Sometimes the best family adventures start with something you never planned to travel for.

For us, this summer, it was dance.
We travelled to Blackpool in England because our daughter Evelijn had qualified for the UDO World Championships. What started as a trip for a dance competition quickly turned into a family adventure and gave us the chance to discover a place we probably would never have chosen for a holiday on its own.
And that is something we have come to love about travelling with children.
Their passions can take you places you might never have considered.

From the Netherlands to the World Championships

Evelijn dances freestyle, and qualifying for the UDO World Championships was already a huge achievement.
She had managed to qualify among the top three freestylers in the Netherlands, earning her place at the World Championships in Blackpool.
So off we went.
There were around 80 competitors in her freestyle category, making it an exciting and slightly nerve-wracking experience. Evelijn made it through the first round, but unfortunately didn’t progress beyond the second round.
Of course, as a parent, you always hope your child will make it a little further.
But when you take a step back, getting onto that stage in Blackpool in the first place is something to be incredibly proud of.
She had qualified among the best three freestylers in the Netherlands and then competed against dancers from around the world.
That experience alone is something she will carry with her.

Dancing with DC Blitz

Evelijn also competed with her dance team, DC Blitz.
Unfortunately, they just missed out on a place in the final. But finishing 11th at the UDO World Championships is still an amazing achievement.
Watching your child perform on a stage like that is something special.
You see the nerves beforehand, the concentration while they are performing and then the excitement and relief afterwards.
And perhaps most importantly, you see how much they enjoy doing something they love. But what made the experience even more special was the amount of support they received.
Of course, there were the parents cheering from the sidelines, but DC Blitz had a whole group of supporters behind them.
Other teams from their dance school, Dance Centre Amersfoort, were also competing in Blackpool, including DC Untamed, the parent team, and DC Supreme, the Over 18 team.
Everyone was there for each other.
We cheered for their performances, they cheered for ours, and suddenly the competition felt much more like one big dance family.
For these kids, that meant so much.
They had travelled all the way from Amersfoort to Blackpool, stepped onto a world championship stage and knew that people from home were there shouting, cheering and celebrating with them.
And of course, we weren’t only there to support Evelijn and DC Blitz. We were just as excited to cheer on the other teams from Dance Centre Amersfoort.
DC Supreme eventually finished 4th, which was an incredible achievement.
And for Evelijn, that made it even more special because her freestyle coach also dances with DC Supreme. Watching her coach compete on the same world championship stage was definitely a proud moment for Evelijn too.
There is something really special about seeing everyone you know from the studio suddenly come together in a completely different country, all supporting each other and doing what they love.
For us, this trip was never only about the final results.
It was about the experience, the people and the memories they created together.

Discovering Blackpool between the dance moments

Of course, we weren’t going to travel all the way to England and spend the entire trip inside the competition venue.
Between the dance events, we had time to explore Blackpool as a family.
Blackpool is a fascinating place because it feels like a destination that has been frozen in time in some ways.
Walking through the town actually reminded me a little of Las Vegas in the 1950s — the bright lights, entertainment, big attractions and slightly over-the-top atmosphere, but with a feeling that parts of it have simply stayed that way while the rest of the world moved on.
Along the promenade, you’ll find the famous trams, amusement arcades, colourful lights and plenty of entertainment.
And then there are the horses.
Horse-drawn carriages, some looking almost like little Cinderella carriages, travel up and down the promenade taking tourists along the seafront.
It definitely adds to that old-fashioned seaside atmosphere.
Although there is one thing you can’t really ignore: the smell of horse poo! 😂
With the number of horses and carriages going back and forth, you certainly know when you’ve been walking along the promenade.
It’s one of those little details that made us laugh afterwards — and another part of the slightly chaotic, old-fashioned character of Blackpool.

Blackpool has another side too

Of course, Blackpool isn’t all bright lights and seaside entertainment.
Some parts of the town look tired and run-down, and there is quite a lot of activity on the streets. We also came across people struggling with addiction and homelessness.
There was even one moment that really summed up the more chaotic side of Blackpool for us.
At the little supermarket around the corner from our hotel, a man suddenly ran out of the shop with a six-pack of beer. The shop owner immediately ran after him.
Anneloes happened to be standing right there and was completely flabbergasted, just watching the whole thing unfold.
It was one of those moments where you look at each other afterwards and think:
Did that really just happen?
It didn’t affect our stay or make us feel unsafe, but it was certainly an unexpected part of our Blackpool experience.
For us, that contrast was part of what made Blackpool interesting.
It isn’t a perfectly polished seaside resort, and it doesn’t pretend to be.
It feels a little faded, a little chaotic and sometimes rough around the edges.
But that is also what gives it character.

Going up Blackpool Tower

One of the highlights of our time in Blackpool was going up Blackpool Tower.
We wanted to enjoy the views over the town and coastline, and from up there, you really get a completely different perspective of Blackpool.
But I have to admit: the height was definitely something I had to get used to.
One of the fun features is the glass floor, where you can stand and look straight down below you. It makes for a great photo — especially when the kids are much braver than their mum!
The girls happily stood on the glass floor for a photo.
Me?
Let’s just say I was perfectly happy taking the photo without actually looking down. 😂
Inside the tower, we also learned a little more about the history of Blackpool and the story behind this famous landmark. It was interesting to discover more about why the tower has become such an important part of the town.
So between the views, the history and the slightly nerve-wracking glass floor, our visit to Blackpool Tower was definitely one we won’t forget.

A little shopping in Blackpool

Of course, there was also time for a little shopping.
TJ Maxx was definitely on our list.
We don’t have TJ Maxx in the Netherlands, so whenever we come across one while travelling, we have to take a look.
And honestly, travelling with kids doesn’t always mean spending every day visiting attractions.
Sometimes it is simply walking around the shops, browsing for things we don’t have at home and seeing what you can find.
The girls enjoyed having a look around, and we definitely made the most of being somewhere with shops we don’t normally get to visit.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

And then there was Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
After spending so much time focused on dance, competitions and performances, having the chance to simply have fun together was a welcome change.
A theme park is always an easy win when travelling with children, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach gave us exactly the kind of excitement and family fun we were looking for.
It was another reminder that this wasn’t just a trip for Evelijn’s competition.
It became a family trip too.

When your child’s passion chooses the destination

One of the things I love most about travelling with children is that they can completely change the way you discover the world.
Before this trip, Blackpool wasn’t somewhere that was high on our travel list.
We went because Evelijn had qualified for the UDO World Championships.
But because we went, we got to experience a new destination together.
That is something I think is often overlooked when talking about family travel.
A family trip doesn’t always have to start with:
Where do we want to go?
Sometimes it starts with:
What does our child love?
A dance competition.
A football tournament.
A gymnastics event.
A music festival.
A special hobby.
And suddenly, you have a reason to visit somewhere you might never have considered before.

From Blackpool straight to Malaysia

Our Blackpool adventure was only a short part of our summer.
After the competition, we flew back home to the Netherlands.
And almost immediately, we were packing our bags again.
Because our next adventure was already waiting for us:

Malaysia.

From the seaside atmosphere of Blackpool to tropical islands, Kuala Lumpur, jungle adventures and everything else Malaysia had in store for us, the contrast could hardly have been bigger.
It was quite the transition.
And that is exactly what we love about travel.
One trip can lead straight into another completely different adventure.
If you are curious about what came next, you can read all about our journey in our Malaysia Travel Guide, where we share our experiences, practical tips and ideas for planning a family trip to Malaysia.
Because sometimes the best adventures really do start unexpectedly.
And sometimes, they start with something your child loves.