Right, let's get the awkward bit over with. I'm Marcus Reid--husband to Sophie, dad to Leo (9) and Isla (6), and the bloke who traded debugging code for debugging family holidays. Former software developer from London, UCL Computer Science graduate, and someone who's somehow convinced his family that sleeping in budget finca accommodation in Mallorca counts as a proper holiday.
We've dragged our kids through 40+ countries now, from Norwegian fjords to Omani deserts, and lived to tell the tales. Most of them, anyway. Some moments are best left in the "what happens on holiday, stays on holiday" category.
I spent fifteen years writing software for financial services companies--thrilling stuff, honestly. The kind of work where you celebrate successfully migrating a database and call it a good Friday night. But when Leo came along in 2015, something shifted. We started travelling differently, thinking differently, and I realized I had more to say about navigating Tokyo with kids than optimizing SQL queries.
So I started writing. Properly writing, not just angry commit messages. Turns out, years of technical documentation prepared me surprisingly well for breaking down complex travel logistics into digestible chunks. Who knew?
2 Idiots Travel isn't about luxury resorts or Instagram-perfect moments (though Sophie does take a cracking photo). It's about real family travel--the good, the chaotic, and the "why did we think this was a good idea?" moments. We write comprehensive guides because we're the kind of obsessive planners who need to know everything before we go anywhere.
Our specialty is practical, detailed itineraries that actually work with kids. Whether it's comparing Corsica vs Sardinia, finding the best finca stays in Mallorca, or planning a cruise day in Kotor, we cover the logistics nobody else bothers with.
Here's the deal: we don't do sponsored fluff. If we recommend something, it's because we've used it, paid for it ourselves, and genuinely think it's worth your time. We've turned down plenty of "opportunities" to promote gear we'd never actually pack or destinations we'd never actually visit.
We write long-form content because surface-level listicles are useless when you're actually planning a trip. Need to know the best time to visit Greece? We'll tell you about weather patterns, crowd levels, pricing fluctuations, and which school holiday periods to avoid. We're thorough because we wish someone had been thorough for us.
Our voice is conversational, occasionally sarcastic, and completely honest. If a tourist attraction is overhyped rubbish, we'll say so. If we made a planning mistake, we'll admit it. Travel blogging has enough polished perfection--we're here for the reality.
Sophie handles most of the photography, which is fortunate because my idea of composition is "point camera at thing." She's got an eye for capturing moments--the kids mid-laugh, dramatic landscapes, that perfect golden hour light. I'm more about documenting practical details, like what the ferry terminal actually looks like or where the nearest toilet is.
When we're not travelling, I'm hiking somewhere in the Peak District, attempting to surf in Cornwall (badly), or photographing local wildlife in Richmond Park. Leo's inherited the hiking obsession, Isla prefers beaches, and Sophie just wants everyone to stop complaining and enjoy themselves.
Fair warning: I'll try anything once. Street food in Bangkok? Absolutely. Mystery meat in a Croatian market? Why not. That questionable-looking stew in Albania? Bring it on. Sophie thinks this is idiotic (hence the blog name), the kids think it's hilarious, and I think it's research.
Some of my best travel memories involve food that looked absolutely terrible but tasted incredible. And yes, some of my worst travel memories involve the same category. It's all part of the adventure.
We've had some extraordinary experiences. Watching Leo's face when he saw Great Blasket Island for the first time. Isla learning to bodyboard in Portugal. The whole family attempting (and failing) to navigate Tokyo's train system without arguing.
But honestly? The best moments are usually the unplanned ones. Getting spectacularly lost in Marrakech's medina. Finding a hidden beach in Milos. That restaurant in Kotor where the waiter adopted our kids for the evening.
Got questions about a destination we've covered? Want to share your own family travel disaster story? Noticed an error in one of our guides? Drop us a line through our FAQ page or check out our latest gear reviews.
We read everything, respond to most things, and occasionally update guides based on reader feedback. We're not perfect, but we're trying to be useful. That's the whole point, really.
--Marcus