What’s In Your Suitcase, Esther Carne?

Every month we’re going to be interviewing a mum or dad about their holiday experience with kids and get a sneaky peek into what they like to take away with them in their suitcase. This time Esther Carne, mum, business owner & a lovely friend of mine, gives us an insight to her family holiday experiences and travel tips.

Introducing me

I’m a mum of two who relocated from the Big Smoke to the sunny shores of Dorset 3 years ago, looking for that elusive lifestyle change. I run the Bournemouth Monkey Music franchise, providing music classes for babies and pre-schoolers – a job I love, which fits perfectly around my own family.

What is your favourite type of holiday to go on with kids?

It has to be camping, which brings out the big kid in me too. I love the whole back to basics experience, escaping from TV and computer games, watching the children make new friends and create their own fun and games with fellow campers while I gently recover from too many mugs of wine the previous night. From the excitement at breakfast time when they get to fight over the (usually banned!) sugary cereals in the variety pack to the magic of sparklers, star spotting and torch lit bedtime stories – it’s all good, old fashioned fun. I love relaxing the rules – who cares if the kids’ feet are black and the grown ups a little smelly! But there must be a good fish ‘n’ chip shop or takeaway close by so that I can avoid cooking and minimise washing up!

Are you going away this year?

Yes, to a campsite in the grounds of a French chateau – as recommended by Julia of KidsTravel2!  But I’m probably more excited about our 3 nights in an ice cream coloured VW camper van – the world is our oyster! I’ve always wanted one, so let’s see if the reality lives up to the dream!

What’s your best / worst / funniest holiday experience?

Best – sleeping in a hammock on deck, under the stars during a sailing trip around the archipelago off the coast of Venezuela; which leads me to one of my funniest holiday experiences. My friend Emma and I, on the same sailing trip, took a break from the sometimes-claustrophobic boat to camp out on an idyllic, uninhabited island. Feeling liberated and believing we were alone, we woke in the morning and ran whooping and a-hollering into the sea for a skinny dip. As we lay stark naked on the sand, the magic was broken in the most excruciating way when we opened our eyes to find three fishermen standing over us with eyes barely in their sockets. We didn’t even have a flimsy sarong within reach, with which to preserve our modesty!

Best and funniest were long before kids – worst have been with them! Holidaying in the Canaries with my baby boy, we simply wanted sun, heat and relaxation. We got the worst rain for 25 years, flooded accommodation and intolerant thumping on our bedroom wall whenever Sam dared to wake and cry at night. More recently, we took a family holiday in Turkey – no one warned us about the cats. My daughter at the time had an irrational but very real fear of them. Everywhere we went, she would go rigid with terror and emit ear-piercing screams at the sight of the many stray cats wandering the streets. Worst was at breakfast every morning, when the cats would loiter around our al fresco table and all other guests would get a very rude awakening from Isla’s blood curdling shrieks.

Do you have a top travel tip to share about going away with kids?

It’s surprising how many toys, games and puzzles you can pack if you remove them from the original boxes and transfer to ziplock bags. And always find space for face paints, bubbles and sparklers.

What’s your favourite game to play in the car with the children?

The alphabet game – the current favourite is the Star Wars alphabet; a is for Anakin . . .

What 3 things would you most like to take away with you in your suitcase?

My own pillow, which is comfier even than the best boutique hotel’s pillows; a stack of magazines – I have a toppling pile waiting to be read, which I never have time for at home; chocolate that wouldn’t melt in the heat.   Can I make it 4?   Because I can’t choose between chocolate and best friends!

Fancy being interviewed and featuring here on our blog?  Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.