Take 12 Trips: Halfway through 2015
Whoosh. Six months of 2015 seem to have flown past – but I can feel pretty smug about the fact that we are packing plenty in for our Take 12 Trips challenge (part 2).
By the end of March, we’d managed eight trips and days out but hadn’t quite made it out of the UK. Another three months on and that’s changed, although we’re definitely heavier on the staycations than the plane trips.
Our tally? Seven trips and days out, including one overseas, and another one planned but unsuccessful. If nothing else, we’re consistent!
April
We headed into the woods in search of a superhero worm, on the Superworm trail in Wendover Woods before also finding a Gruffalo at the end.
Then on to our family holiday, this time exploring Gran Canaria with our lovely villa from TotsToTravel and doing everything from camel riding to a rum distillery as well as a waterpark, a zoo, a boat trip and a drive through the island’s mountains.
May
The next month was spent at home, but if you ever needed proof that there’s plenty to do in the UK, this is it.
Even our journey down to the New Forest was full of excitement, with a day out at Peppa Pig World, as well as a bike ride and canoe trip plus a farm visit, all based at a very lovely cottage in Brockenhurst.
Unfortunately we also discovered that this could be the start of the travel sickness years and started to wave bye bye to the lunchtime nap…
So the next weekend, we did as much driving at night as we could for our much longer journey down to Cornwall.
Staying at the incredibly family-friendly Sands Resort in Newquay then the lovely St Michael’s Hotel in Falmouth, we also hit the beach for fish and chips at Rick Stein’s Fistral, spotted a giant octopus, found some Vikings and made time for the beach.
Our third weekend away definitely didn’t turn out as planned though, when I discovered I’d been the victim of a scam – our cottage booking made through a ‘secure’ website had been intercepted so the genuine owner had never heard of us.
More to come on that one… I’m still working on reclaiming some money.
Instead we headed back to one of our local favourites, Kew Gardens for their new Full of Spice exhibition.
June
By comparison, June was pretty quiet – still one last-minute trip to Devon for a long weekend in Brixham where we went rockpooling and explored the Golden Hind.
You can see the review of our lovely cottage, one part of the Baby Blue Chip collection, as well as the video on YouTube.
And I finally managed to launch the MummyTravels Facebook page – do come and like it if you enjoy the blog, as there’s news, more pictures and all kinds of extras.
To finish the month, another unique experience for me – the preview of the Hampton Court Palace flower show which turned out to be far more family-friendly than I expected.
We’re kickstarting July with another plane flight and a long weekend in Amsterdam, then we’ll be off to the gorgeous Isles of Scilly in August, something I’m looking forward to hugely as well as a long weekend in Yorkshire.
Even more excitingly, I am plotting a child-free weekend away with one of my best friends in October. But that still leaves September to plan. Where to go, where to go…?
Images copyright MummyTravels
Love this! I’ve been slack in the first part of the year myself, but I’m making up for lost time! Can’t wait to see how you get on in Amsterdam. It was the last break we took before I realised I was pregnant, but maybe I knew on some level because I remember observing how many people were pulling along trollies with little’uns in behind their bikes and I thought it just seemed like a fab family city!
Thanks! You do have quite a good excuse to take it easier though – looking forward to seeing what else you do get up to in the rest of the year though. Really looking forward to going back to Amsterdam as well, and I agree, I’ve always thought it very child friendly. I may have to abandon our bike + trailer plans if the temperature doesn’t drop a bit though!
Wow, you have been a busy family! I can’t believe you’ve done so much in just 6 months! Looking forward to seeing how you get on in Amsterdam.
We’re off to the Scilly Isles this month so I’ll be sure to share any hotspots I come across!
It doesn’t quite feel like that many trips but it’s amazing how quickly it racks up, including days out. Really looking forward to the Scilly Isles next month, it’s somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for ages so I shall keep an eye out for your tips. Amsterdam should be fun too – just need to finish packing!
Oh you really have been full of busy but I think that’s the best way 😀 So sorry to hear you’ve been scammed though. Not nice to hear! Hmmmmm September……..the only trip we have planned is a child-free trip trip to London for MADs. It is also our eldest’s 9th birthday in September so I would love to go somewhere he will love for the day. Warner Brothers Studio tour would be AMAZING!
It seems to be all or nothing for us – loads of plans or a sudden realisation that four weeks has sped past! Having finally done the Warner Bros Studio tour earlier this year I think it would be an amazing birthday treat. And thanks too, refund in for some of the cash we lost (fingers crossed).
What a great idea challenging yourselves to 12 trips or daytrip (staycation) for the year. It ensures you get out there and explore even if it is in your own backyard.
Exactly – it’s so easy to let the weeks fly past sometimes, so the first time I did it, it was a good reminder to plan something in. I’ve found we’re travelling more this year so there are fewer gaps, but it’s also a nice motivator to get out and explore, even at home, when there are no ‘proper’ holidays too. I hadn’t quite expected to take 12 trips before 6 months was up though!
Wow you have been busy, but how exciting though to have packed so much in the last 6 months. We have had a few family days out so far this year and have just returned from holiday, hoping to squeeze another in before the end of the year! I enjoyed reading you post and thanks for sharing it with the #bestandworst , hope to see you again! x
It is very fun to look back on quite so much – I think it’s taken me a bit by surprise too!
What a brilliant idea. I love the idea of taking a monthly trip somewhere; so often we get stuck in the same routine each weekend and never really do anything different. It sounds like you’ve been incredibly busy, and what a pain with the holiday cottage scam. #bestandworst
It’s so clever isn’t it – really simple but a great way to remind you to get booking and trying something new. We do seem to have fitted a lot in despite the scam – not sure the next six will be quite as full!