My Ultimate Pre-Holiday checklist for families

A relaxing and enjoyable family vacation can be one of the most rewarding experiences anyone could ever hope to share with loved ones. Or it can prove an unmitigated disaster that you almost immediately regret. Often, whether your vacation is a success or sinks depends largely on your preparation for it. So, to make sure your next family vacation gets off on the right foot, check out this definitive list of everything you need to do –– before you hit the road:

Get the Papers in Order

If you’re taking your family on an international adventure, then you’ll need to ensure you all have the proper paperwork first. Visas, identification forms, and/or passports all need to be up-to-date and correct, otherwise your dream holiday could get stalled at the starting gate and it's surprising how many people don't check the expiry on their passport and especially with children's passports which need to be renewed more often than adults. Take some time a few months before to get all this sorted –– you don’t want to be scrambling to get a government-issued document in a matter of days or hours and believe me I know as we have had a few close calls!

The Doctor’s Office

The unfortunate truth is that both the very young and elderly are more susceptible to sickness than the rest of the population. Therefore, if you plan on bringing your little ones along with you to exotic destinations, including rural areas in Europe, schedule a trip to the doctor’s in advance of your holiday. Having grown up in South Africa and visited some very far-flung destinations I have had many essential vaccinations over the years and while it's not a pleasant topic talk about it's an important one. Rest assured that tests involving pediatric blood tubes might sound a little frightening at first, but they will ultimately ensure that you and your kids can have a stress-and-illness-free vacation.

Build an Itinerary

While children are very flexible and adaptable (often more so than adults) you still want to have some idea of what to see and do at your chosen destination. Visiting a foreign country without a set plan might sound wild and debonair, but it’s likely to end in boredom and frustration with kids in tow. Instead, make arrangements to visit historical landmarks, sporting events, or even theme parks well before you take off.

Language Basics
Again, we can’t stress enough how fulfilling a trip to another country is. However, if you’re traveling to a place where English isn’t the main language, it’s vital that you and your children learn the basics of the native tongue. At a minimum, it could help you make friends with a local or two, or it may just prove indispensable should an emergency arise. Remember, you can never be too careful!

Be weather prepared

No matter what kind of climate you are going in to make sure you are prepared and practical. If your heading to Iceland research on how to stay warm, dry and comfortable and the same goes for travelling to a hot destination and packing plenty of suncream, UV sunglasses and appropriate clothes. 

Make a packing list

It's so easy to over pack when it comes to family travel but by planning in advance you can avoid this. Research your destination and likely weather conditions for the time you are visiting and write a practical list of what you really need. Also pack your bags in advance and then review what you have packed removing anything unnecessary as you want to be as light as possible because more often than not you will have to end up carrying your kid's backpacks as well as your own. Children actually need very little despite there being plenty of products on the market so keep things simple. I have also written a post about a how to pack like a minimalist for a weekend break, check it out

Müller Anniversary Games - The Family Sporting event of the Summer

I don't know about you but I am really looking forward to the summer holidays and making is as action packed as possible and making the most of every single day. After what has felt like a really long winter and spring it's so nice to feel the sunshine and get outdoors for hours on end and it's als the perfect time to encourage kids to get active and into sport. Having done a lot of sport growing up it's something that I am pretty passionate about and want to get my eldest enthusiastic about too so when Mumsnet and the Muller Anniversary Games go in touch to see if my family and I would be interested in coming along for an action-packed day of world-class athletics. They recently had a launch event at Park Primary in Stratford for an extra special sports class for some of the pupils with two leading British stars the 100m British champion Reece Prescod and para-Olympic gold winner in long jump Stef Reid.

For those who don't know the Muller Anniversary Games is a two-day weekend event happening on the 21st and 22nd July at the London Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and forms part of the prestigious IAAF Diamond League series. So one can certainly expect to see some of the best athletes in the world make their way to the capital city and previous years have played host to household names such as Usain Bolt, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Sir Mo Farah among many others. A few records have also been broke at these games including Kendra Harrison breaking the 100m hurdles world record in 2016, I wonder if any will be broken this year?

So if your looking for something unforgettable to do this summer holidays as well as inspire your kids to try something new then why not come to the Muller Anniversary Games - tickets are on sale now and start at £10 from British Athletics

I'm working with Mumsnet and Muller Anniversary Games 

5 fashion staples from the 90's I'm happy are making a comeback

Having been a teenager in the nineties means that of course its one of my fondest decades and holds some of my favorite memories growing up, the longest summers, friendships and discovering fashion and experimenting with style. We all know that trends come around again at some point so it's been exciting seeing some of my favorites from the nineties come back into style (although bum bags and scrunchies we could still do without). Here are 5 trends I am happy about making a comeback


Dungarees and Overalls

This one I am really happy about, while dungarees technically never really went out of style they have certainly seen a rise in popularity of late especially after a whole bunch of celebs have been spotted in them. Long or short, skinny or wide leg they are all on trend this summer, which is good news as they are not only stylish but comfy and practical too.

Denim Jacket

Double denim is definitely a thing as more and more people are pairing up the 90's style denim jacket with jeans. I remember having a denim biker style jacket in the nineties and so glad it's coming back, in fact over the past year I have picked up both a blue and black denim jacket and personally I think it's a good investment as just like jeans and a white tee it never really goes out of style.

Round glasses

Gone are the days of the classic wayfarer style and back in is the small round glasses, while the seventies embraced the oversized round frames we are starting to see the smaller ones, favorited by pop stars such as Britney Spears back in the day making a comeback

Mum Jeans and Athleisure

Finally, we really are starting to move away from the skinny jeans and are taking back the once uncool more relaxed fitted mum jeans low or high waist are both in stores now. Pairing these up with a relaxed tee and jacket makes for a great casual look this summer. Even if your not into the mum jean then the more relax atleisure trouser such as Chums does are also back in.

Sneakers and white socks

Yes, I was one of those who donned Airwalks and Vans with pulled up which socks, it may have been bad but felt so good and this slightly strange trend is certainly making a comeback although I'm not sure I can pull it off in my thirties but why not I say?

Other nineties trends that are on the rise are sliders, platform shoes, chain belts, band tees and flannel shirts to name a few which are all over Instagram at the moment. The great thing about trends coming back around is that there is always a slightly newer take on them, they are refreshed in a modern kind of way and I love that about fashion, always changing but also always the same. What is your favorite era and what have you seen come back in your lifetime?