Family Friendly Travel Blog

Searching for Work / Life Balance? FREE BOOK

 

Being a mum is a busy job.

Unless you’re careful being a working mum can be a relentless struggle...so how can you achieve happiness and fulfillment in your work whilst still being the kind of mum that you want to be? 

 

More and more mums are realising that the only way to achieve what they want from life is to do it on their terms by running their own business.

 

6 years ago, when I set up www.totstotravel.co.uk, the world of the mumpreneur was very limited. There were only a few of us figuring out how it’s done. 

 

Now, there is an amazing support network, plenty of advice and more and more women looking to carve out a life on their terms. There are even a bevvy of business opportunities to suit every pocket, lifestyle and skill set.

 

I believe that working for yourself is the only way forward to live life on your terms and achieve the work / life balance that we all seek.

 

That’s why I’ve written my new e-book 'Searching for Work / Life Balance? 31 Top secrets to starting your own business AND achieving work / life balance'.

 

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY!

 

If you're tired of juggling like a circus performer and still not making the money you want, you can order a FREE copy of 'Searching for Work / Life Balance?' by clicking on the link below:

 

YES PLEASE, SEND ME MY FREE COPY OF 'SEARCHING FOR WORK / LIFE BALANCE'

 

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK WITH TOTS TO TRAVEL?

 

Our business has grown by an amazing 97% for two years on the trot, which is why we are looking to grow our team of successful Lettings Experts both here in the UK and across Europe.

 

We only have 10 spaces to offer this year so if you want to start your journey to finding that elusive balance working with us, why not also drop us a line on penny@totstotravel.co.uk and we'll be happy to arrange a chat with you about this exciting business opportunity.

 

Here's what one of our Lettings Experts, Sara, has to say about her business with Tots...

 

"Since completing my training at Head Office at the end of September last year, I have had a great time building up my business, with fantastic support.

 

With two young children and another due any day, the most important thing to me was finding something I could really get my teeth into but would completely work around the children...working with Tots to Travel allows me to do just that!

 

Being my own boss is great; I am able to decide when and where I work, which is perfect for a working mum who always has so much to do!"

 

Top tips for baby packing...

With the first big holiday season of the year fast approaching, we've teamed up with www.whattowearonholiday.com to bring you their fab tips on what to pack for a baby-friendly break...

1. Fold-away blanket – useful for everything. You can drape it over the buggy to block the sun's glare, wrap up someone who needs a nap to keep them cosy or sit on it for an impromptu picnic.

2. Light, natural-fibre clothing - take plenty of layers so you can cope with extremes of temperature. A hooded top is very useful, for keeping both the cold and the sun out.

3. Sunsuit and hat with UV protection - for warmer climes, all-in-one bathing suits and legionnaire hats are brilliant – they have high sun factors built-in.

4. Trekking towel – easy to pack, lightweight and folds up to nothing.

5. Sun cream - always take it with you so you get to decide what to put on your child’s skin, not just make do with what’s available.

6. Your chosen brand of baby wipes - baby skin can be sensitive to changing brand and they're indispensable for all spills, not just baby’s.

7. Teething aids - a chewy ring, Calgel and homoeopathic teething granules (or your teething soother of choice).

8. 2 days’ supply of nappies – buy the rest there; far too bulky to carry.

9. Nappy sacks – useful for the whole family’s rubbish.•

10. 2 days’ supply of milk formula – ready prepared in a bottle as you will be asked to taste a little of the milk, to prove it’s what you say it is. The same applies to food – you’ll need to open and taste whatever you’re carrying, so be prepared.

11. Any brand you use routinely and really wouldn’t want to be without – a small amount only, to tide you over until you can either stock up at your destination or find an alternative.

12. Glove puppet, games, cards, etc for the journey - preferably something they haven't seen before for extra novelty interest.

13. Pushchair/pram - in most airports you can wheel this right up to the plane before it gets stowed.

14. The ‘can’t live without’ toy . . .

What are your must have items when packing for your little ones? Let us know below, we'd love to hear them!

Idyllic Italy - baby & budget friendly!

We've spent lots of time chatting with our owners in Italy over the past couple of weeks - regulations on pools are changing and in some areas, it is becoming obligatory to fence a pool if it will be shared by several different families (not an issue here, most of our owner's pools are fully fenced anyway of course!)

What's been really interesting is how much insider knowledge there is out there, which can make the difference between a good holiday and a great one.

We thought we'd share with you our top 5 ways to get the best possible value out of a holiday in idyllic Italy...

