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Nice to meet you! I live in London, I’m a mum of baby (GG) and toddler (TJ), a travel blogger, and creator of awaywiththelittles.com.
Aside from being a parent, I’ve worked in digital marketing for the past 15 years, partnering with some of the biggest companies and brands in the world. I also love to travel, and since having children I’ve tried to keep that up as much as possible.
The intersection of my three worlds- working in digital, travelling, and becoming a parent – has naturally led me to family travel blogging. And I really love it!
Since the age of 18, travel has been a big part of my life – I’ve been to over 40 countries and counting. But now that I have little ones it’s a whole new world!
I’ve learnt so much in the past 2.5 years since having kids, and it has been my greatest joy to be able to travel, go on adventures, and collect tips & tricks for making these experiences and holidays as fun, and memorable as possible. I’m here to share everything I’ve learnt, and continue to learn, with you!
I live in London, but was born in Ireland, and spent most of my childhood in the beautiful Devonshire countryside until I finished school at 18. Before that time, I hadn’t been far – a few holidays in France, a German exchange, and a post-exams holiday to Greece with my friends probably covers it.
It wasn’t until I packed my bags and booked a trip around the world that I became truly hooked. Exploring South East Asia, Australia, and camper-vanning around New Zealand really built up my appreciation of our beautiful planet, and different ways of life.
There followed Christmas trips to New York, mini-breaks to all the beautiful cities and countryside that Europe has to offer, and discovering the breathtaking world in itself that is Canada.
Fast forward a few years and many more trips… The pandemic hit, travel halted, and at the end of 2021 we started a little family… so I had to reassess everything.
A common theme you’ll find with all travel blogs is a love of travelling. It goes without saying. You have to feel so truly passionate and excited by exploring the world to be able to want to dedicate your time to tell everyone about what you love!
After becoming a mother to two under two and I took to the internet to understand how to continue enjoying travel whilst entertaining two little people. I was apprehensive to say the least.
After spending the first year with our baby trying to do a combination of luxury holidays like we used to (going to not very child-friendly destinations) and also more family-friendly trips that were less luxury and slightly more budget friendly (which just weren’t for me) we knew we had to go back to the drawing board.
I started off googling ‘family friendly holidays’ and ended up with 50 million tabs open, and a real dizzy head.
There is SO much information out there. But… through a lot of trial and error, I started finding hotels, resorts, and experiences that ticked the boxes of ‘great for adults’, luxury/comfortable, and family-friendly. Hurrah!
AWTL has been born out of a refusal to compromise on my passion for travel since having children. So my aim is to bring together all my learnings, research and experiences into one place to help other families navigate with a little more ease. Finding the best hotels, lovely restaurants and amazing scenery – all within a location that seamlessly caters the needs of our little ones…
It sounds like a lot, but it really is possible. Follow along with me!
Yes it’s tough, expensive, stressful, time consuming, and often feels like perhaps not worth the effort. Life when you’re away from home certainly has its hurdles… but then so does being at home every day of the year?!
I truly believe that investing in holidays, travels, and adventures, and discovering the world through the eyes of children is one of the most wonderful parts of being a parent. It shouldn’t wait until the kids are older, ‘when they can remember it all’. There are so many benefits to travelling with your children from a young age.
Adults – particularly parents- can fall into a trap where you’re so focused on your children, making sure everything’s organised, and everyone is happy, that you become a little detached from your actual surroundings, and don’t experience the sense of joy of being away. Going away with young children and taking time to see the world through their eyes is a sure-fire way to avoid that.
Their little sense of wonderment is infectious, the awe in their eyes, their attention to tiny details like colourful birds or the sea tickling their toes… it can give you a whole new perspective on your location or situation.
Visiting new places with kids also exposes them to so many new things: smells, sights, sounds that they wouldn’t get to experience at home. They learn so much from these little interactions, which perfectly complements the more traditional style of learning they’ll experience once they’re at school.
We’ve absolutely found that our little ones go through such a growth spurt (mentally and physically) any time we go away with them, and it’s so wonderful to see.
Even if your children are too young to remember each and every detail- that’s so fine!
What matters is RIGHT NOW, and your collective experiences of their childhood.
If you’re thinking about it, do it. I promise, you won’t regret it.
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