Aloha Sprinklerinos,
I was recently approached by Tots100 and asked to talk about one of my favourite sorts of holidays, now that I am a Mummy. There are several other bloggers championing different getaways (such as camping or luxury locations), but I chose staycations.
A staycation is quite simple. You take time out from ordinary life and do relaxing/fun/holiday activities, all whilst staying in your native country.
I think a lot of people automatically assume that a holiday needs to include airports, villas and swimming pools. Obviously, these are all exciting things to do, but they are not the epitome of a holiday and there are other options available.
(Baby Glitter enjoying the breeze on her face whilst playing with water on a hot day. Ahhh Summer Bliss)
Rather than waffling on and on like a waffle (good analogy there), I thought I would share a few of my top reasons for thinking staycations are super!
Budget :: By staying in the country, you eliminate buying passports for little ones (Baby Glitter still doesn't have one), the cost of flights and possibly rule out the price of vaccinations. When Matt went to Costa Rica last year, we shelled out a small fortune for him to get all his jabs. Sheesh!
Less Fuss :: At the moment, we are introducing Baby Glitter to lots of new foods. She is pretty fussy and knows what she likes. I think if I were on holiday, I would want to know that she was happy in what she was eating and wasn't going to kick up a fuss. A bit of drama over dinner at home is fine, but if it was Matt's week off work and we wanted a really special time, I know I would want happy meal times. If you are in the same country, you know you have access to exactly what your children will eat. Saying that, I loooveee trying foreign foods so I'd be happy as a clam haha. Also, if (touch wood) a family member were to need medical attention, you have much smoother access to hospitals, doctors and medicines.
Reunions :: Matt and I met a lot of our friends at university. Over the years, a lot of our chums have moved to different areas of the country and so this is a great reason to take little minibreaks, see new areas and catch up with friends. We love taking a road trip to visit family or pals, 'car chats' are one of our happy things.
Time :: Sometimes it's fun to have a 'holiday day' rather than take a whole week out of your schedule. You'd be amazed how many fun days out there are in England. From fish and chips at the seaside, adventures at historic castles, sight seeing in London/Liverpool (my favourite cities), roller coasters at theme parks or spa days in the country side, the possibilities are endless.
Other reasons you might prefer to stay closer to home are if you have pets and you want them to accompany you, you are nervous about facing language barriers or you have a fear of flying (my Mother in Law is a good example of this).
As some of the other bloggers involved in this feature have talked about their favourite types of holiday, ParentDish have offered a fab competition where you can win a family day ticket to Thorpe Park. If you would like to enter that competition, you can find it HERE.
Or, if you like competitions (are you a 'comper'?) and would like to vote for Staycations to be your favourite type of getaway, ParentDish are holding a little poll with the other bloggers taking part in this feature and you can vote for my holiday HERE.
Some of my best trips have been weekends away up North with Matt or weeks by the beach in Cornwall with my family. What are you doing this summer? Do you have any holiday tips for travelling with young children?
Toodlepip!
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