I always find February half term the worst holiday of the school year. It’s cold, wet and generally ends up costing a fortune because every activity involves being inside!

I decided to look for something different this year and found a fab deal with http://www.superbreak.com taking the girls to Cadbury world in Birmingham. £165 for Cadbury World tickets, one night in a 4* hotel, dinner and breakfast – bargain!However as a mum reading this, you will know that this is where the idyllic idea of a night away disappears, only to be replaced by a nightmare of packing, re-packing and general chaos! So this is where my organisational skills come into play…

My 5 top tips

1. Lists! We are lucky to go away quite a lot, so I now have a saved list on Microsoft word of the basics required to leave the house for a night.  These include shampoo, conditioner, knickers, socks etc. I simply print the list and then tick the items off as I put them in the case.  I also make a list of the clothes we are going to wear whilst away which means we only take what we need!

2. Paperwork My big tip with hotel confirmations/tickets, is never to leave it until the last minute to print them off! We all know that 10 minutes before you leave the house, will be the time that the printer goes off line and refuses to churn out any form of email confirmation required. Always print the confirmation as soon as you book and then simply keep in a safe place for when it’s needed.

3. Separate swim bag Whenever we go away, we always look for a hotel that has a pool.  Emi and Bella love swimming and when you factor in how much a trip to the local swimming pool costs, it makes the hotel deal seem even more of a bargain! I always pack a separate swim bag so that we are ready to go when we arrive.  Whether it be a hotel, Centre Parcs, Butlins or a summer holiday, the first thing we do before check in is go swimming.

4. Pens, pencils and paper People always compliment us on how well behaved our girls are when we take them out for dinner.Whilst they are generally good girls, I never allow them to get bored.  I always take pens, paper etc so that they can draw and write at the table.  We played a game of ‘misfits’ this weekend which the girls loved!

5. Phone Charged Boring but essential!  I never go on any kind of journey without a fully charged mobile phone.  You just never know when you might need it!

Cadbury World was amazing and I would recommend it to anybody!