11 December 2024

When our first daughter, Isabella, arrived, we didn’t want to stop travelling the world. We found out we were pregnant on a whirlwind trip to LA > Maui > Honolulu > Chicago > Miami, and I dreamed of spending my maternity leave globetrotting. Then COVID-19 put a damper on things. Still, we managed to visit Crete, Portugal, and the Maldives, but as Isabella went from sleeping peacefully to toddling into everything, we quickly realised our travel style had to adapt. Holidays mean different things to everyone, but for us, they’re a time to reset, re-energise, and reconnect. My husband and I often have our most creative ideas while relaxing by the pool. But when you’re travelling with a baby, finding that balance between family fun and a real break can be tricky. Isabella was 18 months old when we went on our honeymoon to the Maldives. She’d been a dream on two previous (short) flights, so I booked a night flight thinking, “She’ll sleep the entire way.” Spoiler: she didn’t. By the time we boarded, she was overtired and overstimulated. Despite booking a bassinet, she hated it and just wanted to run between our seats. Thankfully, the British Airways Club Suite’s sliding door contained her, and after a bit of chaos, my husband managed to get her to fall asleep on him. Landing in Malé is unforgettable—the turquoise waters and fresh air instantly transport you to paradise. At the resort, a seamless in-room check-in meant no waiting around with a cranky toddler. Our beach villa with a private pool gave us plenty of space and direct access to the sand, which Isabella loved. The days flew by in a blur of chasing her around the pool, keeping her out of danger, and trying to sit through meals while she climbed out of her highchair. Her daily 2.5-hour nap was our saving grace. On the penultimate day, we booked a couples’ massage and discovered the kids’ club. While she was too young to go alone, we hired a nanny for a few hours. At first, we were nervous about leaving her, but she loved the soft play, activities, and time with other kids. If only we’d known about it earlier! That experience sparked my quest for luxury, baby-friendly resorts. While options for children over four abound, the under-four crowd is less catered to—often requiring additional fees for nursery care due to stricter ratios and highly trained staff. Over the years, we’ve found a few standout resorts that offer the perfect balance of family fun and adult relaxation. My Top Recommended Resorts: Sani, Halkidiki The gold standard for families, featuring Annabel Karmel-designed menus and a complimentary session with baby sleep expert Carol Mae. Almyra and Annabelle, Paphos Family-friendly room options, from interconnecting rooms to two-bedroom suites, and the Explorers Children’s Club with top-notch childcare for ages 4 months to 13 years. Park Lane, Limassol A purpose-built castle for kids aged 4 months to 11 years, with a pirate ship, splash pad, and zip wire. Family rooms include bathtubs and plenty of space. Daios Cove, Crete Set in a calm bay, ideal for little ones, with suites and villas featuring private pools. UK-qualified nursery staff care for children aged 4 months to 12 years. MarBella, Corfu An on-site waterpark and the Grasshoppers Kids’ Club (ages 4 months to 12 years) offer activities like robotics and pottery workshops. Eagles Resort, Halkidiki The Wild Kind Crèche provides a sensory haven for ages 4 months to 3 years, while older kids enjoy activities like baking, water sports, and evening mini discos. Things to Look For in a Family-Friendly Hotel: Finding the right family-friendly hotel can make or break your holiday. Here are some key considerations Sleeping arrangements: Will they work for your family? Are there options for separate areas, or will you all be in one room? Baby equipment: Does the hotel provide essentials like sterilisers, bouncers, highchairs, or cots? Kids’ clubs: What age groups are they for, and can you pre-book sessions? Staff-to-child ratios: Are there enough staff members to provide attentive care? Routine: Will they follow your home routine to keep things familiar for your little one? Meals: Is there a variety of nutritious children’s meals, including a weaning menu for younger guests? Sleep area: Does the crèche include a dedicated sleep area with cots for naps? By considering these factors, you can ensure your holiday is as stress-free and enjoyable as possible for both you and your little ones.

