The Best Family Road Trip Begins With A Plan

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With road trips representing 39% of US vacations, it comes as no surprise that British families are beginning to adopt the trend. Known for being a great way to spend time with your kids and hitting up all of the sights to see, road tripping is a great choice for many, no matter where you are in the world. However, if you’re thinking about taking your family on a road trip, having a plan beforehand can not only help the trip go more smoothly, but can ensure everyone will have a great time.

 

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Planning ahead

When it comes to planning the best family road trip possible, it’s important to start early. Making lists, packing, and deciding what car you’ll take is imperative to have a smooth trip – and you’re going to need time to plan everything just so. Depending on where you want to go and what you want to do and see, it’s important to do your research as early on as possible to make sure you’re informed of possible entry fees, rules, regulations, and opening hours of the places you want to visit – after all, the last thing you want is to get a nasty surprise on the day of your trip.

Making sure you bring along everything you will need is a must, including clothes, blankets, and snacks. While a simple checklist can ensure that you don’t forget anything, it’s important that you begin packing at least four days to a week before you embark, depending on how long your trip is. And when it comes to packing for the children, allowing them to bring a small bag of toys can be a great idea for entertainment along the way – an in-car DVD player is also a good thing to think about, especially if your trip will be on the longer side. You can also book a party bus from Oildale rentals to get the perfect vehicle for your road trip.

 

 

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The best places to go

On any road trip, it’s important to know where you’re headed – or at least know where you want to stop along the way. While there are many great places to visit, there are a few that really stand out when it comes to captivating the family, and can help give you some ideas when you’re mapping out a route.

Over an hour away from London, West Sussex is a great destination choice for any family planning a road trip this summer. Filled with history, West Sussex has plenty for your family to explore – including Arundel Castle – a restored castle from the medieval times. This trip is perfect for inquisitive children who like to learn and is a great way for them to see a part of history in real life. However, if you’re looking for a more beachy road trip filled with swimming, fishing, and the like, then look no further than a route through Cornwall, located in the southwest of Great Britain. This route is truly one with amazing scenery, as there is plenty to see and explore, from beaches to coastal trails. The seaside villages are a great stopping point and allow for the perfect place to explore shops and restaurants.

Road trips can be a great vacation idea for any family – and planning one doesn’t have to be stressful. By planning and packing ahead of time and doing your research when mapping a route, you’ll be able to plan the perfect road trip that your family is sure to enjoy.

What I look for when booking a hotel for a holiday

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I like to pay extra attention when booking a hotel for a holiday. The last thing I need is to discover the hotel does not suit my needs after checking in.  That would be a holiday from hell. That is why I like to research the hotel we intend to stay especially now that I have kids. When it comes to hotels, I like them luxurious and comfortable. I want a home away from home. The hotel needs to feel like a hotel. It needs to look and feel better than my home, after all it is a holiday and should feel like one.

 

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Here are some of the things I look out for when booking a hotel for holiday –

 

Hotel Facilities

I always check the hotel facilities before booking a hotel. It is important to check the facilities you need are available before booking a hotel. I like to have an amazing room, room service, gym facilities, swimming pool, spa, restaurants and concierge. Room service is so important because sometimes we are just to tired or lazy to go down to the restaurant. So I like to have the option of eating in.

Having a spa in the hotel is also vert important. I like to sneak in a massage whilst on holiday. Having a massage with M is always on the cards too! We have been busy visiting cities in England this year. So far we have explored Essex, London, Birmingham and Blackpool this year, and we have many more cities to strike off our travel bucket list. Cornwall and Yorkshire are on our travel list. We are hoping to visit the both cities soon. I have my eye on a couples spa break in Yorkshire and I can’t wait for that to happen.

 

Location

The hotel location is very important. I like to stay in a decent area and I like the hotel to be reasonably close to the tourist attractions we will be visiting. Being fairly close to the airport is also important. I don’t like to spend hours commuting to and from the airport, so the closer the better really. However, the more central a hotel the more expensive it is, but it is a price we are willing to pay.

