Calling all mini-explorers and folks of mini-explorers! I'm giving away a super-duper prize perfect for pint-sized adventurers who love to travel!
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.
Setting off from Leeds to Newcastle on a grey and drizzly day on Saturday to celebrate the launch of Esso's Synergy Fuels, the rain surprisingly and much to the awe of my kids, soon turned to snow on the motorway mid-journey.
We certainly didn't expect it. And certainly not as much.
As all you parents will know, it's rare to get 'couple time' when kids come along, and the last time Peter and I got a night away together was way back in June. A whole season ago then
Two weekends ago saw this family head to the Yorkshire Coast for a relaxing break to celebrate the launch of Esso Synergy Fuels at the breathtaking 100-acre Raithwaite Estate, a place we'd never visited before, but instantly fell in love with.
We all dream of escaping the rat race, go travelling and leading a nomadic lifestyle.
Here, in the latest guest post as part of my Who's The Daddy series, Samuel Stonehill of Moving Time Lapse shares his own experience of seeking out true happiness, travelling the world, creating films that matter while offering his young son Esteban an unconventional yet rewarding education.
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.
Tomorrow, 3 generations of the family - myself, my husband Peter, our 2 sons: Oliver and Alexander and my parents - will be heading Alicante staying in a villa kindly c/o of James Villas.
It was my Dad, George's birthday on Friday so I wanted to arrange something a little bit special for the big man this weekend, and Gorgeous Cottages were just the company to call.
It's so easy in life to be constantly chasing dreams, and believe me, I'm a big believer in dreaming big, working hard, and simply going for 'it' whatever 'it' might be, but recently I've had a little shift in thinking...
Tomorrow we will be heading off to London before we embark on a family press holiday to Jamaica with Beaches Resorts.
We'll be staying at the luxury Ocho Rios resort and can't wait to discover a country we've never been to before.
So 'passportgate' was rather stressful but it sort of all ended up for the best with each of our sons getting undivided attention and time from my husband and I respectively.
I enjoyed Marbella with my toddler and folks and Oliver and Daddy had a truly wonderful week in the UK with sunny adventures in Yorkshire where we live, and mini breaks in Liverpool, Southport and Anglesey in Wales, fishing, catching crabs, playing in fields, visiting castles and having lots of father-son bonding time.
Last week saw 'part' of this family spend 7 days in Marbella, staying at the palatial Casa Haniel, a James Villa Holidays' villa in San Pedro, above, for a fabulous, relaxing, fun and invigorating week away.
Hey there regular readers and new ones too (where've you been people!)
This week, this family is luckily going away on a press holiday with the gorgeous James Villas to Marbella for some rest, relaxation and hopefully sunshine!