Rachel felt a little unwell in the Canary Islands hotel they were staying in in October – then suddenly collapsed
Rachel Weston with husband Mark
A British mum who thought she had come down with a nasty cold collapsed and died while on holiday abroad. Rachel Weston, 42, was away with her husband, Mark, 41, and two friends when she started to feel unwell.
The carer, from Bury, Greater Manchester, went to a pharmacy and at first seemed to be getting better. However, her condition then deteriorated, leading the couple to arrange emergency flights back home for the next day.
But Rachel then suddenly collapsed in their hotel room in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote. Hotel lifeguards tried to help before paramedics turned up, but tragically she couldn’t be saved.
Local reports say Rachel suffered a cardiac arrest, though an underlying medical cause hasn’t been publicly confirmed. Mark said: “My world was completely turned upside down with the sudden and heartbreaking loss of my gorgeous wife, Rachel, while we were on holiday.
“Rachel and I were together for 11 years and one day – sadly only married for two of those years, but every single day was full of love, laughter and partnership.”
Rachel was a loving stepmum to Mark’s three children, Steven, 22, Charley, 19, and Mikey, 15. Mark described his late wife as “the absolute heart of our home”, adding that she had poured herself into helping him raise the children.
The couple tied the knot on May 11, 2024 after a memorable on-stage proposal at a Bowling for Soup concert. Mark contacted the band’s frontman, Jaret Reddick, before its December 2022 show in Torquay and was invited on stage during Punk Rock 101 to ask Rachel to marry him.
Rachel worked as a carer at Regency Care Home and had devoted her professional life to looking after others. She was also deeply attached to the couple’s two dogs, Maisie and Padmé. Mark said: “Losing her so unexpectedly is a total nightmare.
“Between planning the funeral and keeping life steady for the kids, it’s a massive weight to carry.” Rachel’s funeral is due to take place on November 6. Mark has launched a fundraiser in memory of his “beautiful wife” to help cover the costs.
He has requested that mourners wear something purple, which was Rachel’s favourite colour. To donate to the fundraiser, visit the GoFundMe web page here.
The Sleep Charity and Premier Inn share expert tips to help children sleep easily in unfamiliar environments this half term, keeping their bedtime routines smooth while away from home.
13:03, 23 Oct 2026Updated 13:04, 23 Oct 2026
Heading to a hotel this half term? Try these tricks to get little ones to sleep (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
It can be tricky to get your little ones off to sleep when they’re away from home. Staying over in a new environment is exciting, but it’s also a change from their nightly routine, and that can make it difficult for them to drift off. So, we decided to ask the experts!
Here, The Sleep Charity – in partnership with Premier Inn – have given some top bedtime tips to help kids nod off in no time, wherever they are. As a charity that works extensively with families, they know the importance of a great night’s sleep.
Favourite teddy: Kids will always want something familiar in a new environment, so be sure to pack their favourite toy or blanket to help them feel comfortable and at home.
Bedtime routine: Although you won’t be able to do everything like you would at home, try to include an element of your usual routine, such as reading a bedtime story.
Colouring in: Fine motor skill activities help kids relax, so take advantage of the colouring packs in hotel restaurants like to get a head-start on bedtime!
No TV: Screens interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes us sleepy. Switching off the TV an hour before bedtime can really help little ones nod off.
Bath time: A warm bath 30 minutes before bedtime can be very effective in helping kids wind down and getting them off to sleep.
Repetition: Staying away from home is exciting for kids, so you’ll need to be clear and firm with them when it’s time for bed. Try a calming phrase like ‘It’s night-time, go to sleep’ and repeat it.
Dim the lights: Switch off a few lights and make use of the Premier Inn blackout curtains to help with that all-important melatonin production.
Mealtimes: Plan your dinner time! Try not to eat so early that the kids are hungry by bedtime or so late that they’re uncomfortably full.
Avoid stimulants: Caffeine and sugar play havoc with sleep so in the evenings, try to steer little ones away from sugary desserts and opt for fruit and water instead.
*From breakfast to dinner, kids eat free at Premier Inn this autumn with a paying adult. Choose from over 600 hotel locations across the UK. Little ones can enjoy delicious and nutritious dishes like our 10-Veg Tomato Pasta and Oven Baked Poppin’ Chicken – and sweet treats like a Fresh Fruit Salad, Pancakes and more.
Valid at selected Premier Inn restaurants until 1st November, for participating restaurants see HERE
easyJet has announced a new scheme to pay for baby passports, but families will need to book by its deadline if they want to use the offer
12:40, 22 Oct 2026Updated 12:50, 22 Oct 2026
An update has been issued to parents from easyJet – and it’s good news(Image: Getty Images/Stock Image)
EasyJet has issued a travel update for all parents planning a holiday with their babies. It’s part of a new initiative to make travelling with little ones even easier, while also helping to save money on their first trip abroad.
The cost of a standard child’s passport in the UK, including for babies, is £66.50 when applied for online, or £80 when applied for by paper. However, in an exciting announcement for parents, easyJet and easyJet holidays confirmed they will cover the £66.50 cost of newborn babies’ passports.
The offer will be available to parents who book an easyJet holiday, and you’ll need to have booked by November 26. The aim is to make travel for young families as easy as possible, while helping to save extra cash. It comes after a survey from the airline and tour operator found that 75 per cent of parents said the cover of their baby’s passport would make a holiday feel more affordable.
Elsewhere in the study, easyJet found that 4 in 5 parents said a baby’s first holiday was a defining family moment, with more than half noting it was one of their proudest milestones as a parent. Meanwhile, 47 per cent of parents said that taking their children abroad makes them more curious about the world, with easyJet holidays seeing a 10 per cent increase in the number of babies travelling this year compared to 2025.
