Four Tips for Planning Your Next Holiday as a Family
Family holidays - they’re exciting, they’re fun, and they provide a great opportunity and setting for you to enjoy time with your kids, to relax (at opportune moments, of course), and cement cherishable memories for many years to come. Family holiday needn’t be stressful, as long as you’re able to give them the long and considered approach that they require, and keep your family entertained from day-to-day and to quell boredom, arguments, and stress subsequently.
For four tips you can’t afford to miss before your departure date, continue to read on.
Begin the search ahead of time
You will likely have heard this one thousand times before, but you need to begin your search for places to go, and start booking flights, train journeys, and accommodation well in advance. You should do this in order to relieve some of the pressure off yourself, as well as try to save money and hunt for deals along the way.
If you haven’t got a clear idea of where you’d like to go, then now is the time to whittle down your options and ultimately come to a conclusion by asking each and every family member joining you for this holiday.
Some of the most popular summer destinations include Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, and Greece, and it’s not hard to understand why when you consider the cuisine, the coastline, the endlessly friendly and approachable locals, and the warm weather available to you. If you’re leaning in the direction of Greece, then begin your homework by looking for Greece Villa Holidays and deciding which of the Greek islands most appeal to you and cater to your needs.
If you haven’t got a clear idea of where you’d like to go, then now is the time to whittle down your options and ultimately come to a conclusion by asking each and every family member joining you for this holiday.
Some of the most popular summer destinations include Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, and Greece, and it’s not hard to understand why when you consider the cuisine, the coastline, the endlessly friendly and approachable locals, and the warm weather available to you. If you’re leaning in the direction of Greece, then begin your homework by looking for Greece Villa Holidays and deciding which of the Greek islands most appeal to you and cater to your needs.
Pay extra for reasonable flight times
When you have kids, you can’t afford to risk their happiness and yours by booking an early flight. Doing this can easily incur sleep-deprived mayhem on board, as well as once you've set off and safely arrived at your destination. If your kids haven’t slept and are tired, they’re far more likely to play up, be grumpy, and make the beginning of your holiday together a misery rather than play their part in helping things get off to a cheerful start.
Cheaper flight times might well be alluring to you, but it’s important to weigh up the detriment to your stress levels and sleep if you’re to book an early morning flight, and subsequently lose precious sleep. When booking flights, be prepared to pay a little extra (within reason, of course) to find a flight that isn’t going to throw you and your kids’ sleeping routine out of kilter.
Cheaper flight times might well be alluring to you, but it’s important to weigh up the detriment to your stress levels and sleep if you’re to book an early morning flight, and subsequently lose precious sleep. When booking flights, be prepared to pay a little extra (within reason, of course) to find a flight that isn’t going to throw you and your kids’ sleeping routine out of kilter.
Introduce some culture
Kids are eager to learn, and there’s no time like the present to inject a bit of fun and educational learning into their routine. Travelling and exploring the world should be encouraged from a very young age, and fostering a love of learning in your kids is a worthwhile practice and lesson. Travelling is, after all, the only thing you pay for that makes you richer, so try to explore galleries and museums with your kids and make sure they’re actively engaging with their surroundings.
If your kids are largely disinterested in learning while you’re away, then try and make learning fun for them by getting involved, too, and supporting them. Don’t forget to tie in school projects if they’ve seen set work for the holidays, and take plenty of photos, make notes for them, and encourage them to do some preliminary reading before your departure date.
If your kids are largely disinterested in learning while you’re away, then try and make learning fun for them by getting involved, too, and supporting them. Don’t forget to tie in school projects if they’ve seen set work for the holidays, and take plenty of photos, make notes for them, and encourage them to do some preliminary reading before your departure date.
Always have a plan B
You have kids, so you’ll know the drill: plans don’t always go exactly to plan, and that’s why it’s a good idea to have a plan B. This isn’t to say that you should keep your plans loose, but instead, having another activity waiting in the wings should your first option fall through, or prove to be vastly different to what you were expecting. Always plan ahead, as aforementioned, but think about other daytime excursions you can get involved with should the heavens open, or delays occur, for example.
Be safe in the sun
As a parent or guardian, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your children are safe in the sun. If you’re heading out into the warm weather for the day, then your children should each be wearing sun-cream/sunscreen, a hat that covers their head and the back of their neck and have a water bottle to drink from whenever they need to. Ideally, you should encourage them to drink between 1-2 litres of water throughout the course of the day.