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Start here! Welcome to LE, a Family Blog About Travel, Food, and Curiosity
Hello and welcome! I’m Marta, a mama of two, travel writer, and passionate home cook who believes that exploring the world — whether by plane or by plate — is one of the best ways to learn and connect as a family. Learning Escapes started as a family travel blog, born from our love of discovering new places, cultures, and histories together. Over the years, it has grown and evolved with us — and now, it’s also about food: the recipes, flavors, and little discoveries that let us recreate the world at home. The name Learning Escapes still fits perfectly. Every trip we take and every dish we make is, in its own way, a “learning escape”…
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Summer Packing List for Ireland: What to Actually Pack (Yes, Including the Rain Jacket)
Summer packing list for Ireland by a local who’s seen many summers here! What to packer Ireland in summer, what you can leave home, practical packing tips for your Irish vacation. Summer is one of the very best times to visit Ireland and one of of the most popular: the weather is at its best, you have long hours of light and the people’s spirit is in much better form that during the long grey moths of the Irish winter. That said, Irish summers as not always as ‘summery’ as their name suggests! Irish summers are warmer than Irish winters but, temperature wise, they resemble what more southern latitudes would…
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Family Packing List for Paris and the South of France: What to Pack for a Summer Trip with Kids
Practical packing list for Paris and the South of France in summer: what to pack, what to leave, home, what not to stress about France in summer means many things: Paris in the heat, the lavender fields of Provence, the beaches of the Côte d’Azur, the markets of Nice. It is a destination of trains and metros, of long lunches and evening strolls, of cities that reward walking and coasts that reward doing absolutely nothing at all. it is one of my favorite destinations of all and no matter how many times we go to France with kids, we just end up wanting to go again! Packing for France requires…
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Family Summer Packing List for Greece: What to Pack for a Greek Vacation with Kids
Family packing list for Greece in summer: what to pack for Greece in summer with kids plus essential tips for clever packing when visiting Athens and going island hopping in Greece. Our family trip to Greece has been one of our most successful vacations to date. We spent a wonderful summer in Greece, driving, swimming, exploring and while we knew the country would be stunning and welcoming, it truly surpassed our expectations: all the good things we expected from Greece came true, plus some! A success that meant we now love returning to Greece and have many tips to share! Today, I share my tips for packing and my family…
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Summer Packing List for Europe with Kids: What to Pack and how to pack for a family trip to Europe
Summer Packing List for Europe with Kids: a realistic, practical family packing list with summer in Europe with what you need, what you don’t need to stress about and tips to travel light without renounce comfort and style. Packing for a summer trip to Europe with kids is one of those things that sounds really daunting but becomes easier and even straightforward once you have a few expert tips for guidance: which you do! This is exactly what this post is for! I’ve been travelling around Europe with my family for years, with summers that have taken us to Italy, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, and beyond, and I’ve learned over…
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The Ultimate Packing List for Ireland: How to Pack and What to Pack in Every Season
Our tried and tested packing list for Ireland with what to bring in each season and style guide to be comfortable and stylish during your travels in Ireland, may you be in a castle or the great outdoors. If there is one question I get asked more than any other about Ireland — and I live here, so I get asked a lot — it is this: what on earth do I pack? It is a fair question. Ireland’s weather is genuinely one of a kind, and not in a way that makes packing straightforward. You can have four seasons in a single day. You can have a gloriously sunny morning,…
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Fabulous Day trips from Dublin, Ireland, perfect for first time visitors [2026 Edition]
My curated round up of the best day trips from Dublin, to discover the best of Ireland from the capital. One of the most popular ways to visit Ireland is by renting a car and taking a ‘great Irish road trip‘ road trip around the island. However, it not the only way to explore this beautiful country! It is also possible and enjoyable to see many of the most beautiful places in Ireland while staying in Dublin and, sometimes, even without a car at all. I have been living in Dublin for the last 20 years and I have two children who call Dublin home. So, as you can imagine,…
