![\"travels](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ulsteinvik.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n2025 has been another GREAT<\/strong> year of travel adventures! Although since I\u2019ve been back at Uni<\/a>, I\u2019ve definitely had to put the brakes on my travel habit.<\/p>\n Credit as ever must go to Home Exchange<\/a><\/strong>, which allows us to travel without spending a fortune on hotels and Airbnb rentals. Friends, we simply could not afford to do HALF the travel we\u2019ve done without exchanging. It\u2019s allowed a single parent family to travel so far beyond our means. AND it\u2019s introduced us to amazing people from all over the world, who have hosted or stayed with us. Exchanging doesn\u2019t just make travel affordable. It changes the way you travel, and lets you step into someone else\u2019s home and life for a little while. It\u2019s pretty magical.<\/p>\n This year, I\u2019ve travelled to eight countries<\/strong> (with one more planned) for 106 nights<\/strong>. Also, I\u2019ve only paid for accommodation for a couple of nights. Pretty cool, right?<\/p>\n If this post doesn\u2019t inspire you to start exchanging I don\u2019t know what will! (As an aside, if you use my referral code<\/a><\/strong> when you join Home Exchange, then you\u2019ll get bonus guest points you can put towards your first trip)<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a quick round-up of our 2025 adventures. <\/p>\n We started the year skiing in France over Christmas and New Year. Apart from the skiing and the mind blowing scenery, my very favourite thing about this particular trip was meeting our hosts. They came home on our final night, and we got to share a family meal with them.<\/p>\n I love spending Christmas in the mountains. I\u2019m always telling friends that it\u2019s the perfect way to keep Christmas magical when your kids get past the nativity\/santa\/new toys stage of life. The mountains are always<\/em><\/strong> magical. Rather than waiting for your teens to wake up on Christmas Day, why not spend the day skiing, snowboarding and drinking a few limoncello spritzes together?<\/p>\n Thanks to our lovely host Lois for lending us his car for the week. Lois also drove us to the station to get our train back to the airport at 5am. Fabulous! It\u2019s also worth knowing that Thollon<\/a> (the resort we visited) is small, family-friendly and very cost-effective. It\u2019s a great option for beginner families and short trips. The ski passes there are half the price of the bigger, more well-known resorts.<\/p>\n We had an amazing 5 days in February skiing near Crans Montana in Switzerland. I took some lessons and got much more confident in my skiing. Well, unless you count that one time that Flea asked me to ski down a bigger slope with her, and immediately<\/em><\/strong> zoomed off ahead of me, disappearing out of sight about halfway down the mountain. Obviously after 2 minutes I was stuck, so I had a little sit down and a stress cry until a kind instructor took pity on me. He carried my skis down while I did the walk of shame back to the bar\u2026<\/p>\n For this trip, Flea brought along her flatmate so she didn\u2019t have to be my emotional support animal for the entire trip. That was a lot of fun, and it was a lovely way for both girls to spend reading week. Not much reading happened (sorry to their university teachers) but there WAS an amazing sauna with views over the mountains!<\/p>\n Having spotted that Lois and his wife were away, we took the opportunity to do a flying trip to ski for a weekend. See what I mean about home exchange being amazing? <\/p>\n We flew to Geneva from Scotland<\/a> around 6am Friday. We arrived at our home exchange in time for lunch. After collecting our ski gear, we were free to ski all day Saturday and Sunday. Then we dropped our skis back on Monday morning, and were back in the UK for early afternoon. We spent less than \u00a3100 on flights, so we managed to do the whole weekend for around \u00a3250. It was SO perfect, we\u2019re doing the trip again in 2026. <\/p>\n Springtime in Paris? Why not? <\/p>\n Flea has had Paris on her wishlist for years now. For one reason and another, our plans to visit had never quite worked out before. <\/p>\n So we took the opportunity to visit a home exchange that I\u2019d actually stayed in 2024 with my friends Judith and Kirsty. I LOVE home exchanging in Paris. We were in a little neighbourhood with its own bakery and restaurants and just a 15 minute metro ride from the central sights.<\/p>\n This time, Flea brought along her good friend Ben. The two of them had an awesome few days exploring Paris<\/a> and seeing all the best exhibitions and the big sights. We took a boat tour and wandered for miles. Of course, I ate ALL the croissants. It was such a fun trip, and all the more special because Flea was able to get out and enjoy it with one of her friends, rather than being stuck with her old Mum all the time!