Planning a Family Holiday? How to Make it Stress-Free

Travel

Now that travelling abroad is possible, your thoughts may be turning to your next family holiday. If you have never taken the kids out of the country before, you may be feeling a little nervous about your first family holiday abroad. The thought of boarding a plane and spending hours in a confined space with unsettled, agitated kids may not be your idea of fun. But, the good news is that there are ways to help make travelling with kids easier and ensure that you have a family holiday that is memorable for all the right reasons. Take a look at these tips on planning a family holiday to make your holiday a stress-free experience:

Planning a Family Holiday? How to Make it Stress-Free

Pick the Perfect Destination

Finding a perfect holiday destination for your family is about so much more than just choosing a resort with a kids’ club. Finding an ideal spot including cottages by the sea in Suffolk to ensure that every family member has a great holiday. It is a good idea to consider a range of factors when choosing a destination. Thinking about factors such as how long the transfer from the airport to your accommodation will take and how this will impact restless kids is a crucial consideration. Looking at the local amenities and whether there is enough to keep everyone occupied is another essential point to consider. It is useful to think about the location of your accommodation too; is it located on a busy street, are there nightclubs and bars across the road that could make it noisy at night? These considerations could make the difference between you having a great holiday with the kids and one that is less enjoyable, so it is well worth keeping these factors in mind.

Just in case the place you visited isn’t as beautiful or exciting as expected, consider a backup plan. For example, you visited Florida for its major attractions but it’s also a major letdown, you can consider traveling a bit to the north to see the fun things to do in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Choosing a destination that incorporates all the things you enjoy doing together as a family and factoring in the considerations mentioned above should help you have the best holiday.

Sort Out Your Paperwork

One of the most crucial parts of planning any trip is to ensure you get your travel documents sorted out well in advance of your departure date. Sorting out your paperwork as soon as possible is an excellent idea at the moment, as many people will be applying for travel documentation now holidays are once again possible.

Your first step is to find out which documentation you need to gain entry into your destination. If you are travelling to the United States, you may need to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, known as an ESTA. You can find out more about ESTA and whether you need one on this homepage.

It is also essential to check whether you need to provide COVID test results or proof you have been vaccinated. Travel advice during the pandemic is continually changing, so it is wise to double-check the guidance regularly.

Plan Your Flights

As well as choosing where you will fly with the kids, it is also essential to consider when you will fly. Timing is everything when you are taking your kids onboard a plane for the first time. Choosing to fly at a time when your kids are usually irritable can be a recipe for disaster, so selecting your flight times wisely can make the difference between an enjoyable journey and a stressful one. You may find it beneficial to travel to the airport the night before and stay at a hotel close by to ensure the kids don’t have a long car journey to the airport, plus a flight and airport transfer all on the same day. If you book a flight that coincides with bedtime or naptime, you may find your little ones sleep through most of the journey. So, it is worth thinking about which flight times will work best for your kids to ensure you all have an enjoyable flight.

Prepare a Flight Bag

To help make flying with kids even easier, it is a great idea to pack a flight bag that contains everything you need to keep them comfortable and entertained. Watching the in-flight movie may help keep the kids occupied for a while, but it is also helpful to have some extra activities ready to keep them entertained. Packing some smaller books is useful, and activity books can be especially good. Sticker books for younger children and puzzle books for bigger kids can keep them entertained for a long time and are an excellent distraction for nervous flyers.

Get the Kids Involved

Kids can become extremely unsettled in unfamiliar situations, and this can cause them to act out. Ensuring your kids feel comfortable about the upcoming holiday is a great way to help them feel relaxed and to enjoy themselves. With some help and encouragement, your kids will likely feel excited by the experience of visiting somewhere new and enjoying an adventure. Showing kids pictures of where you will be staying on your holiday and discussing exciting facts about the local area is a great way to help them feel involved and less apprehensive. You may want to let them choose some places to visit during your stay to help them feel more involved.

Pack Carefully

Packing carefully for a family holiday is essential. While the kids may want to bring along every toy from their bedrooms, there is only so much you can fit inside a suitcase. Letting the kids choose a couple of toys each to bring with them on holiday is a good compromise and should prevent them from filling your suitcases.

To save room in your suitcase, it is helpful to get the kids to wear cardigans or jumpers on the flight to keep them warm, and these can then be worn in the evenings during your stay to keep warm when the temperature drops. Don’t forget to spread everyone’s clothing between suitcases rather than having one each. Doing this will prevent someone from being without any clothes if your luggage gets lost.