Family travel requires a different approach to travelling as a singleton, a couple or a group of adults. Certainly in our pre-parenting days, we often took impromptu ski, sun or city breaks across Europe. While we always researched long haul holidays, our attitude when we reached our destination was very much to go with the flow. We’d change our plans at the drop of a hat and regularly did because we could. Our trips as a family continue to be based on discovery, adventure and exploration but they do require a little more research, planning and organisation. Recommendations from other family travel bloggers is a fundamental part of the process and the advice can be invaluable. Family travel bloggers are a friendly bunch who certainly adopt the community spirit when it comes to helping each other. Here is the ultimate list of our UK faves in no particular order.
Penny Alexander – Parentshaped Travels and Space In Your Case
Penny is passionate about nature, getting kids outdoors, culture, food and travel. Previously a media and film teacher, she is now a full time blogger and travel writer with a side in holiday letting. Penny relocated to the Peak District to rent out her own holiday places after one too many country holidays she didn’t want to come home from. Her blog parentshaped.co.uk was Best Family Travel Blog Runner Up in the the Family Traveller awards. Her (multi-award winning) first blog was sold to an online retailer. Penny co-edits family travel inspiration site Space In Your Case and as one third of Team Honk, she achieved 3 awards for social media and fundraising campaigns with Comic Relief, highlighting their work from projects in the UK, Ghana and Tanzania.
Penny has written for Family Traveller and The Nottingham Post, and she’s a regular contributor to Day Out With the Kids and Avis Inspires. She lives with her husband, son (2008) daughter (2006) and a greyhound. Find Penny on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.
Sarah Ebner – Family Travel TimesFamily Travel Times is a unique travel blog in that it’s written by the whole Ebner family – including Sarah (an award-winning journalist) and her children, who are aged 15 and 12 (11 and 8 when the blog started)! The family write about their adventures at home and abroad, including days out and guides to cities, from Washington DC to Margate in Kent, and also make videos and use beautiful photos. They are particular specialists when it comes to London, but love travelling in the UK, Europe and further afield. They believe it’s refreshing to read the childrens’ point of view – rather than what parents think kids think!
Family Travel Times has been shortlisted at the UK Blog awards three times and Sarah and/or her children have been featured as travel experts for Trip Advisor, Family Traveller, the International Times, Lonely Planet, Take the Family, Britmums and many more. Find Sarah on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
Launched back in May 2015, Project: Wanderlust is a travel and lifestyle blog focused on inspiring, yet affordable, travel. Concentrating on family friendly adventures, there are travel guides, destination reviews and top tips for those looking to get the most out of their time away. Alice is a freelance writer, blogger and family travel expert with a passion for good food and travelling the world. In addition to blogging she works as a social media consultant and is a regular guest on BBC Essex. Find Alice on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Maria Belfort – One Tiny Leap One Tiny Leap is the multi-award nominated blog of Maria Belfort and her family, documenting their travels around the world, and their love affair with good food. Now moored in Brighton, the family spent 18 months living in Lisbon before embarking on a year-long road trip that took them to the USA, Japan, New Zealand and China. Currently using all her free time to explore closer to home in the UK and Europe, and rarely separated from her camera, Maria is a Marketing Manager specialising in Asia travel with a mild obsession with ramen. Find Maria on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Helen Wills – Actually Mummy Helen is the multi-award winning blogger behind family lifestyle and travel blog Actually Mummy. The blog began as the diary of Helen’s 6 year old daughter, full of the humorous anecdotes of family life. As the kids have grown older, Helen has returned to her love of travel, taking her family along for the ride. Six years on, she now documents their travels in the UK and worldwide with a teen and a tween. Helen’s journeys have taken her all over the world, from Hong Kong and Cambodia, to Caribbean beaches and the ski resorts of Colorado. As one third of Space In Your Case, she is all about adventure, pushing the boundaries with her kids, believing that no holiday should be off limits for families. All it takes is a bit of planning! Find Helen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Daisy