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The new hand luggage essentials

The new hand luggage essentials

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You know I love to travel. It’s not just about exploring and discovering beautiful new places, although that’s a huge incentive. It’s also about connections, meeting new people, and nurturing existing relationships by sharing these fabulous experiences. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, I guess all travel will change, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go! The travel industry needs you. And the lovely people who work in travel, both here and abroad (including me), rely on you to pay their bills. So I thought I’d bring you my thoughts on the new hand luggage essentials. Plus after my life-changing trip to Dominica, it became clear that I really need to up my hand luggage game, so there’s a few in there that aren’t new, but are good reminders.

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Finding myself in Dominica

How I found myself in Dominica - the Caribbean’s nature island

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Oh my goodness, I cannot wait to tell you all about my trip to Dominica. I completely fell in love with this beautiful island and had such a wonderful, life-changing trip travelling back to my Dad’s favourite place in the Caribbean and - not to sound too ‘new agey’, I really felt that I found myself in Dominica - truly discovered a sense of peace and confidence after the sadness and anxiety of our marriage breaking down at Christmas. A wonderful week of feeling so close to nature, of swimming in the endless azure sea, dipping my toes in icy waterfalls, eating delicious fresh fish, dancing with abandon, wandering lush forests and boating along peaceful rivers is, it turns out, exactly what you need to get your head straight.

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Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board

Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board?

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You already know that I’m a huge fan of P&O Cruises. From attending the naming ceremony of Britannia back in 2015, to a foodie cruise with my pal Erica in 2016 and our gorgeous relaxing break on board elegant Oceana last year, I’ve always loved the cruise line’s effortless knack of making a cruiseholiday seem both glam and unstuffy all at the same time. The food on board is always a highlight, and P&O Cruises’ continued partnership with their brilliant Food Heroes means that as well as tasting their food and drinking the wine they choose, you can even get to set sail with them. I absolutely can’t wait to get on board brand new ship, Iona (especially because I love a bit of Scandi chic), and P&O Cruises have just released details of when the Food Heroes will be sailing, so if you fancy combining your holiday of a lifetime with learning a few tricks from your very own favourite wine expert or master pâtissier, here’s your chance: I’ve got a full list of which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board.

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Les Villages Nature Paris: a different way to do Disneyland

Les Villages Nature Paris: a different way to do Disneyland

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I’m always up for a different approach to a Disney holiday, and I’ve recently discovered one that I think you’ll really like - a beautiful resort just a stone’s throw away from Disneyland Paris with tons of space and all sorts of things to do. If you’re a bigger family, this is absolutely perfect for you: a perfect, self catering apartment option with a little Disney magic thrown in. Here’s everything you need to know about Les Villages Nature Paris: a different way to do Disneyland!

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Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy experience

The Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy experience: what to expect from your flight

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You know I’m a big Virgin Atlantic fan and have written about their brilliant service before. After flying to Orlando this week, I thought it might be really interesting to tell you about my Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy experience, so if you’re considering upgrading to Premium on your next trip, you’ll know what to expect and be able to make a decision about whether it’s worth it (spoiler: it SO is!), especially as this time I got to fly in ‘the bubble’ on the upper deck! So on my flight, I took a few pictures and jotted down a few notes for you. Here goes, then, with my Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy experience!

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The new APH parking facility and WIN your holiday parking at Gatwick

The new APH parking facility and WIN your holiday parking at Gatwick *closed*

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I’m lucky enough to need airport parking quite a lot, whether it’s flying off on assignments for Cruise International, or writing about family travel for English Mum, and I always, always use Airport Parking & Hotels (APH). I love their convenient meet and greet service, but recently I had the chance to try the parking at their brand new off-site parking facility at Gatwick. APH’s brand new home is now located even closer to the airport, meaning shorter transfer times to both airport terminals via their swanky liveried shuttle buses. Read on to find out how I got on, and to win your own holiday parking this summer at APH’s brand new Gatwick base.

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Is it worth buying tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Is it worth buying tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party?

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Last year, I told you all my top tips for planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, Florida, one of which was to give serious thought to buying tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Honestly, as I said at the time, it’s not cheap, and there were six of us, so we had to think long and hard about whether to go. So now we’ve had the chance to experience the event and time at home to really process all our favourite things from the holiday, I thought it was time to revisit the question: is it worth buying tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party? Here’s more about what to expect at the event, and a deeper look at whether we thought we got our money’s worth.

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Some of our favourite things to do at Walt Disney World

Some of our favourite things to do at Walt Disney World

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Sometimes, when you’re planning a Disney holiday, it can all seem a bit overwhelming. When I was writing my post with my top tips for planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, I think I touched on the fact that I’d let it all get completely out of hand and was rabidly writing lists and planning out days until Jim gently reminded me that this was, in fact, a lovely family holiday, not some sort of military operation. One of nicest things, I always find, is talking to people about their own cherished memories of their Disney holidays. And when they go all misty eyed and say ‘oh we loved XYZ’, those are the things you should be listening to. So with that in mind, here are our own misty eyed memories - some of our favourite things to do at Walt Disney World.

