TRAVEL
TARDINGHEN , CÔTE D ' OPALE
A SUMMER OF FAMILY FUN AND ADVENTURE AWAITS IN ...
PAS DE CALAIS , FRANCE
INSPIRED BY THE RECENT SIDEWAYS TEAM JAUNT TO CALAIS-IN-A-DAY , SAMANTHA READY LOADS UP THE CAR , ROUNDS UP THE LITTLEST READYS , FUELS THE JOURNEY WITH ANOTHER PITSTOP AT FLEXIPLUS AND WONDERS WHY IT ’ S TAKEN SO LONG TO DISCOVER WHY A SHORT BREAK TO FRANCE IS THE PERFECT FAMILY GETAWAY ...
In typical Ready fashion , our last school holiday was marred with the sort of carry-ons you couldn ’ t even write about ( although ironically I do …). GCSE revision stress for the eldest , a broken finger from the last day of term ’ s ‘ fun ’ assault course for child number two , and an endearing yet chaos provoking need to kick a football at anything that moves ( or doesn ’ t ) usually inside and including the cat from the smallest . Finding time out from our busy schedules to cram in a much needed few days away left us with the usual dilemmas : where could we get to in a short timeframe that would still feel like a holiday ? Where could we go that would appeal to a mix of ages from five to 16 , as well as two frayed parents ? We want a beach , but culture , and good food … Is there space for football ? And of course for extra fun and giggles , how safe is it to travel with a rapidly ballooning finger ?
Yet your perfect mini break , holiday , weekender or even day trip away is closer and way easier than you think , and thankfully for us had been inspired by our recent team day trip away .
Eradicating the need to brave the airport ( and indeed the flight comparison sites to even find a three-night duration for five in the height of the school holidays that wouldn ’ t require a remortgage or 18 stopovers to travel barely four hours south ), Pas De Calais offers all you could need and is accessible in just 34 minutes travel time by Le Shuttle or around 90 minutes of sailing from Kent ’ s south coast . Factoring in the smalls ’ love of trains , the aforementioned broken finger and Mr R ’ s ( and indeed the entire Sideways team ’ s ) love of Flexiplus ( IYKYK ), we opted for the former , the bonus of Flexiplus not only giving the Readys free reign of the snacks and beverages of the lounge , but also much shorter checkin and boarding times , as well as the flexibility to travel outside of a fixed departure time on our return .
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