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Holidays, staycations, holidays-from-home and last-minute getaways – it’s all on our mind at the moment with the summer season upon us so today I am going to talk about a few things we love to do as a family over the summer months and also some must-have gadgets and tech for your home and holidays which will simplify life and bring some extra joy.
Whether you are loading up the car for a week in Cornwall, going on a caravan vacay or simply holidaying-from-home (my personal fave) then these gadgets are the non-negotiables.
Let’s start with what I think is an absolute NECESSITY to get us through these UK heatwaves : fans, cooling and chilling with The Shark Chill Pill. This is a brand new launch from and it has been doing the rounds on social media with rave reviews so I, was of course, a little sceptical and curious about this unusual-looking device. It is essentially a portable cooling system that is a 3-in-1 mist, high speed fan and a chilling plate that work to keep the body temperature down leaving you feeling comfortable and cool. If you are one of those people who get very hot, frustrated and flustered, then keep on a’ reading.
Shark do home tech SO very well and the Chill Pill is the first of it’s kind. It has 3 interchangeable attachments that are easy to swap over depending on what you want. The fan is high speed and really effective, the mist is an evaporative ultra-fine mist and the InstaChill Cooling plate is honestly an absolute winner – possibly my most-used attachment and works so quickly to reduce the skin’s temperature. It comes in six shades to choose from and also you can get various accessories for it such as straps so hold it, clip attachments and travel cases.
Not only is this perfect to use at home, but also so handy for travel, commuting and the office. You can twist the device so it sits on your desk for the fan or misting modes and then hold it for the cooling plate and move this around the areas as you want – I love to apply it onto my forehead, around the eye area (hello de-puffing!) and all around my neck.
Whilst we are talking about keeping cool I also have to briefly mention the Shark Flexbreeze Hydrogo Misting Fan – I purchased this last month after EVERYONE recommended it to me. I was skeptical about spending so much on a fan but I have absolutely no regrets and I think it is 100% the best fan I have ever owned. It is essentially a desk fan in size but this makes it easy to set-up anywhere and everywhere around the house. It is fully chargeable so you can have it cordless AND it has the cooling water mist function which is also excellent on those very warm days. A word of warning if you do have your eye on the Shark Flexbreeze fan – these sell out EVERYWHERE and fast when they are re-stocked so grab one if you see it and thank me later.
Lazy garden days are only complete with a good sunhat, your SPF and a great novel – if this is how your summer is going to be looking then an Amazon Kindle may just become one of your favourite gadgets. I treated myself to one just a few months ago but it is something I am using ALL of the time and I wish I had joined the club sooner! The small, lightweight device is so convenient to carry around and store and it can hold thousands of books and you can just pick it up and read at your convenience. I totally get the appeal and beauty of ‘proper’ hardback books and how wonderful they can look on shelves but a Kindle is just so much more easier for modern homes and lifestyles….plus less clutter and space needed! If you are going further afield for your summer holidays then this is perfect for travel also as it’s lightweight, slim and no need to lug around the bulky physical books in your luggage.
Now onto possibly one of my favourite new tech additions to my household and I just KNOW I will be using this all summer long to capture memories and moments : the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Hybrid Instant Digital Camera. Think a Polaroid but more user-friendly and so easy to snap photos and print. This is an analog-style shooter with loads of creative options to capture amazing memories, family moments and holidays. It has a cool retro look and feel to it but with all the modern luxuries and features and takes just seconds to instantly print off credit-card size cute snaps.
Now as someone who gets a little nervous with new devices and tech, I can promise you this is very user-friendly and so easy to use and navigate. There are 10 lens effects and 10 film effects in combination so you can change and experiment with how you want your images to look. It has a full LCD screen to clearly see what you are snapping and you can also connect it to your phone to interchange images and use the effects for social media also.
It’s really fun for all of the family too and both of my kids love to use it and find it very exciting to print off the pictures. We are building an Fujifilm Instax photo board over the summer holidays so we can look back on the memories and all the different photo’s we have taken as a collective which could also be fun to do for holidays – a collage of instant images from a moment in time!
Holidaying-from-home : Some tips!
Some people call it a staycation, I call it a ‘holiday-from-home’ : when you literally are staying at home and making it into a holiday with day trips, visits, exploring and fun! It’s a great way to support local, explore places you may have overlooked and save some pennies!
1.) Plan like you would a holiday – every day you have an intenary and stick to it, book the tickets in advance, as it can become very easy just to stay at home and be a little lazy when there is that option. Try your best to get out daily!
2.) Explore places you’ve never been (alongside some favourites!) It’s a perfect time to be a tourist in your home town and perhaps do things that you have never done. sometimes we really do miss things that are sitting right under our noses.
3.) Pack and prep your lunches – but also have some treats and meals out. This of course will save some money as eating out daily would be very expensive in general so have that balance of some nice picnic foods you can eat on the go but also plan some days where you have a nice meal out also. The best of both!
4.) Get to the water! Preferable the sea if it’s not too far but some form of water I think is an absolute necessity for any holiday.
5.) Have a rest day / Garden day. I love this especially with the kids. Make your garden into something a little different than normal – get the inflatables blown up, perhaps some food for the BBQ all prepped and ready and a day of garden adventures.
