Whether you like adventures abroad or the comforts of your own country, we have the perfect travel list for you this summer

We begin our travels in Walt Disney World, Florida and Universal Orlando Resort, with travel blogger Lucie, a wife and mother of two daughters, aged twelve and sixteen.

My husband and I decided to surprise our daughters with a trip to Walt Disney World, Florida in the Easter Holidays. We never thought we would ever have the opportunity to go, but when my husband received his army pension, we booked the ‘trip of a lifetime’. My eldest was revising for her GCSE’s and the upcoming holiday  kept her going through the final few months before exams. Our twelve year old had dreamt of visiting Disney Land for years so you can imagine her reaction at hearing the confirmation of booking this particular trip!

As a busy family we needed time away with no distractions and America promised to be everything we were so desperate for at this time. A holiday, far away from home, with no-one else to worry about, amazing weather and time to re-bond; the perfect escape!

This was the longest flight that the children had ever been on, so we decided to fly with Virgin Airlines and it was a great decision. If you are going to be on a plane for eight hours you want to be assured comfort and a cheaper airline just wasn’t going to cut it.

Our arrival at Orlando International Airport was slick and we were soon in the rental car driving on the left side of the road (something we had to get used to) on our way to our 5* vacation condo. Florida weather in April is perfect. The mornings were cool so we often layered our outfits with a thin top but by midday we were in shorts and t-shirts. The temperature throughout the day was comfortable enough to wait in long park ride queues and also sit outside and eat. Food was delicious in each of the different parks and there was a meal to satisfy our varied culinary tastes.

As an added bonus to our Florida experience we met with very good friends who moved to Kissemee, Orlando a number of years ago. This enabled us to partake in local life away from the usual tourist attractions. The people of Florida are friendly and accommodating which made our time outside the parks very special. We kayaked in Wekiwa Springs with the alligators, dined in the local restaurants and barbecued next to our friends’ pool. 

This holiday certainly lived up to its promise of being a ‘trip of a lifetime’. If you want to spend quality time as a family, with a plethora of exciting things to do in wonderful weather conditions, this is worth every single penny. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who wants to add to the ‘memory bank’; it is a vacation you and your children will never forget.