My 10 Holiday must-haves & the #MarkWarnerMum Family Ambassador Programme

I think I was about 9 or 10 when I first went abroad on holiday in the mid-eighties. My dad and step-mum had told my step-brother and I we were going fishing in Devon or some such.

Anyway, as you can I imagine we weren’t very excited and when my mum packed my case full of sun-dresses (I remember especially these 2 polka-dot jersey dresses which I loved – anyway I digress!) And, I was like any moody pre-teen grumbling ‘I won’t be needing any of these summer clothes on a fishing boat mum!’

Anyhow, to cut to the chase on the car on way to our ‘holiday’ my dad and step-mum revealed to us that we were actually on our way to the airport and going in fact to… Spain.

I cannot tell you how excited we were – Spain felt like a million miles away (and, yes a massive improvement on a boring fishing holiday!) It’s a feeling and memory I don’t think I will every forget. The excitement of going somewhere so ‘far away and exotic’ was just too much.

I remember that holiday being full of wonder – the language, the food, the shopping, the flowers, the smells everything was so eye-opening and felt so new.

To this day I still feel this sense of excitement when I head on holiday – and it’s this experience and sense of wonder I want to instil in Miss Marnie. Who although has been lucky enough to have been to Spain before she was a year old – I never want her to think that where we live is all there is in this world.

Experiencing new cultures and countries is a luxury – that although we can’t do as much as we used too – and is very important at to me. I guess I can thank my late dad and step-mum for opening my eyes to travelling, other countries and holidays in general – and I hope I can start the same memory-bank for Miss M.

My dad used to love going to Spain, Portugal and Greece  – even though he had to have his English tea and toast for breakfast – and would say holidays are all about sun, sea, sand and…. sangria! (I think he used to finish that sentence with another ‘S’ word – that wasn’t suitable for our young ears!? and used to get a telling off from my step-mum!)

Anyway, I get what he was saying – holidays are about relaxing, enjoying new surroundings and making memories with your family – and most importantly having FUN!

So, with my love of alliteration too – I have complied my 10 Holiday Must-Haves as an entry into the Mark Warner Holiday’s Family Ambassador Programme. This is a competition open to bloggers to become a #MarkWarnerMum (or #MarkWarnerDad) to work closely with the holiday brand over the coming year. I don’t normally enter competitions on my blog but when the brief was to create a mood board – how could I refuse? They are my favourite things to do so of course I made… 10!

** 10 Holiday Must-Haves ** 

** This is my entry into the Mark Warner Family Ambassador Programme for bloggers to become a #MarkWarnerMum**