about
Welcome to Family Spy Club!
I am Maddie Donnelly - founder of Family Spy Club. I am a Freelance Travel Writer, Senior Marketing Consultant and mother to two young, adventurous and inquisitive daughters aged six and one. My husband and I live on the beautiful Suffolk coast, UK - our home is shared with our dog Wilma, a little lurcher, who enjoys joining us on trips whenever she can.
My professional journey has been spent extensively in the travel industry, where my passion for adventure found its perfect outlet. With a keen eye for detail and a flair for finding the perfect synergy between guest and destination, I’ve worked in various niche travel sectors, ranging from student and school travel to pet-friendly travel. Having worked closely with businesses within the hospitality industry I have an understanding of their needs from a marketing perspective and a unique insight of both sides of the guest-host dynamic.
With a Swedish mother and Scandinavian heritage, I have a deep appreciation for the outdoors, wholesome family experiences and the beauty that can be found in stylish simplicity.
I look forward to helping you find your perfect family holiday destinations!
what is family spy club?
The word ‘Travel’ conjures up so many different visions for different people. In my twenties it signified freedom, adventure and possibility. I spent years travelling the world, working in South Africa, Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, Sweden and the US to name a few. I could explore at my leisure and hoof it over to a great sounding event or attraction at a moment's notice.
When I first became a parent, the mere thought of a car journey longer than half an hour filled me with a sense of impending doom. (Thankfully my eldest daughter is now slightly more patient when it comes to car journeys…my youngest isn’t quite so enthusiastic). Despite vowing to be ‘One of THOSE parents’ who popped their newborn in a sling and set off island hopping with just hand luggage to my name - reality soon set in and my priorities shifted.
I have a handful of wonderful friends who have been incredible family holiday ‘canaries’ - they came back from their travels with thorough, laid back accounts of where they had been, what to expect and what to avoid. This got us to a point - we had some brilliant trips, but ultimately, going away with your family is a personal experience. What suits one family doesn’t work for another.
Owing to our lifestyles and demanding work (my husband is a clinician and I work in marketing and consultancy) after we had children and were eventually dished up the unsavoury inevitable constraints of - school holidays - (we can chat more about that later…!) We have become connoisseurs of fuss free family travel. This does not mean we’ve lost our sense of adventure - far from it. It simply means, we seek out experiences that make our travel as straightforward, stress free and enjoyable as possible. Some destinations are made for families - others are not. With time precious and budgets not necessarily dripping in todays economic climate, let's all help each other get the best value for our time and money, and avoid any holidays that give us anything less than wonderful memories with our most important people - our families.
Family Spy Club was created to share insider tips, ideas and inspiration for fantastic family holidays, days out, the greatest food spots (huge foodies here!) and honest reviews about some of the best quality and most useful products we’ve road tested.
All of this with the goal of being a pocket travel companion for you - sharing our tips, knowledge (and mistakes!) and bringing you fuss free family tavel - and yes - enjoyable and relaxing holidays for us parents too. It’s possible - trust me!