Family Friendly Travel Blog

Desperate for a holiday? Top budget tips to help you find the funds

Customers often tell us that the family holiday is the last thing they could bear to cut back on when they are watching the pennies. 

That precious time out is what we all need to refresh us and we look forward to it for months on end.  So, with family budgets in mind, here are some top Tots tips to help you plan for your best family friendly holiday yet...

1. Break it down... 

Book at least 6 months ahead, preferably more, then break down the costs and when they’ll be due:

• Accommodation
• Flights/ferries
• Car hire (don’t forget to budget for fuel too!)
• Airport parking (often overlooked!)
• Spending money
• Travel insurance
• Clothes, sun creams, etc

You can then make a monthly savings plan and avoid a last minute hammering of the credit card. There’s little or no truth in the ‘last minute bargain holiday’ idea for peak Summer weeks. Availability is very limited, flights/ferries are more expensive and car hire is limited. 

2. Check the paperwork well in advance...

Check your passport is valid and that the children have them at least 3 months before you go.  Last minute applications are stressful and more expensive so check now and put a reminder in your calendar 6 months before they expire.

The same goes for luggage allowances and insurance – a hefty charge for heavy bags before you’ve even taken off or irretrievably lost valuables certainly won’t set you on the path to familial holiday bliss... 

3. Pain-free cutbacks...

Money saving expert Martin Lewis recommends looking through your monthly outgoings for the little things you could cut out without changing your lifestyle; turning everything on standby to off, cancelling unused TV channels or dropping down to 2 Starbucks coffees a week instead of 5 (hmm, not sure I could do that one myself!) are just a few suggestions.

Starting an 'ice cream fund' is also a nice way to get the little people excited about saving - they can decorate the jar and help you fill it with spare household change that you can cash in before you travel. 

4. Plan for the journey...

Think ahead to what meals you are likely to need en-route and pack a picnic, snacks and drinks.  Your children will love eating in an unusual place and it will save you a fortune in motorway services, airport cafes and on the plane.

The same goes for entertainment – pack your own colouring books and card games rather than being caught out on route when fractious little people begin to get bored... 

Timing the journey when they need to sleep can also save on too many stops.  

5. Self cater....

With self catering you are not dependent on expensive restaurants.  Buy food from local markets and plan picnics. Many holiday home owners now offer home-cooked food too, which still gives you a break but at a fraction of the cost of a restaurant. 

Why not seek out accommodation within walking distance of shops, restaurants or parks, and spend a few days without using the car too? 

6. Foreign exchange...

Don't leave purchasing Euros until you get to the airport. It's worth hunting around for the best exchange rate. WHICH? advise that there is a marked difference between the high street and airports, with a difference of almost £35 between the highest and lowest foreign currency providers. 

 7. Still keep the treats...

Try to build treats into your holiday budget but space them out. Plan a meal or two out, perhaps on your first or last night, and maybe some form of paid entertainment like horse riding in between.  

Simple pleasures like walking around a market, playing in the pool or eating ice cream on the beach can fill the rest; remember your children will just love spending quality time with you and won’t miss expensive treats!

Our new Great Value range of child friendly holiday properties across Europe have the keenest of prices - why not check them out?

Netmums research shows toddlers wear the trousers on holiday...

Toddlers are the decision makers in the family when it comes to choosing where to go on holiday, according to new research by Netmums and Eurocamp.

The study of over one thousand families with young children revealed that over half of parents (52%) base their holiday choice solely on what is available for their toddler, and 40% of those surveyed admit that unless their toddler is completely happy, they are likely to have a fraught and difficult holiday.   

'Home-from-home comforts' came out on top of the list of must-haves for parent to feel settled on holiday; 'travelling with toddlers' is considered the most stressful part for 30% of parents, over a fifth worry over available space for their belongings and over a quarter admit that worry about the safety of their young child has affected their overall holiday experience. 

This just goes to show yet again how a few well thought out provisions in a holiday property can make the difference between a holiday being 'like home but harder' (as a friend once described their family break to me!) and it being a truly relaxing, genuinely family-friendly time.

Home-cooked food, baby & toddler equipment, plenty of storage and a 'safety first' approach can allay all of these worst parental fears...and I'm very happy to say that working with our owners, we have the customer feedback to prove it!

What do you worry most about in planning a family holiday? 

What would make the biggest difference to you in a holiday property?

Tell us what really counts for you; we'd love to share the best ideas with our owners! Either post a comment below or email us on claire@totstotravel.co.uk to share your thoughts...

Holiday spending money stretchers!

