The Holiday Helper

First sleeper train with the kids, and it wasn't as eerie as it looks in the video! It did remind me a little of Snowpiercer though (minus the murders and class warfare) Guess the key question is: did we actually sleep? It took the boys a little longer to settle than usual, but once asleep, they slept really well. I'm a light sleeper so woke up quite often, when the train stopped at stations etc, but got enough overall. We got the 3pm train from Kolari and got into Helsinki at 7am the next day. There is also a later train which leaves at 7.42pm and gets in at 10.45am. There are regular seats (cheapest option) or you can get a cabin with bunks. We took two of the old style 3 berth cabins, which contained a sink but toilets were at the end of the cabin. There are also more modern 2 bed cabins, some with en suite toilet & shower). There is a restaurant car where you can get dinner and breakfast, or arrange for it to be delivered to your room. Would you try this? #sleepertrain #ecotravel #travelwithkids #laplandadventures #holidayswithkids #snowpiercer

1) Levi's slopes are a brilliant place for kids and adults to learn to ski.  Most slopes are gentle, and Leevilandia is the most comprehensive beginner area I've ever seen.  As well as a number of different baby slopes of varying lengths, there is also a toboggan & a snow tubing slope (equipment free), a fire pit for roasting marshmallows, & an indoor play area.  With all these extra activities our kids wanted to stay out longer and they actually skied more overall (as they could take breaks doing other things). 2) Group ski lessons don't run every day.  Being used to skiing in the Alps, this was a bit of a surprise to us!  In March, group lessons for children were only available on Tuesdays, so our kids did a mix of private and group lessons.  As our kids' ski abilities aren't very different they could share a private lesson.  But it could be tricky (and expensive!) if your family members are at very different levels and can't share private lessons. 3) If you are a confident intermediate skier, Levi's slopes may seem a bit tame and flat at first, but that opens opportunities to try new things.  We loved skiing in and out of the trees beside the slopes, and well as doing jumps in the 'kid's' freestyle park (there are two 'adult' freestyle parks as well, but the kids one was the right level of exciting for me! 😂)   4) The lift pricing system at Levi might seem a bit confusing so here is a breakdown: - When having a ski lesson with Levi Ski School, you do NOT need a lift pass. - Outside of your lesson, you can buy a pass which just covers the beginners area - Leevilandia which is €12 a day.  Children under 6 are free. - To ski on the main mountain outside of your lesson, you will need a full lift pass.  The options for this are single ride / 3 hours / one day / multiday.  Children under 6 wearing a helmet ski for free if an adult has a pass. 5) Finally NEVER leave your ski boots in the car overnight!  The cold makes them really stiff. It to

I wasn't sure what to expect from husky riding, but we all loved it! Many thanks to @levihuskypark 😄

Easyjet releasing flights for Winter 24/25 tomorrow.  If you are thinking of booking flights for a ski holiday, here's a reminder of airports & nearby ski resorts.  NB. Geneva / Grenoble / Lyon are fairly close together, but I'm listing resorts by the closest EasyJet airport. For less crowds and cheaper prices, scroll down to find the lesser used 'ski' airports. CLASSIC SKI GATEWAYS: GEVENA Portes du Soleil (Chatel / Avoriaz / Ardent / La Chapelle d'Abondance / Morzine / Les Gets) Grand Massif (Les Carroz / Samoens / Flaine / Morillon) Annecy mountains (La Clusaz / Le Grand Bornand) Chamonix Valley (Chamonix / Argentiere / Le Tour / Vallorcine / Les Hoches) Megeve (Megeve / St Gervais / La Giettaz / Combloux / Les Contamines) Villars Verbier Crans-Montana Saas Fee Zermatt GRENOBLE / LYON Three Valleys (Meribel / Val Thorens / Les Menuires / Courchevel / La Tania / Orelle / St Martin de Belleville) Val d'Isere / Tignes Paradiski (Les Arcs / La Plagne / Montchavin / Les Coches / Champagny) Espace San Bernardo (La Rosiere / La Thuile, Italy) Alpe d'Huez / Vaujany / Oz / Auris / Villard-Reculas ZURICH Murren / Wengen / Grindelwald Engelberg  Andermatt Laax Davos / Klosters St Moritz INNSBRUCK Arlberg (Lech / Zurs / St Anton) Ischgl / Galtur / Kappl / See Otz Valley (Solden / Obergurgl) Ziller Valley (Mayrhofen / Hintertux / Kaltenbach) Ski Welt (Soll / Ellmau / Scheffau / Westendorf) Sella Ronda, Italy (Val Gardena / Alta Badia / Arabba / Val di Fassa) SALZBERG Saalbach Hinterglemm Hochkonig Bad Hofgastein Obertauern Schladming Zell am See / Kaprun TURIN Via Lattea (Sauze d'Oulx / Sestriere / Cesana / Torinese / Pragelato / Claviere / Montgenevre, France) Bardonecchia Serre-Chevalier, France Cervinia  LESSER USED 'SKI' AIRPORTS: Verona Airport for Madonna di Campiglio Nice Airport for Isola 2000 Rovaniemi Airport (Lapland) for Levi & Ruka Malaga Airport for the Sierra Nevada Karkow for Zakopane Once you've b