is mum to three kids, wife to Mr Dais Like These and the owner of a lovely greyhound. As well as leading a busy day to day family life, she loves nothing more than packing up and heading off on a new adventure – husband, kids and sometimes dog in tow! Daisy is passionate about family travel and through the Dais Like These Family Travel Blog she aims to inspire other families to try new destinations with their kids. She shares the highs and lows and ins and outs of her own family adventures, both close to home and further afield. Expect travel diaries, travel tips and honest reviews. Find Daisy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Cerys and Monika (along with the best family travel writers out there) pour their passion for travel and the great outdoors into quarterly magazine Inspireroo. A magazine for the independently-minded traveller and explorer, it has regular online features full of inspiration for families to get out more and explore further. Each seasonal issue is packed with stories of epic family journeys, weekend and city breaks, gear reviews, thought-provoking interviews, suggestions for outdoor and garden activities and wildlife conservation. Read Inpsireroo online or download your quarterly copy to read offline. Find Inspireroo on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Katy (otherwise known as Mrs S) is married to Mr S and mom to three children. Together, having spent the last 3 years converting their beloved Campervan, they love nothing more than to take a road trip, to explore and to create wonderful memories along the way. Otis and Us is a family travel blog; sharing travel tips, family days out, outdoor fun, holidays, and road trips in the UK and further afield. Aiming to inspire others to travel with kids and embrace the belief that life is an adventure. Find Katy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Laura owns the multi award-winning family lifestyle blog LittleStuff, but she admits that Have Kids, Can Travel is where her adventurous heart lies. As a family of 6, Laura is the writer, husband Courtenay is the photographer and they have four kids (home educated, so they’re always ready to take on a new adventure with no worries about term dates!). The three boys are 18, 15 & 14, and their daughter Bear is 10. They love to talk about any and all the family friendly travel options – from wild camping in Wales to trekking in the desert. Laura loves finding new things to experience with the children, discovering the best places to stay, ways to travel, and bargains to be had for families finding their perfect holiday. Find Laura on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
UK travel, lifestyle and parent blogger Zena is passionate about growing a love of travel in her young family and following her own desire to see more of the world. Zena’s Suitcase follows her family’s adventures as they explore life as a travelling family and enjoy the many different holiday and travel experiences. With over 19 years experience as a parent, she is honest about the challenges faced visiting different countries with two young children, and shares how families can overcome these hurdles and enjoy the precious time together. As a family that is constantly juggling a happy balanced life, Zena also explores the possibilities of travel without kids and how to enhance your lifestyle when your at home. Find Zena on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
Emma Raphael – A Bavarian SojournEmma and her family have just returned to the UK after five years living in Munich and two years in Copenhagen. Always up for a new travel experience, their adventures have included sleeping in an iglu at the top of Germany’s tallest mountain, volcano conquering in Japan, and glamping in the Black Forest in a snow storm (with a small baby!). They’re not yet sure how long they will be back in the UK for, or indeed whether they will live abroad again, but whilst they are settled, they would like to explore as much of their own country as is humanely possible, plus beyond of course! Find Emma on Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
Elizabeth Callaghan – Wander MumTV journalist and blogger Elizabeth fell in love with travel after a solo backpacking expedition around the world in her twenties. Now she has two daughters, she is on a mission to prove you can still see the world with children in tow – albeit a little differently! She has since swapped her backpack for more luxurious accommodation and her travels have seen her take her family to Asia, the US, Europe and beyond. She firmly believes in living for the moment after her husband survived two life-threatening illness. Her motto is: Life is too short, make the most of it. Elizabeth chronicles the ups and downs of travel with her family, sharing her experiences with honesty and humour. Find Elizabeth on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube.
