MOST parents will have heard of PGL – a company that takes their kids off their hands for a few days when they go away with school.
They often send them back dirty, tired and with a head full of adventures and a bag full of some other child's clothes.
The instructors even joke that the name stand for Parents Get Lost.
But in recent years, PGL has branched out into family trips in the school holidays – and It's a bit like staying at an American summer camp.
I found an amazing deal at Caythorpe Court in Lincolnshire that covered my whole family for just £196 for two nights, including accommodation, full board and four 90-minute instructor-led activities.
Sure, the accommodation could best be described as rustic – the cabins are full of bunk beds – and the food is hardly cordon bleu, but it reminded me of my childhood trips.
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All the rooms had a kettle to make hot drinks for the grown-ups, while bedding and towels was also included.
On arrival, you're given an activity planner that tells you where you need to be and when for the various sessions you're taking part in.
If you're used to having to sort out your family's holiday activities, it's a real treat to have a break from planning and not to give any thought to what to do when.
Everyone in your family takes part in the same activity at the same time, which keeps things simple.
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6
6On our trip, we were teamed up with a family of four, which was nice to have other parents to chat to and for the kids to have instant friends.
First up was buggy building, which involved us working together as a family to create a vehicle out of logs, ropes and plastic barrels.
The instructor showed us how to tie clove hitch, square and barrel knots and we all had a lot of fun racing the buggies across a field and back to test them out.
We were down to do two activities that would definitely push me out of my comfort zone – the giant swing and the vertical challenge.
I have a fear of heights, so anything that involves getting so high that you need a harness for safety is not my idea of fun.
We were strapped into a harness in threes and hoisted up several metres into the air before being released on the giant swing.
We all gave it a go and the bravest even went back for another turn.
When we needed to fill our stomachs, we headed to the canteen that has a good selection of food to suit all tastes, such as curry, sausage and chips and jacket potatoes.
We certainly needed a good feed at most meals to keep our energy levels high for all the activities.
Even in the evenings, there were games to join in with if you wanted.
We took part in a competition to make a junk model that would carry a water balloon from the abseiling tower to the ground without it bursting.
Everyone got stuck in, although most designs were decidedly
soggy once they hit the floor.
The following morning, we were up bright and early for cereal and a cooked breakfast before taking part in a team-building sensory trail, where some family members wore blindfolds while others guided them around a rope course.
Then it was on to the vertical challenge to see who could climb to the top in the quickest time.
Not surprisingly, I didn't even make it past halfway, but I was proud of my husband and sons for keeping going.
After tucking into a hearty lunch, it was time to head home, tired but happy.
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If a trip to an American camp isn't on the cards for your kids,
you could do a lot worse than heading to PGL as a family.
It'll probably end up standing for Please Go Lots if the amount of fun we had is anything to go by.
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