In this edition...
- What's hot and what's not for '09 - Get ahead with our travel trends and top credit crunching tips
- What do you think? Your chance to win £100 of John Lewis vouchers as we find out what you really want from your holiday
- What’s new? New countries, new website and new properties, read on to find out about our exciting and unmissable news
- Are you a Mum wanting to start your own business? Here's your chance to hear how it's done!
PS. As always, we genuinely want to hear what you think so do contact us anytime, we would love to hear from you (enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk).
get ahead with our travel advice
Wendy Shand - our very own family travel expert – was asked by The Independent newspaper recently to comment on what family travel trends we are going to see in ’09. Here are her thoughts but also, more importantly, here are her tips on how to get the most from your holiday:
Top Tip 1: Do plenty of research to ensure you get the holiday you want;
“the economic climate means families will most likely be trading down, being more conservative and spending less on holidays in 2009” says Wendy. That said, given the dire summer of 2008 and the general feeling of doom and gloom, “many people are more in need of a holiday than ever before” she adds.
Top Tip 2: Book a two weeker and get better value for money
Wendy believes that “it’s unlikely that families will cut out their holiday altogether, but they will spend more time researching holiday options to ensure that they holiday they pay for works harder for them. It might be that they’re likely to have one long two week holiday instead of several shorter holidays as it proves more cost effective and provides a better quality holiday,” she adds.
Top Tip 3: Self catering is great value for money!
Self catering options are likely to rise in popularity as they provide far better value than hotels. UK holidays will increase in popularity as it cuts down dramatically on travel costs but for people wanting guaranteed sunshine, we suspect the Balearic islands and Spain will continue to be popular lower cost destinations. The growing strength of the Euro might put some families off a European holiday, but in contrast to a long haul trip to the Caribbean, Europe will still be the more cost effective option.
Top Tip 4: Book early: don’t leave it until the last minute…
“Many families might be unsure of their financial situation and will hold back on booking holidays until the last minute, hoping to secure a better deal. We don’t believe that prices will come down as summer approaches. The last minute holiday bookings, while suitable for singles, just don’t work well for families. Families looking to save money would be better off booking early to benefit from early booking discounts and guaranteeing cheaper flights on low cost airlines than waiting until the last minute.”
Tell us how it is for you! Win £100 John Lewis Vouchers
Our passion is to provide you with the perfect holiday for you and your bambinos. We know that everybody is facing a tremendous challenge this year so to help us live up to your expectations, we need to know exactly what your holiday plans are and what is influencing your decisions.
We have therefore compiled a super-quick survey and would be thrilled if you would take a moment or two to let us know how things stand in your household. As a massive thank you, we will pop your name into our prize draw to win £100 of John Lewis Vouchers.
Click here to take part in our survey. Thank you in advance!
PS. Please do pass on the link - the more the merrier!
What's new?
As ever the Tots Team has been beavering away behind the scenes to bring you even more choice, more countries PLUS an even better website. Here is a round up of what’s new for ’09!
First…Celebrate the safe arrival of Tots to the UK
Each year we have families come back from their holiday saying ‘that was fantastic but now we want Spain, the UK, Portugal etc etc.’ Well, we have done something about that and ’09 will be the year that we launch Tots to the UK (watch this space!) and later on Tots to Spain. As we VISIT and VET every single property that we put onto our site you can imagine that adding two new countries is no simple task. “Our team of mums have hunted high and low to bring you some fantastic UK properties“ says Wendy Shand, founder of Tots to Travel, “so the launch of Tots to the UK will be a fantastic way to kick off 2009” she adds. Watch this space!
…Followed by the imminent delivery of Tots to Spain (including Lanzarote) and Tots To Portugal
Coming soon! If you know of anybody who has a property in Spain or Portugal and who would relish renting more weeks out of peak season then please do pass on the message that we want to hear from them! Contact enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk
And then…Our NEW website
In order to be able to give you MORE choice in MORE countries we have had to revamp the website. The new site will hit the scene in the middle of January and we are sure that you will love its improved functionality and the range that we are able to offer you.
To make your life easier we are also adding a SHOP to our site. This will help make planning and preparing for your holiday even easier.
Meanwhile…
We have spent the winter adding new properties to Tots to Italy and Tots to France so there is plenty MORE choice – bigger, smaller, posh, not-so-posh – in fact anything that you fancy. Do get in touch and we will save you time and effort finding the exactly the right property for your family.
As Always…
Excellent, friendly customer service. Do call or email, we’re ever so nice! Email enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk or call 0870 456 5528 for a FREE shortlist and some friendly help!
AWARD WINNING MUMPRENEUR SHARES HER SECRETS
Wendy Shand, Tots to Travel at the Businessmums’ Lunch, Wimbledon Village on Tuesday, January 27 at 11.45am.
Many mums in business, operating from home offices between school runs, are faced with the same problem; how to grow their business and profile. With three awards in the first three years of operation, Wendy Shand (founder of Tots to Travel) is well-placed to answer these questions and she’ll be sharing her secrets at the next Businessmums’ Networking Lunch in Wimbledon Village, London.
Wendy began Tots to France, a business boasting a portfolio of personally vetted, family friendly holiday properties, following a near catastrophe when her son fell into an unenclosed swimming pool while on holiday. Launched from her home office, the brand has taken off and following the success of the French and Italian ventures, Spain and the UK are to follow under the banner of Tots to Travel.
Although only a relatively young business, Wendy has been instrumental in securing her own success through a growing media presence as an expert on family travel, small business development and as a pioneer in using the internet to achieve a better work/life balance. She has also won three awards including the BT Essence of the Entrepreneur Award and the Mother@Work Mumpreneur Award.
Well known to mums, her appearance at the Businessmums’ Networking Lunch is eagerly anticipated. Wendy is a shining example of someone who has taken a small business and raised its profile immeasurably. Mums will be able to share in her experiences over lunch, while also making valuable contacts and sharing information with other Mums in similar situations.
Alli Price, life coach and founder of Motivating Mum, is thrilled to have Wendy as guest speaker: “Wendy is a perfect role model for mums in business today. She has proven that you can take a small home business idea and make it something big. In relating her experiences, I’m sure she’ll impart some great advice at the lunch and leave mums feeling confident they can do the same. She’s truly an inspiration to women.”
Contact Alli Price on 0784 0016 774 for details.
This is from: http://www.totstotravel.co.uk/newsletter/
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