An annual family holiday has been a tradition in my family since my mom turned 60. Each year we jet off (more like drive off) to a new location where we spend a long weekend together. We’ve been to the Midlands Meander, KZN South Coast, Hartebeespoort and for this year we decided to go to the Drakensberg.

Let me share some practical tips that have helped us get better at executing this family holiday:

• We save money monthly throughout the year (we all transfer it to my sister) so that by the time the holiday comes along we only have to spend on petrol. This has been such a game changer!

• Before we getaway we assign meals to each person and that person is responsible for buying the ingredients for those meals. You should see the siblings WhatsApp group goes beserk a few days before the trip.

• We only plan a few must-do activities for the weekend so that we’re not running around to meet pre-booked schedules, we pretty much try to go with the flow.

Before we get to the photos, I also vlogged bits and bobs of the trip.

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We stayed at 20 Mount Champagne which is in Champagne Valley in Central Drakensberg. The house was gorgeous, it had 4 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms and an outdoor shower which I used twice! Bliss.

On Saturday afternoon we went out to have food at this highly recommended restaurant called Village Bakery. We weren’t too impressed with the food tbh, it was just meh, such a shame. The restaurant and surroundings were pretty though.

Going on holiday with a toddler is always touch and go because you never know what mood they’ll be in but luckily Mpilo was in a good mood for most of the weekend. Of course she always has a bit of attitude and some melt downs (watch the vlog to find out) but not enough to be memorable. It was great that she got to spend time with the rest of the family. Taking photos with her stays being a mission though!

The next day we went for a very short hike organised by yours truly. The trail was 2.5 km but we took a shortcut. It was so beautiful being out and about in nature doing something that we’ve never done together as a family. Everyone was in good spirits, a few complaints here and there but nothing major. Mpilo surprised us all by doing 90% of the hike and she was sooo energetic through it all! I knew she was gonna like it because she likes walking and being outdoors but I didn’t expect her to do as much walking as she did.

Where should we go next on our family holiday?