Imagine crystal clear blue water, a long boardwalk to stroll down as the warm sun beams down on your face and caressing your exposed skin, your loose kaftan blowing in the gentle breeze. You have choices, you can lounge by a pool, dip into the ocean, stretch out across a hammock and soak in all the glory! Sounds good, doesn’t it! One look at the Instagram account of Emma from @luxefamilytravel and you can certainly get a feel for all that glorious island luxury vibe. I recently chatted with Emma about her penchant for travel – and found it hard to believe she actually used to have a fear of flying – well now that’s taken care of Emma, together with her partner and four children love sharing their travel adventures.
Heartfelt Traveller – Emma from Luxe family Travel
1. Tell us about your family
I’m a Sydney based mum of four children, two teenage girls 19 and 16 and two younger boys 12 and 6.
2. When did you start travelling as a family and was this a conscious decision or something you more fell into?
I actually had a fear of flying so we didn’t travel much at all as a family when the children were younger so it was a conscious decision to work through that and travel a lot.
3. Luxe Family Travel sure does inspire us to take that luxurious holiday – what is about this type of travel and appeals to you all.
For me the best holidays are where I can completely switch of from my mum duties so no cooking or cleaning up (although I still do daily laundry in the hotel bathtub so the children have clean clothes!) and a luxury holiday takes care of all that for me and I can simply be in the moment creating memories with my family without any daily stresses from home.
4. Does Luxury Travel mean it’s expensive? What are some myths that may need dispelling from this type of travel?
Not always especially as every individual will have a different perception of luxury and what it means to them. I always thoroughly read sites like tripadvisor and other blogs to see what “luxury touches” a certain hotel provides to guests as I’m always first and foremost looking for “good value”. Sometimes a cheaper hotel can feel luxurious because of the personalised service, the small things they do to make you feel at home, what they provide eg baby toys and equipment so you don’t have to pack as much. It’s those little touches that can make an ordinary hotel stay into a luxurious one so it needn’t be expensive. You do have to research to find out these finer details about each hotel and help make your decision where to stay.
5. You offer your services as a travel advisor – what is your most common questions from families and how do you help them solve this?
Most of my questions are about travelling to the Maldives with families and is there enough to do so I just explain in detail why it’s our favourite family luxury travel destination. Traditionally the Maldives was known as a honeymoon destination but there are so many resort islands (hundreds) that there are many who cater incredibly well for families with world class kids clubs (some of the best we’ve ever visited) and that warm, shallow crystal clear water is absolutely perfect for little children to wade in. Also the array of water sports like banana and tube rides, jetskiing, pirate boat rides and secluded private island lunches are so fun and are all the perfect setting for creating everlasting family memories.
6. What advice would you offer families considering taking a luxury family trip??
Research well, speak to experts in the destination you want to go to because nothing beats advice from a person who has actually visited all the destinations you are considering and can advise which villas are the best, which side of the island to book according to the winds at a particular time of year, which resorts have the best snorkelling or the best seafood or the best cocktail list etc. When a resort doesn’t match your expectations it can really be a let down so speak to the best in the business for the destination you want to go and you will be perfectly matched with the right resort for you.