1. Flex your flights...

There are usually at least 3 airports within a manageable drive so shop around the airlines – www.skyscanner.net is a useful site for comparing options. Changing airports and dates makes a huge difference and many properties offer flexible arrivals out of peak season – it’s always worth asking.

Insider tip 1:
For Tuscany, try flying to Genoa – much cheaper flights, smaller airport with car hire in a car park just over a small road. The drive is longer (3 hrs) but the journey takes in beautiful coastal views and the family could plan a stop en-route. 

Bologna airport (2.5 hrs) is also cheaper, and has a Ferrari shop which boys will love! It’s also much easier to find stopping places en-route, as you don’t have to pull off the autostrada (which you do from Genoa).

Special offer – try out these flights en route to Casa Barile, Tuscany – 10% off remaining weeks in June 2011.
 
2. Share and share alike...

If you’re travelling by yourselves, consider an apartment rather than a stand-alone house, or go for a larger house and bring friends or family along to split the cost.

Insider tip 2:

Beautiful larger houses such as Casa Agio, Tuscany, Casa Massignano, Le Marche or Casa Castagna, Umbria have room for 2 or 3 families to share, cutting the cost significantly. You can also share hire cars and childcare, so you all get to truly wind down too.
 
3. Owner’s input...

Get the owner’s advice (or ask us and we’ll do so for you) – they know the best value restaurants, great beaches and attractions better than anyone, so not a penny of your holiday budget is wasted.

Insider tip 3:

At La Fattoria, Umbria, for example, the owners can advise you on everything from child friendly restaurants, pizza making and playgrounds, to local ‘festas’, bike trails, lake beaches and waterfalls.
 
4. Broaden your horizons...

Some of the lesser known regions of Italy are equally as beautiful, but are far less ‘touristy’ so prices are generally lower (there are lots of airports with low cost airline flights too).

Insider tip 4:

Le Marche has everything from sunflowers and vineyards to mountains and cracking beaches – but with ‘local prices’ rather than ‘tourist prices’. 

Di Bove, for example, is a lovely traditional farmhouse, converted into 4 apartments (so lower cost that a stand alone house); all our Marche owners are passionate about their region and we are too!
 
5. Remember Italians LOVE children!

I asked all our Italian owners for their input on why Italy is a great value family friendly holiday destination... and every last one mentioned how much Italians love children!

Insider tip 5:

Take advantage of the family culture to take a break from cooking and return home truly refreshed - restaurants and cafes have children’s menus and families are welcomed with open arms.

You’ll be able to enjoy dining out without feeling obliged to leave the children with a babysitter. If you do still want to have that ‘grown up’ night off, most properties offer English speaking babysitting - Da Mossa, Le Marche, for example, where you can get one night’s babysitting FREE.

Special offer: £100 off all remaining April and May weeks at Da Mossa.

As always, if you'd like us to give you a hand choosing the right Italian idyll for you and your family, just drop us a line on enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk or call us on 0845 26 941 26, we'd love to help!

Tots to Travel Just Go! Awards - search is on for best family friendly travel products

We're very excited to announce that on Monday 4th April 2011, we are launching the Tots to Travel Just Go! Awards, the UK’s first awards focused exclusively on family friendly travel products.

We are inviting entries for products that genuinely make the life of parents easier when travelling with young children aged four and under.

Travelling with babies, toddlers and young children can be hard work. They need a huge amount of kit just to make everyday tasks manageable. While we do our best to ensure all our properties are fully equipped with the kit parents need, we know that there are some excellent travel products on the market that make life for parents that much easier. These awards aim to recognise those products.

Products can be entered into one of five categories and there is a category for the best travel apps too:

• Feeding – whatever parents need to feed their child on holiday, whether it’s the actual food or kit needed to get it in them
• Sleeping – whatever parents need to get their little ones to sleep, whether out and about or at the holiday accommodation
• For the journey – any products that will make getting to the holiday easier, whether that’s for use in cars, planes, trains or ferries!
• Safety – anything that keeps your tots as safe on holiday as they would be at home
• Fun & games – anything that will keep your tots happy and entertained, because happy kids = happy parents
• Apps – any apps for use on smartphones or tablet pcs that make holidays easier.

Entries open on 4 April 2011 and will close on 30 April 2011. Finalists will be announced in May with winners being announced via a virtual award ceremony on Twitter on 30 June 2011.

For more information and to access the entry form, go to www.justgoawards.co.uk (the site will be live from 4 April 2011).

We're very excited and look forward to receiving all your entries! 

Best of luck! :-)