11 April 2022

Where has the time gone? So it’s been a little while since my last blog, yes yes 2 years to be exact ??, but now travel is opening back up again I thought it was time for an update! Covid has affected everyone over the last two years but none more so than the travel industry. However, throughout the pandemic I have been busy ensuring my customers could still dream of a well-earned break somewhere – whether abroad or in this country. Of course, whilst travel abroad was not permitted during the various lockdowns, I was helping customers with their existing bookings making sure we could move them to hopefully a time when travel was permitted. This proved to be quite a challenge but one I was determined to do to ensure there was hope at the end of the pandemic. Unfortunately, there were lots of bookings that I moved more than once but I am glad to say that I managed to do this and keep the holiday dream alive for so many of you. With going in and out of lockdowns, so many things changed and the government advice on travel once it started to be permitted was very confusing and constantly changing. I did my best to keep up with this and managed to advise my customers on what was required, mainly the varying testing requirements which was confusing all round! However, I had customers that successfully made it away in between lockdowns to various locations abroad which was so pleasing to see. I loved receiving the feedback and wonderful photographs from customers enjoying a break from the stress of the pandemic. I successfully sent customers to such places as Canaries, Balearics, Turkey & Cyprus to name a few! It wasn’t just about being able to get people on a plane and abroad, with all the restrictions I was also having to be creative and find the ideal break in the UK as well. With no foreign travel permitted, UK breaks were becoming extremely popular and in high demand. I was able though to book some wonderful holidays in the UK and with the lovely weather we had during the lockdowns these were just as good, if not better, than a foreign escape. This country has so much to offer and again, I loved receiving feedback and photographs from around the country from places such as The Lake District, Shropshire, Cornwall & The Cotswolds. Away from sending customers on holiday, what else have I been up to during the pandemic? Well working from home and being a Mum of three lovely children, I also had to become teacher too. My husband was on the essential workers list so had to go in every day leaving me to organise the kids ‘school’ days. So the morning would exist of setting up laptops, phones, tablets etc to log into the various lessons they had planned….. all before turning my own laptop on and getting stuck into moving holidays around for my customers. Fortunately, my husband managed to juggle his hours and be at home every Friday allowing me a little bit of respite! As the world changed and more people were working from home, there was also an increase in home offices appearing in people’s gardens…. After unfortunately not being able to keep my office on at the Grove Business Park, I didn’t want to be left out, So I managed to set one up myself and now have my very own home office, known as ‘The Cabin’! This is a lovely space for me to be able to separate work and home life and a comfortable space for me to be able to meet customers in person now. I did also manage to get away for some breaks within lockdown as restrictions eased but won’t go into those here, so look out for some following blogs! So that’s a brief update on the last two years, what a journey it’s been for us all! I hope you are all keeping well, and I look forward to catching up with old customers as well as welcoming new customers as life begins to get back to the ‘new normal’.

