What is the best and worst holiday that you have been on?

[worldshottestmom]

Hi. Plane virgin here. Thats right, I've never left the UK (pity me). I am thinking of taking the plunge and taking my kids on holiday abroad next year, for the first time ever for all of us! 'Terrified' doesn’t quite cut it.

Despite my fear of flying (heavily instilled into me by my mother, who is phobic of planes) I don't want to hold myself back and die only ever having been in the UK.

But now the question is, where do we go? I'm thinking of somewhere that's only a short distance away for the first time (probably Spain), but if it goes well, will be looking to travel further in the following years.

So, what was your most and least favourite holiday that you've ever been on?

Bonus question: if you've ever been to Spain, where would you recommend taking 2 kids to within Spain?

WORST. Holiday to Paris with three adults who followed me around like children, expected me to do all the translation and organizing. I was acting like an unpaid tour guide and they whinged when I went off alone. One lost her money/passport/travel cheques and expected me to sort it out. We sat on different seats ont he train back.

BEST: not exactly a holiday but a business conference in Las Vegas with a few days tacked on the end for leisure. I thought I was going to hate Vegas but rather liked the slickness and glitz and the laid back atmosphere. I dont gamble but I love watching others do it. Two years later I went to work there for a year on an academic exchange.

I know people who have done fear of flying courses and found them incredibly good, transformative in fact.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/apr/16/conquer-fear-of-flying-terror-board-plane

If you decide not to fly this link might be useful https://www.seat61.com/holidays-by-train.htm

Am I the only person who absolutely loved the highlands?

I like the area around Valencia in Spain. It’s cheaper to stay in that area as it’s not so commercialised. Valencia is a beautiful city and definitely worth a visit.

I like Oliva, which has a stunning beach. If you fancy self catering Kiko Park has very nice apartments along with their camping pitches. There’s a beautiful pool and the site is situated right next to the beach. They keep the place spotlessly clean. There’s a restaurant and a pizza place onsite but also lovely restaurants close by. Oliva town is a short walk away and is very quaint. The area is very Spanish and doesn’t have places doing a full English breakfast. You can sit in the square and have coffees or freshly squeezed orange juice. There’s a choice of shops and an excellent market every Friday.

https://kikopark.com/en/apartments/

Best, French Riviera. Lots of nice towns to choose from but I especially like Hyeres and Nice.

Italy and Greece also lovely.

Worst, Tunisia. Horrible food and not much to do.

There at slots of family hotels or kinder hotels in Europe. Especially Austria, Croatia, Italy.
They are focuses on kids so always good at weird times available also, kids friendly rooms, kids activities

Its very hot generally in Most of Europe
now in July and August, but May sea and outdoor pools will be cold if not heated. So make sure to book somewhere with heated outdoor or indoor pools if you want water

Family hotel Amarin in Rovinj - Croatia is worth a look

Also Terme Olimia in Slovenia. It’s thermal pool complex with various accommodation surrounding it ie hotels, apartments, camping and you pick what suits you can use all the facilities

Theres also a few centre parks equivalent in Netherlands. It won’t be as hot and you can find one with space to get away from others if needed whilst using all facilities

https://little-clogs-holidays.co.uk/where-to-stay/ - this has some good recommendations in Netherlands or Belgium area. Both could be reached by Eurostar and just hire car locally if needed or use public transport

Wow this sounds great! Im writing down a list of the places suggested here with pros and cons lol but I think menorca sounds brilliant for the kids especially. Thank you!

Oof that sounds rough I'm ngl! What a wasted trip to Paris for you, I think Paris could be nice if you go at the right time with the right people lol, though im hearing increasing reports of people visiting and not enjoying it, for a number of reasons.

I would love to go to Vegas, without my kids lol. Everybody I know that has been has absolutely loved it! How lucky that you got to work there for a year! Must of been amazing

Worst a cruise, it was like being trapped in the TV show benidorm.