We always seem to spend more when we're on holiday than we think we will so with the launch of our new Great Value range this week, here are my top tips for stretching your spending money further once you're on your hols too...

1. Card or cash? Use your debit or credit card in shops and restaurants, rather than taking cash out of a machine, to avoid the fees both debit and credit cards charge for withdrawing cash abroad. But don't forget to let your bank know or they may stop it if they note the purchase is not in your usual location.

 

2. Drinks and snacks... Shop for little treats like ice creams in the supermarket rather than the parlours, where they'll be twice the price. 'Tube' yogurts also make great ice lollies if you keep a few in the freezer for when you're hanging out at your villa.

3. Don't 'phone home'... Calls cost the Earth when you're away but it's free to receive a text. If you need to reply, 'lrn 2 spk txt'. If you've got a laptop or internet access, you can go one better and use an ‘internet to phone' calling system like Skype (provided the person you're calling also has Skype of course!)

4. Parking... It's easy to forget about how you’re actually going to get to the airport (I speak from experience!?) The earlier you book your airport parking, the more you'll save; booking well in advance could cut the cost by up to 50%.

5. Annual insurance... If you expect to take the family away for a couple of holidays per year, annual policies are almost always cheaper. Remember to take a copy of the policy with you and leave one at home with someone else, just in case.

6. Essential EHIC card... A must have for any foreign travel is the free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This entitles you to any necessary medical treatment, during a visit to another European Economic Area country (you and the children all need one each).

7. Go local for car hire... If you're heading to an English speaking country, or are fluent in the lingo, Google the country's car hire sites as they may be cheaper. It will usually be priced in Euros though, so double check the exchange rate to be sure of the exact cost.

8. Words and pictures... Download and print out colouring pictures from children’s websites, such as CBeebies, rather than buying colouring books. You could also take a trip to the library the week before you go for everyone to choose their favourite bedtime reads – the return date won’t usually be until well after you get back.

9. Cheap tickets... Look out for discounts at family attractions in the area during term time. Once the older children return to school, they’re keen to attract younger families to make up the numbers.

10. Take a picnic! It saves you money and the little people can get back to playing much more quickly! They can help you choose the contents (a shopping list with pictures works a treat in our house), carry some in a backpack and may even eat more – a winner all round!

11. Weigh your luggage... It’s far better to know before you leave home than be faced with steep charges when you check in - and let’s face it, how much time are you really going to have for reading that stockpile of books with the tiny tearaways to contend with?! At least travelling with us means you can cut back on lots of the kit you would otherwise need, since it’s already there for you!

All our properties have a factsheet with exactly what will be there for you - why not take a look when you book?

For more advice on the most economical way to enjoy your Tots holiday, drop us a line on enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk or call us on 0845 26 941 26; all our property owners have a wealth of information about their areas and are sure to have some great ideas to help you watch the pennies without missing out!

Just 24 hours to go to enter the Tots to Travel Just Go! Awards!

We can't wait to begin judging the fantastic entries we've received for the inaugural Tots to Travel Just Go! Awards - and there's only 24 hours to go!

Here's a reminder on the categories:

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.

Entry forms and details of how to enter are available here: www.justgoawards.co.uk

Fab feedback for Tots L'Ancienne Ferme...

We've just received this lovely feedback from a very satisfied guest of one of our wonderful properties and owners in Charente - Janette at L'Ancienne Ferme.

Had to share it with you!

We've just come back from L'Ancienne Ferme, between La Rochelle and Bordeaux. 

I just wanted to say thank you for providing such great service for parents with toddlers. We had a fantastic time and a lot of it was thanks to the property being really child friendly.

I wanted at the same time to recommend the property to anyone who is looking for relaxing holidays with children! There is no pool, but who needs it when you have an amazing garden to discover everyday. The owner made sure that toddlers have plenty of things to do, which includes a recently finished wooden playhouse with all kitchen accessories. My daughter spent half of the holidays there!

And this was not everything...local wine (produced 2 houses away), home cooked meals, bikes with child seats and a fantastic location to discover; lovely towns in the area as well as enjoing time on the beach.

...Janette and the family, they are doing a fantastic job! 

Kinga Byrne, April 2011

SPECIAL OFFER: 10% off the advertised price for all remaining July & August 2011 weeks at L'Ancienne Ferme.

Top travel app tips for kids!

‘Are we there yet?’  ‘I’m bored.’ ‘What can we do?’ .... Sound familiar?

Holidaying with children can involve a lot of luggage and even more whinging. But thanks to a raft of apps for smartphones and tablet devices, holidays can be made a lot easier. 

Here is my list of the top apps to have on your phone for family friendly holidays...

