, I know if I’m flying out of Terminal Five, the international terminal, it’s going to be a lot faster than if I’m flying out of Terminal Two, which has a lot of domestic flights.”

“It’s a good idea to look up because it could save you a time, especially if you’re running behind getting to the airport,” he advises.

Mark adds: “The airport secret I use the most when I travel is take the early morning flights if you want the least amount of headaches.”

He adds that while it might mean setting your alarm for a painfully-early time, there’s a good reason for picking those crack-of-dawn flights: “If you take that early morning flight, usually your plane landed the night before, so you don’t have the delays,” Mark explains.

“Also, when you go to check in, there’s not 3,000 extra people there. It’s just the first people flights that are there. So, it’s usually faster to get through security, faster to check in, faster to get to your gate, that takes a lot of the stress away.”

Additionally, Mark says, as the day wears on, any small delays tend to snowball and you’re much more likely to see a late evening flight delayed: “So, you’re going to travel for holidays or anything like that, don’t take the afternoon flight.

“Get up in the morning… suck it up, take that early morning flight so you have less chance for problems.”

Another one of Mark’s airport secrets is to try to use the loos nearest to the baggage reclaim, because they’re likely to be the cleanest and most pleasant to use.

He explains: “Think about it. When people get off the plane, they want to go to the bathroom right away. So, those bathrooms in the terminals by the busy gates, those get used a lot more than the other ones.

“All of them get cleaned, but the ones that aren’t used as much, they tend to they tend to stay cleaner longer. At baggage claim, no one’s thinking ‘I want to go to the bathroom’. They’re thinking, I want my luggage and I want to go home.’ So that would be a cleaner one to use.”

Flights can be incredibly expensive, but this simple hack could get you free extra legroom in a bulkhead or exit row seat — just by asking one polite question at check-in

My first long-haul flight came at just three years old. When my family decided to emigrate from England to New Zealand, it meant I’d spend much of my childhood travelling between the two nations.

This is no minor journey – while people frequently complain about how far away Australia is from the UK, New Zealand is even further away.

At its quickest, the flight from London to New Zealand takes 23 hours, though depending on where your aircraft stops to refuel and the length of your stopovers, it can easily balloon to 36 hours or beyond.

As the years passed, I grew taller – and then exceptionally tall.

Now aged 31, I stand just under 6ft tall, and as a teenager, I wasn’t significantly shorter.

Attempting to squeeze myself into economy class seats became increasingly difficult with every additional inch I gained.

That’s precisely why these days, whenever I take a long-haul flight, I employ a strategy my mum taught me as an awkward, lanky pre-teen that significantly boosts my odds of securing a seat upgrade.

I must emphasise that this method doesn’t succeed every single time. Nevertheless, it does boast a fairly impressive success rate when executed properly – I’d estimate it’s worked in my favour roughly 70% of the occasions I’ve attempted it.

All you require is good manners, a friendly smile, and the confidence to handle potential disappointment. It’s simpler if you’re checking luggage, though it’s achievable without.

Whenever I check my luggage at the desk, I politely ask the staff member whether they have any bulkhead seats available or any rows with empty seats.

Even if I’m travelling without checked luggage, I’ll still join the queue and make an enquiry – frequently using the excuse of needing a physical boarding pass printed.

Being tall, I often point to my height and crack a self-deprecating joke about being squeezed into an economy class. If you’re polite and ask courteously, the results might surprise you.

I’ve been given entire rows to myself, exit row seats and bulkhead seats all at no additional charge simply because I asked politely.

This approach depends on fortune – if the aircraft is at full capacity, then it clearly won’t succeed, but occasionally flights have available seats and staff are willing to reassign you.

The crucial thing is not to become annoyed if the response is negative – always be gracious, thank the person at the desk for their time and proceed to your flight.

Blogger Mark Wolters has spent two decades travelling around the world, but he says there are some seats he won’t sit on when he’s flying

An expert who has travelled to more than 80 countries says there is one seat you should never pick on a plane. Mark Wolters has spent the past two decades travelling around the world and documenting his trips.

He however says there are some seats that he refuses to pick on a plane, because they get his journey off on the wrong foot. Among those are any middle seat, which he says results in a “battle” for personal space.

He says travellers often end up cramped up when they are in the middle, saying they have “lost out”. However there is one row in particular that Mark says is the worst on a plane.

In a video on his Wolter’s World YouTube channel, Mark revealed the first row of the plane is “one of the worst”. He said: “One thing is, you have a bulkhead (wall) there.

“That first row, you don’t have the underseat storage in front of your space, so you have to make sure you get your stuff up above, but also you have no room to stretch your legs out because there’s not that underseat there, so sometimes you don’t have a tonne of space.

“But the really tough thing is, going back to the luggage, or lack of luggage space. If you’re flying in Spain, when they get on the plane, they put their bags in right away.

“They don’t wait to row 20. If you’re in row one or two, maybe you’re going to have to go to row five or six to put it up above and nobody’s going to let you go get it when it’s time to get out, which can be very frustrating.”

Mark went on to explain that the front of the plane often has the lavatory or the galley. And while he avoids sitting on the front row, Mark isn’t overly fond of the back either.

This is because you can often find yourself queuing to disembark the aircraft. He said: “If you have tight connections, guess what? You are the last one off the plane. And for my friends who do not like turbulence, if you’re in the very back of the plane, this is where the turbulence is.”

Mark says that the back, much like the front, can often be where the facilities are. In general he says he likes to avoid any seat next to the toilet, because you can “hear or smell” what is going on.

He also generally says he avoids sitting near to the galley, because it is “where the flight attendants work”. He explains this means the lights are constantly on and the area regularly “smells of food”.

