MawtheMerrier
It’s never easy but with modern transport and a bit of luck you could hop on a plane or train, or the car- and be back with DCs and GCs in no time . Somebody I know keeps a small property in this country for visits or (even) an emergency.
Good idea.
DH's cousin and her DH have a property in France but a flat in the UK so that they can stay in their own place when they visit family here. They drive to and fro.
It's not like the journey to far flung places, however.