With the cost of the baby passport covered by easyJet when booking a holiday through the provider, the parents will just need to capture an approved passport photo. Almost a quarter of parents surveyed said it took them about six attempts to capture the right image, while almost one in 10 admitted they didn’t know their baby needed a passport until they started planning their getaway.
While it can be challenging to get a baby passport photo, parents can take it with their phones at home before submitting it online, as long as it meets the official guidelines from HM Passport Office. Certainly a much easier task than having to take a baby to the passport booth at the local supermarket.
In addition, families can watch easyJet’s new short video on the Peppa Pig Muddy Puddle Parenting YouTube channel, starring easyJet Captain Kate West, a new parent, alongside Mummy Pig and the family. The video provides advice to parents on taking a baby passport photo, as well as tips for jetting off abroad with little ones.
Captain Kate commented: “We carry millions of families across Europe every year, and we know that travelling with a baby brings a whole series of exciting firsts. We want to make travel as easy and accessible as possible for everyone, including young families, so they can enjoy all the experiences and memories that travel can bring. We hope that covering the cost of a baby’s first passport goes a small way towards making that first family adventure a little easier and gives our youngest travellers a warm welcome to the world.”
For more information on the baby passport scheme, you can visit the easyJet website.
Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
They bought a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka and have been travelling ever since
They decided to embark upon their adventure after wanting more time with their two children before they started full-time nursery(Image: Ruth Rowe/SWNS)
A couple say they have saved around £36,000 by ditching the UK to travel the world with their children while living out of two suitcases on a budget of just £30 a day.
Ruth and Steven Rowe “sold everything” they owned and bought a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka back in 2023 and have been travelling ever since. They decided to embark upon their globe-trotting adventure after wanting more time with their two children before they started nursery and school.
Ruth was also not a fan of the cold and wet British weather, so the pair are now world-schooling their kids, Aurora, four, and Atlas, three, in exotic locations instead. The family have already been to 17 different countries, ticking off bucket-list destinations such as Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Indonesia.
Saving thousands of pounds a year
They stay four weeks at a time in Airbnbs and have visited the likes of Thailand, Malaysia, Cyprus, USA, Colombia and Peru – all while saving around £12,000 a year. They have spent the last five months living and travelling around India and next year they plan to tour 10 more countries across Europe in a campervan.
Ruth, 34, and Steven, 35, had been renting a barn conversion in the village of Eardisley, Herefordshire, and had both children during the Covid-19 pandemic. But they had always thought about travelling full-time, so they sold “pretty much everything” on Facebook Marketplace or via car boot sales and set off with a couple of suitcases of clothes and a few toys.
They currently have no plans to return full-time and want to continue world schooling – while spending around £2,000 a month, compared to £3,000 back in the UK.
Ruth said: “We had travelled before and for us it got to the stage where we were going to put the kids into nursery and it just didn’t feel like the right time. We wanted more time with them as we know those early years are precious, so we thought, why not just do it? So we did.
“We sold pretty much everything we owned, which was an exhilarating experience – we mainly sold it through Facebook Marketplace and car boot sales. So our car, our furniture, everything but a couple of memory boxes with some of the children’s things inside and a few clothes.
“We set off at the start with two big suitcases – a medium and a small one – and a stroller. And since then we’ve downsized to just two suitcases – it is really surprising how little you really need.
“Possessions don’t make you happy, life experiences do. We bought a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka not knowing if or when we were coming back and we haven’t stopped since.
“We’ve been travelling full-time ever since, slow-exploring the world as a family, while my husband runs his coaching business remotely and we embrace world schooling on the road. It’s been beautiful, chaotic, challenging and incredibly freeing.”
Children educated along the way
The couple say their children are now educated through “life experiences” – whether that be picking up Spanish in Latin America or learning about volcanoes while hiking in Peru. They say giving the kids no screen time whatsoever on their travels has helped them to become more patient and creative.
Ruth added: “They are also learning counting through things like paying a tuk-tuk driver in different currencies and the first time Aurora ever wrote her name was in sand on a beach with a stick. We give them no screen time at all, which I think has taught them patience on their travels and to be more creative when they are bored sitting on a bus.
“They thought the TV back home was a radio, as we’d only use it for Spotify, and we think that’s allowed their imagination to flourish. I have just seen their confidence grow so much and of course there’s no way of really telling how they would have been at home, but they are just so open and talk to anyone – young and old.
“I will sit down and teach them some reading and phonics and writing, but we’re not rigid with it and it’s still very much about learning through playing. It wasn’t a case of we hated the UK – we just love the world. But I was never a fan of the cold and rain, so that is something I don’t miss. The only thing I miss is friends and family and also British chocolate.”
How they support themselves on travels
The couple also support themselves financially via Steven’s online coaching business, which he can still run wherever they are in the world.
Steven said: “These positive environments have brought such positive developments so far in our children. Atlas was swimming independently at two.
“This way, they get one-to-one without being part of the larger school system, which we have no issue with, we just see the benefits from doing it this way. We make sure the children are at the centre of what we do, we always research kids’ clubs and activities wherever we stay.
“They are loving learning about all the wildlife too – we had iguanas and sloths outside our doors in Costa Rica. Aurora had surf lessons in Bali and will be sandboarding in the Peruvian desert, it’s magical for them. We use Airbnbs mainly, but I’ve been working out of little cupboards in some places – it has been challenging at times, but we’re in a fortunate position.”
