Sarah's blog: Holidays...

Going on holiday has changed dramatically over the past 10 years for us... With 3 children, the cost, location and activities are rather different. Given that I work full time, shouldn't holidays be about R&R and me-time? Surely I should be using my time off for rejuvenation... Perhaps a luxury spa holiday in Thailand, trekking the Inca Trail or at the beach in the Maldives? Not quite.

Our holidays are a tad different now, starting with the packing. I can probably pack everything I need in about 10 minutes - since I only get about 3 square inches of suitcase I don't exactly have a choice, but it is the kids' packing that takes the time, arguments and stress. Explaining why they do not need to take all their toys and accessories, why the hardback book collection is not very suitable for baggage allowance and why taking their favourite woolly jumpers to a hot climate does not make much sense. And don't forget all their swim gear, various wet wipes for every occasion, medicines, activities, car seats, comforters and so on....

And assuming you survive the packing, airport and flight (has anyone else had their airline try to sit their toddler on the other side of the plane by themselves? It happens way too much with us, although funnily enough passengers always seem to be kind enough to offer swapping seats before we ask, when dumping said toddler next to them just before take-off) there is the holiday itself.

After landing somewhere not too far away from the UK (given that long flights and young children are just not conducive to that R&R so needed) we make our way to our villa after navigating the complex procedure to collect the hire car. Instead of a driver taking us to our luxury island resort, or anywhere somebody else can do the cooking, we have to drive ourselves, on the other side of the road (most of the time at least when my husband remembers to!!!). We eventually arrive and have to do just what we do all day during the year - cook, clean, tidy, shop etc.

And then there is entertaining the kids for the entire holiday. We just returned from two weeks in the South of France and I never got the chance to read a single page from my own book, to lay down and sunbathe even for two minutes, let alone have someone wait on me hand and foot... But I would not change a single moment of that holiday. The books read involved Peppa Pig, Harry Potter and Hetty Feather (far more exciting than anything Tolstoy had to say I am sure), suntans were acquired building sand castles and giving our daughters sand mermaid tails ; and the waiting hand and foot was the other way around. And at twice the cost of any of those luxury holidays in the good old days.

Yet I just love those precious times with the kids. I saw our 3 year old swim unaided for the first time, heard our 7 year old order his entire meal in French at a restaurant and realised that our 9 year old actually can sit still for 15 minutes in a stretch when we treated ourselves to a fish spa. I'm saving the spa breaks, Inca Trail and idyllic island for when they can come with. Hopefully not too soon, I still have a few mermaid tails left in me yet!

Sarah is a specialist high yield bond trader at a large asset manager. She is married with 3 children.