Em's little vacays

11/09/2026

What a fab night celebrating all the lovely North West travel agents!

I bagged highly commended for the North West Community Champion which I'm buzzing about.

We had a gorgeous dinner possibly one of the best gala dinners I've had! Our host Gavin from TUI was the perfect gent keeping us topped up throughout the night.

Cinderella was back at midnight again ready to catch some zeds and travel back early to collect our champ from pre-school at midday.

Big thanks to Travel Gossip for putting the North West awards on the map and showcasing the best our region has to offer!

Well done to all the wonderful winners out there and here's to another fab year in travel.

10/09/2026

That's us sat down ready and waiting for the awards 😬❤️

So grateful for Pages Travel supporting me tonight. Lovely to have a friendly face alongside me.

We've had a fair ride to get here - long story! But, we reset and we go. Excited 😊

What a lovely atmosphere ❤️

10/09/2026

✨ Tonight’s the night!

I’m so excited to be invited by Travel Gossip and to be a finalist for TWO awards at the North West Ball 2026! ❤️

When that email landed while I was on holiday, I was completely stumped — it took me a while to even register that I’d been selected!

I’m so humbled by the recognition and, whether I win or not, I’m already chuffed to have made it this far.

I’m my own biggest critic. I know I can do better, there’s never enough hours in the day and I still only work part-time. But I’m so thankful to every single person who chooses to work with me.

Being recognised tonight means so much more than an award. It’s a little reminder that the decisions I’ve made along the way have been the right ones.

Everything I do is for my family, but also for my own self-worth and to keep my mind and body going. ❤️

Being able to build something on my own terms, support my family in my own way and ride the world while doing it means the absolute world.

Here’s to a fab night surrounded by amazing people! 🥂✨

09/09/2026

I've been a wreck all day 🙈

Our little wild child showing us his bag 🤣 on his way to the next chapter this morning.

I've also got the awards tomorrow! Which I'm super excited but also nervous for.

I've not shared many deals over the summer as I've heavily focused on the last stretch of toddlerhood 🥺

I'm looking forward to getting stuck back in and would love to put some deals together on what you're looking for.

If anyone's got any thoughts on where they'd like to go next I'll be happy to do this for you.

↘️ Pop a comment below

08/09/2026

I love a little viral trend but of course I like to do things my own way and my vibe is definitely more 60s than 80s!

Naturally, I had to place myself on holiday 🌞

Type into chatgpt 'what would I have looked like in the 80s' - or 60s 🤣

Ps, LOVE that its plonked me back on Italian soil.

08/09/2026

07/09/2026

🇮🇹✨ ROME — DAY THREE & THE FINAL DAY! ✨🇮🇹

We started the day at Piazza Venezia, taking in the amazing monuments and before heading off towards the Trevi Fountain. ⛲️🇮🇹

We made sure to throw in our coins! 🪙⛲️ We'd been watching live videos of the fountain but genuinely breezed the queue when we got there.

Then it was off to the Spanish Steps before taking a walk up towards Villa Borghese. 🌿🛶

We stopped at a little café for a drink and took some time to just sit, relax and soak up our last day in Rome.

We considered renting a boat on the lake but in reality we're spoiled with the Lake District on our doorstep. Whilst it was lovely it really was more like a pond - and another queue wasn't something either of us wanted to entertain.

We jumped in a taxi back to the hotel for some well-earned chilling before getting ready for our final night.

We finished our long weekend away having dinner at a beautiful, typically Italian restaurant. 🥂🍝❤️

It was the perfect way to end what has been an amazing few days.

Three days of incredible sights, history, food, drinks and sunshine.

And just like that… we're home! ✈️

We landed at 7:30am this morning and are now back fully into chaos at home again. 🏡😂

Rome, you've been absolutely beautiful. 🇮🇹❤️

Until next time… ✨

06/09/2026

🏛️ The Colosseum… nearly 2,000 years of history! 🇮🇹

One of those places you see in pictures all the time, but nothing quite prepares you for seeing the Colosseum in real life!

A few facts we discovered while visiting… 👇

🏛️ Construction began around AD 72 and the Colosseum was inaugurated in AD 80 — meaning it's almost 2,000 years old!

👥 It could accommodate around 50,000–55,000 spectators. Imagine the noise and atmosphere! Although they're not quite sure on the overall figure (could be lower or higher)

⚔️ The arena hosted gladiatorial contests, animal hunts and huge public spectacles. The spectators were seated in hierarchy of class.

🦁 Hidden beneath the arena was the hypogeum — a network of tunnels and chambers where people, animals and scenery could be prepared before being brought up into the arena through trapdoors.

🛗 There were 28 freight elevators in the original system, operated by a staggering 224 people — that's 8 people working each winch!

Standing inside it and thinking about everything that happened here almost 2,000 years ago is pretty incredible! 🇮🇹❤️

Rome really is like stepping into a history book… just with a lot of heat and the occasional b**r stop! 😂🍺

05/09/2026

Check this out... I'm still in awe of what we've seen today. I genuinely think it takes time to process it all.

We had a slow morning and started at the Roman Forum around midday. We had bought individual tickets (combined with the Colloseum) but could access the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill before or after our slot for the Colloseum.

We were armed with our own headphones and used the audio guide direct and free from the Forum/Colloseum.

Getting a group tour direct from the Colloseum brought back Glasto anxiety where you frantically try and get a ticket! Who knew?

You can only purchase direct (and confirmed) tickets 30 days in advance and we were camping in the depths of the lakes - typical timing! But, this actually suited us well to be honest. That's our heavy days done now and we have tomorrow with no plan to fully go with the flow.

After the Forum we had lunch and a b**r stop before hitting the Colloseum at 3.45pm. Our food on the trip fully deserves its own post as does the Colloseum!

We're back at the hotel taking the weight off our feet before heading into Trastevere later for food and drinks.

Another hot yet wonderful day!

04/09/2026

ROME — DAY 1! ☀️🇮🇹

35°C, lots of steps, a couple of b**rs and a Caprese sandwich…

We’ve spent our first day exploring some of Rome’s most incredible sights:

🇻🇦 Vatican Museums
⛪ St Peter’s Basilica
🏰 Castel Sant’Angelo
🌉 Ponte Sant’Angelo
🌉 Ponte Umberto
💦 Piazza Navona
🏛️ The Pantheon

Every corner seems to lead to another incredible piece of history. ❤️

We took our time and stopped for a couple of cold b**rs 🍻 and a bite to eat, where I had a Caprese sandwich — fresh mozzarella, tomato & basil. Simple, but delish!

By the end of it, the 35°C heat had beaten us 😂🥵 So we walked back towards Ponte Sisto and hopped in a taxi back to the hotel.

And now… rooftop pool time! 🏊🏼‍♀️☀️🍹

We're heading out for dinner at a local restaurant later — although we've no idea where😂🍝

Fab first day in Rome! 🇮🇹❤️