Alison Perry – Not Another Mummy Blog Magazine editor turned family lifestyle and travel blogger Alison spent her twenties discovering the joy of the mini break, and found herself becoming the go-to person for hotel and holiday advice amongst her friends. Alison is now a family travel expert, blogging about days out, weekends away and big holidays with her husband and daughter. She admits to loving a bit of luxury, when it comes to family travel, but Alison also loves a bargain and enjoys seeking out budget breaks that allow families to pack in as many brilliant experiences as they can. Alison co-edits family travel site Space In Your Case. She has also written travel features for magazines such as Mother & Baby, OK!, Look, Junior and Good Living. Find Alison on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Susanna Scott – A Modern Mother
Susanna founded the BritMums influencer network in 2008 following a career in marketing. She is often quoted as a pioneer in the Mum Blogging space and speaks frequently about blogging, social networking and the BritMums community at industry events. She also loves to travel with the family – to faraway places and round the corner to the play park – anywhere her teens are willing to be seen with her! Find Susanna on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Google+.
Sarah Christie – Extraordinary Chaos
Extraordinary Chaos is an award winning and multi award nominated blog about family life with teens and the challenges that are presented with a growing family. Sarah shares life and travels with her crazy family. But is also embracing the life changes as her family grows giving her more time for solo and couple travel and exploring some of her passions in life such as luxury travel, interiors and food. Yet still likes to explore ways to keep her growing family still want to travel together. Find Sarah on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
Jo Addison – KiddieholidaysAdvice and inspiration about holidays and days out for babies and toddlers. Jo loves helping families with babies and toddlers have great holidays! From finding special places to stay which welcome babies and toddlers with open arms, to giving advice about fab places to visit with babies and toddlers, as well as the practical aspects like how to apply for a baby’s first passport – Jo is here to help! Jo has featured in Mother and Baby Magazine twice providing advice about how to take the stress out of baby travel, as well as contributing on an article about the best holidays for babies in 2016. Find Jo on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
Vuelio says: Having three young children doesn’t have to stifle your love of travel. It means you have to be more prepared and requires a whole new checklist of essential items. Founded in 2014, Mini Travellers supplies parents with ideas for holidays and day trips. Not content with Mini Travellers, Karen has recently launched a new blog ‘Fuelled by Latte’, an extension of her original blog, focused on family, travel, food, lifestyle and fashion. Find Karen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
Kate Sutton – WitWitWoo + We Blog TravelAfter completing a degree in Creative Writing, Kate created WitWitWoo in 2010, a lifestyle and travel blog, to provide her with a space to continue her passion for writing. Seven years later, it has gone from strength to strength, with a large, engaged and loyal following. The blog predominantly focuses on finding a balance of living a healthy lifestyle, whilst enjoying travelling the world.
Kate also wanted to create a blog that focused solely on travel, so she co-created We Blog Travel in May 2016, which concentrates on luxurious travel, solo travel and family holidays that cater for older children. Kate is a freelance writer, blogger and Digital Manager. She is also a lone parent to two boys – aged 13 and 22. She has written for Cruise Magazine, Princess Cruises’ ‘Journey’ magazine and various other travel publications, and currently ranks in the Top Ten of the UK’s top lifestyle blogs. Find Kate on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Lisa Jane – Travel Loving Family Our family travel blog shares travel tips, holiday reviews and destination guides from our travels around the UK and abroad. Lisa, Editor of Travel Loving Family and Editor of Trips100 (the UK’s largest travel blog directory) has travelled to 80+ countries and worked in the travel industry for 20 years. Previous roles include Shore Excursions Manager onboard P&O Cruises and USA, Caribbean Travel Specialist for Abercrombie & Kent, a luxury tour operator. Find Lisa on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Carrie Bradley – Flying With A Baby As an ex international flight attendant, Carrie has visited over 60 countries and uses her insider knowledge to help and inspire parents to travel all over the world. Her two young daughters share the families travel bug with over 30 flights so far! Flying With A Baby shares family holiday destination guides, family friendly hotels, airline reviews, holiday tips and product reviews. Carrie has provided advice for Boots Parenting magazine, Mother & Baby and Woman & Home. Find Carrie on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Samantha Rickelton – North East Family Fun
