The trip starts the moment you book it. I love the planning and anticipation of looking forward to a trip. Counting down the days, researching a new place, getting excited together over all the good things to come. It makes the dull, everyday stuff a bit more exciting and gives us all a happy hook…
The Isle of Lewis and Harris is Scotland’s largest island and yet one of its best kept secrets. Secluded and unspoilt with breathtaking scenery, it has everything you need for a real adventure. Here’s why it should be on your UK Bucket List. Where to stay on the Isle of Lewis? Finding the best base….
The Isle of Lewis is the most northerly of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides and therefore the most northwesterly point in the UK. Its fusion of stunning scenery, beautiful beaches, wildlife and history gives this island a truly magical feel. The Isle of Lewis occupies the same land mass as the Isle of Harris, even though they…
This summer, we set ourselves a little challenge – to learn to surf. Well, obviously not Rhino, he’s been at it for 35 years and has long since hung up his competitive belt. But for some reason, after years of dabbling in the waves, this summer was the moment when it all clicked for our…
This week, Koko is leaving Primary School. At no point over the last eight years of her full time schooling, did I imagine feeling such an explosion of emotions when the time came for her to move on to pastures new. I am on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, of memories and of gratitude. Koko…
There is one big problem with flying Business Class: you get to see behind that curtain. And once you know what’s there, it’s pretty hard not to want to sit up front. We found ourselves flying Business Class with kids for the first time in 2017, on an Emirates flight from London Gatwick to Bali….
Rhino’s favourite three words. I’ve heard them so many times that I also know it means at least two more waves, but that he’ll always come out with a smile on his face afterwards. Rhino has been surfing for over 35 years and learning to surf has always been high up there on my bucket…
There is no greater freedom than having your own home on wheels. Being able to move freely as the wind and waves direct you and having no real plans is the ultimate escapism. Satisfying the wanderlusting itch in bounds and yet fuelling it even more at the same time. In the summer of 2018, the…
As way of an introduction and to help contextualise the information that I will provide in this blog, I shall tell you a bit about me and my family and where our love of travel comes from. The main goal is to help anyone considering family travel by providing some of our observations about what…
Journal from 40,000 feet I’m not going to sugar coat it. Getting here has been painful. It has broken me mentally, emotionally and even physically. Layer upon layer of stress, week after week after week. And suddenly, here I am sitting on the plane – and I’m not quite sure how I have done it….
“Ok then, do it…look into it, see where it goes.” After all these years together, Rhino really should have known that these words, uttered one night whilst watching a documentary about Australia, and giving me the green light to fully commit to our NZ move, would only have lit that spark within. Allowed me to…
Where do I possibly start? Almost 30 years ago I came to YGP for a year 6 transition day and I still remember now what happened at the end of the day. The last lesson of the day was French in P3, with Miss Anne. She taught me how to say hello, say my name…
The thought of flying with young children, especially long-haul, can be enough to make parents run screaming at the prospect of travelling across the globe. A 16 hour flight is a daunting prospect for many solo travellers, but add toddlers and small children to the mix and you may find yourself thinking…is the trip really…
The most asked question about our trip to the Isle of Lewis in August 2021 wasn’t about the stunning beaches, the incredible wildlife or the best places to surf. No. The one thing that everyone wanted to know was…. “How bad are the midges on the Isle of Lewis and Harris?” The Isle of Lewis…
Dekat dan Jauh Just thinking about Bali sends a shiver through my core. An unexplainable spiritual connection to a place that is not my home, but where I can feel so utterly at peace. Before travelling to Bali, I had never considered myself to be a spiritual person. I really can’t put my finger on…
This week I’m turning 40. Even writing that now it feels wrong. How is it possible that the 80’s were 40 years ago? Walkmans and leg warmers and Kylie, of course. Rewind 40 years before I was born and the world was in the midst of World War Two. Crazy to think that the expanse…
We love Fuerteventura. We have visited three times as a family and Rhino has spent many winters over on the island in search of the perfect winter waves. You can read more about the Canaries in the 90’s in Rhino’s Surf Diary here. Fuerteventura is the oldest of the Canary Islands, sits to the South…
I used to belong to the school of thought that travelling with kids for Christmas Day was sacrilege. Mortel sin. A big fat NO GO area. That children should be home, tucked into their beds, while visions of sugarplums dance in their heads…. Surrounded by their own familiar things and with all their family to…