23 April 2024

We started using a Travel Counsellor following a personal recommendation from a friend and we quickly saw first hand the value that using one brought to our holiday experience. In all honesty, we were a little sceptical at first – we thought that a personal travel consultant would never be able to match the prices that we were able to get by booking directly. For the first holiday we booked with our TC, it meant that we probably still did as much work on research as we normally did, because we were essentially double checking her work. However, our initial scepticism was unfounded – the prices we were being quoted were all in the same ballpark as the ones we found online ourselves – sometimes a little higher and sometimes a little lower, but not so much different that it felt like we should carry on doing all the legwork. So, after a few rounds of checking different holidays, we decided to go ahead and book. So far, so good, although not dramatically different from either booking ourselves or booking via a high street agent. The first pleasant surprise came when it got closer to going on our holiday. A nicely packaged printed itinerary arrived in the post, complete with a note from our TC, wishing us a great holiday. A nice touch. And then, we got the notification that they had checked us into our flights and got great seats for us. Another nice touch. And the nice touches just kept coming. A special welcome at the hotel along with a bottle of wine. An upgraded room for no extra cost. A handwritten note from our TC, left on the bed. A basket of fruits and chocolates. This was already a very different experience from our normal holiday experiences. We were being treated like VIPs. The next time we booked a holiday, we didn’t do any of the cross checking and we placed a lot more trust in our TC. We wanted to try a new destination that we hadn’t been to before and our TC carefully listened to our requirements before coming back with a variety of options. She took the time to explain why she’d chosen the ones that she had and when we had questions, she was able to reassure us because she’d had first hand experience of staying at or viewing many of the hotels that were on the list. And when we arrived at the destination, we knew that it had been right to listen to our TC – it was just as described – absolutely perfect! Next came our first experience of the pro-active service approach that all Travel Counsellors take with their clients. It was time to depart for a flight and little did we know at the time, but our flight had been cancelled. The first we knew about this was when we received the message from our TC – she’d already re-booked us onto a different flight and taken care of all the other details like hotel transfer timings to make sure our trip would go as smoothly as possible, which it did. Travel Counsellors turned something that would normally have been a very stressful situation into a non-event. A couple of years later, two things happened – the world went into lockdown and we had a baby. With the benefit of hindsight, combined with our experiences to date, these two events might be the main factors that drove my decision to become a Travel Counsellor. With the added complexity of having a baby in tow and all the baby paraphernalia, our TC enabled us to have a fantastic holiday in September 2020 when our baby was just 3 months old. Travel Counsellors were on top of everything going on in the travel industry, keeping abreast of all the changes to travel rules in every country. When one country changed their rules to go into lockdown, our TC quickly reacted and changed our bookings. When it came to preparing to travel, she knew everything that we would need to do to be prepared to travel. She guided us through all the regulations, the documents we would need to complete, the tests we would need to take and every other detail you could think of. While it was still not a normal experience travelling during the height of Covid, Travel Counsellors managed to make it as stress free and as simple as possible – a real blessing. As for the new challenge of travelling with a baby, our TC already had that taken care of too. She’d selected the best hotel that would cater for our little one. When we arrived, everything we needed was already there in the room. Baby bouncers, baby baths, bottle sterilisers, toys, books – you name it, they had it. This went way beyond our expectations and made the holiday such a pleasant experience. It also meant that we didn’t need to take half as much equipment and luggage as we had first thought we would have to. This alone was worth its weight in gold. Fast forward a couple of years and another baby later, I was made redundant while on maternity leave and I had started to weigh up my options. I started the search for another corporate job, but I was drawn to the experience that I’d had with Travel Counsellors and I was attracted to the idea of being my own boss. The flexibility of being able to define my own hours would also be a massive benefit when juggling the needs of two young children. After a few job interviews, I was becoming disillusioned with the prospect of going back into the corporate world. The more I thought about it, the more attractive the prospect of becoming a travel counsellor became. In particular, I was excited about being able to offer my clients the same great experience that we’d had with our Travel Counsellor. After much discussion and probably more than a couple of wobbles along the way, I finally decided to take the plunge. After four weeks being my own boss, I can honestly say I have no regrets at all. I’ll admit, it’s probably been a little harder than I first thought, and I’ve worked way more hours than I would have done if I’d have gone back into the corporate world. But it’s been incredibly rewarding and I get a real kick out of being able to offer a personal service to my clients (and being able to surprise and delight them, just as our TC did with us). My first clients depart next week and I’m as excited about their holiday as they are (probably even more so!).