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JULY 2019
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Flight Time
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Me & My Business
Cresting
the wave
amily Surf Co. is the UK’s first
specialist travel company organising
bespoke family beach holidays to
bucket-list surfing destinations
around the world. It was founded by two
Cornwall-based surfing mums, to encourage
more families to spend quality time together
by the sea and go surfing on holiday.
Finding it a challenge to pursue their
own passion for surfing when travelling
with young children, Hayley Lawrence and
Celine Bennet set about finding the finest
family hotels in some of the top surfing
TWO SURFING MUMS HAVE LAUNCHED AN
INTERNATIONAL COMPANY TO HELP OTHER
FAMILIES LIVE THEIR SURF HOLIDAY DREAMS
destinations – including Portugal, Barbados,
Costa Rica, Sri Lanka and Cornwall.
Family Surf Co. launched last month – on
International Surfing Day – offering a hand-
picked collection of stylish, family-friendly
accommodation beside the waves.
“We love spending time in the ocean
as a family, but travelling with three boys,
now aged five, eight and ten, I needed
decent family facilities to ensure we could
all relax, have fun and be safe on our surf
trips,” said Hayley. “Having well-equipped
accommodation within footsteps of surf
breaks and beach life is vital, so that
we can yo-yo between the surf, the
sand and all the amenities needed
to keep the family fuelled up and
entertained. And although we
enjoy surfing together, we’re all
at different levels, so it’s essential
to have expert surf instructors
who cater for family sessions,
solo sessions and surf guiding
for more experienced surfers.
Also, I want to know there’s a
babysitter on hand or kids’ club
if I want to go for a dawn surf
or a sunset session without the
children.”
Co-founder Celine travelled the globe
as a pro kite-surfer in her 20s, and has
continued to travel extensively with her
young children, aged one and five, surfing
as much as she can. “The reality is that it can
be stressful travelling with a young family,
especially if you’re driving around looking
for waves, while trying to keep everyone
happy. With this in mind, we’ve handpicked
boutique family hotels and resorts where
you can slip seamlessly from your bed to
your board. We’ve road-tested every place
we sell holidays to, so we can give personal
advice to families, and we send them off
with a personal travel guide to the area,
including surfing beaches, places to visit
and recommendations of where to eat and
drink. We’ve also made sure that every
place is within a reasonable transfer time of
the airport or ferry port. While we like to
explore new and exotic destinations, there’s
a limit to how far off the beaten track you
want to go with a young family in tow.”
Hayley and Celine met on the beach in
Cornwall (when most other mums with
young kids were hanging out in baby groups
discussing sleepless nights). Says Hayley:
F
Left: Hayley and Celine
Above: Hayley and her
family on the beach at
Mawgan Porth