Last Updated on 14 January 2025 by Colette
2024 was quite a busy year travel wise for us – I think I’d almost forgotten how much we’d done until I started to look back over the year for this post. May / June felt a bit bonkers with Chloe managing to leave the country three times in the space of about five weeks and I managed three trips abroad in search of sunshine across the course of the year.
You can read about how we plan our family adventures here.
January – A girls’ holiday in Mexico
Kirst and I finally manage to take that Dollybirds holiday that we’d promising ourselves for at least five years and, some twenty years after we first (and last ) went on holiday just the two of us, we took ourselves off to Mexico for a glorious week of sunshine, margaritas and reading on the beach.
We stayed at Margaritaville Cancun working on the basis that we just wanted a really nice hotel where we could totally switch off. We weren’t gong to Mexico to explore; we weren’t interested in day trips or adventures – we didn’t leave the hotel at all during our stay, and in fact I’m not even sure we fully explored the hotel! We found ourselves a favourite spot on the beach and slipped into a glorious routine of getting up for breakfast and watching the sunrise before pegging ourselves out on our sunbeds to read and drink frozen margaritas. The most active thing we did all week was bob about in the sea to cool down and it was absolute bliss.
Having never holidayed in January / early February before, I really appreciated how it cut winter short – it meant we had something to look forward to after Christmas so January seemed to go much quicker than usual then by the time we got home it was almost February half term and it sort of felt like spring was on the horizon. The downsides of holidaying at that time of year though are the need to fly long haul to get a guarantee of decent sunshine which means a) expense b) long flights and c) jet lag and then along with that, Kirst ended up not really going away again so she didn’t feel that she had a proper break from work in far too long. Of course the dream would be to do that winter sun holiday in January and then still make sure you’ve got something else planned in for the summer to break the year up!
April – A weekend break at Wild Rose Holiday Park in Cumbria
At the end of April we had a gorgeous weekend away together staying in a Willerby Malton holiday home at the Wild Rose Holiday Park in Cumbria including a day out at Lowther Castle – it was one of those weekends where you really appreciate just how much of a break two nights away from home can be. I think we sometimes fall into the trap of thinking we need week-long holidays to feel the benefit of being away from home but just a couple of nights can make all the difference!
May – Our half term holiday in the South of France
Driving to the south of France for May half term is something we’ve done quite a few times now and we were all super excited for this year’s trip to Port Grimaud on the Riviera – we were treated to a full week of glorious sunshine which we made the most of by basically lying by the pool for a week. Normally when we go to France we visit a market or two and explore nearby towns but this year, especially with the weather being so lovely, we just fully leaned into a very lazy week of reading and swimming. Oh, except for that day that we surprised the kids with a day trip to Italy which they said was like going on holiday within a holiday!
Chloe in particular has wanted to go to Italy for ages so when we realised that we were only going to be a couple of hour’s drive from Italy, we planned in a surprise day trip of pizza, pasta and gelato – Chloe’s face was amazing when she realised what we’d done and all three kids said they’re really like to do a longer trip to Italy in the near future (as of course would Dave and I – we have been investigating Eurocamp style options for a future trip).
June – Darwin Forest for two
Almost as soon as we got back from our holiday in France, Dave and I snuck off to Darwin Forest for four nights whilst Mum stayed at ours to take care of the kids. Whilst it wasn’t ideal that our break ended up being immediately after our holiday in France and we should have perhaps spread out the joy a bit, we had the most gorgeous week of doing very little in each other’s company.
I think perhaps when you’re holidaying abroad or in a hotel, there is some level of pressure to make the most of the sunshine or to ensure you’re up in time for breakfast etc but when you’re staying in a lodge in the middle of the forest in the peak district, you can just take your own sweet time and do whatever you want – which basically meant a fridge full of M&S snacks, lots of reading and watching films, snoozing, plenty of time in the hot tub, the occasional wander around a nearby town or down to the onsite pub for lunch. We were so relaxed and just really revelled in the peace and each other’s company and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
June – Battlefields for Chloe
In June, Chloe went on a four day history trip to Belgium with school. This is a trip that her school offer as standard in Year 8 and the take pretty much the whole year – six coaches in total I think. They get to explore the town of Ypres, some trenches, graveyards and take part in the last post ceremony as well as spending a day in a theme park.
This was of course the first time Chloe had been abroad without us and her first time away with her secondary school friends and she loved every minute of it.
