We LOVE independent travel, escaping on adventures as a family or solo. Getting out into nature is a driving force for us, which we combine with our love of outdoor pursuits. This blog will share experiences of our travels, much of it family orientated, as well as solo exploits – all of it on a budget. We can show you how to globe trot with a family without breaking the bank along with features on the outdoors and sport. I feature product reviews for travel kit, tips for travelling with children & educating on the go, and our take on the world as we see it.
We are currently living in the French Alps doing our first family ski season.
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Mags
Mother, eternal adventurer/traveller & this blog’s writer 
“Travelling opens the mind & is an education in itself”
Scott
Dad / ex-pro snowboarder / music producer 
“Pushing the boundaries, whether it be through sport or travel, is what it’s all about”
Minnie
Artist / Nature Lover / age 8 
“I think that animals are the most amazing things on the planet”
Bo
Warrior Queen / core of steel / pesto maker/age 6 
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I had a thirst for travel from an early age. Living in South Africa for 6 months, age 20, was a real culture eye opener & an obsession was born. Becoming a travel geek, I’m now an expert in research, spending many an evening poring over the internet or head in books planning the next big trip. To feed my travel bug I’ve taught English in The Baltics, been a Governess on an outback sheep station, cruised the seas as an onboard chef on superyachts for the rich & famous and won Channel 4’s LOST adventure travel reality show. My passion is unquenchable, even with two young children now in tow. I’m an avid runner – the perfect way to explore new shores. Whilst working on yachts, with limited workout space, running was non negotiable – it was my meditation. I’m also a rookie Skipper having passed my Day Skipper a few years ago. Something I’m keen to practice more of. I believe the most important thing in my life is to push my family to be unrestricted & free, to educate my girls about the world in which they live, what’s wrong – what’s right & prepare them for the world in which we will find ourselves. I am addicted to all things French and spent 6 winter seasons living in Chamonix, which is where I first laid eyes on my husband. At the moment I’m working on being more mindful through yoga & meditation and am training for a half marathon fell run. Scott spent over 20 winter seasons based in the Alps, snowboarding every day & travelling the world as a professional snowboarder. His passions are surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, music and art. DJing back in the day at London superclubs Fabric & The Ministry of Sound, Scott is now an artist on the Stanton Warriors record label PUNKS and is a commercial music producer when he’s not packed up on family adventures. Not shy from rad experiences himself, he set the Guiness Book of Records as the highest DJ set in the World during a freestyle snow event on the peaks of the Himalayas, DJ’d at the first ever skateboard demo in India with Tony Hawk & friends & can do 900’s on his snowboard. Pretty rad huh! Scott hails from the island of Jersey and can you believe it was taught to scuba dive and surf in school! Scott’s main aim in life is to get the girls surfing – something they dip in and out of with differing levels of enthusiasm (normally in relation to the prevailing weather conditions)! Minnie is 8 years old and loves skiing, nature and art. She’s never far away from her sketch book and has just asked for a new pair of binoculars so she can do a bird study! She started her own blog, aged 6,on our 9 week trip to Australia and New Zealand in 2014 which you see here. https://minnienixondownunder.wordpress.com Minnie plays the guitar, idolises Dolly Parton, and plays a mean game of chess. A total book worm, her favourite authors are David Walliams and Michael Morpurgo. Her top TV show is Deadly 60 and she’s recently got into making stop motion animations. You can watch one here and here. No shrinking violet, our Minnie at her happiest, is as loud as a shrieking monkey. Bo started school in September and has just turned 6. Bo’s middle name is Dicea. This little fireball is named after Queen Warrior Boadicia, after being born way to early at 31 weeks. She adores animals, her scooter and winding up her big sister! Bo is addicted to puddle jumping & boxes of any shape and size. She’s also a dab hand in the kitchen, pulling up her stool to help Momma cook. She can make a mean pesto and can crack an egg cleanly. Bo loves her food and isn’t afraid to try something new. From mussels to olives to chorizo, wherever we are, it’s almost pretty guaranteed that Bo will wolf it down – unlike her big sister! Gungho Bo has a core of steel and a hugely adventurous spirit. Her current favourite books are Fantastic Mr Fox (Roald Dahl) and The Watcher (Jane Goodall). |