 

 

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Reviews

I make sure I read the hotel reviews online before booking. I like to read the good and bad comments to see if the hotel would suit our needs. The reviews with real pictures are also very useful. I don’t pay too much attention to the photoshopped pictures on the hotel’s websites. Sometimes, the pictures look nothing like the rooms in real life. I also check the hotel rating as that is another way of checking the quality of the hotel. The hotels we like to go for usually have a 4 or 5 star rating, especially when we go abroad.

 

Luggage Storage

Hotels with luggage storage are amazing. We like to make use of the luggage storage option when we have an evening or night flight. Sitting around in the airport for hours with kids is not wise. We rather explore the city for a few more hours after checking out so the luggage storage option is very important.

 

Free WIFI

I work from home and pretty much anywhere, so having free wifi is so important, especially when we go abroad. Free WIFI is an essential I won’t stay in a hotel where I have to pay for an internet connection. It is shocking that we still have many hotels charging expensive fees for WIFI.

 

What do you look out for when booking a hotel?

Nickelodeon Land and Pleasure Beach Blackpool Guide

We visited Nickelodeon Land Pleasure Beach Blackpool last week during half term. It was a lot of fun as I previously mentioned in our last travel blog post. We all had a great time. The kiddies loved every bit of it. It is definitely a popular park and once I stepped inside it, I could see why it is loved by many. If you are thinking of visiting Nickelodeon Land Blackpool anytime soon, you may find this guide very useful. I know I read all I could online before our trip because I like knowing what to expect, especially when kids are involved. Surprises are the last thing I need when on holiday with the twins.

 

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Nickelodeon Land Pleasure Beach Blackpool Opening Times

The Pleasure Beach Theme Park opens 10am and closes 7pm everyday. Nickelodeon Land Park opens at 10am and closes at 6pm everyday. The opening times are subject to change depending on the time of the year so it is wise to check on their website to confirm the opening times for the day you plan to visit.

 

Nickelodeon Land Pleasure Beach Blackpool Ticket Prices

Here are the current prices as at time of writing –

  • Tickets for Adults £39.00
  • Tickets for Children aged 11 years and under £33.00
  • Pleasure Beach Pass (No rides with this pass) £10.00

 

You can get cheaper tickets if you book online well in advance. We booked ours online a week in advance and got the tickets posted to our home address. This a cheaper and faster option as we didn’t have to wait in the line (the line was so long) to collect our tickets.

The online discount tickets can be booked in advance up to midnight the day before your visit. This will reduce the cost of your trip down to £28 for adults and £26 for kids under 11 years. Also, you can get a further £3 off your ticket if you visit Monday to Friday during the Off Peak Season.

 

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Check In

Check in was very fast. We beat the queues thanks to having our tickets delivered to us so it was a smooth entrance. The bags were checked and it took about 5 mins for us 4 to be scanned in.

 

The Rides

The Nickelodeon Land rides are about 5 minutes walk from the entrance but we got on many rides in Pleasure Beach before heading that way. We got on so many rides that we lost track of how many we got on. There are rides for everyone. Many are subject to height restrictions so always best to check before you join the queues. We loved The Big Circus Bounce, Alice in Wonderland, The Blue Flyer, and The Avalanche so much!

 

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Food Food Food

There are so many restaurants, food stalls, and cafes available in here. You would be spoilt for choice. Starbucks, Costa, and so many more! We had some hot dogs at lunch time and we enjoyed them.

 

Clean Toilets

This is the first busy theme park I have seen with clean toilets. Usually, by mid day, toilets are usually a mess but not this park. The toilets were clean throughout the day and there were many available all over the park.

 

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We had an amazing time here and I know we will be back for sure. The twins had a great half term break thanks to Nickelodeon Land Pleasure Beach Blackpool and Hampton by Hilton. Memories were made and for that we are forever grateful. If you are in search of a great theme park to explore, I strongly recommend this one. It was so much fun and a beauty to behold. Definitely Instagram worthy.

 

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Have you visited Nickelodeon Land Pleasure Beach Blackpool? What are your thoughts?

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