#Take12Trips in 2017: Family Travel Review

Back in January I decided to take part in the #Take12Trips in 2017 challenge. At that time we were on an extended stay in western Austria for the ski season. So I was planning several day trips in the area. Then later in the year I was thinking of perhaps Spain or Romania. Plus a long haul trip somewhere like South Korea or Thailand. How did we get on…

#Take12Trips in 2017: January to mid-April

Our first trip was to the ski museum in St Anton am Arlberg. This proved to be a quiet little place, but a decent space for a crawler / early walker to find their feet in the warm and dry. We went on a day trip to the neighbouring village, Pettneu am Arlberg, and were surprised to find a number of things to do with a baby in a small village. Daisy had her first experience of tobogganing, making the most of the snow. Next up was a short break in Zurich, where we crammed in as much as we could on a budget – Kindercity, the Zoological Museum and a cruise.

We found a brilliant museum, inatura in Dornbirn. This kind of local find is why this challenge is excellent as it encourages you to explore your local area. We took another day trip during the winter to Lech am Arlberg. I am a big fan of running with my baby, but in April took part in a 6km walk in Bludenz with the buggy. A new experience, so definitely a personal best! Just have to see if I can beat my time in 2018… The final day trip of the winter was to the Alpenzoo in Innsbruck, an opportunity to see some local wildlife.

#Take12Trips in 2017: End of April to June

The end of April sees the time for a road trip back to the UK. We stopped over at Pforzheim Wildpark and had a great first glamping experience in Arlon, Belgium. Back in London it was time for a whole lot of day trips, some new, but many to places I haven’t been too since I was a child myself – ArcelorMittal Orbit, Shepreth Wildlife Park, Science Museum, National Army Museum, and Deen City Farm.

#Take12Trips in 2017: July to September

And that was enough time in the UK – time for some trips abroad. First off was a jaunt to Italy, my first proper solo holiday with Daisy. We did some yoga in Tuscany with other mums and babies – about as relaxing as you can get with a toddler – along with visiting Florence and Pisa. We had a beautiful family trip to the mountains – back to St Anton am Arlberg to experience the summer. Closer to home, we went on weekend camping trips to East Devon and South Devon. Daisy rounded off the summer with her first festival experiences at Camper Calling music festival and Something Wild running festival. Oh, and not forgetting a day out in Greenwich.

#Take12Trips in 2017: October to December

Time for a last blast of sunshine in Alvor, Portugal before winter sets in – I’m an old hand at travelling solo with Daisy by now! A couple more day trips to London Zoo, Margate and Ruislip Lido, plus investigating some family-friendly options on a work trip to Manchester, round off our UK excursions for the year. There was just time to squeeze in a trip to Bilbao and San Sebastian before it was time to head off back to the mountains for the winter…

Phew, I didn’t feel like we had done very much because we never made it on our big trip to the Far East. But it turns out we racked up: 1 long term stay, 17 day trips, 3 local short breaks, 1 road trip, 2 festivals, 4 holidays abroad. So round about 27 in all; not bad when I was only aiming for 12!

#Take12Trips in 2017: My top 5 highlights

1. inatura in Dornbirn
2. Camper Calling music festival
3. National Army Museum
4. yoga in Tuscany
5. St Anton am Arlberg in summer