Family Holidays and Travelling with Children
As my customers tell me, '...if the kids are happy I can relax on my holiday too', and I couldn't agree more, great kids entertainment and occasional supervision for your children can be important.
Here are some tips from my customers and friends on how to avoid having a stressful journey with the kids - nobody wants to be stressed or fall out before you've even left the airport!
1. Travel is great for broadening the mind, even if you’re a five-year-old. Start getting your little ones prepared for their holiday by treating it like a project. Read a guidebook to them or watch a DVD or perhaps even try some of the local traditional dishes you may expect at your destination. Encourage them to keep a holiday journal, collect photos, ticket stubs and draw pictures of what they have seen and record new words they may have learned along the way, and give new things a try.
2. Check the hand luggage restrictions before travelling, including the latest rules on carrying liquids, gels and creams, which will more than likely include milk and nappy cream for example. Chances are you will be able to carry them, but they may have to be stored in a specific way and not carried over a certain quantity, as the rules change so often it’s always worth checking close to travel.
3. If it's possible pre-book your seats as knowing you are sat together will give you piece of mind and you can often turn up a little later to the airport when you have checked in online, leaving less time to entertain your child at the airport before boarding.
4. Choose accommodation that caters for children. Kids clubs can give parents a welcome break but make sure you check what ages they take, what hours they operate and that they are running at the time of year you are visiting (many only run through the high season).
5. Requesting a ground floor room if available is often a good idea as many rooms lead onto gardens giving extra play areas.
6. When flying it’s helpful to have a drink or boiled sweets to suck on during take-off and landing - have a competition to see who can make theirs last the longest! Also ensure you have plenty of ways to entertain your little one such as crayons, books and of course their favourite toy - or if appropriate their latest tech such as an iPad.
7. Taking a buggy or pram, even if your child is now walking, can be handy as they can double up as places to rest from the heat or if up a little later than usual to rest in a restaurant, for example.
8. Pace yourself. Go with the flow and don’t pack in too much. Build in rest days and be realistic about what you might see and do - it's a holiday not a boot camp!
9. Research and prepare a “things to do and places to go if the weather isn’t great” list. This is particularly good if travelling out of season in the February or October half terms.
10. Booking with a Travel Counsellor means we can do many of these things for you - enjoy!