Canary Islands-Budget Family Holiday Destinations

When I was little I never really thought about the cost of holidays. We were lucky to go on a UK break to Somerset pretty much every year, and then when we were 7 we went on our first holiday abroad. 

With my parents and my nan, and of course my twin brother, we stayed at Playa Del Ingles in Gran Canaria.

It was an amazing first holiday abroad and I can't think of one bad thing about that holiday. I truly think that holidaying at Gran Canaria, and it being my first experience of a holiday abroad, started my love for the Canary Islands. 

Since going to Gran Canaria I've been to Tenerife three times, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Visiting the other islands is on my bucket list.

So whats to love about the Canary Islands?
What isn't there to love?!

For me, every island is different and every island has its quirks and its beauty spots.
Whether you like a volcanic landscape, greenery, open "barren" land or beaches (black sand or white sand). Water sports or a relaxing holiday, there is absolutely no way that you wouldn't be happy with at least one of the Canary Islands.

The islands are known for having hot weather throughout the year, making it a popular destination all year round. Due to this prices for holidays tend to be pretty reasonable and consistent, without price rises during particular months due to the weather making it even more popular. There are obviously some price differences but not as much as other destinations.

Depending on how you spend your time, and the types of holiday you go on, you should base your boarding carefully around this to keep your budget and spending down.
For example, if you are likely to be away from the hotel or accommodation all day then being All Inclusive might not be the best way to go, instead looking at either B&B, Half Board or Self Catering.
Food and restaurants in the Canaries are still reasonably priced, however I did notice in Fuerteventura that prices are rising but, if you do go for a self catering option, or wanting to eat out a lot, researching beforehand is a really useful thing to do.
Walking the area in the daytime in preparation for an evening meal, looking at the menus in the doorways and then checking reviews is another way of making sure not only are you going to be able to order some food you like, but it is in budget and of course, highly rated!

Similarly, checking out local markets to get food to cook back at your accommodation is also worth considering.
We did this at Fuerteventura and were able to pick up some beautiful vegetables and desserts, only missing out on a butchers for the meat which we just ended up buying in a local supermarket.

Of course if you are likely to spend most days by the pool at the hotel then staying All Inclusive is the way to go. Having all your meals, snacks and drinks included can save a lot of hassle when you just want to relax and leave someone else to it.

Have you been on holiday this year or booked your holiday abroad already for 2019? If not, definitely consider the Canary Islands. Holiday Gems have some fantastic deals for any board basis and accommodation suitable for you and your family.

Isle of Canna | Day Two [Part One]

Day two at Canna was a bit of a funny one really. I'd found out that night that my one of my favourite bike racers, William Dunlop, had died.
The weather was a bit grey and drizzly and we ended up getting up late. It's funny because I don't really like sleeping in when I'm on holiday. Especially on a holiday like this where there is so much exploring to do but actually, it was nice just laying around, drifting in and out of these deep sleeps. It was around lunch time we decided to get up.
We walked down to the shops so we could get a coffee and so I could switch my phone on. I was amazed at how many messages I had about William Dunlop. I phoned the boys and also wrote a blog post whilst we had our drinks and then we decided to go for an explore.
We looked around the nearby church and then went down a long lane right next to the shops.

We had seen what looked like a castle just beyond the land although this was quite run down and a ruin so there wasn't too much to see. However, it was on a beautiful beach with really big chunky rocks. We decided to walk along the beach, clambering over the rocks and trying to not slip on the soft wet seaweed covering some of the ground.

As with most of our walks around the Lochs in Scotland, and our first day on Canna we found a lot of animal bones and skulls. I found this fascinating and where we could we were piecing together the bones to see what we could make.
The views across the water were amazing and made the walk well worth it. We walked as far round as we could. Maybe we could have got round further but as we had left it a little late to go out anyway I felt it was probably a good idea to not risk it just in case it got dark and we ended up stuck.

So we walked back round and decided to go for dinner at the restaurant/pub. As it is a little restaurant and the food is cooked fresh it is a little pricey so we went for the cheapest thing on the menu....fish and chips. Although even if it wasn't the cheapest I think we still would have gone for that. Oh it was amazing!

After eating the meal and finishing our drinks we decided to walk back to the tent, to carry on exploring and more importantly....have a shower!

Hesitation

I'm fed up of looking at photos which have me in them and criticising it and dissecting it due to what others may think and will say:
* Yes I put on weight
* Yes I have darker hair and some prefer it blonde
* Yes my roots are awful and I have a lot of grey hair
* Yes I have tattoos which make me look "butch" And aren't feminine (ffs!!!!)
* And all the other things

It's horrible to love a photo of you with your children, to love the pretty background, to be happy at the memory and your achievement. But to be afraid to share it because of others sucks.
Big time.

Even photos of me with my boyfriend. I think about not sharing it because I don't want people to look and think "gosh she's a dog" or "he could do better".

The only people to take photos of you being your own children. Super blury, unflattering photos to which they shout "Oh my goodness. Mummy you look beautiful".

You notice overtime how people don't take photos of you. And it's obvious why.
When you look back on memories, holidays and you even doubt yourself "was I even there?!"
You get used to it, and keep your head down when you have to, you take that step back, or to the side, when you know you might be in someone else's shot.

You take a photo. You really like it.
You are too embarrassed to share it.
You are too afraid to share it.
Because despite what people may say to your face.
You know exactly what they will be thinking or saying behind your back.