If you read Ten Reasons you should try Home Swapping you will undoubtedly have questions. I get asked a lot of questions about the home exchanges that we do from people who are either curious or genuinely very keen, and so I thought I'd do a Home Exchange FAQ to help answer some of them. 1. Do people get to look in your underwear drawer? The first question always relates to underwear. And I would say yes, they do- or rather they could. But also … [Read more...]
EdinburghAtoZ: an Instagram tour of our family visit to the Scottish Capital
We were in Edinburgh over Christmas. We shared the fun of our latest Home Exchange trip over on Instagram in the form of an #EdinburghAtoZ. If you missed it, then I have compiled the images here so that you can see what a fun place Edinburgh is to visit at any time of year. A is for Arthur's Seat. B is for Bagpipes. They sound less unpleasant North of the Border. C is for Cobbles. D is for Drambuie. Or a dram of something else. E is for … [Read more...]
10 Reasons you should try Home Swapping
I was recently interviewed by Mums Do Travel talking about our experience with Home Exchanges. It's something I get asked about a lot because of all the photos I post on instagram, but never seem to write about. So I thought I would share with you 10 reasons you should try Home Swapping. 1. Cost: er, hello, free accommodation! What's not to love about that? Given that accommodation is one of the greatest costs of a holiday, the … [Read more...]
48 Hours in Edinburgh with children
Packing for Christmas is always challenging. But we were lucky with the weather when we went to Scotland last month. If you are heading North of the Border soon, here are some things you could do if you have 48 Hours in Edinburgh with children. A quick hour or so from Gatwick, you barely have time to enjoy the proffered complimentary crisps-or-cookies with your on-board beverage, before The Girls want to know why their ears are popping. It … [Read more...]
Simple Halloween party ideas
It is surprisingly easy to put together a Halloween party, even if you weren't planning one. We certainly weren't when The Girls insisted we have one last October half-term when we were in Belgium. They do say that necessity is the mother of invention, so here are a few simple Halloween party ideas that we used. A party needs three things: 1. food 2. activities 3. dressing up. For some parties, Dressing Up may just be putting … [Read more...]
Childhood running free: our holiday in Northern Norway
Up until recently we were living in the centre of a busy London Borough on a main road. My children never went beyond the front door without me. They never ventured beyond my line of sight. This, more than anything, is the experience that has informed all our holiday decisions. We go camping, stay on farms, walk along beaches. We give them experiences: the chance to run free, barefoot, past their bedtime. The chance to feed lambs in their pjs. … [Read more...]
What can you pack in a Playaway Case?
Half-term in our house means House Swap, so we are readying ourselves for a trip to The Continent to spend some family time together. The older that The Girls get the easier it becomes to make ready. They insist on choosing their special things to go into their special suitcases, which I discovered last year at the Baby and Toddler Show. After I wrote the last post about the PlayAway Case, I had a couple of questions about what you could … [Read more...]
