I’m Carrie, I’m a 30 something wife and mum, based in Derbyshire.
I love reading, particularly fantasy novels with the odd thriller thrown in every now and then. I’m a huge country music girl, think Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Brett Young, Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown! Fun fact: I own a pair of cowboy boots which I wore on my wedding day!
I try to keep active so will go for a walk everyday with my daughter, if I have time I also enjoy going swimming. I LOVE Disney and you will find much Disney mentioned throughout my blog. However my biggest interest is in going on adventures with my family and traveling!
Before becoming an independent travel agent, I worked in an office doing admin and accounts. When Covid hit I realised I enjoyed the freedom and flexibility that working from home would give me, so when the opportunity came to train as a travel agent, I took it!
In October 2020 we got married and in March 2022 we welcomed our baby girl. Honestly managing my health whilst pregnant was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but it was 100% worth it.
Since having our daughter it has shifted my perspective on a lot things that I used to think were important. I may not be the most patient mum and I’m also not a very good cook (that would be where my husband comes in!) but I try every day to make sure she is happy and I hope she grows up knowing how loved she is. The flexibility of my job now allows me the privilege of home educating our daughter. I really enjoy being present in her life.
I love being a travel agent. I’ve saved so much on my own holidays, like the time we went to Walt Disney World and I saved over £3000 on a 3 week trip, making the holiday almost half price! I also earn commission back from booking for friends and family too, and I can even work around nap times and in the evenings. What’s not to love!
I think my biggest inspiration with regards to this blog has been The Bucket List Family, following the adventures they have taken their kids on instagram has shown me it is still possible to travel with little ones. My biggest tip when travelling with a toddler (that we learnt the hard way) is don’t rush, go at the pace they can cope with. We still get loads done. And don’t worry if you can’t do everything in one trip, you can always visit again!
I always make sure to budget well and find the best value for our money when I book our trips. I know I have watched various YouTube vlogs or read someones blog post and been disappointed thinking I’d never be able to afford that. So I want my blog to be for those of you who like me can’t afford the luxury private boats and secluded beaches. I want to share tips, and recommendations from my own travels, maybe my experiences will help someone else.
You could also view this as our travel journal of all the adventures we have been on and the mistakes we made so you don’t have to! I’m not saying the holidays we go on will be the cheapest but they also won’t be high-end, they will be the ‘somewhere in between’ trips. So if you’re like us and maybe have kids in tow please come say hi.
Don't forget to follow me on instagram @ablondesadventures to see more tips for travelling with a little one.