The holidays I wish I’d had before starting a Family

#ad – this is a collaborative post

There isn’t much I regret in life, and I am so glad we had the girls whilst I was relatively young and the life I now have as a Mum to two daughters. There are, however, some things that in hindsight I wish I had done before the children came along. We generally have one family holiday a year, and so far, I haven’t felt brave enough to venture outside of the security of the United Kingdom. Family holidays, it’s fairly safe to say, aren’t particularly relaxing, and whilst we make some amazing memories and spend some quality time together, I sometimes feel like I need another holiday to recover when we get back!!

Here are the holidays I wish I had taken before I became a parent…

A luxury cruise – There is something really appealing about this, and I always wanted to go on a luxury cruise with a loved one. Whilst there are family cruises available, I love the element of romance offered by taking a luxury cruise as a couple. A cruise offers the benefits of a luxury hotel but with the ability to visit multiple travel destinations in one trip and I wish we’d gone on a Mediterranean tour with a port side cabin, dressed up in our finest evening attire and enjoyed some amazing food on tap, taking in everything a cruise has to offer.

The Physical Challenges – In 2011, I found myself newly single after a long term relationship and to mix things up a little, I headed off on Trek Iceland to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. 8 years on and it still remains one of my favourite ever experiences as a adult. Not only did I push myself physically (and mentally) to trek for four days in fairly hellish weather conditions, but I met some lifelong friends who I wouldnt otherwise have known through my normal walks of life. Now the girls are here I can’t see myself being fit enough or free enough to go away for 5 days without them, but always fancied the idea of doing more treks including Trek Transylvania or the Marangu Route of Kilimanjaro.

Paradise – My sister went travelling round much of the world in a gap year before starting university, and as such got to spend some time in a huge number of amazing destinations. One place I always dreamed of visiting since seeing the photos from her travels, and a firm favourite on the Bucket List is the Cook Islands. With a warm climate, white sands, turqouise seas and palm trees, the Cook Islands is about as close to paradise as my imagination will let me go. I love the idea of relaxing with a book in hammock under the shade of a tree and watching the sunset over the shore. Those kind of precious moments just aren’t as relaxing when you have two little ones in tow!!

Long Haul Flights – As I said above, since having the girls, I have only ever been brave enough to go on UK holidays, as the prospect of boarding a plane with two young children fills me with anxiety. That said, I have NEVER been on a long haul flight – EVER, and this would have been so much easier when I only had to worry about myself. My best friend lives in Australia, and if the finances ever allow us I would love to visit, however the thought of having to entertain the girls for such a huge amount of time is more than a little terrifying!

Not to sound ungrateful, we have been lucky enough to have some amazing trips as a family so far, and I hope there are many more to come. As the girls get older and become a little less high maintenance (yes Neve I’m talking about you!) it may be that some of these can reappear on the agenda!

What kind of holidays do you wish you’d had before you had a family?