13 January 2020

Ok, so it’s not actually Disney but whilst we were enjoying our trip of a lifetime in Florida, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to visit the incredible Kennedy Space Centre. Kennedy Space Centre is located around and hour and half’s drive from our villa on the East Coast of Florida. We set off early and were all just a little bit excited about seeing the lift off platforms, some space rockets and the possibility of spotting the odd alligator! It’s a pretty straightforward drive so felt like no time at all to get there. The approach is very picturesque with a nice drive across the Indian River onto Merritt Island where the visitors centre is situated. We arrived and parked, then walked to the entrance and could already spot some rockets. Once inside we planned our day. There is lots to see and do and all separated into ‘mission zones’ so we decided to start with a 3D exploration of NASA space history before moving onto the ‘Behind the Gates mission zone’ which include the bus tour. The tour was extremely exciting as it drove us out to see the launch pads. First though, we drove towards and past the massively impressive Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The VAB, as the name suggest, is where all the rockets are built so of course, has to be enormous. It was used to manufacture the Saturn V rocket and the Space Shuttle’s (more about them later). It is in fact the largest single storey building in the world and each of the stripes on the US flag on the side is 9 feet wide and the blue corner part of the flag is the size of a basketball court! As we drove past the VAB we also saw the NASA launch centre before passing some of the launch pads. It’s quite something to think that all the missions to space including Apollo and the Space Shuttles where launched from the pads there. When we finished the bus tour which takes about an hour, we returned to the visitor centre and onto the next ‘mission zone’. This one was ‘race to the moon’ and we started by watching a film about the mission to land on the moon and sat in a mock up of the NASA launch control centre. Although it isn’t actually the control centre it is all the original equipment and it is amazing sitting there with actual footage looking at the actual equipment that helped to land astronauts on the moon. Next we went into an area that had a large screen showing the history of the space shuttle. A very interesting history which culminated in the screen going up with the Atlantis space shuttle standing behind it. My husband actually got quite emotional as it is an awesome piece of history, especially as we had both grown up with all the shuttle launches on the tv, so to actually be stood next to one was incredible. After the shuttle, we explored all the interesting space exhibits and there are lots of fantastic interactive things for the kids to do. One fun part was crawling through the space centre access tubes which were actually very cramped, high up and see through! Onto the next hangar and this was also hugely impressive. In there is the Saturn V rocket that went on several missions to launch humans into space and onto the moon. As with everything else at Kennedy, we were absolutely blown away by the size of the rocket and marvelled at how these things got into space! Outside there is a lovely moon garden which you can look out from across to the launch pads. There are also lots of other things you can do at the space centre such as meeting an astronaut and having them take you on a tour but that’s for another time. We had an absolutely incredible day exploring and would certainly go back, we even spotted a couple of alligators on our journey back across the Indian River. There are so many opportunities for fantastic photos, I’ve only picked a couple of my favourites here but pop in and see me if you’d like to see some more photos and hear about the incredible experience that is a must on your Florida visit!

07 January 2020

As described in my previous blog, we did so much in our two weeks in Florida and had such an amazing time that I didn’t want to overwhelm you all in one go. So this is the first blog on some of the Disney parks. We bought a 14 day ticket that covered Disney Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. We had scheduled in the days we would visit each park and this was largely driven by the fast pass bookings that our friend had organised. 30 days before you arrive you can book up to three fast passes for a particular park although they are limited and it gets very busy. It’s a little complicated but that’s where I can help so if you are going to Disney and want more advice on this then get in touch and I can go through it all. Our daughter is type 1 diabetic and cannot stand in a queue for too long as this affects her blood sugar levels, So on arrival at our first park, Magic Kingdom, we proceeded to guest services who were extremely helpful and issued us with a Disability Access Service (DAS) pass, this allowed our party to use the fast pass lane for most rides. When we arrived to pick up our 14 day passes at the entrance to Magic Kingdom, we purchased a ‘magic band’ (approximately $15 each but well worth it – we linked our memory maker photos to this but again, too much to explain here so come and see me for more info!) Our DAS pass was also linked to the magic bands which made life so much easier. Magic Kingdom: The only place to start really, it’s what makes Disney, Disney! The first thing to do was to arrive and get parked up. $25 for the days parking but that ticket was for the whole day so you could come and go as much as you wanted or visit the other 3 parks that are linked to each other. Once parked up you get either a monorail of ferry to the park entrance. We travelled on both and either way is quick, easy and not too busy. When we got through the entrance, the magic unfolded! There is nothing that says Disney more than the castle and to walk up the boulevard with singing, dancing and music everywhere. So I purchased the obligatory Disney ears and started my holiday in style. We went on several rides including thunder mountain (very fast and bumpy), seven dwarfs mine train (just as fast and bumpy!), space mountain, splash mountain and Buzz Lightyear's space ranger spin (great fun!) We also visited the haunted mansion which was very impressive and the ride was amazing. The best parts though were the parade and in the evening the show that is projected onto the castle accompanied by fireworks. If you do this, it is advisable to get there early as is incredibly busy and there is literally no room to move. However, as with everything at Disney, the organisation is incredible and the show was well worth the wait. I won’t give you too many details as it really is something you need to witness for yourself. Hollywood Studios: Hollywood Studios was another highlight, absolutely loved this park. We travelled from the car park on a very long tram and it started off our day brilliantly as the person at the back giving out useful instructions and information actually sang it all! Everyone at Disney is so helpful and cheerful it really does make for a pleasurable experience. It even rubbed off on my usually grumpy husband! So inside Hollywood studios and we made our way around the various areas. There was a Star Wars event talking place on the stage by the entrance so we bumped into some storm troopers and Darth Vader which was scary. We then headed out to Toy Story land which was brilliant. A real mixture of rides with great fun in Toy Story Mania which is an interactive ‘shoot ‘em up’, a crazy ride on slinky dog and a great take on the classic tea cup rides. It topped it all off by meeting Buzz, Woody and Bo Peep. The fastest ride there is the Rock n Roller Coaster which is crazy fast! We all absolutely loved it but came off with shaky legs. We also had to put ourselves through the ultimate scare by riding the Hollywood Tower of Tower…. A lift that drops you very, very quickly. We all managed it though, even my 7 year old so very proud of ourselves. Speaking of our 7 year old, he has been a massive Kermit the Frog fan since he was a baby so we had to go and find Kermit which we managed. We also sat down for the Kermit 3D show which although a little dated compared to the rest of Disney, it was still enjoyable and ticked a box. Of course, I have to also mention Start Wars. The new Galaxy’s Edge area of Hollywood Studios opened a couple of days before we left and it is really well worth a visit. It’s so realistic and very funny walking around being stopped by Storm Troopers and brushing shoulders with Chewbacca! There are new rides that have opened subsequently but the big ride when we were there was the Millennium Falcon. I actually got to fly (and crash) it! to be continued.....

