Family holidays are the source of providing magical memories that last a lifetime. If you’re not careful, though, they can cause a lot of stress too.
It’s true that you’ll probably forget about the stress and focus solely on the good points after you’ve returned home. Nevertheless, the vacation should be a chance for you to relax and recharge the batteries before heading back to work. Avoiding potentially stressful situations is the only way to make it happen.
Follow the 10 simple steps below, and it’ll be a holiday packed with nothing but smiles from start to finish.
#1. Choose The Destination Wisely
Selecting the right holiday destination is the first step to success regardless of the vacation type. Nonetheless, it carries an even greater significance when dealing with a family holiday that involves young kids. Climbing mountains and roughing it on a safari might suit you, but it won’t necessarily suit them.
It’s still possible to enjoy unique bucket list destinations with all the family. However, you must analyze the pros and cons to find the best adventure for everyone. As a parent, you can learn to find the best in any location. Young children can’t. Besides, your happiness often comes from seeing their smiles.
You should also remember that children won’t judge the holiday on how much money is spent. A cheap and cheerful week at a holiday camp is better than a week of boredom and discomfort. Focus on happiness rather than what looks good on social media. You won’t regret it.
#2. Consider the Journey
It doesn’t matter whether you’re making a short journey to the next city over or jetting off across the globe. The travel aspects are integral to the overall levels of enjoyment experienced during your trip. Without the right precautions, youngsters will get agitated. In turn, this will send your stress levels sky high too.
Where possible, you should always prioritise finding a convenient time to travel. After all, the stress of getting kids ready in the middle of the night can spell disaster. This guide to long haul flights with children is vital reading too. Finally, you should always consider time differences and potential jet lag, trying to get kids onto the new body clock.
The journey doesn’t end when you reach the arrivals lounge, though. Think about the onward trip to your accommodation too. Hiring a car could be a very wise move indeed (unless you are unlucky and have a three-hour wait to collect the hire car as we did during the summer!).
#3. Pack All Essential Daily Products
When travelling in a large family group, you will naturally want to pack light. However, it would be a huge mistake to miss out on the essential products that you’ll need during your stay. As such, all toiletries and skincare products must be included in your luggage.
After all, trying to track down the right kinds of toothpaste, shower creams, or sunblock in a foreign land can be quite difficult. Moreover, the kids will inevitably moan as they’ll want to start enjoying the attractions. Consequently, then, it is a guaranteed way to make you feel agitated and get the holiday off to an awful start.
Conversely, the calming influence gained from knowing that you have packed all essentials will set the platform of a perfect stay.
See how we pack for a family of four using just one suitcase!
#4. Get Kids Involved In The Planning
As a parent, you already appreciate the fact that planning activities are far easier when the kids are enthused. Not least in regards to your stress levels. The vacation planning procedures shouldn’t feel any different. A child’s involvement is one of the best ways to maintain positive energy.
Their involvement can include picking an attraction to visit. Or it could mean creating personalized name tags for the luggage. Other ways to get them excited is to buy a teddy or toy for the vacation as well as new outfits. Their participation should bring significant results for how smooth the venture runs.
Above all else, the excitement on a child’s face will calm your fears as to whether you’ve picked the right holiday. If this doesn’t keep your mind in a good place, nothing will.
#5. Think About Your Travel Party
Research shows that taking holidays together is a great way to fall out with friends and extended family members. This is especially true if your friendships haven’t lasted that long or if you’ve previously not spent long periods in close proximity. So, choose your travel party wisely.
Nothing increases your stress levels quite like dedicating half of your holiday to their requirements. While it’s great to share those magical memories together, be sure to select friends that can remain independent too. Otherwise, you will find that your enjoyment during the vacation fades at an alarmingly rapid rate.
If you are taking a family adventure exclusively with the members of your household, you probably won’t need to worry. So, while the big trip sounds fun, you may wish to keep this in mind.
#6. Keep The Kids Entertained
Youngsters get bored very easily. Whether you’re traveling to the destination, getting ready for an evening meal, or spending time in the hotel to keep away from the heat doesn’t matter. If you are not ready to keep them entertained, the stress will be 10x worse than what you experience at home.
Colouring books, video games, and a tablet can all be great tools. Meanwhile, your smartphone is the most helpful travel tool at your disposal. As well as keeping the kids entertained, it’ll help you out of various tough spots. This includes issues with money, language barriers, and day-planning.
Encouraging kids to photograph the places they see will provide magical memories they can cherish forever too. Of course, you’ll need to pack the necessary power adapters.
We love these awesome travel journals from Wee Society.
#7. Schedule Relaxation Time
Family vacations are a time for exploring new places and enjoying new activities. Nonetheless, it’s important to schedule some time for rest and recuperation too. For starters, recharging the batteries ensures that you gain the benefits of having had a holiday once you get back to work.
Crucially, though, it also prevents the threat of overtired children and the grumpiness it naturally brings. Whether taking a nap after lunch or finding relaxed activities such as watching a film by the pool is up to you. Either way, incorporating 1-2 chilled (but not wasted) days per week can have a big impact.
Conversely, attempting to experience the whole holiday in top gear is likely to bring a great deal of negativity. This will inevitably leave you physically and mentally drained.
#8. Use Organized Excursions
Taking care of excited kids in unfamiliar surroundings is hard work. In truth, it may prove to be too tough when juggling the concept of organising the excursions. You want to focus on actually spending time with your loved ones, which is why using a professional operator or agent is advised.
Aside from building a winning itinerary, the organised trips often work out cheaper due to the group nature. They are often built with families in mind, adding the key attractions while also ensuring that there’s time for lunch and breaks. The added convenience of being picked up from your hotel or accommodation makes life a lot less stressful.
Check out the amazing organised trip we did in Chiang Rai with the kids
Another clear benefit of taking this approach is that kids can interact with other children during the trip, which is sure to cure their boredom. This enhances the day trip for everyone.
#9. Be Prepared For The Worst
Even when you take the right precautions, it’s inevitable that one or two mishaps will occur during the course of your vacation. The way in which you handle these circumstances is sure to hold a huge influence on the overall holiday experience. A calm mindset is your greatest asset by far.
One of the smartest things you can do is put the best travel insurance in place. This will keep you calm even if various problems begin to surface. Before planning the trip, you should think about potential contingencies. After all, attractions could be closed due to adverse weather or unforeseen circumstances. If you do not have backup plans to enjoy your trip, stress levels will rise.
The truth of the matter is that these safety nets probably won’t be needed. If you don’t have them in place, though, you’ll spend the whole vacation worrying about the possible pitfalls.
#10. Where Possible, Go With The Flow
While it’s important to plan your holiday and put a strategy in place, you should remember that the vacation is meant to be enjoyed. Building an itinerary and knowing the times of set activities within the schedule is vital. For everything else, a little spontaneity can go a long way to supporting the cause.
Besides, your child may suffer a minor illness that forces you to stay at the accommodation or 24 hours. Or an outside factor may affect your plans (for example when we had to drive 200 miles back to where we’d been the day before to pick up Noah’s favourite cuddly toy on our road trip in Normandy). Either way, it’s perfectly fine to change and evolve your schedule. Having fun throughout the duration of the trip is more important than ticking every box.
The sooner you learn to appreciate the priorities of your trip, the sooner you’ll be ready to relax. In turn, steering clear of stress will be easy.
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