Mumsnetters share what makes a family holiday special with Isles of Scilly Travel

[LucyBMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share.

From picking the perfect place for your family getaway to planning what to do and how to keep everyone entertained, family holidays are full of emotions and stories to tell. Whether you travel abroad to a sunny destination or stay locally and explore what the UK has to offer, Isle of Scilly Travel would like to hear the ways you make your family holiday special.

Here’s what Isles of Scilly Travel has to say:
“Discover why the Isles of Scilly, a group of sand-fringed islands found just 28 miles off the Cornish coast, is the perfect family holiday destination and enjoy a return to a gentler way of life. One visit to Scilly and you’ll understand why the islands are famous for enticing people to return year after year; families often holiday on Scilly for generations and visit the same camp sites, holiday homes or hotels every summer.

Isles of Scilly Travel makes the journey as memorable as the destination. Short Skybus flights from Land’s End, Newquay and Exeter airports reach Scilly in under an hour, or you can sail on the Scillonian III passenger ferry, which departs daily from Penzance Harbour between March and November.”

So we are asking you what part of the holiday does your family love the most? What is your preferred family holiday - active one with lots to do, or lazy one relaxing on the beach? How do you choose between staycation in the UK or overseas travel and why? What transport do you and your family use to get to the holiday? What would you change about you travelling together, if you could?

Share how you make you r family holiday special on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where 1 x MNer will win a £300 voucher for a store of their choice AND family day trip on our passenger ferry the Scillonian (2 adults 2 children) – value depending on the day chosen is between £144.00 - £171.00.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

For me one of the special things about family holiday is all exploring a new place together, sometimes a new culture too.
Also, leaving behind technology, we do a lot of camping and stay in wild places.
For my children, I suspect one of the best bits of family holidays is when their parents get it wrong and things go a bitpear shaped, so their highlights include the time when their mother got told off by an Italian policewoman.

Just being together. Love, laughter & making memories.

Time spent together - preferably with some good weather

We live in a city, and enjoy a different style of life on holiday - so different scenery and different activities than we'd do at home. We particularly like picnics and cooking on the beach, looking for beach treasure and seeing wildlife. Discovering new shops and food (although we live and holiday in the UK).

I like going back to the Lake District with my lot - doing some familiar things together and then finding some new things to explore outdoors - wearing the children out and doing stuff whatever the weather

Putting phones away and just letting loose.
running around after the kids showing them new things , especially on the beach last year we found a dead crab kids were fascinated by it

We absolutely love travelling to Cornwall and Brittany, which are very similar, really. We are content to sit on the beach (whatever the weather) watching the children laugh, play and splash in the water. It sounds a bit of a cliche but it really is idyllic. We mostly go to fairly quiet places, off the beaten track.

@IlsSortLaPlupartAuNuitMostly are you me??

Our best holidays definitely involve good weather - that's essential! Doesn't have to be hot; does have to be (mostly) fine.

Then, a bit surprisingly, what really makes for a lovely holiday is a lack of choice. No excursions, not many options of what to do. Reading, swimming, walking. Not been the the Scillies (yet), but we LOVE Lundy.

For us it’s simply family time together. No distractions (electronics!!). Instead it’s time to laugh together, talk properly with no school runs or work pressures bubbling in the background.

We’re just spent a peaceful “twixmas” break in north Devon walking the dog, exploring old haunts from our childhoods and making new shared family memories for our son to remember & replicate with his family in the future.

Chilled out bliss!!

We choose active holidays in terms of exploring and keeping busy.
We usually go abroad, and always fly when we do. Occasionally we go away for a few days in the UK, usually for a city break or mountains.
Our favourite part is discovering new people and places and experiences together.

Going on holiday together is our favourite type of holiday time. We like to choose places that are a little off the beaten track and so we aren’t surrounded by hordes of tourists trying to take the perfect shot for The ‘Gram.

For the last two years we have been trying not to fly for environmental reasons and it’s lead to some unexpected highlights as we have negotiated the UK and Europe by rail and boat and made the journey part of the holiday experience.

I actually went to the Isles of Scilly in the 80s with my parents and I remember having such an amazing time on the beautiful beaches, walking, kayaking, rock pooling and discovering the islands. I would love to go back with our children.

My husband and I try and say yes more when we are holiday, the kids love feeling like they have some control and we always end up doing crazy things! My daughter asked if we could Ice-cream for breakfast one morning, we said yes, they still talk about it 😂

For me, time together without the pressures of home life and work is just invaluable. We get away for 2 weeks every year and we just cherish that time together. Our 11 year old son has severe autism so life can be pretty tough on a daily basis. We've been renting an apartment in Majorca from the same family for the past 7 years. Our son loves it as he's really familiar with the apartment, the people, the area. It's just 2 weeks to completely recharge our batteries and make some fabulous memories...

Spending time together away from the daily chores and distractions of everyday life. My kids are growing up and starting to live their own lives so I want to give them memories to look back on and know that while we don't have a lot of money we always made time for family time. We've always wanted to visit the Scilly Isles but finances haven't allowed it yet - it's on the bucket list though ☺ Unfortunately my youngest has a disability and has had a tough year so we are having to use wheelchair friendly options which make things little trickier too.

I love our family trying out new experiences that we wouldn't usually do at home, spending time together having fun and no worries for a week or so. Just enjoying ourselves and each others company is what makes our family holidays so special

We go on holiday in the UK, always apartment style accommodation to allow for spending time as a couple while the children sleep. Never been brave enough to take our loud children on a plane (two are a bit deaf and very loud), so we stay in the UK. We like places by the seaside and normally stay in the south, our favourite is Devon. We like to go self catering and eat out a few times but mainly eat in at our ease. I often wish it was more relaxing and holiday like and for that reason I rather fancy AI abroad and it would probably do me good, but for now we'll stick to the UK.

Spending time together, exploring an exciting new place and making memories that will last a lifetime is what makes our holidays special.

Many of our best holiday moments have been at meal times, sitting together and chatting.

My kids do like finding other children to play with, so just renting a cottage somewhere might be my anti-social ideal, but doesn't suit them.

That moment where you finally relax... normally a few days in. Then the sleep that comes with fresh air, swimming and sun, I can sleep at anytime on holiday but at home I struggle to switch off!

choosing a holiday that has something for everyone in the family. We always try new things and its great to have variety!

Time together, at a pool or beach, relaxing and enjoying sunshine!

I know that a lot of people will say that it’s visiting new places and yes that’s great. But for me what makes a family holiday special is taking my little boy to places I love and would dream of taking a child some day, there is a beautiful huge tree in Seville that I used to visit and imagine taking a photo of my son or daughter there one day, I called it the fairy tree because it’s so big I felt like one of the fairy folk next to it.

Leaving everything behind, no work, no school, no stress. We're all so busy everyday it makes holiday time and just mucking about together all the more precious.

We haven't been on a 'family holiday' yet as dd is only 6mo and mat leave eats all our money but we can't wait to take her to our fave spot in Wales, lots to explore together, and our own little place to come back to each evening.

We love everything, the build up to the holiday, the way we get there and the holiday itself! We live exploring the local area using local transport links if possible. The kids are happy on the beach but love visiting new towns and seeing new sights