I frequent holiday websites quite a lot thinking of ideas for the next family holiday, whether it be relaxing on a beach or skiing in the Alps I try to make it a new and exciting holiday. Although we have travelled to many European countries like France, Spain, Greece and Turkey on our holidays, we have never holidayed in this country.

When I was a child my family used to travel down the Cornwall, so I looked into renting a cottage online. There are literally hundreds of deals online starting from just £200 for 7 nights and can sleep up to 8 people. With flights getting more expensive and the exchange rates struggling, holidaying in England might not be such a bad idea.

Cornwall has lots of things to do including surfing and wind surfing, but there are also lots of places to visit like Clovely, Tintagel Castle and Land’s End. I can’t believe I haven’t thought of this before, imagine the money I’ve spent on flights and hotels for the family, when we could just all get into the car, drive down to Cornwall and have our own holiday cottage in the countryside.

I’ll definitely keep this in mind for next year’s family holiday!

There is no definitive answer to that question it largely depends upon the child, but as the many  people who have been on skiing holidays will tell you, they marvel at the sight of toddlers of 3 or 4 years old negotiating turns and confidently travelling down the hill seemingly without effort. As a rule of thumb, if they want to start in a proper group, between 4 and 5 years seems to be the right age. If they are younger, it is better if they do a private session or semi-private, with two or three in a class. Ski school instructors find it is difficult to cope with more than three 3-year-olds at a time.

Experienced ski school instructors will tell you that possibly the best the best preparation for skiing is tobogganing. This adds the fun element to their skiing holiday and the combination of speed, terror and lack of control is good practice.  A note of caution, as we all know toboggans can be quick and you should always pick your slope with this in mind; you don’t want any spills that might put the child off what is a wonderful skiing holiday.

An important point is the equipment that you buy or hire for the children, remember never be fobbed of with inferior stuff like plastic imitations, they need proper skis for their size and boots which should be of the rear entry variety to make life easier for them, poles are not necessary, just watch a group of youngsters going down and the amazing balance they have. Some essential equipment however are good sunglasses or goggles, the sun can be bright reflecting off the snow and a crash helmet is a must.

Do not try to teach your child to ski if you are not a qualified instructor, most parents are survival skiers, getting down the piste in spite of their technique, not because of it. Children learn largely through imitation, and they need someone technically perfect to copy. One final word, the age at which children start makes very little difference to how well they ski as adults. Whether or not they enjoyed their first experience of a skiing holiday is far more important!

Child Skiing