07 January 2020

I’ve written in my previous blog about flying to Salou in Spain to test out our kids before hoping to take them to Disneyland. Well guess what? We made it! A lot of saving and planning and we finally booked our dream family holiday. The excitement and anticipation lasted for months and as the weeks slowly whittled away, it gathered pace. We had booked a villa with another family that we had known for 15 years and as they had been to Disneyland before, it was great to get their insight and some tips on how everything worked. Of course, I could talk for hours about our two weeks in Florida on our holiday of a lifetime, but the point of the blog is to give the reader an insight rather than writing a small novel. The best thing for me to do then is to talk about it in sections, so hear is part one! As we were travelling with another family, we had decided that we would book a villa so we could all stay together and also reduce the cost of accommodation. Our friends had previously stayed at one of the Disney hotels so they were looking forward to experiencing something different. We flew from Manchester and although it’s a long flight, the kids loved it choosing which movies they wanted to watch and enjoying the airline dinners. Our youngest son (7 years old) had never had a meal on a plane before and couldn’t believe it – he even wanted to know if my husband could cook the same meal for dinner when we got back home! Although the queue can be quite long when you arrive at Orlando airport and it can take quite a bit of time getting through customs, we didn’t have to wait too long and the queue actually moved along pretty well. So we got through, collected our luggage and went to find our hire car. We had pre-hired an SUV so completed the paperwork and went to collect it. Rather than being allocated one, we had a choice of all the SUV's available so I had to choose a nice big red Dodge! So off we set to find our villa, all excited to be on the road in America. It took my husband a little while to get used to driving on the other side of the road and sitting on the other side of the car. Because I was sat on the right-hand side, I kept thinking I was driving and kept going to put my left hand on the gear stick, very strange! It took under an hour and we arrived ready to explore our home for the next 2 weeks. And wow, what a place! We had a 9 bedroom villa with a games room, cinema, room, pool and jacuzzi – amazing. Having settled in to our villa, we then prepared to set off for our first trip to a Disney park. Before we went, we had got together with our friends to plan what we would do and when we would visit each park. You can purchase tickets for groups of parks around Disney and we had booked tickets for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom on one group ticket and Volcano Bay, Universal and Islands of Adventure on another group ticket. There is so much I could tell you about each one so as I said at the start, I will post a blog for each set in the future to save you sitting and reading for hours! We had to start somewhere though and of course, we had to visit the iconic Magic Kingdom first, more to follow in the next blog. Of course, if you would like to hear about our whole experience or ask me anything about any of the parks, accommodation, flights etc then please get in contact with me!

