About Me

About me

My name is Nik and I am Mum to two small boys called Sam and Oliver and partner to the long suffering Ali and we are based in Devon, England.

My blog is about my journey though life, the highs, the lows and all the fun and messy bits in-between.

It is a personal blog that is written by me and only features my opinions. I do work on behalf of businesses and companies, writing posts and reviews but I will only give you my honest thoughts, if I love it or hate it I will tell you.

If you would like to get in touch with me or my mini monsters please contact me at
themummymonster1@gmail.com





Monday 1 January 2018

Holidays


Booking a holiday!!


 

Ali and are I desperate to take the boys on a hot holiday. We took Sam when was he was little but haven’t been anywhere since.

I think we deserve a bit of a break in the sunshine for several reasons, the main one would be that the boys would love it. They choose to go to the beach in any weather but to do it in the sunshine would be amazing.

The second one would be to see if my health improved in a warmer climate. I am really suffering, especially on cold and damp days. The cold seems to set into my bones and makes them painful and achy. I have been told that many people actually end up moving abroad because they can enjoy being relatively pain free in the warmth.

The third one would be because sometimes I think it is important to stop and actually send some time as a family. It is something we can look forward too. We can plan where we want to go and do things for all of us.

I can just imagine us sat on a beach making sandcastles and drinking cocktails!! ok I’m dreaming, I completely understand in the real world it will be sitting by the kids pool watching them like a hawk in the water and constantly saying no to drinks and ice creams and singing along to the latest kids club song which will get stuck in my head and I won’t be able to shift even when I get home, but I can dream cant I??

But before you even book a holiday there are so many questions to ask. I find it baffling how 7 sweet days in the sun can cause such anguish beforehand. I genuinely find it stressful. Going away costs so much money you feel that you have to get the very best for your limited budget.

Even though we haven’t been away for a few years we are on a seriously tight budget. We will have to sacrifice other things to afford the luxury.

So our budget is set, now to head to the computer. One tip given to me by a fellow blogger is “We google the destination, flights times etc and once we narrow it down a bit we search in incognito mode. This stops the cookies from seeing you keep coming back and sometimes the prices go up- so incognito keeps it a fresh search everyday.” Carrie Bradley  www.flyingwithababy.com https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fb6/1/16/2708.png

This is something I hadn’t even considered; I forget that the internet tracks your every move!!

So cookies turned off, I then have to make the decision then to go with a ready-made package holiday or look at individual cottages and villas. Carol Cliffe from www.familymakes.com recommended “I always go for a cottage/apartment/villa where possible rather than a hotel. I've just returned from Florida and it's reminded me why- more space to spread out, separate room for the kids, somewhere to prepare food, and most importantly for families, a washing machine.”

I decided to try a package holiday first to see what prices were coming out at. I am stuck to school holidays so due fully I put in the school dates in and was shocked at the price hike that happens when school’s first holiday starts. How is that fair?? Why penalise the ones who wait until the holidays to take their children away? I guess this is a separate argument really, so won’t dwell on it.

 I found a hotel which looked fab in the photos; I then added the hotel name to Trip Adviser. Why do I do this?? I end up more confused than when I started. Some people saying what an amazing hotel it is and others saying that they would never stay their again!!

Charlie Beswick from www.ouralteredlife.com  says “I am a review aholic (but can end up confusing myself!) whereas my OH looks at the photos. With reviews I always filter to the time of year and type of holiday (couples / families) so I’m getting as accurate review as possible. Lots of my friends didn’t even know about that option on TripAdvisor.” I didn’t even know you could do this!!

Ok reviews read then it’s time to see flight times and transfers. I was looking for short transfer times when Jodie Humphries from www.maidenheadmum.co.uk said “I’ve learned to ignore the transfer times from the airport if you’re on a package trip. I booked a hotel that was only 20 minutes away, ideal with an 18 month old. But it took 1hr 20 with all the stop offs! So now I look it up on Google maps and look for a local taxi company!”

 AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!! Why is nothing straight forward and easy??

Right I have forgotten the transfer times, and I will move onto what is in the local area. Is there anything to do whilst we are on holiday? Ali and I both love a waterpark if we can find one. Ali loves history, so is there something that he can tootle off too whilst we sit on the beach? Pete Chatfield from www.householdmoneysaving.com  Is there much to do in the local area? If not, what kind of transport links are there to other areas? A quick google search will often throw up the answers you need. I couldn’t think of anything worse than being stuck in a hotel without much else to do. And if transport isn’t great, hiring a car may be a better option.

This is just getting worse now, I am struggling to make any decisions!!

So I give up on package holidays and decide to look at a static caravan holiday but then discover Eurocamps and all my questions start all over again!!! Oh I give up for today, I will look again tomorrow!!!

Other tips given by fellow bloggers include:

Christy Bruckner Always search if flights and accommodation are cheaper individually. SkyScanner will search for all flights and sometimes it's worth driving a bit further to a different airport for a cheaper flight and you can get a much better price than package deal. www.welshmum.co.uk

Emma Maslin If you are not tied to a specific date (ie school holidays), you will usually find plenty of great deals in the week ahead of travel date so it can pay to leaving booking late. The price saving can mean being able to upgrade to all inclusive for the same price as you would have paid for half board. Or bagging yourself a healthy saving which you can squirrel away for next year’s holiday https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f7f/1/16/1f60a.png😊
Http://themoneywhisperer.co.uk

Heledd Jones  If you're travelling with young kids always check things like flight times (lots are in the early hours!) and transfer times (do you want to be on a bus for hours?!) http://t.co/7ntcFYHdQZ www.yummyblogger.com

Joanna Victoria Bayford If you are going away with family make sure your seats are next to each other on the plane. We pay extra to do this. http://www.joannavictoria.co.uk

Carrie Bradley Signing up to email lists often mean you first hear about any deals about to be launched too.

Booking a flight on a Tue/ Wednesday is often quite a bit cheaper.

I look at the airline facilities/ length of flight/ price / stopover options and whether I can use products like Plane Pal or Bedbox if flying long or ultra long haul with the kids.

We look at what amenities are close by, do we need to hire a car etc- this may affect packing decisions.

We read reviews but take trip advisor with a pinch of salt ( the guy who made up a fake restaurant called the Shed for an experiment managed to become the 1st listing for top London restaurants- through deliberate fake reviews!) I prefer blog reviews or word of mouth from family and friends.

All inclusive - beware of fully inclusive. Try and find out how good the choice is first or you could be stuck. Part of the beauty of travelling is experiencing the local restaurants. But if you are in a remote place- it may be the best (only) option.

I’ve plenty more
https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fd0/1/16/1f602.png
😂https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fd0/1/16/1f602.png😂https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fd0/1/16/1f602.png😂https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fd0/1/16/1f602.png😂
www.flyingwithababy.com
https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fb6/1/16/2708.png 

 
Veronica Mitchell if you are concerned about the issue of expectations vs reality, you can use google street view as there as some areas where you can actually view in 360 degrees virtually.
http://myparentingjourney.com/

 
Victoria Hatton We found a holiday that worked for us, and have done that on repeat for the last six holidays. www.starlightandstories.com

5 comments:

  1. Gosh it can be quite a minefield cant it and time consuming too! I personally always try and get good deals and use tripadvisor for reviews - normally pretty accurate!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Booking a holiday for a family is a chore even before you have endured the flight, transfers etc. If you find somewhere you like and it works for you, I would totally return. We had our first holiday as a family of 4 last year in Majorca and it was brilliant, but stressful with two small children. I felt like I needed a holiday on my own afterwards, ha ha!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Some good tips here - esp about clearing the browser history and cookies. We are planning a break at Easter and I must get on and sort something!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had never thought about it before!! Will do now though :)

      Delete

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