A mum-of-two has explained why she only takes one child on holiday with her and leaves the other at home.
Author Julie Cook explained that the idea came to her just a few years ago, and now swears by the bonding tactic.
It was 2018 when Julie was first inspired to try out the one-on-one holiday with her son Alex, after realising that she had not gotten to spend much quality time with him since his sister Adriana was born.
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So Julie booked a trip to Venice for herself and ten-year-old Alex while her husband stayed home with Adriana, who was five at the time.
Together, she and her ten-year-old enjoyed eating pizza, going to the beach, and taking a gondola down the Grand Canal.
Detailing the experience for Metro, she wrote: "I was able to listen to him talking without being interrupted. By the end of our four days I felt like I knew him - properly - all over again."
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She continued: "It’s far too easy to lump them into the generic ‘my kids’ but they are indeed individuals, which is often hard to see when you’re lumped together as a family of four."
Last year, Julie decided to do the same for her daughter Adriana, who was then seven, and flew her out to Paris, while Alex and her husband stayed at home.
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Between the sight-seeing, eating, and playing, the Julie said she got to learn "who she was getting on with at school, the subjects she likes and doesn’t like and who her current favourite singer is - all things that, if I’m honest, we just don’t always have time to sit and talk about."
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While some mums have turned their nose up at Julie's unusual holiday tactics, the writer has seen impressive results and pledged to keep doing it for 'as long as they'll be seen with [her]', whether it's on a European city break, or an overnight stay somewhere in the UK.
She explained that 'over a meal together somewhere far away, kids open up more and you can have a proper conversation'.
Plus, in her experience, there's 'nothing better' than looking through old holiday photos together and sharing memories 'that are only yours'.
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And it appears as though the mum's one-on-one holidays are catching on, too.
Just earlier this summer, David Beckham jetted off to Venice (copycat, much?) with his ten-year-old daughter Harper, leaving Victoria and the boys back at home.
In photos posted to David's Instagram at the time, the father-daughter duo appeared to enjoy a pretty luxurious trip, from gondola rides to theatre visits. Talk about trendy parenting!
Ali Condon