07 January 2020

Epcot: Epcot is a wonderful Disney park that has a central globe structure called Spaceship Earth which has lots of rides and interactive activities to do. As with all Disney parks, there are plenty of rides to check out. There is an amazing (I will use that word a lot!) ride called ‘Soarin Around The World’ which is a 4D ride where you hang and float over several incredible sights across the world including the great Wall of China, the Sahara Desert and the Eiffel Tower. Another amazing ride is ‘Mission Space’ which takes you into space on one of two experiences. The green mission takes you on orbit around earth whereas the more intense orange mission blasts you off to Mars! Everyone really enjoyed ‘Test Track’ where you design your racing car in teams before speeding around the track to see how it performs. There are also other, less extreme rides including ‘The Seas with Nemo and Friends’, ‘Frozen Ever After’ and ‘Living with The Land’ if you want a gentler experience. The rest of the park is divided into 11 countries and is really lovely to walk round. For the kids, they do a passport which you have to get stamped at each country at a special desk where they write a nice message in the countries language. Of course it’s not all about kids at Disney which is one of the big misconceptions. Epcot run a ‘Drinking Around The World’ experience which basically means you have a drink and snack in every country – we didn’t indulge although my husband was very keen to! We did see lots of people doing it though and it did look like really good fun. Animal Kingdom: Animal Kingdom was my personal favourite place to visit. As the name suggest, it’s all based around animals and they run a fantastic safari adventure where you see a large variety of animals including lions, hippos and giraffes. A really great ride which we all enjoyed. My husband and son then went on the Everest ride, very high, fast and scary (pretty standard for a Disney ride). There are so many animal experiences to discover which we didn’t even get a chance to do amongst all the other attractions. You can see lions, giraffes, elephants, birds, insects, spiders, the list goes on. There are also some great experiences that are of a more gentle nature to the big rides and we watched a 4D show called ‘A Bugs Life’ which was really good fun. One of the best and most impressive bits of Animal Kingdom though is Pandora. Even if you haven’t watched Avatar, this place is incredible. We cruised down the Na’vi river which was lovely but were totally blown away by the ‘Flight of Passage’ ride. It is another incredible 3D ride where you are sat on the back of a mountain Banshee and fly around the land of Pandora experiencing some incredible sights. It is so difficult to describe but we were all completely blown away by it and went on the ride several more times… you just have to do it if you go! We managed to fit in a few more rides, including a fantastic river rapids one, and also watched the end of evening light show why was fabulous. There is also a tree of life that is situated near the entrance which provides a wonderful light and music show at the end of your evening. So there’s a very brief summary of some of the parks we visited. Of course, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me for more details, there’s lots to talk about and loads I have missed out. Still more to go into with other parks and a guide to eating on your Disney break. And another special blog on a non-Disney experience whilst in Florida which blew us all away… See you soon!