Best Japan, it was genuinely amazing.

For a first holiday I’d go small and easy, so a resort so you don’t have to go far too explore while you build your confidence.

If it’s your first time abroad and through an airport I would advise booking a package holiday rather than trying to do flights and accommodation yourself. Honestly the flight will be an absolute breeze, the most stressful things about travelling abroad are airports and the to and from either side.

You mentioned your DS is autistic so to keep stress levels to a minimum I would recommend a smaller UK airport if you have one near to you, and choose your accommodation carefully based on the transfer time when you arrive, With a package holiday they will just meet you as you leave the airport, shepherd you all on to a coach and then drop you at your hotel, which I’d say is perfect for your first time abroad, however some can be a long coach journey of 2+ hours, others can be a mere 15 mins - so definitely look at the transfer time of the accommodation you’re looking at. I should add it’s also possible to have a private taxi transfer so this might something worth considering (you can usually select to upgrade to this during your booking).

I would also recommend going in quieter times of the year - although obviously all school holidays will be busy, but May and October half term will still usually give you pretty decent (25c) warm weather, where as you could be looking at 35-40c in mid summer.

Also one final thing, do you have a lanyard or anything for your DS ? A friend of mine travels with her DD who is autistic and has a sunflower lanyard & informs the airport staff / cabin crew etc that she has additional needs. They will help with things like queuing etc at security (taking you through a quieter lane) and helping you get settled on the plane so as you board first that kind of thing. I think holiday companies like TUI tend to be the most family friendly and aware of additional needs so maybe worth booking through them or even visiting an actual travel agent to book & chat through with them.

Finally, be totally honest when you are at the airport & with the cabin crew etc - if you let them know when you check in at the desk that it’s your fist time flying they are much more likely to direct you what to do / where to go next, otherwise they can be a bit surly and will just expect you know the drill 😆 especially important if you want things to be as calm as possible for your DS.

Not trying to put you off at all, as I’m sure you will have an absolutely amazing time, just forewarned is for armed and with a little bit of preparation you’ll sail through the airport and onto the plane for a lovely smooth flight.

Flying is the absolute best. Try and get a window seat if you can, The power you feel under you as the plane goes down the runway and then lifts effortlessly into the air and above the clouds is like nothing else, and seeing the fields etc below is fascinating. Enjoy !!

Corfu is ABSOLUTELY lovely, OP.

We hired a villa, totally beautiful...we visited remote monasteries with aparies and honey...churches, quiet beaches, Gerald Durrell ( My Family and other Animals), Corfu Town/ Castle has history and a beautiful warmth, good cafes...restaurants, they do the street lighting really well. It felt safe. We came back rosy and restored. ( We visited in the last week of Sept...so excellent, balmy weather for swimming and beach, short-sleeved evenings still, but tourists at a minimum. Would return in the blink of an eye.
Would you hire a car? Not essential, as you can hire taxis ( not sure of your budget?) We had a brill taxi ( guide ) trip on Paxos, but different island....

I do hope you find a lovely place and have a super experience, as it sounds like a big deal for you. X

Our best holiday was a trip to Florida, it was brilliant but hideously expensive. Our worst 2 holidays were a caravan in Aberystwyth that was infested with fleas, and a hotel in Turkey where we all got food poisoning and

Worst - Malta..When we arrived we weren't given a room til about tea time..And it was all downhill after that..Country is beautiful but hotel was pants. Disorganised, lack of bedding, group of loud men boozing all night, waking our daughter as they shouted down the corridor. We won't go back to that resort again.

Best - fly drive to Tennessee, Memphis, New Orleans. Peabody Hotel in Memphis was out of this world.