1.      Entertainment

Instead of trying to squeeze bulky toys into your suitcase, try some of these child friendly holiday games, many of which are online versions of family favourite board games. They come into their own during flights and long car journeys. 

Primary school age:

Fantastic 4 in a row – like Connect 4 – free (EnsenaSoft)

It’s just like Connect 4 except you can choose what sort of balls to use and just play by yourself or with a partner (Barnaby Shand, 8)

Snailmail Lite – steer a snail along a track – free (by Sandlot Games)

It’s really good fun. I like the way that you just move the snail around by moving the iphone.  It starts off quite easy and then gets harder and has good graphics (Barnaby Shand, 8)

Angry Birds – shoot birds at pigs, who’ll grin at you if you miss. It’s addictive for all ages – free for various versions (by Rovio Mobile)

Scrabble and Boggle – family favourites available for iphones and ipads – prices from 59p to £2.39 (by Electronic Arts Nederland BV) 

It’s really cool because it gives you a bigger vocabulary.  It has fun graphics and you can play against other people. (Barnaby, 8)

I like shaking it at the beginning of the game because it makes a good noise and feels like you’re shaking the letters. (Maisy, 7)

 

Pre-schoolers and toddlers:

Animal Preschool Shape Puzzles – 7 cute animal puzzles to make with a funny monkey giving lots of praise, helps with fine motor skills – free (by CFC s.r.o)

Tapping Zoo for kids: 3-in-1 – Great for younger kids, animal flashcards and sounds lets toddlers name the animal, plus it has a memory game – 59p (Tipitap)

It’s good for learning the animals. It has photos of animals and little ones can learn the animal sounds by copying the noise (Maisy Shand, 7, for Monty, 1)

Wheels on the bus – an award-winning app that kids can sing along to in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German – perfect for those holidays abroad!

Interactive musical book - £1.19 (by Duck Duck Moose)

Toddler Teasers – a series of apps all aimed at teaching toddlers basics like shapes, colours, numbers, letter, words, food and a bunch more, with instructions said out loud, so toddlers understand what they need to do without being able to read. Some are free, some of 59p (By Toddler Teasers

Nursery Rhymes with StoryTime – highly rated interactive book with beautiful designs featuring nursery rhyme characters, that lets the parent ‘read’ the story, even if they’re not there as they can record their voice - £2.39 (by ustwo) 

Babies:

Animal Sounds for Baby – for babies 6 months up, babies can touch the screen to hear an animal sound, tilt the screen to see the animals slide and shake it to ‘tickle’ the animal – free (Fisher-Price)

Baby-Silencer – babies between the ages of 3 and 6 months need visual stimulation. These moving shapes and images will keep them transfixed, perfect while trying to keep them quiet while waiting for take off - Free (by Jolly1312)

Also download their (and your!) favourite books onto iBooks or the Kindle app to save on luggage weight. 

2.      Travel basics

TripAdvisor – for reviews on a huge number of accommodation options, restaurants and things to do around the world – free

Foursquare – go where the locals go with this social networking site that will help you find great places, like where to eat and things to do, with tips from people who’ve been there before - free

Google Maps – so that you can find your way anywhere – free

TomTom – satnav for UK/Ireland (£39.99) or Western Europe (£42.99)

Google Translate – to help communicate with the locals - free

XE – the currency converter app so you can figure out how much you’re spending – free

Weather+ - gives you weather conditions and a 5-day forecast of all worldwide weather stations plus a world clock so you can tell the time in your current location and alternate location – free (by International Travel Weather Calculator)

3.      Making life easier

Baby Sleep comforter – playing sounds like natural womb sounds, babbling brook, gentle rain, vacuum cleaner or classical music, the soothing sounds will block out other sounds your baby isn’t used to in a foreign place, enabling better sleep – £1.79 (by Baby Sleep Shop).

There are also plenty of others like this that are free.

Find Baby Changing Facilities – find a suitable place to change your baby or toddler anywhere in the world with this handy app - £1.19 (By OndemandWorld) or for UK holidays, try the UK equivalent app NappyApp  which allows parents to rate the facilities on offer - £1.19 (by ToyGuard UK Ltd

Geocaching – kids bored of looking at quaint villages or ancient ruins? Get them hunting for treasure by looking up the nearest geocache and go searching for it - $9.99 and worth every penny! Or try the free Android version from C:Geo

Ocado – order your groceries while you’re away so that you have food ready to be delivered once you get home – free (by Ocado ltd).

