When you were pregnant for the first time who did you go to for advice? When you needed a recommendation for a nursery or a school who did you ask? When you needed advice on raising your children bilingually who did you turn to? Nine, if not 10 times out of 10 I expect you asked another mum who was in the same position as you. And that is the foundation on which MumAbroad stands. We believe that, in the majority of cases, parents are the best judge of anything child-related, so that is why MumAbroad is based purely on recommendation.
MumAbroad was founded by Rebecca Laidlaw, an Internet Marketing consultant and Carrie Frais, a Journalist and PR executive. Carrie lives on the Maresme Coast, just outside Barcelona and is a mother of two. Rebecca lives in Oxfordshire (UK) and has 3 children. In 2007 they were both living in the beautiful city of Barcelona, having each just given birth to their first child. With no extended family to help with childcare, they looked for other resources to help guide them through this challenging period.
Carrie and Rebecca were surprised at how difficult it was to find easily accessible information about activities and services for parents and their children. It soon became apparent that there was a growing niche for an English language website which would offer parents from the international community valuable information such as child-related services, schools, family activities, shops, family holidays and restaurants. After extensive research and the help of scores of mothers, ‘Barcelona Mum’ was born, offering a comprehensive and personalized guide to family life in Barcelona. Within a few months the website became ‘MumAbroad Spain’ to incorporate the whole of Catalunya and subsequently Madrid, Andalucia, the Costa Blanca and the Balearics. As the site gained momentum, MumAbroad France, MumAbroad Italy and MumAbroad Germany were established and in 2014 the four sites were amalgamated under one roof.
(MumAbroad Co-founder Carrie and Associate Director Jane)
MumAbroad has grown to become Europe’s leading online resource for English-speaking families living in, relocating to, and holidaying in Spain, Italy, France and Germany. The sites are the only English language websites for families whose content has been solely recommended by resident Expats.The original content ensures that not only is the content up-to-date, relevant and trusted, but that the MumAbroad brand has a respected reputation amongst the international community.
The blog, MumAbroad Life, gives a platform to women whose voices may not have been heard and who share a fascinating insight into family life abroad. ‘My Story’ includes stories of relocation, adapting to new cultures and new education systems, the difficulties of being away from family and the support of new networks, and how some mums have reinvented themselves and established successful businesses. In the interview section, you can read a host of interviews with childhood experts: head teachers talk about international schools, speech therapists talk about bilingualism and multilingualism, health specialists talk about women’s healthcare and alternative therapies and doulas and midwives give advice on pregnancy and birth away from home.
In the Women in Business section, you will find some inspirational ladies, who have established successful businesses and created a new life for themselves, while finding that all too illusive work/family life balance. Many mums choose to work part-time after having children and then opt to start their own business, so they can not only be in control of their hours but hopefully also their destiny! This active community includes professional, high earning women both in an international corporate environment as well as many successful female entrepreneurs. MumAbroad support Women in Business and encourage readers to use their products and services.
This year, MumAbroad has redeveloped and re-designed the website so it has become more interactive, with parents able to directly input their recommendations. We hope you like the results!