Dreaming of a happy family vacation abroad with the kids? It doesn’t always end up as idyllic as you imagine. Temperatures rise and your kids- whether they’re toddlers or teenagers – can get a little agitated. It’s almost unavoidable!
But you’ve spent a lot of money on this trip, so understandably you want to keep things running as smoothly as possible. Plus, if this is your first trip abroad in a while, you may already be under a lot of stress – stress that you’d rather not add to with family tension and arguments!
Here are 15 tips to keep your vacation plans smooth sailing and to ensure that a happy family vacation is had by all.
Book priority flight tickets
A lot of the family tension stems from the travelling part. As exciting as boarding an airplane can be, nobody wants to go through with the stress an airport often brings. After arriving early in the morning, leading your family through security, and lugging your carry-on bags around, the last thing you want is for any complications to arise while boarding.
For this reason, we’d first recommend that you pay for priority or speedy boarding. This takes away some of the stress of boarding and gets things out of the way quicker. Given that it’s your entire family you’re taking away, the extra cost of early boarding is justified.
Without priority, you’ll likely have to wait a while before gaining access to the plane. This is prime time for kids to start moaning and questioning why they can’t enter the plane yet.
Priority also allows you first access to the overhead baggage, so that you don’t have stress about finding enough space to squeeze in your bags.
Book seats for a happy family vacation
For similar reasons, we’d also recommend that you book seats before boarding. Start your happy family vacation off right, by allocating a row of the plane just for your family members. This takes away a lot of the stress of flying, especially for young kids, and saves you from getting seated next to a stranger – which can be awkward on long flights.
Arrange transport between the airport and the hotel
Don’t rely on public transport to get you between the airport and the hotel. With your family in tow, it would be best to arrange a reliable taxi service to take you to where you’re going to be staying, rather than relying on a bus or train.
It may be difficult to make sense of the timetable, plus, the airport is likely a considerable distance from the city or town center. After enduring a length flight, the last thing your kids want to do is stand uncomfortably on a bus with all their luggage. Make the whole transition smoother by booking a private cab driver.
Don’t plan anything for day one of your happy family vacation
Especially if you’ve had to endure a long flight, be sure to give you and your family a day to recover from the jetlag. It’s best to deal with the lethargy right away, rather than creating a knock-on effect on the days after. Take a nap as soon as you arrive if necessary and don’t plan on doing anything that will take a lot of energy – even going out for a meal might be too much to ask. Reserve day-1 for bed or the poolside.
Give yourself time to relax
Putting your full energy into your kids 24/7 may seem like a necessity – but it’s not. You’ve got to get the balance right between creating a happy family vacation for your kids and providing yourself with enough time and space to recharge. Otherwise, you’ll just get burned out! If you’ve got a partner on holiday with you, endeavor to split kid responsibility as evenly as possible. Be sure to get enough rest throughout the day and understand where your limits are. Giving yourself enough recuperation time will make this a happy family vacation.
Pre-book days out
Save yourself from standing in long winding queues and jump right to the front of the line with pre-booked tickets for days out, museums, and landmarks. Especially on hot days, the last thing you want to be doing is wasting energy cueing. By pre-booking, you’ll be able to organize your itinerary better, and you also will be more likely to find out about family ticket deals and discounts.
Immerse yourself in the local culture
Especially if you’re in a completely new corner of the world, try your best to speak to locals and try some of the local cuisines. Introducing your kids to a new culture will solidify the vacation in their memory and will act as a reference point for them for future travels. There’s no point in sticking to home comfort foods – you could be missing out on your new favorite food! Speaking to locals is also the best way to find out about landmarks and places of interest that may not be listed on Tripadvisor.
Don’t expect it to go to plan!
The most important thing to remember is that things aren’t going to go to plan! Your itinerary is not going to work out as smoothly as planned, and you might end up having to miss out on some activities. However, some of the best parts of a family vacation are the unexpected – the activities that you didn’t plan on doing. The best thing to do is to go with the flow and have faith that the family vacation of your dreams will materialize organically.