It is absolutely freezing at the moment and while I’m more than happy trudging through freshly fallen snow, the nonstop rain and biting wind are enough to have me dreaming of warmer climates. There’s a whole movement about creating a life you don’t need to take a holiday from. So instead of working endless hours saving up money to take a holiday you desperately need because you work too much… you just maintain a better work-life balance. I am on board with this theory, but I also like to visit new places and switch off from real life (I miss the days when going on holiday meant no phone and no internet for two weeks).
One of the things I would love to do is travel more. I think sometimes the thought of travelling with small children feels like hard work. Ebony is at a great age now and would be happy on long journeys and in busy cities, but Ember is a toddler and so that feels like it would be hard work. With this in mind, here are five easy family holidays to take in 2018:
1. A family cruise
Cruises sound like a pretty ideal way to see the world when you have young children. The travelling is done on board a giant ship full of entertainment, which sounds pretty perfect. There are loads of different cruise destinations, so whether you’re looking for warm weather or new lands, take a look at what cruises are on offer.
2. Camping in the UK
Camping is about as affordable as holidays come. We only managed to go camping once last year, we went too early in the year and it was too cold and I think I was too traumatised to suggest another trip. But next year, we will definitely be going again. With a heater. It will be easier now that Ember is a little older, too. We tend to arrange camping trips at the last minute so we’re guaranteed good weather, because I am not a fan of camping in the rain. Camping is cheap and easy (apart from the small task of fitting everything in the car which is actually really difficult) and you do tend to end up with no phone signal so it feels like a nice break from real life.
3. A European city break
This is something I really want to do more of. When I was a student, I interrailed around Europe for a month with my best friend and we had so much fun. Interrailing with small children would be beyond terrible (I hear those night trains are full of drunk students...) but the occasional city break would be amazing. Ebony really wants to go to Paris to see Blackpool Tower after learning about France in school (she may not have been listening too closely to what the teacher was saying).
4. A self-catering beach holiday
I have never been on an all-inclusive holiday. I think being vegan would mean the buffet was pretty limited, but also the thought of queueing up outside a food hall filled with hungry toddlers is not really my idea of relaxing. I like going self-catering because it means we have more choice about what and when we eat which I think makes life a lot easier when you have small children.
5. Camping abroad
My childhood was basically spent in a tent in France, or crammed into the backseat of my dad’s rusty Ford Escort on the way to France. For our family holiday in 2018, we’re going to stay at a big campsite in France. But we’re not staying in a tent, we’re in a chalet or something. I am really excited about it, I feel like it will be like a blast from the past. I think we would camp if we had enough room to fit camping things in the car but we struggle to get to the Peak District with all our stuff crammed into the car so there’s no way we would make it to France.
This is a collaborative post.
