Why I love staycations with young children

As you know Emmy and Harry are only 6 and 3 years old, to me they are still only young and can not only be a handful at times but they can also be rather fussy.  Neither like change and also both like to know in advance what we are doing, where we are going and therefore pre-planning is always key for us.

As a family we have only holidayed in the UK so far and I personally think it will stay this way for at least another year, perhaps two.  It’s not that I don’t want to take the children abroad but rather I would like them to be old enough to actually enjoy it and to remember the experience.

There is also the fact that it is obviously far easier to holiday in this country as you can buy all the things you need in the supermarket and I know they children won’t complain about them being different to at home because they won’t be.

For me, family holidays are about having adventures and making memories so the lure of a kids club doesn’t appeal and while all-inclusive food and drink in a far off resort or villa sounds very appealing to me I know it wouldn’t to my children.  They love their food but THEY LOVE THEIR FOOD, food they are used to and eat often, cooked the way they like it.

I don’t feel they are missing out on anything because they know no different.  We have had lots of amazing adventures here in the UK and have yet more places to explore as a family.

Of course you can’t always guarantee the weather when holidaying in the UK but you learn to make the most of it.

Some days can be AMAZING – this was taken in Cornwall when we stayed at the end of August last year.

This was Bournemouth in October

Other times it can be rather cold but you just make the most of it – the wonderful thing about children is they never seem to notice, they see a beach and have to play.

We have had some varied holidays as a family so far, We’ve stayed on a working farm in Cornwall where we rode the tractor to the animals each morning to feed them and to collect eggs for breakfast, we’ve stayed at Butlins and created memories for the children, there have been some amazing camping holidays and fantastic caravan holidays.  We’ve been to Cornwall quite a few times, stayed in the New Forest, Bournemouth, lots of hotels for long weekends away and lots of other places.  Next on our to do list is looking at holiday parks in Devon and I would love to take the children to Centre Parcs as I enjoyed it so much when I took the children I used to Nanny for.

Other advantages of holidays in the UK are that family members and friends can join us too.  Paul’s parents joined us on the farm in Cornwall which was such a great holiday and meant Paul and I could enjoy a night out on our own.  We have been camping with my Brother, Sister-in-Law and Nephews and have enjoyed a great caravan holiday with my best friend and her 4 children and have another holiday this year booked with them and both husbands are coming along this time too.

Next year we are hoping to tie in dates so we can go somewhere with my parents as it will be great for the children to spend a week with their Grandparents. Staying in a hotel can be great fun but sometimes travelling around could be amazing especially if you’ve a well-maintained RV to travel around in.

There are still so many lovely UK locations we are yet to visit, can you recommend a few for next years travels?

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