The top ten holiday essentials for a perfect family holiday #MarkWarnerMum

It’s no secret that we love to travel as a family.  Give us a spare weekend and some spare money and we will be off like a shot.  Well thumbed travel guides, camera at the ready and an argument in the airport are standard as we head off with far too many bags for a family of four.  But that’s my fault as I feel like I should take 17 outfits a day for each child, which is a lot of outfits.

I digress.

Travelling with children, travelling in general in fact, stirs up all sorts of emotions.  All kinds of moods you could say.

Enter the PC family top travel essentials mood board… as drawn by my own fair hand by stealing the children’s new Chalkola pens.

The PC family #MarkWarnerMum Mood Board - all our holiday travel essentials

Yes.  That is in fact my patio window.  Drawn on.  (Badly.)  But I had a bucketload of fun drawing it, not only that but my mood board is set to music.  What?  You can’t have a holiday without music.

Don’t leave home without these

I have a mantra when it comes to travelling, other than trying to pack too much and fend off the husband from his stealth unpacking when I’m not looking, is that as long as you have a passport and a credit card all will be fine.

Your passport will get you there and your credit card will buy you anything you’ve forgotten when you arrive.

Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away

Come Fly with me - passport travel essential #MarkWarnerMum

Passport, check.  Bigger than the aeroplane, check.  Boarding, done.  Seats taken and away you go.

Let’s fly away, if you could use some exotic booze, there’s a bar in far Bombay  Helona, come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away.

Money, money, money

money money money travel essentials #MarkWarnerMum credit card

Even though I always pack for most eventualities being sleep deprived means that 9 times out of 10 I miss something.  Normally something important.  And big.  Like the holiday in the Peak District where it rained the whole week and I left the rain coats behind at my mums.

Still doesn’t beat the time my mum and dad managed to leave their driving licences behind and we had to hire bikes to bike around the island rather than drive (incidentally, best childhood holiday ever)

After that it’s the little things that make a holiday special

As long as you have money and a passport you can survive pretty much anywhere for 2 weeks.  But what about those little things that make a holiday, a real PC family holiday?  The other 8 of 10 travel must haves?

Set to music, naturally.

Let’s talk about sex, baby

Lets talk about sex baby bra #MarkWarnerMum

Let’s talk about you and me… a massive big bed and a chance to get some sleep while the monsters give in and rest.

Sexy underwear may make it to my travel essentials, but to honest it will be worn with me pulling my pants out my bum and squirming round with the lacy bra before realising that I’m on holiday with my best friend, my one true love and equally sleep deprived parent who will be happy to snuggle up at 9pm with Netflix and my PJs.

Ahh true love…

All you need is love

all you need is love #MarkWarnerMum

Which brings me nicely to love.  Holidays, for me, are about creating experiences and memories to last a lifetime.  And doing so with the people I love more than anything else in the world.  When they’re by my side it doesn’t matter if it’s rain or shine, all that matters is that we’re together.

Although…

Got that sunshine in my pocket

Got that sunshine in my pocket #MarkWarnerMum travel essentials

Got that good song in my feet… for me it’s all about the sun.  Give me a beach over the ski slopes any day of the week, though skiing is something I’d like to try it’s something I’m not entirely convinced about.  I think I’m more an apres-ski kind of person, mulled wine and hot chocolates.  And even they don’t compare to cocktails on the beach.  You can’t beat a piña colada!

If you like Piña Coladas

If you like pina colodas #MarkWarnerMum

…and getting caught in the rain, I’m not much into health food, I am into champagne.  Catchy tune and cocktail vibes.  No holiday is complete without a cocktail with a gaudy umbrella be it a piña colada or the mocktail version Mickey Mouse for the boys.  Everyone needs a gaudy umbrella as part of their escape when they sit for sundowners watching the moon come up…

Dancing in the moonlight

Dancing in the moonlight #MarkWarnerMum

When that moon is big and bright, walks along the beach.  Kids up late playing on the sand with the waves in the background, or you know, having a whale of a time in kids club while mummy and daddy over indulge in cocktails and eating their body weight in delicious Greek Meze by the light of the moonlight.  Mummy trying to persuade Daddy to dance in the moonlight (and failing).

Every.  Single.  Holiday.  We eat too much, drink too much and the next morning pull out our trainers in a pretence we are going to go for a run.

Ha.

Hearts on fire, strong desire

hearts on fire rocky trainers #MarkWarnerMum

Rocky we are not.  Marathon training however, the husband does.  This year, after the broken foot debacle of 2016 put him out of running Vienna in April, he has signed up for Budapest in October.  Which means that once again the trainers will make it on any holiday we go on this summer, they’ll even make it out of the suitcase.  The problem is that the runs will be LONG, and generally over nap time.  Which means that I may have to resort to bribery, or the fully loaded iPad for the big one.

I’m Peppa Pig

I'm Peppa Pig #MarkWarnerMum

Well it wouldn’t be a holiday without the obnoxious noise of Peppa now would it?!  While I don’t advocate the use of iPads all holiday there are points for us when they are necessary, planes, trains and automobiles for one.  Keeping the little one SAT down in a high chair while waiting for food is another.  And nap times to keep the big one quiet as we frantically walk, rock and bribe the baby to sleep.

Still, the boys love her and we love them.  After all…

We are family

We are family #MarkWarnerMum

And while I have no sisters to have with me, I do have my boys.  And they are my top travel must have, because while a break away from them is refreshing, rejuvenating and wonderful.  A holiday with them is simply magical.

Even if my four year old thinks I’m 54…

Behind the scenes creating the family portrait:

Holiday Vibes – #MarkWarnerMum Mood Music

Special thanks to Cat from Pushing the Moon for stepping in and helping me do the Spotify playlist after I realised I would struggle here!

This is my entry into the Mark Warner Family Ambassador Scheme for 2017

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10 Comments

  1. February 20, 2017 / 10:23 am

    LOVE this Laura! Especially like the music choices and the video, so funny! Good luck! X

  2. February 21, 2017 / 3:39 pm

    Haha, Peppa Pig has given us many peaceful dinners and cafe stop offs. Definitely an essential travel item!

  3. February 21, 2017 / 6:54 pm

    It’s definitely not a holiday without a cocktail & Peppa Pig… and that is how you know you have reached motherhood! I thoroughly enjoyed your post & fun drawings too. AND your gorgeous son drawing on the window. LOL Best of luck with Mark Warner, you would be an excellent choice. I always enjoy your travel posts! x

  4. February 23, 2017 / 10:19 pm

    This is fantastic, totally loving the playlist! Good luck! xxx

    • Laura
      Author
      February 24, 2017 / 5:47 am

      Thank you – we’ve been dancing round the house to it!x

  5. February 25, 2017 / 7:55 pm

    Oh I love your drawings on the patio window. The tale of having to bike round the island as a kid made me giggle as did your “let’s talk about sex baby”. What’s sex again?

  6. February 28, 2017 / 11:34 am

    What a clever and original idea. Good luck! PS: what pens have you used on the glass?!

  7. February 28, 2017 / 9:22 pm

    Great post, love the song references! Cocktails and sunshine are definite winners x

  8. March 1, 2017 / 11:09 pm

    I’m all about the cocktails on holiday too. Love this post. Good luck!

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