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Christmas at Universal Studios

Christmas at Universal Studios

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So in my last post all about our family Christmas in Orlando, I told you about our journey in Virgin Atlantic’s new Economy Delight class, and what it’s like to stay at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach resort. The next morning we hit Starbucks early ready for a full day at Universal Studios. The weather forecast was sun and showers, but still, it was so much better than the weather in the UK - shorts and t-shirts in December? Bring on Christmas at Universal Studios! Read more

Our Florida Family Christmas - Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Christmas at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort

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I’ve been promising that I’ll update you all on our Florida family Christmas, and as I’ve got so much to tell you and I don’t want to miss anything out (I’ve had so many messages from people considering Christmas holidays at Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World) I thought I’d split it into a few different parts, with this first bit covering the journey and Christmas at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. This was a big ask as a holiday: we had a pretty varied age range, from young adults to my 78 year old Mum, and a lot of different bucket list items to tick off too. I got myself into a bit of a flap planning it all and in the end Jim had to sit me down and tell me to chill out a bit, as it was starting to look like a bit of a military operation getting everyone to see and experience everything I wanted. As it turned out, we had a lovely mix of relaxing and exploring, and there were loads of wonderful memories made. I’m not going to lie to you: six adults being together 24/7 for 10 days was never going to be 100% without stress, but although it was pretty tiring (and the weather wasn’t great), it was definitely one of the best holidays we’ve ever had.

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Gorgeous new California adventures from Virgin Holidays

Gorgeous new California adventures from Virgin Holidays

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Well, hello October! I was just saying over on Instagram that I’ve got a very mixed (and very lovely) month coming up, with some exciting travel plans, plus some time at home set aside for baking, drinking red wine and planning future trips, of course. Talking of wine and trips, I attended a really lovely lunch last week in London, especially to hear about Virgin Holidays’ exciting plans for some really special new Californian tours. I think California can be a bit daunting as a holiday destination. We Brits head off to Florida without a second thought, but with California, I think maybe we’re a bit more hesitant when it comes to planning a holiday there: it seems huge, potentially expensive and terribly far away, somehow. Happily all that’s going to change (the hesitant bit, not how far away it is - even Richard Branson’s not that good), with the introduction of a really lovely new trio of one-off, personalised California adventures from Virgin Holidays that will really help you to get under the skin of this beautiful, diverse area.

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The free Disney dining offer is back for 2019 holiday bookings!

The free Disney dining offer is back for 2019 holiday bookings!

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I honestly don’t think there’s a bad time to visit Walt Disney World resort in Florida (incidentally, for a heads up on the best times to go and loads of other info, visit my My Walt Disney World top tips post here), but the free Disney dining offer makes a family holiday at Walt Disney World considerably better value. I always recommend you stay at a Disney resort hotel if you’re visiting Walt Disney World (I think all the perks like Extra Magic Hours and free Disney’s Magical Express airport transfers add significant value), but now it’s even better value. If you’re a bit confused about what free Disney dining would mean to your family holiday booking in 2019, read on. I’ve got all the info on how the offer works, plus some top tips on the best places to book, too.

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The perfect French 75 cocktail (pic: Brockmans gin)

The perfect French 75 cocktail

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Let’s be honest, one of the best bits of being on holiday is getting to try ALL the local cocktails, am I right? When the lovely bunch at Travel Republic asked me to contribute to their cocktail-themed travel guide - packed with information about destinations and their signature cocktails - I was happy to oblige and I knew exactly which city (and cocktail) to champion. Mr E and I absolutely love Paris, and to us, the French 75 (or soixante quinze) is synonymous with our favourite destination: chic, stylish, and just a little bit outré. It’s Paris to a T. Here’s how we make our perfect French 75 cocktail at home.

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What kind of traveller are you?

What kind of traveller are you?

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As you can imagine, I travel quite frequently, and it occurs to me regularly that my fellow travellers tend to slot in to a few distinct types. Mr E is definitely the impatient traveller - he strides ahead, leaving me bumbling behind, and can’t bear to queue. I’m a bit more laid back, but I do like a pair of shoes or three, so maybe I’m the fashionista (monochrome of course, dahling). I wonder if you see yourself in any of these descriptions:

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Out and about on Amelia Island: the boys with our beautiful pearly Hertz 4x4

Out and about on Amelia Island

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Recently, you’ll remember, I shared my little Florida secret with you – a deliciously quirky and lovely little barrier island just off the coast of northern Florida called Amelia Island. The boys and I spent a wonderful week there making some treasured memories together, and I wanted to tell you a bit more about what we got up to. We sat down and had a little head to head and came up with our favourite five things to do when you’re out and about on Amelia Island. And guess what’s number one…?

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