Today I'm tackling that age old question: Is it cheaper to book a ski package holiday, or book flights, accomodation and a taxi transfer separately? Well I've crunched the numbers - comparing a selection of packages for a family of four, with what it costs to book separately - are here are the results: 1) For the 24/25 winter ski season in the Alps, using current flight prices, you can save around 20% on the package holiday price, by booking flights, hotel & taxi transfer separately.  But this gap will likely decrease as time goes by (as flight prices increase). 2) The amount you save by booking separately depends on the week you wish to go.  Currently the most popular week (Feb half term - 15th-22nd) is also the week with the least benefit of booking separately, being only 5% lower on average than booking a package.  BUT this is because the available flights are already insanely expensive, however some airlines are yet to release tickets.  EasyJet release their winter schedule this Thursday morning, so if you are quick off the mark, you could grab yourself a half term bargain. 3) Package prices can be cheaper if you wait till the last minute, and are flexible on departure airport, resort and accommodation.  The cheapest package I found for a family of four departing on 30th March (with Inghams) is 11% cheaper than what it would cost to book the different elements separately.  But be aware you are then getting the packages the tour operators are finding harder to shift for whatever reason!  (e.g. departing from a less popular airport, accommodation has mixed reviews, etc) Follow me for more ski holiday tips. Tomorrow I'll be looking at what to book if you're going to be on the EasyJet app bright and early on Thursday! 😉 #skismart #skideals #cheapskiing #febhalfterm #schoolholidays    Footage by Edouard Chassaigne 🙏

Finally made it to the immersive art exhibition @outernetlondon and was very impressed. The kids loved it, and I can't believe it's completely free, considering the hefty price tag you pay for other immersive art exhibits, like Van Gogh live & Frameless. There are a few adverts played between the different segments, but at least they are visually impressive too - I'd say it's a small price to pay for free entertainment. Definitely worth a visit if you haven't yet been. It's right next to Tottenham Court Road station. #freelondon #londonwithkids #immersiveart #rainydaylondon #freekidsactivities

1) Book the smallest car possible that you can manage with.  Particularly in southern Europe, roads in towns and cities can be narrow - you'll be thankful you're a couple of inches smaller! 2) Think in advance about whether you want additional car insurance and what type.  There's no strict right or wrong here - it comes down to your attitude and the risk-value ratio.  Rental car insurance can be cheaper if you buy it in advance online from a third party, but be sure to check the details and the excess to make sure it's a deal you're happy with. 3) Unless your car insurance is comprehensive with no excess at all, check your rental car thoroughly before you drive away (don't forget to check for damage in the interior too).  A member of staff may come with you to record any defects, but if they don't, I'd recommend recording a video pointing out any scratches etc and emailing it to the car hire company. 4) If you are visiting a town or village for a day, plan in advance and choose a car park on the outskirts of town.  You do not want to get stuck driving around the old town on some crazy narrow one way system!  Normally I search for parking on google maps in satellite mode, and try and aim for a decent size car park around 10 minutes walk from the centre.  Some villages won't have a car park, so instead people park along the main road into town, in which case it's a question of whether you hold your nerve looking for a space close to town, or bottle it early and have a long walk (obvs I'm in the latter camp! 😂) 5) Keep an eye out for the local speed and parking restrictions.  Okay, that sounds obvious, but with everything else going on, it's easy to forget these are different to back home.  From personal experience I know that French speeding tickets and Italian parking fines are delivered to your door and require signing for! 😭 Hopefully these tips will help you avoid making the same mistakes as me. If you have any other nuggets of wisdom, let me

🌞 Days like these make me very happy we took the plunge and moved to Kent (from South West London). Rainy days less so! 🤣

I've bitten the bullet and booked a rental car for our Finland trip. I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with hiring a car abroad. On one hand I love the freedom it gives you, particularly if you are travelling to rural locations. You're not fixed to a tour timetable or having to rely on infrequent and indirect public transport. And some routes are so scenic that the drive itself is a trip highlight. But on the flip side, it can be stressful. I always get a bit nervous about using a different car and driving on the other side of the road. The extra insurance the rental company always try to hard sell you at the desk often adds a lot of cost, particularly if you need the car for a week or two; but not taking it leaves me with a sense of unease. Particularly as we've had a few 'incidents' over the years. The worst car we had was in Morocco, where the number plate fell off and a tyre burst (thankfully the lovely hotel staff helped us change to the spare - we didn't have a clue!) . Then we scratched the car in Majorca (husband's fault) and Crete (my fault 🤦‍♀️) Hmm, maybe we should always be getting the extra insurance after all!! 😂 What do you think? Car hire yey or nay? (Soon I'll post 'Things I wish I knew before hiring a car in Europe' to help you avoid the mistakes I have made, so follow me if you want to catch that) Footage kindly provided by @what_natasha_does