Best of 2019 family travel: our year in review

I swear this year has gone past faster than ever. So it’s lovely to take a moment at the end of 2019 (and the end of the decade… alarming) to look back over the past 12 months – the best of 2019 family travel for us.

some trips were press trips/contains affiliate links*

With three new countries and around 31 trips and days out in total, we’ve also been making more effort to explore the UK and fit in some days out in London (pop over to the new London with Kids Facebook group I co-host, if you’re considering a trip to the city next year).

And I’m starting 2020 with the grand total of one trip planned: to Ghent, in Belgium, courtesy of an unexpected inset day in February for my daughter and some cheap Eurostar tickets. Which means I’ve got a lot of planning to do, both for our 2020 family travel and for the blog… although I did realise, looking back at my 2019 travel resolutions, that I started this year with just one trip booked too.

January family travel

Starting the new year with the best of intentions, I got going on that resolution to fit in more day trips. We’d barely begun 2019 before we headed off to London Zoo – it was a chilly day but the reptile house was snug and warm, and the penguins certainly didn’t mind the weather. 

Check out my tips for visiting London Zoo with kids.

Having spotted penguins, we upped the ante and went hunting for dragons as well on the Forestry Commission Zog trail at Wendover Woods.

I think we’ve done nearly all the Julia Donaldson trails so far and as well as encouraging us to get out for a walk in the woods (for some reason, we never seem to go back in summer!), it’s always sweet for me to compare my lovely seven-year-old girl to the toddler I first took to find a Gruffalo and Superworm.

And from the woods to the city, retracing history on a Great Fire of London walk as she was studying it at school – this year is the Romans: we’ve been to Chester but maybe Northumberland should be on my 2020 list. Or Rome!

We visited the first of many National Trust properties this year as well, deciding to buy family membership which has had so much use that we’re renewing again in 2020.

We’re spoiled for choice in Kent, where some of our friends live, so there are still a string of places on my list – under blue skies, Scotney Castle blew all the winter cobwebs away.

February family travel

This month saw one of my most exciting trips of the year for several reasons – not only was I visiting India for the first time, with a week in Kerala for a friend’s wedding, I was travelling with friends (and not my daughter) for the first time in years.

I love our family travel trips, more and more as she gets older and we’re less restricted, but usually if she’s not with me, it’s a work trip so this was doubly fun.

Kerala itself is wonderful, from the history in Fort Kochi to the tea plantations of Munnar and the famous houseboats on the backwaters, with incredible food and all the vibrancy of India but a more relaxed introduction to the country.

It’s somewhere I’d love to go back to with Minnie – and this time I’d be tempted to spend longer on the houseboats as well. SO relaxing. I’ve put together my fantasy itinerary for a week in Kerala with kids, based on my own trip.

March family travel

A quiet month after my Indian exploits but we squeezed in a return visit to the British Museum to see the mummies.

I’ve visited with my daughter before, including following some of the trails aimed at under-fives but it’s somewhere that you can return to again and again to discover something new.

Check out my tips on visiting the British Museum with a toddler as well as my guide to visiting London’s museums with kids.

April family travel

And suddenly it was Easter… which brought the first of what turned out to be quite a lot of Lego this year, with the Brickosaurs trail at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire.

It’s the first time I’ve visited the zoo, despite meaning to for years as we headed to nearby Winchester for its Christmas market, and it didn’t disappoint.

We stuck to the UK for the rest of the Easter holidays as well, heading to Gloucestershire along the Great West Way and discovering the Forest of Dean. It’s somewhere else which has been on my wishlist for a while, and a good reminder there’s always more close to home to discover.

After a stay in a lovely cottage in the Forest of Dean, we crossed the border into Wales (in fact, we kept wandering from country to country as we drove, to shouts of ‘England’ ‘Wales’ each time. From me. My daughter rolled her eyes in the back).

And another new experience for her… sleeping in a tent. I am not the biggest fan of camping although the luxurious alachigh tents at Penhein are distinctly glamping rather than basic canvas. 

I brushed up my fire-lighting skills (still pretty bad, I admit), she enjoyed the joy of a bit of free-range childhood, running free with newfound friends around the campsite – something she never gets chance to do in London.

Then back to explore more of the Great West Way including the Roman baths at Bath, the koalas of Longleat and a pitstop at Avebury along the way.

By which point, I was ready for some sun – our staycation was huge fun, but the temperatures dropped to around freezing one night in April (I know this as we were in our Penhein tent, and I had let the fire go out. Brrr).

