Family travel: Readly magazine app review

This bank holiday we packed our campervan and headed off in search of sunshine, sea and sand. I am sure most think we are utterly crazy to drive from Staffordshire to the Cornish coast for just a long weekend, but in all honesty I love nothing more than a road trip, particularly when the sun is shining. I always have this romantic idea of a weekend with my tribe, relaxing and watching them play happily on the beach. I know it is not always like this in reality, a road trip often sees us stuck in motorway traffic, crawling along at a snail’s pace, slowly losing minutes to hours off our short weekend break (remember our recent drama when we nearly missed our Brittany ferry to France when we got stuck on the M5). So when Readly got in touch with me to introduce their Readly magazine app – I instantly knew that this could be a genius idea and perfect for keeping the family entertained whilst travelling.

Nb: This post has been written in collaboration with Readly

Let me introduce you to Readly magazine app

Readly was launched in Sweden in March 2013 and has expanded rapidly with offices in the UK, USA and Germany. It is a digital newsstand service giving customers unlimited “all you can read” access to hundreds of national and international magazines in one app. Readly has a huge range of titles including OK!, Women’s Health, Vogue, Heat, Red, Ideal Home, Autocar, Men’s Health and Time magazine. There are also a few kids’ titles including National Geographic Kids, Horrible Histories and Beano making Readly ideal for all of the family.

Readly – what we love

We spend quite a bit of money on magazines and magazine subscriptions over the year and I am still amazed at what you get for £7.99 a month. Family sharing access allows you to read on five devices all at once, meaning I can be admiring gorgeous kitchen designs in Ideal Home magazine, while my husband is reading Men’s Health and our eldest is working her way through a crossword in National Geographic Kids….. Genius.

Another fabulous feature is that Readly doesn’t limit you to the number of titles that you read (both new and back issues included) and with over 3261 titles to choose from there really is something for everyone.

Eco-friendly

It is safe to say that with the growing awareness of climate change, it is forcing the majority of us to take a look at our own carbon footprint and what we can do to change the way that we live. Despite our busy lives, I am mindful of how we live, and I am aware that even the smallest changes collectively can make a difference. More recycling, less plastic, less paper and less waste. Readly magazine app allows you to download magazines to read on a tablet or phone – without Wi-fi, also meaning less paper…and less waste. The idea of reading a magazine in an eco friendly way definitely has a thumbs up from us.

Convenient

In all honesty, the only time I find the time to read a book is whilst we are travelling or taking a long road trip. I rarely find the time in our busy day to day lives to sit down with a cuppa and a magazine free from guilt…there is always something productive I could be doing, usually washing, cleaning, tidying or general day to day chores. When we travel, I grab the downtime with both hands, and I relish the opportunity to read a book or a magazine at the pool side, on the beach, in a beachside cafe or for half an hour in the car whilst the kids are snoozing. Before we set off on our Cornish coastal adventure I downloaded the Readly magazine app on each of our tablets and devices (available from the App Store). Just a note. – Readly is also available on your computer with the web browser version.

Mobile Reading

Readly is really easy to use and to navigate around. We have set up individual profiles for the adults and the kids and I like the pin code access to stop little eyes entering the profiles for the grown ups. With the handy Article View functionality, Readly is perfectly optimised for smartphones and tablets. I tried it out in the campervan in the late evening, reading the magazine on the iPad or phone meant that I could read it without bedside lamps or night lights – great for camping or when in the car and losing the daylight.

Our Verdict -Readly

I have to say I had not heard of Readly until very recently but we are all really impressed with the choice of titles available, (3621 titles and over 1000 UK titles), the family sharing feature, and the unlimited all you can read access. We are currently enjoying a free trial, but we are really impressed and we will be extending our trial once it ends. I can kiss goodbye to crinkled, ripped and soggy pages before I have even read the first sentence. It is convenient, eco friendly and just £7.99 a month with a 2 week free trial.

Visit Readly online to find out more .

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#Disclosure- This is a paid collaboration with Readly. All thoughts and opinions are my own**