@worldshottestmom
I always said I didn't like Spain until I actually went 😂
I thought it was going to be like the programme "Benidorm"
I went to Malaga and loved it.
Also terrified of flying but I'll let you into my secret ritual that will ensure you land safely, when entering the plane I say "check the rivets" and actually check the rivets around the door, upon landing when wheels hit the floor I say "Reverse thrusters" (just in case they pilot forgets)
Family thinks I'm mad but I'm still here so my little ritual works 😂
Dp does the same ritual now, says he can't risk not saying it just in case 😁
We are usually sane and rational, i promise!
On a more serious note, do you have a Hayes Travel or similar near you?
They will have all the info on the best places to go.
I personally love Greece especially Crete, Google every year.
Went to Thailand once, didn't like the massive chasm between rich and poor and the dirt of Bangkok
Let us know what you decide, im invested in your first trip abroad ❤️

Best - Coral Sea Waterworld in Sharm el Sheikh and I would recommend this hotel hands down to anyone especially those with children
Worst - it's a toss up between Tenerife or Majorca

Curveball - we took our 3yo to Amsterdam for a few days which was actually very very child friendly. This was to get him used to flying and I wouldn't hesitate to take him back! Plus it is still the same price during school holidays so it is something we are going to do on a regular basis when he's in school full time.

I second this re northern Spain, and again you don’t have to fly. We took the long ferry from Southampton to Santander and travelled along the coast to a few places but you can stay on one place.. Lovely area and quiet, not ‘touristy’. Someone mentioned Eurocamp there are some sites in northern Spain as well.
we did both Eurocamp and canvas holidays when the kids were small, great fun.

Not read the whole thread but what about considering Belfast?
Plenty of things to do beautiful scenery for exploring and only approx 50 minutes flight from most UK airports?
With the added benefit if the plane went REALLY wrong you could drive home?

Best- majorca, austria, florida, sydney, verona, devon

worst- wales, norfolk

tenerife is not my fav but is great for winter sun if u pick the right resort

I think majorca is a good shout - easy flight, feels very safe, nice beaches, great food - we go loads and unusually book flight and an air bnb apartment in puerto pollenca as there's so many lovely resultants

It depends what type of person you are. Do you just want sun? If so, find the cheapest decent all inclusive in Spain. However, I don’t see why you’d bother going abroad to sit in the same hotel for a week. If you also want to do ‘stuff’ Majorca is nice, relatively small so you can go to other areas. I like Porto pollensa or Porto the capital. Barcelona, Valencia are great, both have beaches but lots to do.

Not quite what you asked but if you really don’t want to fly what about the train to France. You and your kids could have your own space on a mobile home. Easily accessible by PT I would recommend Siblu La Pignade - train to Royan and bus to Ronce Les Bains, bus stops outside. Or any of the sites in La Palmyre - train to Royan and bus to La Palmyre. You wouldn’t need a car at either of those.

if you do fly Ibiza is our favourite. Holiday Village and Tui Blue are next to each other and share access to the waterpark at Port des Torrents. Stunning beach 100m walk. Very much not the party side of the island!

I wouldn't go to Spain with an autistic 4 year old. It will be too hot, too bright and the food might be too different. If you're not staying in a big hotel it might be a bit of a culture shock for you too! I would go to a Dutch vakantiepark, which are large bungalow parks. Pick one by a beach or in the forest with a lake. They're normally fairly quite, enclosed so safe, and often have a pool and playground and on-site which is normally pretty OK. Dutch eat early so restaurants aren't a problem, everyone speaks English, the weather will be like the UK, and the food is familiar. Its not quite as exciting as going somewhere new new, but it's still abroad, a bit different and should be less stressful.

Best: Zante (my only ever resort holiday), Crete, Cyprus, Croatia, Germany, France

Worst: Lanzarote, Marbella, Sorrento (too many OTT weddings), Morocco

What about Jersey as a first attempt at flying? Beaches are stunning and it’s a short flight with a very small quiet airport. Might not give you the full on sunshine holiday experience but we absolutely loved our family holiday there.

That shoes were all so different as AI is my idea of hell. love going out to dinner to different restaurants every night and the freedom of self catering .