August is never the best time to travel because let\u2019s be honest it feels like the entire world is visiting the same beach as you. If you\u2019re like me and live in denial until the last possible second that your childcare will close for the summer and a month at your parents might wear a little thin then don\u2019t panic. They always say \u201clike attracts like\u201d and my friends are no exception they love to travel. Here are a few of the best travel recommendations I got over the last few weeks that didn\u2019t include, Italy, Spain or other usual European suspects.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Sameera and her husband Michael live in London with there two children\u00a0Isaac (15 months) and Lola (8 years old). Sameera describes their traveling style as non-traditional, picking experiences and culture over classic destinations.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe did a big African adventure over Christmas. We\u2019d just had our second child, and wanted sun and a sense of adventure. Africa seemed to fit the bill.\u00a0We ended up staying in both Cape Town then nipping across to Botswana as we wanted to try and experience two different African vibes. Both were incredible.<\/span><\/p>\n HOW TO GET THERE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We flew BA from London on an overnight flight \u2013 which with a small baby made the most sense. He was amazing and pretty much slept through \u2013 although in my arms for 11 hours as he was too big for the baby crib. Annoyingly the other option of a baby seat, you had to wake them and take them out each time you hit turbulence. In the end, it was easier to just hold him.<\/span><\/p>\n CAPE TOWN<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Once in Cape Town \u2013 we immediately felt at home\u2026 it was modern, hot and everyone was kind and upbeat \u2013 clearly, the sun does this to people. It\u2019s a compact city \u2013 the beaches are easy to get to \u2013 we didn\u2019t hire a care,\u00a0 instead, we just used UBER which was super easy and affordable. For longer trips we used a driver that was recommended to us for day\u2019s out \u2013 this worked better as he would wait and hang around for us whilst we pottered around \u2013 no searching for a taxi back to the city etc<\/span><\/p>\n ACCOMMODATION<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n One thing that\u2019s essential for us when we travel now that we have kids is our own kitchen so we can shop \u2013 we don\u2019t like the restrictions of hotel food times. This is where we stayed in Cape Town \u2013 a gorgeous B&B<\/span><\/a> \u2013 we took the 2 bedroom cottage and had a full working kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n TOP TRAVEL TIP<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n One thing we did which was major was to send our bags to Heathrow Airport using a bag pick up service Airportr.com<\/span>\u00a0<\/a>They come to the house \u2013 weigh your bags, check passports and then take them to the airport \u2013 we then jumped on the tube without heavy luggage \u2013 it was super cheap around \u00a330. 4 people, 4 large cases \u2013 no issue with lugging them around \u2013 a eureka moment<\/span><\/p>\n TOP KIDS EXPERIENCE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The safari its unbelievable for them 100000% better than a yucky zoo.\u00a0In particular, the 5 am wake up when we got to see a Lion do a successful kill, she could have never imagined seeing that first hand as an <\/span>8 year old.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Stephanie, her husband Daniel and 4-year-old daughter Valentina live in Berlin. Like myself, Steph is an expat spending at least one holiday a year in her native USA at her family beach home in West Hampton, New York. With having children we often have to change our travel style but one thing Steph hasn\u2019t changed is her love of good food and great travel tips. Side note which I will talk more about in another <\/span>post Steph is developing Rave about Travel<\/a><\/span>, an incredible app where you can share travel destinations, tips and even playgrounds with your trusted network aka your friends. GET EARLY ACCESS HERE\u2026<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHi Steph, where are you today?<\/span><\/p>\n I am in Westhampton, New York at my parent\u2019s summer house.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n My favorite part of summer is hearing ALL about the details of everyone\u2019s holidays and of course picking out the best bits.<\/span><\/p>\n For those who don\u2019t know you how would you describe your travel style? Adventure seeker, sun worshiper or culture vulture?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n I am a mixture of both. You know the saying \u201cdo you eat to live or live to eat?\u201d I live to eat and so I often travel with food in mind. And just like the rest of us hard working moms, I love my relaxing all inclusive, put the kid in camp, beach vaycays as well!<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019re an expat with a Berlin base like me and have a demanding job with limited travel time, do you often find yourself traveling \u201chome\u201d in your holidays?<\/span><\/p>\n I really only travel \u201chome\u201d once a year during the summer to enjoy the Hamptons beach life and spend quality time with my family and close friends. This summer we are here for 2.5 months. It\u2019s a long time! I am ready to go back to Berlin.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n You have a <\/span>4 year old daughter.\u00a0 Do you feel like your holiday style has slightly changed since <\/span>havig Valentina?<\/span><\/p>\n Totally! We are less adventurous. We have to pick a\u00a0 location and stay in maximum two spots. I find it\u2019s too overwhelming with kids to move around too much. It takes Valentina at least 3 days to get used to a place.