08 January 2020

Hopefully you will have read my previous blogs about our Disney adventure. I just went through the different parks we visited and didn’t touch on our eating experiences as it was enough for a blog of its own – so hear is that blog. We started out planning to eat at our villa before we left for the days adventure. Shopping is incredibly easy in Florida, lots of supermarkets with of course my favourite being Wallmart. We bought some cereals and croissants and ate before leaving the villa. We also planned our day as much as we could and made sure we had a rucksack packed with snacks but most importantly sun tan lotion and bottles of water. However, we found that after a few days we just wanted to get up and out so either left a bit later and grabbed some snacks at the park (pretzels, corn dogs, ice creams etc) or if we were very early then a quick McDonalds breakfast . It can soon get very expensive eating out at Disney so we tried to keep it as cheap as possible throughout the day and save ourselves for the evening. We did treat ourselves on our last day though to an iHop (International House of Pancakes) which was a great experience. The staff were so friendly without being overbearing and the food was wonderful. We ate at a few places for lunch with mixed reviews. As I said, it can soon add up so we got to skipping lunch in favour of the usual ice creams and corn dogs to keep us going then enjoying a decent evening meal. There are a lot of lunch options which soon add up to quite a few $’s before you know it. However, the best value for money was at Harry Potter in Islands of Adventure where we had a good old English feast! The Three Broomsticks has a really great menu that will fill you up and not break the bank. We only ordered two great feasts and it went round all five of us with plenty to spare. The other good value lunch was at Animal Kingdom by Pandora world called ‘Satu'li Canteen’. Not a huge menu choice but the food was delicious and a change from burger and chips with really good sized portions. Main meals were under $15 and it kept us going for the day. As I have said, there are plenty of snacks available at all the parks and not too badly priced so worth saving your money and just snacking during the day. There’s always a need for an ice cream in the hot weather so we generally went for that option! There are so many choices available for dinner and not only in the parks but outside as well. We ate a couple of times inside the parks. We ate at the Biergarten in Epcot which we thought would be a good fun evening . It was an all you could eat German Buffett and we had the enjoyment of listening to an Oompah band whilst we ate. This was quite expensive however a great experience. We also ate at a restaurant called Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom, this was an American Restaurant with a huge menu choice and again, costly but very enjoyable. Of course, there are plenty of very good places to eat in the parks with themed restaurants and some where you can meet Disney characters as you eat. However, we had made the choice to eat outside the parks and found some really good places. Our daughter had been going on for ages about eating at Chili’s, a tex mex place and although we had to wait for a table, it actually became available quicker than we expected. We couldn’t fault the food or service and it made our daughter very happy that we had eaten there. I would definitely recommend it, there are plenty around and the price is very reasonable. Another very good restaurant that we all ate at was ‘The Cheesecake Factory’. It is situated very close to Disney at Millenia Mall just off the I4 freeway. It was very busy but we managed to get two tables split between the 9 of us. The menu was fantastic with a great variety of dishes available and when it arrived it was delicious, another top recommendation. Another shopping area we visited was Disney Springs. We went there a couple of times and although not a typical mall, it had a great selection of shops and places to eat. We ate one evening in the T-Rex restaurant and again, had to wait for a table but when we sat and ate it was one of our favourite places. The decoration is amazing with dinosaurs everywhere and lots of fantastic fish tanks. The highlight is the meteorite storm which happens at regular intervals and is a brilliant feature which the kids absolutely loved. The food was fantastic too and of course so were the cocktails! I even got to take my glass home as did my youngest son who had an awesome dinosaur cup. Our favourite place to eat though was at Universal CityWalk. CityWalk comes alive in the evening with restaurants and a large cinema. You walk through it on the way to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and the choice is fantastic. We stayed really late one evening and asked to book a table at the Hard Rock Café. We were told it would be about a 45 minute wait but we could go and sit at the bar ready to be called. So the five of us sat at the typical American bar with TVs all around showing sport. The kids thought it was fantastic, especially as they kept filling up their cokes whenever they were empty. In fact, when I came to pay the bill before moving onto our table, they only charged for my cocktail as we were eating so the kids and my husband had got through plenty of free coke! The food was of course superb and we had a thoroughly pleasant evening. There are plenty of other restaurants that we didn’t try out (including the Chocolate Emporium which is on the list for next time!) and it is really lovely to walk around the lake amongst the hustle and bustle of everyone enjoying their evenings. However, the restaurant I wanted to eat in most was Bubba Gumps. I love the film Forrest Gump and was excited to eat in the restaurant based in the film. The food was fantastic and my eldest son was very excited to have a bucket of prawns (which he eventually got through, I think there were over 40 prawns in there) We all had a variety of dishes and drinks which were all lovely and the service was excellent. Our waiter even came round halfway through the evening to give us a spot quiz on the film which we did very well on and got most of the answers correct. A nice touch which added to a fantastic night. So that’s just a few highlights and a bit of a guide to eating whilst on a Disney holiday. Get in touch if you want any more information or advice if you’re booking your dream Disney trip.