<\/p>\n After the success of my solo trip to Cape Cod for May last year (which of course I wrote all about in this post \u2013 A Month in Cape Cod<\/a><\/strong>) I wanted to do something similar. <\/p>\n So for May 2025, I took a road trip through Norway and Sweden for four weeks. You can read more about this year\u2019s adventure in this post about my Norway road trip solo adventure.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The trip kicked off with a not-solo few days with Sarah and Lindy in Bergen<\/strong>. One of the absolute joys of all of our kids getting older is the ability to take trips with friends. We honestly had the most fun exploring the city, cooking together and getting lost.<\/p>\n Then I took my hire car and headed off on a solo road trip up Norway\u2019s West coast from Bergen to Ulstenveik and Aukrasanden. Let me tell you, Norway is HUGE. What looked on paper like a series of short drives between home exchanges turned into epic road trips with equally epic views.<\/p>\n I got to see the famous Geirangerfjord but the entire trip was spectacular. So many of the less famous fjords are just as beautiful and far less crowded. After 20 days, I ended my exploration of Norway by taking the famous train from Bergen to Oslo. I stayed overnight in a hotel in Oslo before heading into Sweden.<\/p>\n After Oslo, I took a train to Gothenburg. I stayed overnight in another hotel before going on to an exchange in Tradet.<\/p>\n This is a tiny village in the middle of Sweden, staying in a simple cabin next to a lake. Again, this was a trip made so special by my exchange hosts. They lived just next door and invited me to join them for several meals, and even spend a traditional Swedish evening in the sauna drinking their home made cider. They also wrote down all the best places for me to go to, where to eat, where to buy souvenirs and where the best hikes were to be found. Exchanging is just amazing for making trips special like this. <\/p>\n After a fabulous 5 days, I headed further East to a converted farm house in Nykopings. It was a relaxing kind of adventure. I took care of my hosts\u2019 chickens and generally chilled out, before meeting Flea in Stockholm to end my trip. Flea was a great companion for my last few days, hunting out the best photgraphy exhibitions, art galleries and cool shopping districts in the city.<\/p>\n After four weeks on the road, I flew home with my teen. Then I think I slept for a week! But it was an awesome trip, and some of the best scenery I\u2019ve seen in my whole life.<\/p>\n June was definitely a home month, recovering after a full month of travel. We had a lot going on with general family stuff over the summer. Flea was also busy job hunting. I took the opportunity to catch up on some client meetings, and spend time visiting friends.<\/p>\n But by July, I was ready for another adventure. I arranged a short trip with my friend Jeanette to stay in a home exchange in Broadstairs. Having never been to Kent, I was blown away by how pretty the coastline there was. We stayed in a 300 year old cottage that was packed with character. It was so nice to have company after the long solo trip.<\/p>\n Jeanette was the perfect companion because she loves to walk just as much as me. She also actually knows the names of all the plants you see along the way. Finally, she\u2019s just as competitive as me \u2013 so there were some fierce Uno and air hockey battles. <\/p>\n Immediately after Broadstairs, I went to the airport to meet my friends Judith and Cathy. We all headed off for a few days in Prague, Czech Republic. If you\u2019re interested, read about our trip to Prague in more detail here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n But we got so lucky with our exchange apartment here. It was a two storey apartment with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and a huge balcony that overlooked the city skyline and the castle. There was also a really fluffy cat, which is an occasional bonus found on a home exchange. You don\u2019t get THAT in a hotel or an Airbnb.<\/p>\n The city was so hectic, despite it being early summer. But the buildings and streets here are so beautiful that it was well worth the visit.