“Ok, let’s go for it, I guess if we don’t try we will never know!” Our holiday planning discussions took an unexpected turn last year when we decided to dip our family toes into a bigger adventure. We have spent many a happy holiday since the kids were born in Majorca, but it was time for a change, a family adventure, a challenge, something to open our eyes to the big world out there.

I heard the echoes of people reminding me that whilst kids are young keep it simple, they won’t remember, they just want a pool and an ice cream. So true, yet I had a yearning to explore like I had done pre family and felt it was possible to marry the two together. So we went for it and plotted a road trip extravaganza. If it didn’t hit the mark we could go back to what we knew, and if it was a success (however you define that!) then the world was our oyster. So that’s how it all started one dark, autumnal eve in 2016 in our front room over a glass of wine and a map of America. As I sit here now a year on I am bursting to share my story, the possibility of it all and how a road trip can bring the family together and build a lifetime of memories.

Over the next few weeks I will be telling our Californian road trip story through a number of blog posts that I hope ignite a passion to give something new a whirl, to push the holiday envelope, to delve into new adventures (whether that be in California or elsewhere). There is no doubt a holiday of this sort comes with a lot of hurdles – research, booking logistics, costs and shopping around for great deals all mixed in with a healthy dose of the day-to-day challenges of living out of a suitcase, getting to grips with jet lag and emotional kids dealing with a new country and climate, all within a confined space. If however you can see beyond all of that then travel brings a new richness to your family story.

This quote which I snapped in a Santa Monica boutique mid road trip says it all…