This post was written in collaboration with Panasonic but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
We left it late but I’m so excited that we’ve finally booked our Summer holiday. We really wanted to spend a week abroad like last year. We were a little overwhelmed by all the choice so actually ended up booking to stay at the same place as last year – Duinrell in the Netherlands! We had such an amazing family holiday that we can’t wait to go back again.
My holiday essentials when travelling with kids
You probably won’t be surprised to hear that I took a lot of photos on our first family holiday abroad. A few years ago my husband bought me a lovely camera, a Panasonic Olympus Pen with an interchangeable lens. This was a great camera to take away as it’s always taken amazing photos. It’s a great size for my rucksack and perfect for when I want something more advanced than my phone. It’s a few years old though, so I’ve been looking to upgrade with one of the next generation digital cameras such as the (Professional) Mirrorless Cameras.
I’m so glad that I take a lot of photos and videos as I don’t want to forget a moment of our family adventures. I share a lot here on my blog and Instagram grid but there are hundreds more that I don’t share. If you looked through the photographs of our holiday you would see quite a lot of photos of pancakes, canals and my children enjoying all the new experiences that a holiday can offer. My husband even printed out some of our favourites and made me a photobook for my birthday!
There were some things that I didn’t take photos of though so I’m looking forward to re-visiting some of our favourite haunts this summer. I’ve already started to buy things we will need, including travel journals for the kids to make a note of the things they eat, the places they visit and the postcards and souvenirs they collect. I always had a travel journal when I was a kid and I hope these will turn into something my children will treasure. You can take a look at our Summer Smashbooks here.
It can sometimes be difficult to know what to pack for a holiday with kids. Last time we took a lot more than we needed so I want to be a little bit cleverer with my packing this year. One thing I won’t be scrimping on though is things to keep the kids busy on the journey. We’ll be driving from the EuroTunnel to Wassenaar and whilst it’s a beautiful drive, I know that the kids will need plenty to keep them occupied.
Our holiday was self-catering which worked really well for us. My children can be quite fussy so we wanted freedom to eat out or cook for ourselves. Although we took supplies from home with us, thankfully the kids really enjoyed the food we had. We made sure to sample lots of famous Dutch cuisine including pancakes and cheese.
I expect it’ll be down to me to be responsible for packing clothes and swimwear too. There’s an amazing swimming pool at Duinrell which has expanded it’s outside pools since our last visit. We can’t wait to go there, as well as the local beach too. Last year I picked up some cool clothes for the kids which protected them from the sun even when they were in the water. They wore them every day so I was thankful that the weather was warm enough to dry them out before they needed them again!
I’ve also been planning some day trips. As much as I love staying on resort I need some shopping and culture too. Visiting a city can also be a fun alternative if the weather turns. Last time we visited Amsterdam, Leiden, The Hague and Delft. This year I’m hoping to see the sites of Gouda and Rotterdam.
With the kids literally counting down the days until our trip,I will be busy planning my holiday essentials when travelling with kids. I know we can always pick up things we’ve forgotten but I love making a list. Do you have a Summer break planned? What would your travel essentials be?
Disclaimer:- This is a collaborative post with Panasonic.
