Rachel McLeod lives in London’s Notting Hill with her husband and two sons. A former advertising strategist, she has freelanced in advertising and journalism since becoming a mother, working around the school holidays.

Inspired by her airline pilot father, Rachel has always loved travelling. She owns a holiday home on the Ile de Ré in the Poitou Charentes region of France, where the family spends all the long school holidays. But once in a while the need for more adventurous travel kicks in, and then they visit destinations such as Australia, New York, Marrakech and, most recently, Brazil. Now that her sons have discovered surfing, holidays are likely to be wave-oriented.