I was eleven years old the first time I set foot in Florida. It was 1991, and my parents had somehow scraped together enough money to take us on the holiday of a lifetime — two weeks on Highway 192 in Kissimmee, staying in a modest motel that I thought was the most glamorous place I'd ever seen. We went to Walt Disney World. We went to Sea World. We drove down to the coast and I saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in my life. I came home a completely different kid. Florida had done something to me that I've never quite been able to explain.
More than 35 years later, I'm still going back. The obsession never faded. It just grew up with me — and eventually brought my wife and three kids along for the ride.
This blog exists because of that eleven-year-old boy from Cheshire, and because of every British family who's currently sitting at a kitchen table wondering whether a Florida holiday is worth it, how on earth to make sense of Lightning Lane, and whether they really need to book a restaurant at Disney World six months in advance. (Spoiler: sometimes, yes.)
Who I Am and Why You Should Listen to Me
My name's Lewis. I'm 46, originally from Cheshire, now living in Gloucester. I'm not a travel journalist. I don't work for a tour operator. Nobody has ever paid me to say something nice about a hotel.
What I am is someone who has been visiting Florida for over three decades, who has done it on a shoestring budget and a more comfortable one, who has experienced it as a kid, as a young bloke travelling with mates, and now as a dad taking his own family. My three kids are 15, 18 and 20 now, which means I've done Florida with a toddler, with a stroppy pre-teen, and with teenagers who think they're too cool for everything right up until the moment a roller coaster does something unexpected to their face.
I've watched Florida change enormously over 35 years. I've seen parks open, prices double, queues get longer, and the whole experience get simultaneously more incredible and more complicated to navigate. I know the difference between a genuine hidden gem and an overpriced tourist trap. And I write about all of it honestly — which is, I suspect, why you're here.
What Florida Family Holiday Is All About
This blog is written specifically for UK families planning a Florida holiday. That sounds obvious, but it matters more than you'd think.
The vast majority of Florida travel content online is written by Americans for Americans. It assumes you have a car. It gives prices in dollars without a second thought. It doesn't explain ESTA, or travel insurance that covers the US, or which UK airports fly direct to Orlando, or whether you should buy dollars before you go or just use a Wise card when you get there.
I write for families like mine. Families who've spent months saving up for this trip. Families who know it's a significant financial investment — we're talking anywhere from £4,000 to £8,000 or more for a decent Florida holiday — and who absolutely cannot afford to get it wrong. Families who want to arrive feeling prepared, informed, and excited rather than overwhelmed.
Every single article on this blog is written with that British family in mind. Prices are always given in both pounds and dollars. School holiday timing is always considered. UK-specific practicalities — driving on the right, tipping culture, the heat in July, hurricane season — are always addressed. This is the advice I give to friends who ask me about Florida over a cup of tea. I've just written it all down.
What You'll Find on the Blog
I cover everything a British family needs to know about a Florida holiday, from the very first "should we even do this?" moment all the way through to packing your suitcase. Here's a rough idea of what's here:
Theme Parks — the Big Stuff, Explained Clearly
Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, LEGOLAND Florida, Busch Gardens — I cover them all. But more importantly, I explain how to do them properly. Lightning Lane, Genie+, Virtual Queues, park hopping, rope drop strategy, the best and worst times to visit — all of it, written in plain English without the jargon.
My honest opinions are always in there too. If something isn't worth the money, I'll tell you. My wife has a strict personal policy of refusing to queue more than 45 minutes for anything, which has genuinely shaped the way I think about theme park strategy. You're welcome.
Florida Beaches, Days Out and Beyond the Parks
Florida is so much more than theme parks, and plenty of UK families don't realise that until they get there. I write about the Gulf Coast beaches, the Atlantic Coast, day trips to Kennedy Space Center, airboat rides through the Everglades, the Florida Keys, and the brilliant stuff you can do that doesn't cost a fortune.
Some of our best Florida memories have nothing to do with a theme park. A quiet morning on Clearwater Beach with nowhere to be. Watching a space launch from a car park near Titusville. Finding a fantastic barbecue place on the 192 that had no queue and no gift shop. I write about all of that too.
Practical UK-Specific Advice
This is the stuff that makes this blog different. The articles that answer the questions British families are actually googling — and not finding good answers to because most results are written for American readers.
- How to apply for an ESTA before you travel — and the mistakes to avoid
- Which UK airports fly direct to Orlando, and which airlines are worth considering
- Whether to hire a car in Florida, and everything you need to know if you do
- The best travel money options for Florida — Wise cards, buying dollars, airport bureaux de change
- Travel insurance for Florida, and why the cheapest policy is almost always a false economy
- How to tip in Florida without either under-tipping or standing there looking confused
- What to pack for a Florida holiday with kids — including things British families often forget
- The best time of year to visit Florida from the UK, factoring in school holidays, crowds and budget
Is Florida Right for Your Family?
I'll be honest with you — Florida isn't a cheap holiday. It never has been, and with the exchange rate doing what it's been doing lately, the dollar cost of everything hits harder than it used to. A family of four can spend £600–£800 ($750–$1,000) on theme park tickets alone for a single day at a Disney park with all the extras. That takes your breath away a bit.
But here's what I also know, from 35 years of experience and from watching my own three kids grow up on these trips: done right, a Florida family holiday is worth every single penny. The memories don't fade. My kids are 15, 18 and 20, and they still talk about specific moments from Florida trips we did years ago. That first time on a certain ride. That meal we had. That beach evening when everyone was tired but happy and nobody wanted to go back to the villa.
The goal of this blog is to help you do Florida right — to make the most of every pound you spend and come home feeling like you absolutely nailed it.
A Note on How I Write
I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not. I'm a dad who loves Florida and has been visiting for most of his life. I write like I talk — which means short sentences, straight opinions, and no waffle. If I think something is brilliant, I'll say it's brilliant. If I think something is overpriced rubbish, I'll say that too.
I'll occasionally drop in personal stories from our trips, because I think that's more useful and more interesting than reading something that could have been written by a robot. When I tell you the queue for a particular ride moved faster than expected on a Tuesday morning in late September, it's because I was actually standing in it.
This is a real blog written by a real person who genuinely loves this subject. I hope that comes through in every article.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Blog
Who is Florida Family Holiday written for?
UK families planning a Florida holiday — whether it's your first trip or your fifth. Everything on this blog is written with British readers in mind, which means prices in pounds and dollars, advice that takes UK school holidays into account, and answers to the questions that American travel blogs simply don't address.
Is the advice on this blog up to date?
I do my best to keep everything current, and I always flag where prices or policies may have changed. Florida's theme parks in particular update their systems regularly — Lightning Lane pricing, park reservation requirements and the like can all shift. I always recommend double-checking the latest details directly with the attraction before you book, and I'll always tell you where to do that.
Do you cover Universal as well as Disney?
Absolutely. Disney gets a lot of the attention, but Universal Orlando is brilliant — and in some ways better suited to families with older kids and teenagers. I cover both parks in detail, including honest comparisons to help you decide where to spend your time and money.
I'm planning my first ever Florida family holiday — where do I start?
Start with the big-picture planning articles — the best time to visit Florida from the UK, how much a Florida holiday actually costs, and whether to hire a car. Once you've got the framework sorted, the more specific articles will start to make a lot more sense. And if you've got a specific question, feel free to get in touch. I genuinely enjoy helping families plan their trips.
Florida gave me some of the best memories of my childhood. It's given my own family memories we'll carry for the rest of our lives. I hope this blog helps you create a few of your own. Welcome — and enjoy the planning. Honestly, half the fun is in the anticipation.
