When I take a leisurely walk around town I cannot help but
peer into the travel agents window, I eye up all of the deals and think how
nice it would be to just stroll in and book a last minute getaway. It was only
yesterday I felt my bank card jingle when I came across a fantastic deal to jet
away to Turkey on an all-inclusive break, in a 4 star hotel. Priced at only
£399 per person I was incredibly tempted, but deep down I knew the money that I
was thinking of is being saved away for a house deposit…
So I pushed the thoughts of sunny holidays out of my mind…
For now anyway.
We don’t currently have any plans for a family holiday this
year, but I am hoping this will change in due course. I would love nothing more
than to whisk Leo away to blue skies, days at the beach chasing the surf and
building sand castles for a week or two. Watching his face beam from all of the
excitement, and just having chance to relax away from the hustle and bustle
that comes with everyday life.
Of course taking our family of 3 away on holiday means we
have to hunt out the best family friendly resorts and hotels. We have to take a
number of things into consideration before booking a holiday… Flight durations,
transfer time to the hotel, the actual hotel, and even the resort we would be
staying in. If we are going to go all
inclusive we need to have an idea of what the food is like, especially having
such a fussy eater on our hands in the form of Leo.
Before I ever book anything I always hunt out reviews on
TripAdvisor, so I can find out what other guests thought of their visit. I can
find out everything, even the bits that they wouldn’t publicise on their
website. This is an essential bit of research for me, before parting with any
money and committing ourselves to the unknown. Another site I have found
incredibly helpful is Away with the kids. They are essentially a directory for
family holidays, and they feature the UK, Ireland, Scilly, Channel Islands and
even abroad. You can put in the details of where you wish to go, whether you
want to go glamping or stay in a hotel and they will pull up a list of places
that suit your needs.
In a day and age where information is so easily accessed via
the internet, we really do have the world at our feet. We can look into the hotel
we wish to stay in, we can find out other people’s experiences on the same
holiday… We have all of the tools to make an informed decision.
As a parent who has to make a number of informed decisions
before we decide to travel, I love having so many opportunities to do my
research before committing.
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