About 2 Idiots Travel
Hello. We're the Reids. Two adults, two kids, one questionable approach to family travel.
I'm Marcus, the primary idiot and chief writer here at 2 Idiots Travel. My wife Sophie is idiot number two (her words, not mine - though I won't argue). Together, we've somehow managed to keep two small humans alive while dragging them across Europe and beyond.
Who We Are
We're based in Brighton, which is convenient because it means we can stare wistfully at the sea whenever we're not actually traveling. Sophie works in primary education, which explains her supernatural patience with our kids Leo (9) and Isla (6). I'm a former software developer who traded debugging code for debugging travel itineraries, and honestly, the code made more sense.
Leo's current obsession is marine life, which means every beach trip turns into an impromptu marine biology lecture. Isla collects rocks from every destination we visit. Not special rocks. Just rocks. We now have approximately 847 identical grey pebbles in our house.
Why We Started This Blog
This blog was born during a particularly catastrophic family holiday to Mallorca in 2019. We'd booked what the website promised was a "luxury family-friendly villa." What we got was a building site next door, a pool that could charitably be described as "cozy" (read: paddling pool), and Wi-Fi that only worked if you stood on one leg in the corner of the master bedroom.
But here's the thing - we had an absolutely brilliant time. The kids didn't care about the construction noise. They thought the tiny pool was perfect. And the dodgy Wi-Fi forced us to actually talk to each other like it was the 1990s.
That trip taught us something important: the gap between expectation and reality in family travel is enormous, and nobody's really talking about it honestly. Every blog post showed perfect children in pristine white linen, walking hand-in-hand through lavender fields at golden hour. Meanwhile, we were bribing our kids with ice cream to stop arguing long enough for one decent photo.
So we started writing about what family travel actually looks like. The tantrums in airport security. The mysterious stains on hire car seats. The 3 AM Google searches for "nearest pharmacy diarrhea children." The good stuff, essentially.
Our Travel Philosophy
We believe in real over perfect. We've done the Instagram-worthy destinations, taken the golden hour photos, and yes, they're lovely. But some of our best travel memories involve things going absolutely sideways - getting lost in Tokyo and finding an incredible ramen shop, missing our ferry to Great Blasket Island and discovering a better beach, or that time in Oman when Leo befriended a goat.
We're not luxury travelers (obviously), but we're not extreme budget travelers either. We're firmly planted in the "comfortable middle" category - the occasional splurge on a nice hotel, balanced by many nights in questionable Airbnbs. We drive hire cars with dubious alignment. We eat at both Michelin-starred restaurants and service stations. We contain multitudes, mostly because we're disorganized.
What You'll Find Here
This blog is our attempt to document what traveling with kids actually involves, minus the corporate nonsense and sponsored content disclaimer paragraphs. You'll find detailed guides to destinations we've actually visited - not places we're being paid to promote. You'll find honest reviews of travel gear that we've actually used until it broke (or in some cases, until we lost it in various European airports).
We write about practical things like whether car seat bags are worth the hassle (yes) and which finca stays in Mallorca won't make you want to divorce your spouse. We compare destinations honestly - like our Corsica vs Sardinia breakdown - because sometimes you need someone to just tell you which island has better beaches and fewer tourists.
We also maintain an extensive FAQ section because apparently we get asked the same questions repeatedly, which suggests either our writing is unclear or everyone faces the same travel dilemmas. Probably both.
The Actual Point
Look, family travel is brilliant. It's also frequently terrible. Sometimes it's both simultaneously, like when your child announces they need the toilet during a boat trip to the Norwegian fjords when there is no toilet within several nautical miles.
But here's what we've learned: the chaotic bits become the best stories. The perfect moments are great, but the imperfect ones are what your kids will actually remember and laugh about years later.
So we write it all down - the good, the bad, and the truly baffling. If our experiences help you avoid one travel disaster, brilliant. If they just make you feel better about your own family travel chaos, even better. And if they convince you to leave the kids with grandparents and travel solo, well, we completely understand that too.
Welcome to 2 Idiots Travel. We're delighted you're here, even if we're not entirely sure what we're doing.
Marcus Reid
Brighton, England
Chief Idiot & Occasionally Competent Travel Writer