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I absolutely LOVE planning (and of course going on) vacations! The first taste I got was from planning a vacation to New Zealand in 2017 with my parents (this is before getting married and having kids), and after that I made it a point to continue with my vacation planning, even as life got more complicated!
I am a traveler at heart, and I would feel crushed if I didn't get the chance to travel and experience different cultures and locations. So for me, it is worth it to continue traveling, even though it is extremely difficult with (multiple) young children. Thankfully my husband is (mostly) on board, as long as it's in the budget, and he doesn't have to do anything special-- just show up and continue his normal dad-duties!
My hope with this section is to share my overall planning structure, budgeting, tips & tricks (specifically with young kids), specific location itineraries, as well as any stand-out recommendations that I'd like to pass along.
It might take a while for me to fill out, since I have a backlog to write about, but keep checking back every few months to see if I've added anything new!
SubStack Posts
SubStack Posts
London Highlights
London Highlights
Some highlights from our 2023 trip to England!
Top 3 - London Highlights
Tower of London
It was so cool to be standing somewhere where so much history has occured. The construction of the Tower of London started in the 1070s, and continued throughout the next few hundred years to expand to more than 30 buildings. It is truly impressive and sight to behold! I especially loved how thick the walls were in the White Tower, I think there parts that were even 10 feet thick! Oh, and the British Crown Jewels are on display there as well, which is pretty cool too.
Westminster Abbey
This church was so impressive, with ceilings so incredibly high and so incredibly beautiful and ornate!I had a fun time trying to take interesting pictures of the architecture around every corner. You could really feel how much history had happened in this church. Besides the church structure, there were so many beautiful sculptures to look at, including ones Sir Isaac Newton and George Frederic Handel (both of whom are entombed in the church.)
Cotswolds Tour
We took a private Cotswolds tour with this company and would highly recommend it! Our guide, Jo, was very friendly and knowledgable about the area. We learned so much on our tour! They were also able to accomodate us with a carseat for our son, who at the time was 15 months old. It was such a beautiful and sunny day in the English countryside...after the tour, we really wanted to stay but unfortunately had to get back to our hotel in London.
Top 3 - Cotswolds Tour Highlights
Bourton-on-the-Water
Stow-on-the-Wold
Minster Lowell
France Highlights
France Highlights
Some highlights from our 2025 trip to France!
Top 3 - Paris Highlights
Palais de Versailles
Definitely our favorite part of visiting Paris, and worth the extra travel time to get there! It was a breath of fresh air to be out of the city and in Versailles, and the palace and grounds are breathtaking.
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre and Montmartre
This is a must-see!
Staying at Pepper & Paper Apartments
We thoroughly enjoyed the location, customer service, and our apartment and would 100% stay there again if we visit Paris again in the future!
Top 3 - Loire Valley Highlights
Staying in Amboise (Château d'Amboise & Château du Clos Lucé)
There are so many cute villages and towns in the Loire Valley region, it was overwhelming how to pick where to stay. I decided to go with Rick Steves' advice from his France travel guide, which was Amboise. It is central to the most popular castles in the region, and has two castles inside the city itself!
We stayed in a renovated apartment that used to be an old priory, just steps from the main street of the town. This is a real medieval village-- just a few minutes walk up the main street brings you to the town's castle, Château d'Amboise, perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the town and the river.
Our favorite castles in the region ended up being the two in Amboise as well. Apart from the town's namesake castle, the other famous castle in town is Château du Clos Lucé, where Leonardo daVinci spent his last years of his life. He is now entombed in the chapel in Château d'Amboise.
Château de Chenonceau
Only a 15-minute drive from Amboise, Château de Chenonceau was my 3rd favorite castle in the region. It's very unique-- basically it has one long hallway that is a bridge to the other side of the River Cher! Our visit there was comprised of three parts:
1: A mini-hike, early in the morning on the other side of the river, so we could take some pictures and see the castle from a different location, which is not accessible from the castle itself.
2: We then went to the castle itself and toured the grounds, which was really fun and interesting! A lot of the original furniture, tapestry, and paintings were kept in the castle for visitors to enjoy.
3: Lastly, we took a boat ride that went underneath the spans of the castle, and it was one of my favorite moments of our whole trip. The kids loved being on the boat, and it was such a beautiful and sunny day!
Château de Villandry
Detailed Travel Blog
Detailed Travel Blog
You can find detailed travel blogs on my private WordPress site: https://brevelatte.wordpress.com/. Feel free to request access!!
This is more for friends and family, and requires you to have a WordPress account and my permission to access. I may change the way I share these blog entries in the future, but for now I decided to use what I already set up for my previous travels in 2017.
Stay tuned for detailed, day-by-day blogs from our London 2023 and France 2025 trips!
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