My name is Laura and I am a holiday addict. Phew, it feels better getting that off my chest. In all seriousness I do love to travel. Mostly down to my husband. With him I have seen sunsets off the temples in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. I have swam with sharks in the seas around the Perhentian Islands, Malaysia. I have sat under waterfalls in the paradise that was Paraty, Brazil.
We have explored the world together, pulling on the massive travellers back pack and jumping on a plane with no clue as to where we would be staying that night. Which led to some interesting times in Florianópolis as there were no rooms available and a rather horrific case of sunburn. Then we had children. And our needs changed. Our holidays changed. Our travel changed. The kids
Changed not stopped
The key word here is that the way we travelled changed, we have never stopped travelling. It shows in the boys passports, multicolour stamps from around the world. At the tender age of four my eldest has visited 26 countries, some of them for a matter of hours, some for days and weeks, some more than once, some never to return to.
We just have to think a little bit smarter about how we travel these days. We’re so close to leaving behind taking suitcases full of nappies but we’re nowhere near being able to leave them to their own devices to pack. Unless I want a suitcase full of teddies and toys naturally. At the moment we look at different types of holidays suiting different needs at the time, with a little something for everyone making it that little bit easier to keep travelling with kids.
The Villa One
For the first time since meeting my husband in September 2015 we took a villa holiday, more specifically we rented a villa in Portugal. Portugal was on my husbands wish list ever since he took up golf, being the golfing paradise of Europe. Though honestly? The golf didn’t really interest me… What did was the freedom to stick to our own routine, to have the space we enjoy at home and the ability to feed two hangry children from the fridge as and when required rather than having to wait until restaurants open. The luxury of a villa holiday for us was the chance for us to relax when the children went to bed, to sit in beautiful surroundings with more than the balcony sliding door separating us from them. Blissful.
The Cruise One
Hands up. I admit it. I am a cruise convert. It is one of the most child friendly holidays I have ever been on, whilst still giving into the wanderlust of seeing a variety of places. Your hotel room just takes you there. Imagine unpacking all the paraphernalia you cart along when you travel with children in one place, then not having to pack it up again until the end of your two weeks BUT still being able to see a new place every day? For the ex-backpacker husband and his dazed followers (aka me and the boys) it was a dream come true. A way to explore the world in a style I was more accustomed to. And kids club. And kids EVENING club. Where they enjoyed movies and milk and I got to enjoy date nights with my husband.
The Staycation One
My husband is a self confessed plane geek. My sons are following in his footsteps. When we head on our cruise this Christmas one of the places that we will take the boys this year is to the airport beach at St. Maarten to watch the planes. VIDEO But sometimes? Sometimes it is too much to pack up, to head to the airport and to board a plane. To deal with time zone differences. And those times a staycation really comes into its own. Close to home, keeping in routine, and having a chance to get the holiday feeling without venturing too far away. You are surrounded by things you know, brands you know, foods you know, doctors you know. If everything goes horribly wrong you’re able to pack up and head home. Last year we headed to Yas Rotana, Abu Dhabi for a weekend break away from it all. This year I’m working on my husband for a Staycation for our anniversary….
The Luxury One
Living in the part of the world we do we see a lot of 5 star hotels. And yet it doesn’t diminish their beauty, their wonder. Each time we walk into the reception of one my breath is taken away. Much like it did when we went on our honeymoon. People say that children don’t appreciate the luxury, the finer things in life. And maybe they don’t, but I know that I was a much better parent that week with my little one because I was so relaxed, so contented. I was horizontal. From our private pool (perfect for a quick dip before bed) to the extra care and attention that we received. 5 star luxury may cost more, it may be a once in a lifetime opportunity, but taking the kids for the ride? Well that’s just priceless…
The Resort One
Sometimes you just need to go away and have everything on hand at the hotel.
From swimming pool to beach to food. Sundowners to morning coffee. Complete and utter relaxation marred only slightly by the fact that you and the kids all sleep in the same room. But after all, that’s what balconies are for…
Oh I totally agree with you, travel is entirely possible and enjoyable with children if you adjust your travel goals to make sure they have a brilliant time too. For us, other things have got in the way of travelling since we’ve had children but we’ll definitely be having some amazing travel adventures soon. Nat.x