\u00a0\u00a0I aim to plan relaxing trips where I can minimize stress. Nowadays, I like to go on trips with my friends that are more spontaneous.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n I have found that going back to the UK I discover something awesome and new on every trip. Do you still have new things to discover when you visit \u2026. and what are your favorites?<\/span><\/p>\n Where would you recommend families stay when they visit \u2026 Do you have a high \\ low tip?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A secret, can\u2019t miss, food spot?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As your traveling long distance, did you come across any cool new accessories for the journey for your daughter?<\/span><\/p>\n Her cousin AJ turned her on to these surprise toys: Hatchimals and Surprisimals. Kind of a waste and made of plastic, but she loves them!<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n I know that for working parents the challenge of finding some down time or alone time on holidays is tricky. Have you found the secret to this dilemma?? God, I hope so, please share your secret.<\/span><\/p>\n Thank god for summer camp, babysitters, and grandparents. I would take a walk on the beach every morning. Listen to inspiring podcasts and then get to work until I had to pick her up from camp.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Last but not least. A dream destination for 2019?<\/span><\/p>\n We really want to go to Thailand with the kids in the winter. Hopefully, you can give us the best tips! \u201c<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n PAULIINA LEHTONEN<\/strong> \u2013\u00a0LAST MINUTE FAMILY HOLIDAY INSPIRATION<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Photo Credit \u2013 Alex Postiglione<\/span><\/p>\n Pauliina has been living in Florence, Italy for the last 4 years with her husband and 2 children aged 7 and 9. With 3 months of school holidays, they get a substantial amount of travel time with and without their children. Pauliina is a self-confessed culture vulture traveler but loves exploring nature with her kids too.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFor holidays we definitely tend to seek out a more cultural experience. Since we live in a hot country we tend to head for the north\u2026or Asia when Europe is too busy. We actually loved Berlin. I was very surprised by all the lovely beaches nearby, and being Finnish the lakes reminded me of home \ud83d\ude42 Also very educational trip for the kids in terms of history and culture. We also love modern art (that we don\u2019t get enough of in Florence) and met with a lot of artist\/design friends in Berlin and just had the best time (everywhere super child-friendly too)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Our kids are very lucky to have grandparents in The Netherlands and Finland. They get to go camping\u00a0and get the whole back to nature experience with them during the school holidays.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The flights to Helsinki tend to be pricey as it is a hub between Asia. An elderly nun (from my kid\u2019 Catholic school) always recounts the story. She drove with her dad all the way to Lapland in a Fiat 500. It was the most memorable trip of her life. So it can be done.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n HELSINKI TIPS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Helsinki is a bit more cutting-edge I\u2019d say\u2026think East London or Berlin kind of way.\u00a0There is the \u2018design district\u2019 that is a must for art and design lovers\u2026lots of cute kids boutiques too! And my partner loves to go \u2018treasure hunting\u2019 on the second-hand markets for vintage glass etc<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Another thing I would recommend in Helsinki is the beautiful boat trips that you can make in the archipelago. An absolute must with kids is a ferry trip to Suomenlinna. The old fortress just outside Helsinki there is lots to see. Its a great place for a\u00a0picnic and kids will be fast asleep on the way back! Of course, escaping the city for the \u2018summer cottage\u2019 experience with sauna and silence is still the ultimate relaxation for me.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n BEYOND THE CITY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n You kind of need a car if you\u2019ll go remote and everything is pretty remote in Finland! Visit some of the old towns on the west coast or take ferries in the archipelago. Finns tend to love their own country during summer even if its short and the weather is unreliable. Then they visit hot countries during the dark cold winter.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Dont miss the famous Moomins have a whole Moomin world<\/a> <\/span>in Naantali so this is a really fun day out with kids.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n If you want a taste of Pauliinas life in Florence <\/span>make sure you check out this beautiful apartment\u00a0she rents HERE.<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nSAMEERA HASSAN <\/strong>\u2013 LAST MINUTE FAMILY HOLIDAY INSPIRATION WITH<\/h4>\n
ADVENTURE AND SUN FILLED HOLIDAY FOR 4 IN SOUTH AFRICA AND BOTSWANA<\/h6>\n
![\"Sameera](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mywelltraveledfriend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_0020-e1534706059467.jpeg?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nSTEPHANIE VON BEHR \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>LAST MINUTE FAMILY HOLIDAY INSPIRATION<\/h4>\n
A WEST HAMPTONS FAMILY GETAWAY<\/h6>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/a><\/span><\/div>\nWILD NATURE, MOOMINS <\/span>AND ANTIQUES IN FINLAND<\/span><\/h6>\n
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