A GETAWAY FOR MUM | JAVEA 2022

It's no secret this year has been a tough one, and after two years of covid affecting everyones lives I had hoped for good things from 2022 - obviously this wasn't to be. Me and the boys have been through some really tough and harrowing co-parenting issues, we've been plagued with unimaginable concerns regarding Noah's health and of course we lost my amazingly wonderful Nan, a hit you can't even begin to comprehend. We had our family holiday booked for August, but my Nan was diagnosed with a fatal and incurable disease just the month before and with that knowledge it just felt wrong to go away when we could instead spend time with her. Something I'm really thankful for as sadly she passed away just four weeks later. So with that rescheduled for next year, and the boys due to be away with their Dad in October, I decided it would be a great time to retreat to our family villa in Javea, 

SOLO FLYING WITH CHILDREN

Flying abroad alone with my boys for the first time last year definitely made me nervous beforehand. Not just because everything is a little different now (and rightly so) thanks to Covid, but because I had never actually taken them on a flight alone before. I know I'm lucky, the boys are really well behaved but of course you never know what may happen so even knowing that, I was still a little nervy. Our outbound flight to Alicante, was a very early morning flight, 6:20am departure meant that I was going to be waking the boys at around 2am. Now who likes being woken in the middle of the night? Certainly not me. But it did seem the wisest option as it just meant we weren't waiting around all day at home with two very excited boys, waiting to head to the airport. Plus as a child, I always remember feeling so excited when I'd be woken in the night to go on holiday. 

A TRIP TO SPAIN?

If you've been around here long enough, you'll know that every year the boys get to go away with my parents to Spain. They have a villa out there and it really is a home away from home, but of course, Covid seems to have other plans at this point and with the trip just over a month away, it's really in the balance of whether they'll still get to go or not. It's such a shame because I think we all know the only country that can't seem to get a full grasp on the outbreak is England, so to see travel restrictions being placed on countries with lower cases, but here we are and it's all a little frustrating. Ordinarily it wouldn't be much of an issue as the break is during half term, but because of the quarantine period upon return, it would result in both boys missing five days of school - something that we naturally would want to avoid.

MY THREE TRAVEL BUG BEARS

I've never really had massive opinions on flying, I love travelling but the actual action of flying on a plane is one I find a little mundane and especially now I have children, it adds extra complications to the mix and is never really smooth sailing. I know all of these are incredibly fortunate problems to have, to get to complain about travelling, but after recently heading on a press trip that involved a nine hour flight, I definitely got time to think about some things that really irk me when I fly. I think having little ones too really does heighten your awareness to absolutely everything so that when I was without my boys on the long haul flight recently, I so much time on my hands to really have a look at what was going on around me, without the distraction of them.

BANFF NATIONAL PARK | #AD

If you had asked me three months ago about Banff I'd have given you a funny look and told you I'd never heard of it or seen it, but I'd be wrong, while I definitely hadn't heard of Banff before, I most certainly would have seen it across Pinterest. That's to me what Banff National Park is, a pinterest perfect location, 'insta worthy', a just completely beautiful and serene place that honestly I didn't think really existed apart from in movie scenes. I was wrong however, as just last week I was lucky enough to be taken on a pretty exciting trip that lead me right up to these picturesque views myself.

THE BENEFITS OF VILLA HOLIDAYS FOR FAMILIES

I feel as though we've tried and tested most varieties of holidays as a family. We've done all inclusive, half board and villa vaycays too, all of which have their own pros and cons but in terms of family holidays I do tend to lean on the side that staying in a villa just slightly outweighs the other options for a variety of reasons. Don't get me wrong it's lovely to have someone cooking the food for you, cleaning the plates from your table and making you drinks on tap - but when it comes to having children in the mix sometimes there is a convenience in a villa that you just can't get anywhere else. When we head off on our own it's usually my parents villa in Alicante, it's picturesque, a home away from home and thanks to all of the below, it actually feels like we had a holiday when we come home.

OUR TRAVEL REGRETS

Given that no matter how much we travel, it's always going to be something we don't do all too often - we're bound to make mistakes, do things wrong and generally regret some of the choices we make. I'm no exception, though with each journey we take as a family we learn a thousand new things, there is so much we realise that we haven't quite worked out yet and actually, are still getting massively wrong. Just last month we ventured off to Turkey and I already know a dozen things that I'd do differently if we had our time over, but there's a dozen more that I learnt from our trip last year to Spain. With children especially they're ever changing and always growing meaning that while you can plan every last detail till your hearts content - you can't always predict what will happen and how things will end up.

