Ice rinks pop up across London each winter, from around mid-November time. From parks and shopping centres to iconic locations such as the Tower of London and the Natural History Museum, you don’t have to go far for a chance to get your skates on at this time of year. My sister and I used […]
Travelling with a child who has anxiety: advice for parents
I have to start by saying that, luckily for me, I don’t have anxiety issues. I’m writing this from the perspective of parenting a child who does, and of seeing what works for my family and for others. What is anxiety? We all feel anxious sometimes, for example if we’re starting a new job, or […]
Thai cooking class, The Tongsai Bay, Thailand
While staying at The Tongsai Bay (you can read my review of the hotel here) in Koh Samui, my family and I took part in an excellent Thai cooking class.* We’ve experienced cooking classes a few times on our family travels, and they’ve always been a success – even when the kids are at peak […]
Hotel review: The Tongsai Bay, Koh Samui, Thailand
We were hosted at The Tongsai Bay for five nights.* We spent the second week of our summer family trip by the beach on the island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. We travelled there by road and ferry from Elephant Hills tented camp on the Thai mainland, having started off with a […]
What’s it like to stay at Elephant Hills, Thailand?
The second part of our family summer holiday was at Elephant Hills in Khao Sok National Park in Southern Thailand. Our flight from Bangkok (you can read about where we stayed in Bangkok here) to Surat Thani took just over an hour, and we were met there by a driver who took us to the Elephant Camp, […]
Is your teenager ready to stay at home alone?
If you’re a parent of a teenager, sooner or later they’re probably going to stop wanting to come on your family holidays. If they’ve already seen their 18th birthday by the time this happens, then you should be able to set off without them – they’re an adult, after all, and so hopefully they’re broadly […]
How to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London
During my university Easter holidays, Mum and I went to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on stage in London’s West End. As a life-long Harry Potter fan (we have two copies of the last book in our house, as mum and I both wanted to read it the second it came out) I […]
5 top things to do with teenagers in Santa Eulària des Riu
This post is by Petra Shepherd. Petra is a freelance travel writer who spent 30 years in television, 19 with Travel Channel. Although not a mum herself, she has 10 nephews and nieces and 12 god-children, many of whom are teenagers who happily accompany her on trips. You can follow Petra on Twitter: @petra_shepherd. Santa Eulària des […]
How to help your teenager cope with exam stress
When your child is taking exams, it can be a very stressful time for them. At a recent talk by a CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service) therapist I learnt that exam season is their busiest time of year, because so many young people feel overwhelmed by the pressure that they’re under. I was […]
How to go Interrailing when you’re a teenager
This post is by my daughter, Izzy, who went Interrailing two years ago. It was the first time that she’d travelled abroad without an adult and I was a bit fretty about it, but it was a great experience for her. I wrote a post about how I felt when she left: What to do when your teen goes travelling for the first time. […]