Fortunately I had the first of two trips to Tunisia this month as well, soaking up the sun in the ridiculously pretty surroundings of Sidi Bou Said, as well as the coast and amazing amphitheatre of El Jem.

In fact, forget Rome… I should take my daughter to Tunisia for some Roman history – we almost had the huge amphitheatre to ourselves. 

May family travel

Back to the UK for May and another very memorable overnight experience (plus more near freezing temperatures – the UK weather has a nasty sense of humour whenever I eye up a sleeping bag). 

But who doesn’t fancy the chance to sleep on a replica Tudor galleon? Our sleepover on the Golden Hinde in London was huge fun, learning about Tudor medicine (mostly bleeding, eek), chatting with the captain, checking out the weapons and surviving an attack by the Spanish.

Our thermals from Lapland came in handy, I won’t lie, and I wouldn’t expect to get much sleep but my daughter still asks to go back and do it again. One of the best unusual things to do in London with kids.

And another new addition to the things to do in London with kids at Kew Gardens, with the opening of their new Children’s Garden playground – it was very shortly after it had opened, and the queues were huge… but still definitely worthwhile.

Check out my tips for visiting Kew Gardens with kids if you’re planning a visit.

Then our first overseas family holiday of the year to Greece. It’s a favourite destination for us, having gone on an island hop and visited Corfu so far. And this year, we got a chance to discover Skiathos with a stay at Elivi Skiathos as well as exploring the island itself and taking a boat trip to Skopelos.

There are plenty of islands still left to discover as well… perhaps I should be aiming to make this an annual tradition?

June family travel

An inset day tacked on to half-term and some London sunshine meant we could finally tick off something which has been on my wishlist for a long time – taking my daughter to the Tower of London.

It’s perhaps my favourite place in the city and I never tire of exploring within the walls, drinking in the history, spotting the ravens and marvelling at the Crown Jewels. I wanted to wait until my daughter was old enough to appreciate a visit before taking her along for the first time though.

And on both our visits this year (trips to the Tower are evidently like buses), I was reminded just how much there is for kids too with some great actors enacting tales from the Tower’s history, including Colonel Blood’s attempt to steal the Crown Jewels on this first trip.

If the Tower is one of the most famous family attractions in London, there are still plenty more to find which are less well-known – including the Chelsea Physic Garden, which we also took a wander around.

There is a little trail for kids, and if there’s less designed specifically to entertain them, it’s still a lovely quiet green space to explore – we very happily whiled away an hour or two wandering around.

Somewhere which does have masses to entertain kids – and adults – is Puy du Fou in France. My third trip of the year without my daughter, it is perfect for families.

Described as a theme park, it’s definitely not what you might expect. Instead of rides and rollercoasters, there are spectacular shows and walk-through experiences, taking you on a journey through history.

Some are moving, some are spooky, but all are so memorably dramatic that you’ll spend a large amount of time going ‘HOW did they do that?’ 

My guide to Puy du Fou with kids has tips on what to expect, which sections are best with younger kids and all the reasons it’s an amazing place for families.

July family travel

With the summer holidays on the horizon, I added a bit more travel to my life as I launched a new podcast called Kidventures, all about family travel, with my friend Ting from My Travel Monkey, and squeezed in a quick day out to the London Wetlands Centre in Barnes, another favourite spot we’ve been visiting for years.

Then it was time for our first long-haul family trip of the year, to gorgeous Aruba. Having spotted bargain flights leaving the day after my daughter finished school, I was looking forward to chance to relax as well as a bit of exploring in the sun.

There’s certainly plenty to do in Aruba with kids, quite apart from the beautiful beaches and swimming – it ended up being the first place she properly snorkelled, something which I hope is the beginning of a long love of exploring underwater.

And I got that chance to relax as well, including a few days at the Hilton Aruba with its great pools and location right on Palm Beach. Bliss…

August family travel

Aruba was only the start of our summer adventures – even if we stayed a little closer to home for the rest.

To Hampton Court Palace for one of their special family holiday events, Henry VIII’s sporting academy – the first time we’ve been back in a few years since we tried ice skating at Hampton Court, although another place we’ve been visiting since before my daughter was old enough to walk.

Our second visit to the Tower, happily retracing our steps from June and discovering more about the dramatic escapes from the Tower over the centuries too.

And another return visit, to the Harry Potter Studio tours, my third visit, my daughter’s second and one of the best days out for Harry Potter fans in the UK.