MARK WARNER HOLIDAYS FOR FAMILIES

When you're looking to go abroad as a family it's so important that everyone is catered for, from the kids, right the way through from babies to teenagers and then the adults too. You all want to come back feeling like you've enjoyed yourself and actually had a break which is something that isn't entirely easy when you have smalls in your family. Under 5's aren't exactly easy normally, so chucking them into unfamiliar surroundings is always a big risk but if you're like us and enjoy your holidays in the sunshine - then it's one worth taking. My boys need to be busy, they're on the go 24/7 and I worried if they'd be a little restless on our latest trip to the Phoakia Beach Resort in Turkey, thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong as Mark Warner seem to have family holidays down to a tee.

FLYING WITH A TODDLER | TOP TIPS

A flight with a toddler is never going to be a walk in the park because let's face it, even a walk in the park isn't always that pleasant with a little one in tow is it? Patrick is no exception, he's wild, independent and the very last thing on his to-do list is to sit still for almost five hours on a flight. Which just so happens to be exactly what we needed him to do a couple of weeks ago and I'll be honest and admit I was nervous, this isn't our first time travelling with our babes on a flight, far from it - Noah is a seasoned flyer. But our wild child is another kettle of fish and I knew it would be a constant battle of wills, which it was. Looking back at both the departing and returning flights, I know what worked and what really didn't and if I can help one person have a slightly smoother journey then my tips will have served well.

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME - TRAVELODGE STOCKPORT

As a family we generally try to keep our trips away from home, overnight, minimal. That is unless we're heading off on holiday of course, because in truth it can be really hard when you have small children. When you're used to spreading out across a house and all having your individual space, the thought of being holed up in one small hotel room hasn't hugely appealed to me. But with a flight departing from Manchester I didn't really want to risk driving up the same day as I just knew traffic wouldn't be on our side. We opted for a Travelodge, mainly because I roughly knew what to expect, we'd stayed in them before and my main priority was a good night sleep which I was pretty confident we could get there.

MARK WARNER PHOKAIA BEACH RESORT

Where oh where do I begin with our Mark Warner break? There is so much to talk about that I'm going to be dividing the posts up over the next few weeks, with this being a general round up of our thoughts on the entire trip. If you're here looking for the in-depth reviews of the childcare, facilities, hotel or food then stick around and hold tight as I want to give them the detail they deserve. So, cast your minds back to March when we were selected to be Mark Warner ambassadors, it was a huge deal for me as we're so passionate about travel and showing our boys as much of the world as we can - we were delighted. Even more so when we realised we'd be headed to the brand new resort in Foca, Turkey, only opening a mere month before we made our trip, I knew it was going to be something special. And that it was.

JOIE PACT PUSHCHAIR - A TRAVEL MUST HAVE

When I found out that we had been selected as Mark Warner Ambassadors this year, I knew that travel was on the cards, but more importantly, travel with a toddler. Patrick has just turned two and whilst he is fiercely independent, there wasn't a cat in hells chance I would be visiting another continent without a suitable pushchair for him to travel in. As much as I'm sure he'd protest that he doesn't need to sit in one. I researched long and hard on which pushchair would be best, we have a fair number of previous flights under our belt so I had pretty specific expectations in mind for what I wanted, after all if we were in Turkey and suddenly realised that the stroller wasn't working for us, there wouldn't be much we could do about it. You could say my standards were set a little too high, so I was wary nothing would match up.

SUNDOWN ADVENTURELAND - DAYS OUT WITH KIDS

Where do I start with Sundown? It's undoubtedly our favourite place to visit with the boys, and has been that way for almost four years now. I could shout and scream from the rooftops about it all day, every day, but instead I save that for my Instagram stories when I visit. If you've never heard of Sundown Adventureland, it's a theme park specifically targeted at the under 10's, situated between Retford and Lincoln in the East Midlands. A stark contrast to most other theme parks I know which usually have a small area for the little riders in your group, and generally focus on adults and teens for the rest of the park. Sundown is a toddlers dream, and as an owner of two small children, it's my dream too because they're both completely in their element when we visit. Just last week we weighed up the options of what to do for the day on Patricks birthday, it was a no brainer, and off we went to Sundown.

