Category : Travel
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Fun Things To Do With Kids While Traveling Around Europe! Summer is almost upon us! Now is the perfect to begin planning your next holiday with the kids. To help you out, we have prepared a lovely travel itinerary that takes in some of the best parts of Europe. It will give the little ones an experience of a lifetime and take you through some of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Take the train from London to Paris Travelling by train from London to Paris is an excellent way to start the journey. The Eurostar train service takes just over two hours and allows you to spend the journey in air-conditioned comfort while enjoying the sights. Taking a train means you can take a generous amount of luggage with you. All passengers can take 2 medium sized items plus 1 item of hand luggage. There are three separate travel classes, of which we would recommend the standard premium class. It will give you
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Easter holiday’s are just around the corner, and we have a beach holiday destination that you will love. ST Tropez is one of the most loved holiday destinations around the world, but here at Sand Dollar Swim we are going to tell you about one of the best kept secrets in the South of France- “Kon Tiki”. I know when people hear the word “camping”, the first image that comes into their head wouldn’t be the most glamour’s- well camping just hit a whole new fantastic level when it comes to Kon Tiki. If you have never gone camping before this is a holiday paradise that is situated on Pampelonne beach. Accommodation Kon Tiki was such a pleasant surprise. Camping on the beach was something that I had never really thought of or never really wanted to do, as like most mother we like our comforts. Kon Tiki was such a pleasant surprise. There is a selection of Huttes to choose from either the classical Hutte
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This year, Easter falls on the 5th of April. While your little ones might be looking forward to snacking on eggs and chocolate treats, Mam and Dad might be dreaming of an Easter get-away. 5 Gorgeous Irish Destinations for an Easter Get-Away One of our offices is based in Ireland and our MD is Irish so we thought we'd cast our eye to the land of saints and scholars. Ireland is known for its gorgeous greenery and its stretches of beautiful coast. It's the kind of place you go to to get in touch with nature. We've picked our five faves. 1. Boyne Valley, Meath. The Boyne Valley or Brú na Bóinne, as Gaeilge, is home to history and heritage--so much so it's a designated World Heritage Site. The reason for this is its ancient passage tombs: Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth. Chances are you've heard of Newgrange and its light trap, but Knowth and Dowth are just as interesting, especially if you've got little ones learning history
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If you're one of those very lucky people who are jetting off to Paris with their other half for a weekend in Paris, we're very, very jealous of you! Our Valentine's Day won't be quite as chic! Putting our jealous aside, we've picked the ten best things to do in Paris over Valentine's weekend! 1. Lock a padlock onto the Pont de l’Archevêché. If you've ever been to Dublin, you'll be familiar with the idea of writing initials or names on a padlock and locking them onto a bridge--the bridge in question being the Ha'Penny Bridge. In 2013, Dublin Council actually removed all the locks and further removed 300kg of locks from the bridge and surrounding area! Which doesn't bode well for the symbolism of eternal love! The Pont de l’Archevêché works much the same: the tradition revolves around writing your names and the date (in this instance: February 14th!) onto a padlock, locking it the bridge, and chucking the key into the Seine, which symbolises your
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Thinking about your summer holidays? Travelling can be stressful this time of year, especially if your decision to go was last minute or you didn’t plan ahead as well as you should have! We’ve put together our top tips to make travelling with your family a little bit easier and a lot less stressful. Avoid peak travel times. You know the sort: Paris on Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Spain in the peak of the summer—any place that seems really obvious at a busy time of year. For one, typically the flights at peak travel time will be a lot more expensive than if you went off-season. The airport will also be super busy too and checking in could be a nightmare with small children. Sort your tickets out as early as possible. Know where and when you want to go? Great! You’ll have an amazing time no doubt, whether that’s sunning yourself in the super chic Maldives or hitting the slopes in the Alps. Either
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An adventure holiday to Australia with 4 children and NO check-in luggage... Yes, you read correct: 4 weeks travelling, each child with only a small pulley. A must: Sydney's Taronga zoo "Roar and Snore". We met 8 other families for a night of camping at the zoo. First we were lead to our tents, which looked out over Sydney Bridge and the Opera house. Truly amazing! We were greeted with a wonderful spread of delicious food and refreshments. After meeting and holding some of the smaller animals, the sun went down and we began a special tour around the zoo with some of the caretakers. They gave us a run-down on all the animals, their pet names, foods they eat, and fascinating information about each animal. At about 11:00 we settled down for the night in our tents, quietly sharing with the animals we love most. It was truly extraordinary. We were woken at 6:00--though I didn't go into a deep sleep because of the many sounds of animals throughout the night. We had a quick breakfast
