If you thought a relaxing and stylish holiday with your children was a remote possibility then we've got a pleasant surprise for you.
In our handpicked, hand crafted world of blissful family holidays, we've shelved the fuddy-duddy legacy of 'self-catering' and created a whole new world of family holiday possibilities.
...And thrillingly, we're leading the way in creating a whole new concept in family friendly villas and cottages.
Our approach is unique and based on our belief that your family holiday is so important that it has to be as perfect as possible. That's why we've done your holiday homework - even the dull bits - to keep your children safe, to safeguard your holiday and to give you complete peace of mind.
So, here's a snapshot of what the Tots To Travel Team does to safeguard your precious family holiday. We are the one and only family holiday company going to such extreme lengths on your behalf.
This means that you can look at any of the beautiful villas and cottages on the site and choose the one that you love the most.
No other family holiday company goes to such extreme lengths to give you the peace of mind and a fabulous family holiday.
Choosing the very best great locations for families is a top priority so our team has scoured Europe in search of places that we think you'll love. Whether it's a secret hideaway off the beaten track at Casa de la Muralla in an ancient Spanish city, all year round sunshine in a luxury villa in Lanzarote or you fancy testing the flow rider on a short break near Padstow in Cornwall, then you're in the right place.
Once we're happy with the location, then we set about covering off the basics - this means keeping your children safe and ensuring you have the Essential Kit that you need.
Our work ensures that every pool is either enclosed or has some physical barrier to prevent the unthinkable, that you have a minimum of 20 baby and child friendly items from our Essential Kit and that the villa or cottage that you choose has been carefully vetted with an eye on keeping your children safe and creating environments for you to concentrate on having a fabulous family holiday.
Tots To Travel is the only family holiday company going to such extreme lengths to safeguard your holiday.
When my son Barnaby fell into an unenclosed swimming pool on a family holiday in France in 2005, it set in train an unstinting commitment to providing safe, family friendly holiday homes that provide the perfect backdrop for your holiday.
So it'll come as no surprise to find out that we don't faff around when it comes to pool safety.
Every single villa has some form of pool barrier. It could be a fence, a hard cover or an enclosure elsewhere adjacent to the property - for example around the patio. A pool alarm does not cut the mustard as far as we are concerned; we believe that a physical barrier is necessary.
For the record, we are the only family friendly holiday company where every pool is barrier-ed in some way for child safety; it's too scary to have it any other way.
The next step is to visit the villa or cottage ourselves (it's a tough job but someone has to do it !). The emphasis is on making the place as safe as possible.
Our due diligence procedures have been based on a system that we developed with the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) to identify the hazards that really cause hurt and we take this part of our job very seriously.
Among other things, we are measuring bannister and balcony railings, window heights and checking that blind cords are out of reach and ensure that safety features are put in place where necessary. The list goes on but you get the picture. We're really nailing into what causes child accidents and doing the thinking so you don't have to.
On top of that we ensure that the obvious safety features that you take for granted at home are in place, this includes stairgates and cupboards locks where necessary, that bleach and other chemicals are locked away and knives and glasses are out of reach.
Sometimes, it is impossible to mitigate hazards completely and in these instances you will find that we have Parent Point-ed this information. This allows you to make a decision on whether a property is suitable for your family or not.
For the most part this very much depends on the age of your children and the "phase" that they are in. For example when your child is in the early stages of learning to walk and is in the 'wobbly' bit, split levels are a particular nightmare. A few months later, you're into another phase and different challenges present themselves.
In short, it's safety first. That way you can get on with the important job of enjoying your precious family holiday.
The next step in "covering off the basics" is to ensure that you have all the child and baby friendly kit that you take for granted at home. This means you can travel light safe in the knowledge that you will have what you need when you get there.
So our family friendly villas and cottages are especially well kitted out with at least 20 items that we deem to be our minimum standards. Of course many of our properties will have much more kit than this but we had to draw the line somewhere!
So this Kit has all the obvious and bulky "stuff" like cots and high chairs which is where most other holiday companies begin and end. Our unique Essential Kit Guarantee includes blackout blinds, hand blenders, baby monitors, toys and more.
This Essential Kit Guarantee leaves you free to browse the Tots To Travel website, safe in the knowledge that whichever villa, cottage or apartment you choose, you'll have exactly what you need for your holiday with your children.
...and in many cases, our child friendly villas and cottages often provide more than one of each, making our properties ideal for families with twins and multiples or for groups of families travelling together.
While we are on the topic, if you would like an extra cot or need something specific, then ask. More often than not our strong relationship with our Hosts means that the extras just aren't a problem.
Your family's healthcare sorted: expert medical advice at the touch of a button
Knowing what to do if your little one gets sick whilst you're on holiday can be worrying and stressful.
What you need is expert advice that you can trust, available to you at the touch of a button.
We've partnered with WellVine, the UK's first on-demand children's healthcare service, to bring you exactly that.
This brilliant new service means you can get a one to one, face to face consultation with a UK based health professional via a video call on your mobile - which makes it ideal for when you're on holiday.
All Tots customers can take up a FREE trial of WellVine for the duration of their holiday, so you have health experts at your fingertips, if you need them.
WellVine has a network of health professionals with specific expertise:
WellVine health professionals are:
Their highly qualified NHS GPs are registered with the UK General Medical Council, and have an extensive knowledge of children's health.
They are well-versed in helping parents with common travel concerns such as fever, heatstroke, colds/coughs, insect bites, rashes, allergies, ear infections and many more common health issues faced by children and families.
WellVine's specialists such as lactation consultants, children's nutritionists and children's sleep consultants offer parents expert support in areas such as breastfeeding challenges, children's sleep problems and children's nutrition issues.
Your free trial will give you unlimited access to all of WellVine's health professionals so you can get expert advice from gold standard UK doctors and health professionals at the touch of a button whilst abroad, if you ever need it.
WellVine can be accessed online, and via their mobile apps for iOS and Android (you’ll need a strong internet connection to use the service).
Once an appointment is booked, the health professional video calls you and you can connect from wherever you are, via the WellVine site or app.
Click here for details of how to activate your free trial once you've booked your holiday, or read more about WellVine on their site and blog.
Terms and conditions apply.
I'm often asked what's my best piece of advice when it comes to planning a holiday with babies and children. And I always say, 'get expert help'. That one piece of advice alone will save you hours of searching, hours of wasted time and ultimately save you from making an expensive mistake.
My team know what it's like to holiday with small children and babies.
They know where the pressure points are and they know which of our child and baby friendly villas and cottages are just right for you.
They know just the right questions to ask and they'll listen carefully to your requirements.
Then they'll create a bespoke shortlist of villas or cottages that are just perfect for your family. And they'll keep hunting for the perfect villa or cottage until we find one that hits the mark.
This attention to detail is just part of why we have won the prestigious Cisco Customer Kings Award for outstanding customer service and oodles of feedback from families who have trusted us with their precious family holidays.
To get your own bespoke shortlist and to speak to one of my team, click here.
