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family travel insurance. Besides offering great deals on travel insurance, Patrick also collects and shares the best free travel competitions to help his clients get the most out of their holidays. ">When you're planning the annual family holiday the world is your oyster... Well, up to a point – because not all holiday destinations are created equal when it comes to travelling with children. Why Not Stay Close to Home? Sitting on a plane for longer than a few hours is enough to frazzle the attention span of even the most patient youngster – not to mention fraying the nerves of parents – so more and more people are choosing a "staycation", to explore the myriad options right on our own doorstep. Holidaying close to home in the UK means not having to organise currency, no need to bring a passport and an even better deal on your family holiday insurance. If you want more reasons to consider staying at home but away, how about accessibility and quick-smart travel times? Gotcha? Thought so. Here's an introduction to a very good idea: the islands off the coast of southern England – Sark, Guernsey or the Scilly Isles. Get Silly on Scilly You'll have the kids' at "hello Scilly", with the news that the best way to get there is by light plane. Just 15 minutes from Land's End, an hour from Exeter Airport, or just under three hours on the ferry from Penzance (no choice really!), the rugged landscape and beautiful beaches of the five inhabited Isles of Scilly are straight out of a Famous Five adventure story. Make yourselves the most popular parents alive and book in at the Star Castle Hotel, on St Mary's. This real-life restored Elizabethan castle is perfect for parents as well, complete with modern day accoutrements and views to die for. Tip: One of the most fun ways of exploring St Mary's is on an electric golf cart, which seats up to 8 people. Fun (and room) for the entire family! If you're travelling with very young children, pay a visit to the only dairy farm in the Isles, Troytown Farm on St Agnes, where they can get up close and personal with the cows and enjoy lots of lovely homemade ice cream. From cavorting with cows to snorkelling with seals – getting to know the famous Scilly seals on St Martins is the most fun you can have while getting very wet! No experience is needed and all equipment is provided for this memorable outing. Your kids will be talking about it for years. Good Times on Guernsey Guernsey marches to the beat of its own trans-Channel drum. It's easy to get there from UK airports and, at just 35km from the coast of France, it's also very easy to reach from the mainland if you're driving. (There's also a car ferry from Poole that takes about three hours.) Guernsey is extremely family-friendly, with not just some of Britain's best beaches (and its cleanest – that's official!) but also a huge range of watersports for older kids and novice younger ones. They can also sign on to the Surf School, visit the fun and educational Fort Grey Shipwreck Museum, or just indulge in some good old-fashioned beach fun at Rocquaine Bay. But one of the most exciting and fun ways of getting to know the geography, wildlife and even the history of Guernsey is on a themed boat cruise along the stunning coastline. Choose from great options like Seal Safari, a WWII Cruise or a Puffin Patrol! Have a Lark on Sark Sark may be small (just over two square miles) but it’s perfectly formed for adventure. It's like taking a step back in time, with the only transport bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, and it's pretty hard to believe it's just a couple of hours from London. The fun starts with the hour-long ferry ride from Guernsey, then (if you stay at the fabulous Stocks Hotel) you can take it to the next level with a horse and cart transfer to your accommodation! Once you're all settled in it's time to shake things up with the host of children's activities provided by Adventure Sark, like sea kayaking, coasteering and a genuine treasure hunt everyone can get involved in called Activiquiz. (Just don’t let the kids show you up!) Top off the day by settling in for a night of stargazing and take advantage of Sark's "dark skies" status – meaning it has particularly low levels of light pollution. Hello Milky Way! Don't Forget Your Family Holiday Insurance Even on a staycation, remember that getting the right family holiday insurance is very important. While nobody wants to think about anything going wrong, things can and do go awry on occasion, but it's easy to get peace of mind with a cheap UK family holiday insurance policy. Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of InsureMore, an award-winning team of specialists in global single trip, annual and family travel insurance. Besides offering great deals on travel insurance, Patrick also collects and shares the best free travel competitions to help his clients get the most out of their holidays.
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