21 November 2019

My role as a Travel Counsellor is to find your perfect holiday. I have travelled to many different countries myself so thought I would share with you some of the areas I have visited to maybe give you some inspiration. My opening blog is for an area of Spain I visited with my family, first in 2015 and, as we enjoyed it so much, again in 2017! Our kids had not flown before and with the ultimate holiday plan of eventually taking them to Disneyland, we wanted to test out a shorter flight first to see how they would cope. After researching destinations with short flights, we decided on Salou in Spain. Salou is situated on the Costa Dorada, between Cambrils and La Pineda. The appeal for us was the flight time of just over 1 and half hours with the added bonus of a transfer from Reus airport to our hotel of under 30 minutes. We didn’t actually stay in the centre of Salou but in Cap Salou, which is approximately 3km from Salou itself. We flew from Gatwick (we live in Oxfordshire so it was the closest and most convenient), although various airports fly there including Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow to name but a few. Our children at the time were 10, 8 and 3 years old and as I have said, they had never flown before so there was a mix of apprehension and excitement. As it turned out, they loved it and our 3 year old was so relaxed he promptly fell asleep after take off (maybe something to do with the very early start to get to the airport and check in!) We travelled in July so although it was nice and warm in the UK before we left, the kids still experienced that lovely feeling of stepping off the plane to be hit by the heat. It was great to have a smooth transfer through customs and it seemed like no time before we had retrieved our luggage and were on our way on the coach to our hotel. With the short transfer time we were sat having a cocktail by lunchtime – well myself and my husband were, the kids were straight in the pool! We were staying at the 4 star H10 Mediterranean Village hotel. It is a family based hotel and we couldn’t fault it. The staff were friendly, the food fantastic and the entertainment for the kids throughout the day and evening was excellent. The room was modern, clean and tidy and the choice of three different pools was great, including a small pool for toddlers. There were lifeguards all around the pools and the entertainment staff were always walking about to chat to adults and kids and host various fun games. Our favourite part was the club dance that they performed at regular intervals throughout the day and by the end of the holiday we were all experts! Of course, not everyone wants to go to a family hotel or sit around the pool all day on holiday. There are numerous hotels in the area accommodating for holidaymakers who do not have children. We like to go and explore a bit when we are on holiday and discovered an array of gorgeous local beaches a very short walk from the hotel. They were not overcrowded and the water was warm and clear. Again, there were lifeguards in attendance so it felt very safe. We travelled into Salou itself several times and were amazed at how easy and cheap it was. Taxis were not expensive but you could also buy a cheap bus ticket which operated in a similar way to an Oyster card, you just scanned it when you got on and off the bus and it just counted for one journey. Really easy way to get around and there were kiosks to buy tickets at a number of locations. Salou is a lovely Spanish town with the usual shops and entertainment. The beach was clean and there were plenty of restaurants to choose from. The were several streets that had lines of restaurants but our favourite was a place called Lunatics right on the beach side. The food and staff were amazing, the kids made to feel very welcome and of course, most importantly, it wasn’t very expensive. A highlight for me was the lovely walk around the cliffs and coast from Salou back to our hotel at Cap Salou. A 3km stroll in the warm evening was beautiful. As I have said, we like to explore a little when we are on holiday so we decided to take a days excursion to the nearby Barcelona. Just over an hour away on a coach and we experienced the beautiful city. We had booked to go to the zoo in the morning which was fantastic. Then of course, we had to visit Camp Nou, the home of Barcelona FC. My husband and eldest son were in their element although I have to say I was extremely impressed myself with the size of the stadium. There was so much to see and do in Salou as well as Barcelona, however the trip our kids were looking forward to most was to the very nearby theme park of Portaventura. Again, it was extremely easy to travel there with a very short bus journey of around 10 minutes. The park itself is divided into six different ‘worlds’ – Meditteranea, Polynesia, China, Mexico, Sesamoaventura (Sesame Street!) and Far West. There are rides for kids of all ages and lots of entertainment and paces to eat. My eldest son’s favourite ride though was the Shambhala with a whopping 76m drop, needless to say neither myself nor my husband went on it with him! It all culminates with a wonderful parade at midnight followed by an amazing show around the central lake with fireworks, Wow! There are other beautiful areas close by to Salou to discover and explore such as La Pineda, Tarragona and the beautiful Cambrills, but maybe I’ll save them for another blog. If you like the sound of Salou and what it has to offer why not get in touch and we can build a package that suits you?