He described the galley as “not really a quiet relaxing place,” which makes it more difficult to enjoy his flight. Elsewhere, Mark explains the exit rows are the “best” seats to sit in.

He said: “Those exit rows are the best for legroom because the extra row needs to be wider for exits, so it’s kind of like business class legroom for economy prices.”

Katie Strick swapped London for Australia, only to find herself returning to the United Kingdom after just 18 months after discovering what life was really like Down Under

A woman who quit the United Kingdom for a sunny life in Australia has decided to move back after realising what life Down Under is truly like. Katie Strick and her partner spent 18 months in Australia before making the decision to move back home.

Katie says she made the decision to swap south London for Sydney after striking up a long-distance relationship with a former university friend. Writing in The Times, she admits the chance to join him in his beachside flat “wasn’t a hard sell”.

With the extension to the age bracket for the working holiday visa being moved from 30 to 35, Katie admits she felt the time was right. She found herself surrounded by “young, free twenty and thirtysomethings” in the Manly area.

But after a year-and-a-half, Katie found herself heading back to London. Her first struggle, she says, was the rental market in Sydney.

She found the cost of a flat is around the same in Australia as London. She also admits “friends and family naturally rank highly when I list the reasons for coming back”.

Katie however says the reasons for the move were much more than that. She wrote: “The reasons are rarely sexy: green space, quality of the press, a low risk of shark attacks and being a short train ride from my parents’ home town don’t quite have the same ring as living next to the beach when you shout them across a pub — but they mattered more than I expected.”

She acknowledges that Australia has “more sunshine” as well as “happier, healthier, more outdoorsy people,” but found herself missing the cobbled streets, country pubs, and British humour. She concedes it’s “hard not to miss those things” when you are “a 24-hour flight away”.

She says the Middle East conflict has also led to a “sense of uncertainty” for Brits flying from Australia. Dubai, once a popular layover, became embroiled in the conflict in March when it was struck by Iran.

Katie expected some “pushback” from her friends in Australia, but admits she was taken aback by the level of confusion from people back home too. She says many joked she would regret it when her boyfriend is “conscripted” or would be making another U-turn soon enough.

While she says it can seem difficult to say “exactly what you feel far away from,” she says “you do”. She accepts she has a “sense of day-to-day belonging” from visiting grandparents or meeting a friend’s baby, things that can’t be replicated through FaceTime.

Having moved back to London, Katie has however found herself wondering if she made a mistake. She recalls one moment she was catcalled by a drunk man at Clapham Junction, and dodging crowds in Soho.

On the other hand, she says there have been “moments of pure nostalgia” as she strolled through her favourite London park on a spring evening, or the appreciation she has for the NHS and architecture of the UK. She says her partner will soon land back in the UK, meaning that she gets to experience the “rollercoaster of emotions” from her return all over again.

Katie isn’t the only Brit who has quit the UK for Australia and found themselves moving back. Manchester-born Jessica McMaster recently made the same move after finding “four problems” with life Down Under.

Jessica cited the cost of living, distance from loved ones, visa and work restrictions, and weather as reasons for her move. Jessica, who lived in Melbourne, said: “Sometimes it would rain for days and be really cold and dark.

“Summer lasted about six months, which was amazing, long, bright days, great cafés, runs by the beach, but people think it’s always 30-degree heat. Melbourne can have four seasons in one day. In winter it was cold and rainy, so at times it felt like being back in Manchester, but without your family and friends.”

The former reality star has traded celebrity life to start a rubbish collection business

One of Towie’s most recognisable faces has turned his back on fame and taken up waste collection.

Kirk Norcross first burst onto our screens on the ITV2 reality show as one of its original cast members. Back then, he was living the high life as a ‘rich party boy’, spotted behind the wheel of luxury motors, jetting off on extravagant holidays and throwing parties at his late father Mick Norcross’ legendary nightclub Sugar Hut.

Despite being a firm favourite with fans, he chose to walk away from the show after just two years, before going on to appear in several other television programmes. Kirk featured on Celebrity Big Brother and the 2015 series of MTV’s Ex On The Beach.

Now, years on, Kirk leads a thoroughly ‘normal’ life having opted to ditch the spotlight entirely – even previously turning down the opportunity to appear in the 10-year TOWIE anniversary reunion show.

The 38-year-old now runs County Clear Waste, a same-day rubbish collection service operating throughout Norfolk and Suffolk. The firm handles household, commercial and industrial waste, while also providing a ‘wait and load service’.

The company appears to have launched in January this year, making it a relatively new venture. Promoting his business, Kirk shared a snap of himself on Instagram, pictured sporting a branded hi-vis jacket.

Alongside the post he wrote: “Hi, I’m Kirk Norcross, proud owner of County Clear Waste.

“I provide reliable, fully insured and licensed rubbish clearance across Norfolk and Suffolk. From garden clearances and house clearances to all types of waste and rubbish removal.

“I’ve got you covered. Professional, trustworthy service you can depend on. Get in touch today.”

However, this isn’t Kirk’s first venture into entrepreneurship. The former reality star previously operated his own jet-washing business based in Essex.

He ran KN Jet Services, a jet-washing and drain-cleaning enterprise, which represented his initial foray into a traditional career path after leaving television. Beyond his professional endeavours, Kirk is a dedicated father to his two children.

Kirk has previously spoken candidly about the devastating impact his television career had on his mental wellbeing.

In 2019, he made the heartbreaking revelation that he attempted to take his own life after his time in the public eye left him struggling with severe anxiety and depression.

His late father Mick tragically died by suicide at his Bulphan home in January 2021. An inquest disclosed how Mick felt ‘unable to cope’ with financial concerns before his death.

TOWIE returns on Sunday, April 26 at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX and the show will air every Sunday and Monday

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