As much as I love family holidays together, travelling with kids can be, well...a bit of a nightmare!
Packing for the whole family can become a full blown military operation ( I start 2 weeks before the holiday, yes really)- while flying with young kids (my own are worse on short than long haul-go figure?) can frankly, induce fine lines and grey hair by arrival.
Thank goodness for Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream pre and during flights, and in-seat yoga (and breathe)!
Seriously though, to avoid the headache, travelling by Eurostar with kids is far less hassle than flying when travelling to mainland Europe.
Drum roll please folks, I have some incredibly exciting news to share, and if seeing me by a petrol pump filling up isn't obvious enough, then I'll spell it out for you (literally)!
I want to start by writing how incredibly grateful I am that this blog means wonderful travel opportunities for my family and I which allows us to see and experience parts of the world we've not visited before, both near and far.
We're now back from a glorious holiday to Halkidi in Greece (1 1/2 hours from Thessaloniki) and have returned totally refreshed and relaxed full of vitamin D, uplifting sea air and great Greek food (of which you can see more of the latter in my post A Taste of Halkidiki)...
We feel truly lucky to have had quite a few fabulous, memorable holidays both here or abroad since the kids have come along mostly in Europe and the Med with some closer to home in Yorkshire and Wales. Long haul flights pre kids have taken a back seat but fun and often lots of sun has never been compromised (not counting our holidays to Wales)!
We love holidaying in this house (well not in this house, that would be ridiculous and not like going away at all)...I'm talking escaping to still waters, golden sandy beaches and roaring heat.
We're now back from two blissful weeks in the Algarve, Portugal, relieved to have brought the sunshine home with us, helping to ease away our holiday blues.