We don’t think kids or their parents should be glued to a screen on holiday, but having these handy apps on standby can help you through long journeys and makes  it easier to plan how to spend your time while you’re away - and they can significantly cut down on the weight of your luggage!

Sun Awareness Week 2011 - sun safety tips from skincare expert

This week is Sun Awareness Week, established by the British Association of Dermatologists to raise awareness of the skin cancer risk associated with sun exposure.

I thought it would be a good idea to share with you again this useful interview on family sun safety that I did last year with skincare expert Karen Massey; she is the author of a book on how to deal with the various threats to our skin and a whole host of common conditions such as eczema - entitled 'Skin Health'.

FAMILY SUN SAFETY ADVICE FROM SKINCARE EXPERT KAREN MASSEY

The Ickworth - Luxury family holidays at their best

We recently opted for a touch of luxury en famille at The Ickworth Hotel in Suffolk, and lovely it was too!  

The hotel, set in the west wing of this amazing National Trust property and former home of the Hervey family, is simply an extraordinary setting, particularly in the early spring sunshine.  As you roll through the main gates and across the Capability Brown landscape you begin to get a taster of what life with blue blood must have been like...for a few days we too can pretend.

As we pulled up and walked up the steps of the hotel we were greeted by a range of wellies, a clear indication that somebody has put some thought into what makes a good family break... so far the signs are good. The welcome was warm and friendly, as was the guide who took us to our rooms – a contemporary suite of rooms, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a separate corridor for baby Monty and a sitting area with a TV.  It was more than we had expected and gave us more than adequate space for all 5 of us.  

The rest of the hotel did not disappoint either.  The glorious walled gardens, admittedly bathed in April sunshine, were the perfect place for the kids to hang out safely.  The plethora of ride on toys, climbing frames (for all sizes), swings, trampoline and balls kept my brood entertained whilst Rob and I sipped tea, ate a cream tea and watched proudly for at least 5 minutes until the children realised that there were scones in the offing!

My 8 year old will tell you that his favourite part of our time away was the food which was varied, appealing and plentiful!  He was particularly enthusiastic about the breakfast (a wide and varied choice that included pancakes and maple syrup) and the pudding at tea time...yes he has a very sweet tooth.  

From my perspective the food was healthy, homemade and delicious, although I would say that the portions were too big (and therefore expensive) for our 1 year old and too small for the older two.  I think there is room here to vary the portion sizes or I’m told by other mums that some of the other Von Essen Hotels have a buffet which would work too.  I’d also say that we could have done with lunch being available a bit earlier as we’re at that stage where Baby Monty has passed his ‘golden moment’ by 11.30am!

Adult mealtimes however were a delight.  The food delicious, the wine (too) moreish, the staff charming and the setting glorious.  Of particular mention was our waiter who was eager to advise us on our choice of wine, his suggestion of the 2007 Tuscan “Bad Boy” ended up being a particularly memorable choice.  We both went to bed having eaten far too much.

My one grumble about hotels has always been the fact that you end up being crammed sardine like in one bedroom, with nowhere to go after the kids have gone to bed.  The solution of course is more expensive – interconnecting rooms and a baby listening service within a hotel which is small enough not to be too far away from your offspring.  The receptionist raised a note of caution to remind us to switch off the baby listening device when we got upstairs...we wondered how often guests got caught out?

As for things to do, we hired bikes (plenty of choice, bike seats, sizes, helmets and all well maintained) and cycled for ages without leaving the safety of the estate; we ordered the most delicious picnic which we took to the walled vegetable garden (enormously memorable), swam and played tennis.  I had a spa treatment (aahh) whilst the kids found the playroom and the Bears’ Den.  Frankly we didn’t have time to leave Baby Monty with the carers in the Bears’ Den (2 hours of childcare is included in the price) although it was impressively well stocked and extremely clean.

All in all, my (minor) criticisms are nothing more than nit picking.  This place is extremely impressive, as you would expect from the Von Essen chain, well thought out and, dare I say it, extremely family friendly.  If you need a treat, then come here, relax and use all the facilities; you’ll leave feeling rested and that somehow your genetic lineage perhaps could have been bluer!

For more information visit The Ickworth Hotel website.

Tots to Travel Just Go! Awards - entry deadline extended to Sun 15 May!

Excitement is running high here at Tots Towers with all the lovely entries to our inaugural Just Go! Awards! So much so that we've decided to extend the deadline for entries to Sun 15 May 2011, giving you all more time to enter (but us less time to judge before the big reveal in June - eek!)

We've had some fabulous applications so far and are very much looking forward to the judging.

Why not enter today? Application forms and details of how to enter are available at www.justgoawards.co.uk