My second trip of the year to Greenwich as well, taking a boat along the river and following a Treasure Trail past the Royal Observatory, Maritime Museum and Cutty Sark.

Add in a day out in Kent, ticking off one more of the many National Trust properties on my list – this time pretty Ightham Mote – and a short break in Devon, where I made the most of that membership with a visit to Killerton.

Check out my review of our day out at Killerton with kids

We discovered smuggler’s tunnels, beaches, an ancient ferry and a little zoo on one day in Shaldon and Teignmouth, as well as the home of prehistoric man at Kents Cavern, more penguins at Living Coasts and a taste of the English riviera in Torquay.

Not forgetting the donkeys at the Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary – and I finally got around to finishing my ultimate guide to Devon for families with tips from all the trips I’ve taken with my daughter, as well as from my own childhood visits.

Then finishing the summer in style, with one final family escape to Denmark. Although we’d been to Copenhagen when my daughter was a toddler, this time we were skipping the capital to head to Jutland.

Most famous for being the home of the original Legoland in Billund, where we stayed at the very fun Legoland Castle Hotel, there’s far more to do near Legoland with kids including bears, Viking history and getting hands on with Lego at the Lego House.

But one of my favourite parts of the trip was heading down to Ribe, Denmark’s oldest city and a medieval gem – with a chance to learn more about Vikings nearby. We fitted so much into our week but as everything’s close together, it never felt too rushed.

Here’s what we got up to in a week in Jutland.

September family travel

Our Denmark trip overlapped into September too, so between that and the start of school, it was a quiet month. I got away for a night in Birmingham, the first of two trips there – 2019 has had a definite repetition theme going on!

And we made the most of a mini heatwave, enjoying the last of the sun on a day out at Cliveden – yet another return visit. Somehow the skies are always blue when I visit Cliveden… 

October family travel

Happily more sun wasn’t too far away, with my second trip of the year to Tunisia – this time staying in Tunis itself, including the fabulous Palais Bayram hotel in the medina.

Working with some friends to explore in and around the capital, we put together an ebook guide to Tunisia with tips on what to do, what to see, what to eat, drink and buy if you’re visiting Tunis.

Then the second of my fabulous long-haul beach escapes of the year. I do love a beach but getting to see the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean in one year is pretty special!

Invited to the Maldives by Four Seasons resorts, we were discovering just how family friendly they are as well as some of the marine conservation work they do, spotting spinner dolphins at Kuda Huraa as well as snorkelling with a turtle at Landa Giravaaru.

Definitely not just for honeymooners!

November family travel

And then it was Christmas – well, nearly. A slice of virtual sunshine at the amazing Tutankhamun exhibition in London and a thousand plans for a family holiday in Egypt.

I had to give the ice skating in London a miss after I hurt my foot but it didn’t stop me checking out the Christmas markets – first up, that return visit to Birmingham with a visit to the Birmingham Christmas market.

December family travel

December meant that start of full-on festive days out – seeing Santa at the London Transport Museum along with the baubles at Covent Garden and the 12 rebuilds of Christmas Lego displays at the Savoy.

Santa was at Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire as well, although we were far more fascinated by the red pandas, ultra cute otters and other animals. Sorry Santa.

And while he wasn’t at Christmas on the River when we visited, there are 12 snowmen on the trail between Tower Bridge and London Bridge to spot.

Our year finished almost as it began too, with a trip to the Museum of London, where we managed to see the Beasts of London exhibition before it closes in early 2020.

Best of 2019 family travel

So how does it match up to those travel resolutions I made 12 months ago? Well, we’ve made it to the Tower – not once, but twice. And I did pretty well with the regular day trips, either in London or nearby in Hertfordshire, Hampshire and Kent.

As to the rest? We didn’t manage that goal of seeing more of Africa (although I did have my own return trips to Tunisia) nor to Latin America.

While we’ve had some fantastic escapes, including some gorgeous beach breaks, I didn’t organise the ‘big trip’ like Cambodia or Burma which I’d pondered, although I did make a brief attempt to get to Vietnam.

I didn’t even do too well with the European city break idea, unless you count Ribe – although with Bruges and Ghent lined up for February, that’s a good start to 2020. Lastly, there was ‘do something unexpected’.

We certainly managed that. But there are 12 whole months ahead to fill… perhaps I should take two and repeat last year’s resolutions – Georgia, Romania, Guatemala, Vietnam, Namibia all still sound pretty tempting to me!

Images copyright MummyTravels

LIKED THIS? SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL NEWSLETTER