Planning Essentials For A Stress-Free Family Vacation

Going away is exactly what you need when you start raising a family but it is incredibly difficult to take a vacation with small kids. Here are five tips to make sure your break away goes as smoothly as it can, despite the inevitable chaos that comes with starting a family. 

Family at amusement park

Travel Light

It’s hard enough packing the car for a day trip with kids, never mind a two-week vacation abroad. There isn’t any easy answer to this, other than pack what you need for your kids and travel lighter yourself.

Be ruthless and realistic. If you have to take a sterilizer or bulky toys, then you’re going to have to leave behind a few dresses and cut back on the pairs of shoes. Good clothes will only get splattered with food, the baby sick or worse!

Also, think about how you will be traveling. You will need a spare hand to grab hold of toddlers or push buggies/strollers around airports, seaports and train stations.

Remember The Kids

If you have children of different ages, try and give them something to look forward to each day. Babies aren’t too fussy – they only need feeding, sleeping, and simple engagement. But toddlers can get bored. Plan ahead for family-friendly activities. There’s no need to spend a heap of cash: most kids will be happy with a day on the beach or run around in the park.

Think about rainy days, too. Bring a tablet so that they can play games during the bad weather. There is a good selection of simple, child-friendly games at http://playberry.com/ if you don’t know where to look.

Choose The Right Accommodation

Choosing your accommodation is the single most important thing you need to do. Once you start a family, the days of hopping from hotel-to-hotel every night are long behind you. It’s time to settle down in more ways than one!

Try spending your vacation in one hotel or apartment only. This will reduce the huge hassle involved in repacking bags and moving. Although a good deal of research is required beforehand, it is worth it. You could have to spend a lot of time in those hotel rooms, and the more comfortable and spacious, the better.

Food and Restaurants

Eating out with your kids while on vacation isn’t easy as it should be. There are many countries that have different views to what you might be used to on whether children should even be allowed in restaurants. Thankfully, this isn’t too much of a problem if you have young kids, as you’ll need to get them home early anyway.

Our advice would be to call ahead to any restaurant you like the look of and book an early table. Get a feel for whether they like having children to avoid any embarrassment.

Family dining at restaurant

Enjoy Your Vacation

If you have a young family, then anything can happen – and the same is going to apply to your vacation. Traveling with kids can be stressful. You will never cover every eventuality, so it’s important to take a step back every now and again and relax.

Seek out babysitting services. Your hotel could provide them, for example. Or, you could even think about sharing nights off with your partner. It’s important that everyone gets the chance to wind down – not just the children. Happy holidays!

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