LETS GO TO THE BEACH, EACH

With our upcoming beach break, we are, (I say we are, I think we all know I mean me) in that furiously writing two hundred lists and trying not to forget to grab everything we need. It's inevitable somethings will be left by the side of the door as we turn the key and dash for our airport bound taxi, but there are a few essentials that I've been sure to remember thanks to Simply Swim & Simply Beach. If you didn't know we're headed of to the brand new Mark Warner resort, in Foca, Turkey, I'm counting down the days till we've got the sand between our toes and some real Turkish sunshine, quite frankly it's a liberty that I haven't downloaded an app to remind me every single day just how long it is till we fly.

DELAYED FLIGHTS - HOW TO PREPARE IN ADVANCE

There's nothing more frustrating that a delayed flight, especially if you have children. You factor in everything when you're travelling but inevitably there are some things out of your control, and timings are one of them. Sometimes you will know that a flight is going to be delayed or you will get an idea that it might based on weather reports, strikes at airports or things like this. It is always good to be prepared just in case, but if you know there's a high chance it'll be delayed, then you can do even more preparation.

HOLIDAYS DURING TERM TIME AREN'T ALWAYS A BAD THING

Every parent will know very well the perils of trying to book a holiday in the school half terms. It doesn't matter if you're opting for a staycation or heading abroad, you're going to be stung by the ridiculous prices. To me there isn't a rhyme or reason as to why the prices are hiked up, it's simply marketing on the school holidays and a small window in which most families are forced to take their holidays, I vehemently disagree with it, but, what can you do? You're forced to either; pay the excess for what will evidently be a much busier holiday as you're travelling in peak time, take them out of school in term time and risk the fine, or you go without. It's a big reason why we're keen to make the most of the rest of 2018 before Noah turns five and we're legally obliged to school him. 

THE CAPITAL CITIES WE WANT TO VISIT

Choosing one city to see when you visit a country is hard. I'm fickle and I change my mind quicker than I change my socks, but there's a few cities that just never escape our bucket list. I'm sure I'm not alone, everyone has those places they're desperate to visit, right? Even if they are pipe dreams. You know you’re only going to get a small glimpse of everything that the nation in question has to offer. That’s why it’s usually best to go for the capital city. In the case of most nations, the capital is the heart of everything that is great about the particular country. It's rare we go to cities, we are a beach vibes kind of family and I'm trying to rectify that slowly, cities always teach you things that no shoreline ever will and I've got a bucket list as long as my arm of cities that I am desperate to be absorbed in.

THE TOP 5 PLACES TO VISIT THIS SUMMER

Spring might have finally sprung in the U.K. but, for most people who’ve endured the long, cold British winter, it’s time to start planning a summer escape to warmer climates. We're fortunate in that we've already got a holiday booked in less than eight short weeks, but I can't even help myself from wanting to click confirm on another booking, to have one ready for when we land back in an undoubtedly dull England. From chic city breaks to sun-soaked Mediterranean cruises, blissful beach holidays in the Canaries to charming Greek Islands, here are a few of the best places to visit this summer to help you start planning your next holiday.

AN APRIL HEATWAVE AND FIVE REASONS WHY I HATE IT

So we're in the midst of a British heatwave, and as we all know they don't last long, blink and you've missed it. In fact as I sit here, typing away, with my aloe-vera bathed skin, I'm certain by the time anyone gets around to reading this post, there will be rain against the windows and clouds in the sky. It is England after all. I'm not usually one for sunbathing in England, hanging around in beer gardens or even remotely attempting to lap up the sun. Of course I adore the days that bit more when the skies are blue and the temperatures sitting nicely above twenty, but I much prefer those days to appear on holiday and not on my own home turf. Call me a bit of a bore, but I don't particularly enjoy a British heatwave.

A LITTLE ANNOUNCEMENT - MARK WARNER AMBASSADORS 2018

I've made no secret over the past few years of our love to travel and get some sunshine outside of the two week window that it appears in England. This year I was more determined than ever, with Patrick that little bit older now it meant we were slowly ticking off more places we could visit without the limits of a newborn or baby in tow. Flash back to a few weeks ago, you may have noticed my Mark Warner entry. I arrived late to the game, pushing my post in just fifty minutes before they closed and I settled with the mindset that although I wouldn't be chosen, I'd kick myself if I didn't enter. We'd entered last year and I felt a bit down when we didn't win, although looking back it's so easy to see why - I was a bit rubbish, the post this time around felt more personal and natural for me to write so I wasn't really losing anything in the process of talking about something I loved - travel.