Our England Family Trip – Our Travel Tips & New Season Looks

We’ve been to England many times before, but this was our first trip with our kids. Travelling with small kids really does make for a completely different experience. It’s stressful mixed with equal parts excitement. Seeing your kids faces light up experiencing the same touristy things you’ve seen or explored previously really is a whole new level of joy.

I was brought over by Marks & Spencer to attend their New Season launch in London. I felt like royalty being given this amazing opportunity and being one of the first people to see their fabulous new range.

Scroll down for our travel tips

I love the new season looks for spring. There’s a strong 70s vibe coming through all of the patterns and colours which is perfect for layering in different seasons. I love how with all the new pieces you can dress them up for a more corporate look perfect for those who need stylish work clothes. But you can also wear them with a more relaxed vibe and add your own personal touches with accessories and layers.

My favourite look is the mustard 70s midi dress. With the belle sleeves, the feeding friendly buttons on the bust. Also loving the extra flowy vibe making it super versatile for pregnant bumps or pair it with a belt for a more fitted look. I wore this multiple times while in London with white sneakers and a denim jacket. Or with heels and a dressy bag (featured and linked below).

Mustard Midi Dress wearing size S (8) SHOP | Mustard Heels true to size SHOP | Ankle Boots TTS SHOP | Black & White midi dress wearing size 8 SHOP |Pink long sleeve mini dress wearing size 8 SHOP |Pink button up shirt wearing size 10 SHOP |

At the press show I was able to see the new line of clothes on models and see how they layered each look. You can make each classic look more wintery just by adding layers, pull them all a part to rock a spring vibe.

I was also really honoured to attend a lingerie session with the most incredible designer. Her knowledge literally blew my mind. Every piece she talked about, made me want to run out and buy so I could remain living in bra comfort for the rest of my life! I’ve always been hesitant to purchase lingerie online, to be honest I don’t often buy new pieces because I don’t put myself first. But I tried a bunch the bralets on in store and I can hand on my heart say they are COMFORTABLE and amazing quality. I was also super impressed to learn that all their lingerie ranges go up to a G cup.

Our Travel Guide

To start off our trip we spent a week exploring as a family before I had to sink my teeth into the work part of our stay.

England really is HUGE and I say this because there were so many amazing places I wanted to go see, but they were just too far to drive to with young kids. Planning driving there and then driving home meant that we were limited to where we could explore without spending hours in the car. Ben’s family are in Rochester, Kent so we tried to see as much as we could in Kent alone (which really is enormous and there was so much to see and do).

These are the places we visited in four days, that I would highly recommend.

Margate– Only drove through this town, as it wasn’t that amazing
Whitstable – Pebble beaches, a little hidden gem
Hastings – Amazing pebble beach, find Old Hastings to walk through and have an ice cream on the pier
Cantebury– Shopping and lots of history with a cute little boat tour
Leeds Castle– Take a picnic and catch the road train back to the car
Edenbridge– Went here for a coffee before we went to Haver Castle. Sweet little town
Hever Castle– Incredible grounds, could spend a whole day here with kids
Rochester Castle- Walk through the high street afterwards

Cream knit wearing size 10 SHOP | Denim jeans high rise wearing short length size 10 SHOP | White Denim Wearing size 10 SHOP

LONG HAUL FLIGHT TIPS

1. Pack lots of snacks and sandwiches in a cooler bag for the flight. Keep your kids tummies full and keep them busy. You are allowed food and I had several flight attendants recommend this
2. Pack a bib and spoon
3. Pre order your kids meals in advance as if you don’t, they don’t supply a kids meal and will only supply an adults one
4. If you have a baby, try and request the bassinet seats. This allows more leg room, for the baby to sit and crawl in front of you during the flight and also a bassinet to nap in
5. You have to change nappies in the toilet on a little fold out table, so pack a change mat
6. Don’t worry about blankets or pillows as the airline supplies them. Save you carting around extra weight
7. Pack spare clothes for all kids in a separate packing cell. We had to change Loxley twice so I was glad I packed three spares for him
8. Pack everything in packing cells. One for spare clothes, one for nappies, one for headphones and chargers, one for entertainment etc. When your board the flight, get out the cells you need to keep in front of you and then during the flight when you need to change nappies etc you can access everything without hassle
9. Use a nappy bag to keep all your rubbish in at your feet to keep your area tidy or you’ll feel like you’re drowning in mess on a long haul
10. Take an I pad and headphones for the kids
    Try taking a plane pal for the kids to lay on but not all airlines accept them

In London

If you want to explore London then we would suggest spending a few days here. We’ve done day trips before but this time we spent a whole week in London and it really was an incredible experience. We got to explore different things at our own pace, work around the kids routines, we got to see and do things like the locals do.

OUR FAMILY TIPS

1. Catch the tube where possible, but if you have a pram it becomes a lot harder as only some stations have wheelchair access. We walked pretty much everywhere though which is much nicer.
2. Get your lunch and snacks from Marks & Spencer Food. The variety here is next level and the convenience will blow your mind.
3. Start your day early as the streets are super quiet before 10:30am and prepare for huge crowds by 4pm onwards.
4. Pack layers for clothing. England really does have 4 seasons in one day so you need to be able to rug up when there’s cold wind and strip off when the sun comes out.
5. If you’re planning on staying during summer, do your research and make sure your hotel has aircon. Trust me, you will feel like you’re literally going to die in your hotel room if it’s hot and you don’t have any respite! A ceiling fan does. not. cut. it!!! The city is built to keep the warmth in, so when it’s hot outside (which is rare) the rooms remain hot and don’t cool down at all!
6. Take a travel pram and if you have a baby definitely take a carrier as it’s super handy for the tube or when you’re strolling the streets during peek time.

Cream knit cards wearing size SMALL SHOP |Red pants and top wearing size 10 SHOP |

These are the places we visited in four days, that I would highly recommend.

Peggy Porschen Cafe– Instagram worthy place an amazing cakes
Buckingham Palace– Changing of the guards 11am. Get there early to get a good spot as it gets super BUSY!
London Eye- Lots of activities along the River Thems
Notting Hill– Lots here to explore and walk around. This is where the famous colourful houses are
Bus Tour– Great to do with kids as you can get on and off when ever you like and explore what ever suits you
River Thems Boat Tour- With our bus ticket we got a boat tour included. We hadn’t done this before and it was awesome to hear a live commentary and see things from a new angle
Oxford Street & Piccadilly Circus– Buzzing and amazing at night
Covent Gardens- Always street entertainment and perfect to park up, grab a coffee or beer and people watch. There’s also a market here to explore
Tower of London- Put aside at least half a day for this, my most favourite place in the world. So much incredible history!
Westminster Abby– A must see
Hyde Park- So beautiful during summer
Trafalgar Square- This is where the famous lion statues are and a great centre point to regroup and plan where else to explore
National Gallery– This is truly magical. It’s HUGE and you could get lost in here admiring all of the art work
Bricklane– Trendy spot to explore and eat. Famous for the curry houses

Thank you to Marks & Spencer for sponsoring this post. All pieces were hand chosen by myself, I’ve only shown what I truly love. Links are NOT affiliates and I do NOT earn a commission off any sales made. All imagery, words and thoughts are completely my own.

Don’t forget to stop by @misskyreeloves for more inspo, shits and giggles.