June – Heidelberg, Germany for Chlo!
Just a week later, Granny and Grandad whisked Chloe off to Germany for a long weekend – why? Well because she asked them to! In all seriousness, we realised that whilst we regularly holiday in France, we’ve never been to Germany so Ben gets the occasionally chance to test out his French but Chloe doesn’t get chance to practice her German – I joked that Grandad would take her to Germany so she asked him, and he said yes. We took the hit on a few days of unauthorised absence (not enough to be fined) on the basis that we thought the value of the trip – both in educational terms and just in how special it was to have that time with her Grandparents – was worth it.
In practice, Dad said she didn’t really get to speak or hear much German, but she will have learned plenty of other things during her trip!
July – Three nights camping in Mablethorpe
We kicked off the summer holidays with a trip to Mablethorpe – whilst the campsite was a lovely, I don’t think I’d rush back to Mablethorpe itself but it was nice to be by the sea for a bit!
By pure fluke, Aunty Custard and Uncle Chris were staying in a holiday cottage down the road for a couple of nights so we were ablet to meet up for a beach walk and some lunch which was a bit of a bonus!
July – Tramlines Festival
Now normally a festival would involve packing up the car and camping for a few nights but Tramlines is a day festival with no camping available so we made the drive to Sheffield each day, parking relatively nearby in pre-booked official parking. Whilst this was a bit of a slog in some ways, we did benefit from sleeping in our own beds, hot showers and slow starts at home each day!
August – A few nights in Delamere Forest
Our second camping trip of the summer was booked with two things in mind – one being relatively close to home (as Mablethorpe was a few hours away) and to be a totally different environment – so woodland as opposed to the coast – so that we felt like we’d had a really different break,
We were treated to some spectacularly hot weather which was a bit of a slog in the tent at times but did mean we were able to treat the kids to a visit to Wild Shore at Delamere where the did a full on inflatable obstacle course on a lake and loved every minute of it! I don’t think I’d book the Delamere Forest campsite again as the traffic noise was a bit much for us but we’d definitely plan another trip to Wild Shore this year.
August – Hardwick Festival
Hardwick Festival was a huge highlight of the summer, or perhaps the whole year for us – Dave wasn’t able to come with us as he was caring for his Mum after an operation so we took Aunty Custard in his place and enjoyed a weekend of sunshine and silliness aided and abetted by a fabulous glamping set up which took all the stress out of the trip and lots of great music. I’m eagerly awaiting this year’s Hardwick Fetival line up being announced but I’m definitely keen to go back this summer.
September – Sunshine for two in Türkiye
At the back end of September, Mum came to stay again and Dave and I took ourselves off Türkiye for a week’s all inclusive stay at Litore Hotel in Alanya – much like mine and Kirst’s holiday in Mexico, we didn’t leave the hotel – we spent the week relaxing by the pool; reading and swimming, making the most of the spa facilities with several massages each. Being able to go on holiday just the two of us is such a luxury and one were are so grateful for (and are definitely hoping to do again this year!)
October – a half term visit to Conwy
As a family we absolutely love Wales – it suits our outdoorsy nature and we always come away from a visit saying we need to make plans to head over the border more often. Conwy is just under two hours from home and is a really lovely place to stay. Because this was a press trip, we had a packed itinerary of activities and meals out – which was fab, but I think we’d all like to back to the area to viist again at a slower pace!
Looking back over 2024 I feel like we packed loads in (most of which I had mentioned when I wrote about our 2024 travel plans) and it absolutely flew by (which I think is often the case when you end up really busy) but there were definitely plenty of slower, less exciting bits – the back end of the year especially when the weather wasn’t so great!
And so, dipping out toes into 2025, I’m just starting to firm up some of our travel plans for the coming months which you can read about here: Our 2025 travel plans
How was 2024 for you travel-wise? Did you get away? Any recommendations or highlights to share?
If you have enjoyed this post and found it helpful, here are a few ways you can say thanks and support We’re going on an adventure:
Click here to buy me a virtual coffee – it’s like a little tip jar but with caffeine!
I’d love for you to tag me in any photos of your adventures on Social Media if one of my posts has inspired you to visit
Click here to leave We’re going on an adventure a Google Review
Share this post with your friends – you’ll be helping me and them!
Follow We’re going on an adventure on Facebook or Instagram