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Skiing is Europe is an amazing experience: taking in the gorgeous scenery, indulging in long lunches with your other half or your friends, spending your mornings bundled up in front of a full fire and sipping a latte, seeing the breathtaking landscapes as you travel in a ski lift, your skis clutched to your side. The Alps is such a popular spot because of its height and sheer drops. Ski schools and guides are everywhere to teach you the basics so you'll be gliding down the slopes in no time. Ski season is ripe from November to April in Europe. Check out our sun care tips for outdoor winter activities for all our tips on staying safe in the winter sun! The 4 Best Ski Resorts in Europe 1. Davos, Switzerland. Yes, we’re starting things off with the Alps, but the inclusion on this list is warranted. Davos is easily accessed and has great terrain for skiing. A bit of history first: Davos first opened
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We’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the world with Sand Dollar Swim, from Dubai to Australia and Italy. Travelling is a great experience but there’s still so much we’d like to see and do. We’d like to see more of the world so we’ve put together our bucket list of holiday experiences! 1. Go on safari. http://vimeo.com/102881067 We’re sure almost everyone would agree that going on safari in Africa deserves a place on the holiday experiences bucket list. Cape Town is one of the go-to destinations for going on safari and it sounds wonderful: stay in the heart of Cape Town in a safari lodge and travel out to the Cape Peninsula to see penguins or the Sabi Sands to see a leopard in the flesh. There are rhinos and cheetahs too, as well as all kinds of other animals you would never normally get to see outside of the zoo. For adults and kids alike, a safari is a truly magical
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If you’re not fortunate enough to live somewhere tropical, chances are you’ve been dealing with the wet and the cold for the last few weeks. The weather is getting frightful and hibernating might not seem like a bad idea. Maybe you don’t even remember what the sun looks like! If, like us, you’re lucky enough to be heading off on a wintry pick-me-up to somewhere nice and hot, you’ll need to pack your bags and be prepared for the sunshine. We’ve picked our ten essential items to bring with you on you sun holiday. 1. Sun cream/sunblock. If you’ve gotten used to the cold and your skin is pale again, you’ve probably forgotten what heat feels like—and worse of all, how bad a sunburn feels. While you might be tempted to skimp on the sun cream, you should bring a couple of bottles with a minimum SPF of 15. Make sure to slather it on, even if your little ones complain like crazy.
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If, like us here at Sand Dollar, you're lucky enough to be leaving the cold and rain behind to go somewhere amazingly warm for Christmas, you'll know how there are so many brilliant winter sun holidays to choose from. We've picked our favourite destinations for this list! You might feel like you haven’t seen the sun for weeks. Here in Sand Dollar HQ, the weather has been very cold and very wet so we’re delighted to be heading off. So where’s hot in December and January? First up, we recommend one of our old favourites. 1. The Caribbean The tropical islands in the Caribbean Sea are gorgeous all year round. They’re particularly gorgeous in the winter months because they’re a great balm to the cold! You’ll forget how cold home is very quickly as you lie out in the glorious weather or go travelling with your little ones across beautiful white sands. Keep in mind that winter is the peak season for travelling to the Caribbean,
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Christmas is just around the corner! While you might be planning on spending Christmas at home, New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to take a break and head somewhere gorgeous with your family. Toasting to the future at midnight in Paris after a champagne party might be out of the question with kids in tow, but there are still loads of brilliant family-friendly ways to bring in the New Year. We’ve picked our favourites. Family-friendly New Year's Destination #1: Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland. While Dublin or Cork might be the obvious Irish New Year’s destination, we recommend taking a detour and heading to Killarney, Co. Kerry. The party will go on late, but you’re guaranteed less of a crowd and more of a family-friendly attitude than in Ireland’s great capital. The party starts at nine, which might be too late for your little ones, but for older kids it’s a great experience. Killarney town centre becomes a centre of street entertainment, live music,
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While most of us put sunburn and sun care together with summer, the winter is also a time to look after your skin—especially if you’re a fan of outdoor activities like skiing or snowboarding. The higher altitude and UV rays mean you or your little ones are at risk of sun damage. We’ve written about how important sun care is before, but this time we’re going to talk about being safe in the sun while taking part in outdoor activities. If you are going skiing or snowboarding, for example, you’re going to be at higher altitudes. Every 1000 feet higher you travel, the more UV radiation exposure increases. UV is damaging to your skin, causing sunburn, early aging, and sometimes skin cancer. If you’re on top of a ski slope with your other half and little ones, UV radiation could be as high as 45% more than when you were on the ground! Snow also reflects UV light from the sun, so you’re
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The days are dulling and we're losing sunshine fast after the most gorgeous Irish summer we've had in years. As the chill creeps in, we're already planning our next getaway! It's getting a little too late to go all-out and book a mid-term getaway for the October mid-term, but now's the perfect time to sort out a Winter sun holiday. We've chosen the five holiday destinations we'd most love to visit this winter! Top 5 Winter Sun Holiday Destinations Holiday Destination 1: Florida Florida is a very popular getaway destination for European visitors all-year round. Christmastime is a great time to visit, but keep in mind that the theme parks will be super busy so your best bet is to visit some of Florida's better-kept secrets. Bradenton is super chic, stretching along the west coast with gorgeous white sands, crystal clear waters, and a host of islands to visit and keep your little adventurer busy. The Anna Maria Island is a highlight. Other highlights include the
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