North East Family Fun is an award winning UK family travel blog with a strong Facebook following featuring UK days out, family holiday reviews, travel tips and inspiration. Samantha and her family love camping and the great outdoors, good food and learning through experience. As a family of 5 with school aged children, you can expect plenty of adventure alongside honest reviews and regular ‘what’s on’ guides. Find Samantha on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Joanne Brady – Kids Days Out Reviews
Kids Days Out Reviews review and feature family and kids days out from around the UK, and short breaks in the UK and beyond. It won Best Family Travel Blog at the MADs in 2014, and currently features over 150 day out ideas. The girls are aged from six to twelve, and our days out have grown as we have. We love camping and Disney, and we’d love a trip to Disneyland California please. Find Joanne on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Suitcases and Sandcastles shows you how to make travel and culture fun for the whole family with city guides, travel tips, reviews and inspiration for family holidays in the UK and abroad. The focus is on slowing down and taking the time to enjoy new experiences, whether you’re exploring a new city, trying different food or going on an adventure. We love looking for hidden gems and fun places to stay. Clare travelled constantly as a travel writer and editor at the Daily and Sunday Telegraph and writes on family travel for angels & urchins and the Telegraph as well as the blog. Find Clare on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
The Pigeons (Austin and Gwen, 7 and 5) live in London with their parents, Nell and the Daddy D. From glamping in Wales to exploring the western fjords in Norway, the family’s travel stories are full of adventure. The blog has plenty of tips on exciting ways to spend a day in London, as well as regular updates on what’s on in the UK capital. Nell runs the popular monthly linky, #CulturedKids, so her blog is a good point of call for people wanting to read about family-friendly museums, galleries, theatre shows and historic places, from all around the world. Find Nell on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Nisbah Hussain – Five AdventurersNisbah has a genuine passion for travel and following the arrival of her three little adventurers, the family adventure far and wide and make the world a classroom for their children. Nisbah, with her husband Doc are on a mission to showcase the best in family travel and inspire families that adventurous travel, even with young children is possible! Five Adventurers is an award winning site which provides parents with ideas of adventures, travel inspiration, tips and helpful guides to embark on their next adventure. In addition, unlike any other family travel bloggers in the UK, the Five Adventurers are the only Muslim family who blog about travel. With this sector becoming the fastest growing and most lucrative, the Five Adventurers, offer lots of unique insight and exposure to this community. Find Nisbah on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (Fiveadventurers).
Jane Batt – Practically Perfect Mums
Video professional, vlogger, writer and mother of three sons, Jane produces content about holidays & outings, “whatever the size of your family”. Her family travel sites share family holiday reviews, hotel tour videos and destination guides from both overseas and the UK, with a regional emphasis on what’s on in Bristol and North Somerset. Jane co-runs the Bristol Travel Massive Chapter and along with her fellow leader successfully set up and grew the thriving group to over 250 travel professionals within its first year. She’s also actively involved in the Bristol Bloggers & Influencers group. Jane blogs at “Practically Perfect Mums” and Taking 5 and uploads travel videos and vlogs to her YouTube Channel PPMsTV. Find Jane on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
Claire Hall – Tin Box Traveller
Claire is a mum to two pre-school girls with an appetite for adventures in the UK and Europe. Her blog, Tin Box Traveller, shares holidays ranging from camping trips to luxury lodges and cruises, as well as outdoor fun, family days out and travel tips. Claire lives in Devon so has plenty of insider knowledge on staycations in the beautiful south west of England. The family often travel with a furry friend – Tin Box Dog – so Tin Box Traveller is also a great source of information on kid and pet-friendly breaks. Find Claire on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
So there you have it, a round up of some of our favourite family travel bloggers. Along with a bit of background on each, where they blog and a few social media profiles. A superb community and certainly just a few of our go to family travel bloggers we get referrals from when planning a trip.
You’re so right. Blogs are so helpful for hints and tips on family travel! Thanks so much for including me in this list.
Thanks so much for including me in this fab list, Charly. So great to meet you properly in Spain last weekend. I’m really looking forward to reading more about all of your adventures. Xx