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Paris with Kids Travel Tips: how to plan the perfect family trip to Paris
Paris tips for families with kids. A practical travel guide by a mama with all you need to know before you go to Paris with kids, including overall feel, best areas to stay, tips for using a stroller in Paris and what to expect eating out in Paris with kids. I love Paris and find it a fantastic, exciting city to visit with kids. So much to see, so many parks and kids’ attractions, so much variety in this big, bustling, lively city! Despite this love for Paris however, I knew visiting with kids would be very different from experiencing the city as a couple or with a friend and…
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Ghent at Christmas: Why Ghent )Gent) Is the Perfect Festive Weekend Getaway
Our essential travel guide to visiting Ghent at Christmas. Where to stay in Ghent, the best things to do, food recommendation and how to enjoy the Ghent Christmas market. Gent (Ghent) at Christmas is one of those destinations that quietly steals your heart. Beautiful, atmospheric and wonderfully compact, Ghent offers everything you want from a festive winter getaway: a charming Christmas market, canals lit up with fairy lights, historic landmarks, cosy cafés and just enough to do for a relaxed weekend, without the crowds and overwhelm of bigger European cities. I chose Ghent for exactly this reason. I wanted a destination that felt as easy as a resort stay, but…
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Festive Drinks from Around the World (Perfect for Christmas & New Year’s)
Looking for festive drink ideas that feel special but not complicated? This global collection of Christmas and New Year’s drinks includes sparkling cocktails, warming classics, and cozy winter favorites inspired by traditions from Italy, Ireland, and beyond. There’s something deeply comforting about festive drinks. They signal celebration without fuss, invite people to linger at the table, and often carry memories of place, season, and tradition. This collection of festive drink ideas from around the world is inspired by the countries we travel between, family traditions picked up over the years, and drinks that feel just right for winter celebrations. Some are perfect for Christmas afternoon, others shine on New Year’s Eve, and many…
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A Gentle January Reset for Families (No Pressure, Just Calm)
A gentle January reset for families who want calm, not pressure. Simple routines, soft decluttering, and cozy home ideas to ease into the new year without overwhelm. January has a strange energy. After weeks of celebration, noise, and full calendars, the world suddenly asks us to be organised, motivated, refreshed, and ready to start again — all at once. And just when, really, all we want to do is rest and digest. If you’re a parent, that pressure can feel even heavier. As school, work, and everyday chores start again, the last thing you need is the added weight of all the shoulds. I should go to the gym.Cook better.Clean more.Produce…
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Classic Italian Minestrone (A Gentle, Nourishing Vegetable Soup)
Classic Italian minestrone soup made with seasonal vegetables, cannellini beans, olive oil and herbs. A nourishing, comforting family soup perfect for winter and a gentle January reset. There are few dishes that feel as grounding as a good Italian minestrone. It’s the kind of soup that quietly does its job: warming, nourishing, comforting and doesn’t ask for precision or perfection. Every Italian family has their own version, shaped by the seasons, what’s in the fridge, and what feels right that day. This is the minestrone I make at home when January feels long and we all need something kind in our bowls. It’s simple, flexible, and deeply comforting, perfect for a gentle…
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Elegant & Easy New Year’s Eve Main Dishes for a Delicious Celebration at Home
New Year’s Eve dinners at home have a special kind of magic: a little sparkle, a little indulgence, and none of the pressure of Christmas Day cooking. This is the night when I love to make something special and impressive, although special and impressive doesn’t necessarily mean complicated! Some of my favorite New year’s dishes are super easy to make. These New Year’s Eve main dishes are elegant, comforting, celebratory, and full of flavour. Many come from my Italian roots, others are simple favourites that always feel festive. All are perfect for a cosy, beautiful New Year’s Eve at home. Spaghetti alle Vongole The ultimate Italian New Year’s Eve pasta. Light, elegant,…