<\/p>\n We marched for miles! Judith has a real talent for planning a travel itinerary so we got to do some really cool things like tour behind the scenes of the famous clock tower, and visit the highest restaurant in the city. Judith also found a particularly amazing cocktail bar that also served cake. Winning at life! I travelled for most of August. It kicked off with 2 weeks in New York visiting my old friend Britt and her family. I\u2019ve written a lot about New York over the years. You can find some of our top tips for family visits in this post<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Flea was working a summer job, so it was a fantastic opportunity for me to spend time with Britt. We used to work together more than 20 years ago in London and it\u2019s always such fun to catch up. I spent lots of days just walking the city and exploring, but we also met up with other friends for dinners, card games and theatre shows. It was low key and relaxing, and just far enough away from home that I could ignore a lot of the drama going on at home! <\/p>\n In the middle of the month, Flea flew out just in time to celebrate her birthday, and then we collected a rental car to head 10 hours South for a beach adventure. <\/p>\n After a hectic few days in New York, it was fun to head to the beach town of Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina. We stayed in a home exchange we first stayed in two years\u2019 earlier when we took a road trip around the American South. You can read about THAT road trip here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n We had a few days of lounging on the beach, playing arcade games on the boardwalk and eating Southern food. That said, we headed back to New York early when a hurricane landed! Fortunately it wasn\u2019t too destructive but the beaches were all closed, so our trip was shorter than we\u2019d hoped.<\/p>\n We rounded out the summer with a week in London. This gave Flea another opportunity to spend time with her friend Ben. We hung out at Camden market, went to see movies in Leicester Square and spent too much money on Carnaby Street. I love home exchanging in London because you get to do the proper living in London thing. Our exchange home in Crouch End was actually not far from where I did live in London in my 20s, so it\u2019s fun to explore old haunts and see how things have changed.<\/p>\n My final trip before starting my university course was again cut short by bad weather. What\u2019s going on with all the storms this year? But I took a solo trip for a few days break. I wrote about my escape to Scotland<\/a><\/strong> but basically? It was a perfect excuse for more quality dog + beach time.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sad the weather wasn\u2019t good enough to get my kayak<\/a><\/strong> out and get on the water, though. This has been the first year in AGES that I haven\u2019t had the chance to go kayaking. I miss it\u2026 a LOT.<\/p>\nJanuary \u2013 Saint-Gingolph, France <\/h3>\n
![\"home](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/thollon-new-year.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nFebruary \u2013 Grone, Switzerland <\/h3>\n
![\"Crans](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/crans-montana-home-exchange.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nMarch \u2013 Saint-Gingolph, France (again) <\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/skiing-thollon-2.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nApril \u2013 Paris <\/h3>\n
![\"paris\"](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/paris.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nMay \u2013 Norway <\/h3>\n
![\"Norway](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/gereingefjord.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Norway](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/atlantic-drive.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nMay \u2013 Sweden<\/h3>\n
![\"amazing](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tradet.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nJuly \u2013 Kent <\/h3>\n
![\"broadstairs](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/broadstairs-beach.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nJuly \u2013 Prague<\/h3>\n
![\"prague\"](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/prague2.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n
Prague was spectacular. I loved the bridges and the ancient castle, and compared to so many European cities, ancient history here has been preserved incredibly well.<\/p>\nAugust \u2013 New York <\/h3>\n
![\"new](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/central-park-boating-lake.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"brooklyn](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/new-york-3.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nAugust \u2013 North Carolina <\/h3>\n
![\"north](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/north-carolina-3.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nAugust \u2013 London <\/h3>\n
![\"carnaby](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/london-home-exchange.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nSeptember \u2013 Scotland <\/h3>\n
![\"weekend](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/scotland-home-exchange.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nDecember \u2013 Austria <\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.whosthemummy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/crans-m.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"