6 Ways to Survive a Holiday Trip with a Family
How easy—or difficult—is it to travel with the rest of your lovely gang, the family? It isn’t the simplest thing to do but definitely survivable and enjoyable. A great suggestion: hire your own car.
Though traveling is one of the best ways to learn the wonders of the world and other people’s culture, it is not that easy to pull off, especially if you have kids in tow. But with the right tips and great ideas, you can be better prepared and make the entire trip pleasant and worth remembering for everyone.
Travel light
These days it is so convenient to travel on a single suitcase. You can just look for a laundry shop near your accommodation or perhaps secure a hotel that offers one, along with an iron press. Some rooms even have the facilities you need. If you will be traveling for a longer period, you can stay in an apartment or a home instead where you can use a full-fledged laundry area. Traveling light is essential so you can focus more on the children than on your belongings.
Teach the kids some responsibility
You can’t be a super-parent at all times. Especially when you are on the road, everyone, even the kids, should have some form of accountability. Perhaps they may be responsible for their own things. The children may have to fix their own beds while you ready the things you all need during tours. You can also ask them to create their own itineraries to find out where they want to go to. This is a great method in involving them in the entire process. It helps them look forward to the trip more.
Keep them busy
If there is one thing to remember when traveling with kids, it is this: they can get easily bored. Unless the attraction or the activity is deeply related to their interests, you will find them wander and start feeling irritable in less than 15 minutes. So make sure that you can keep their minds away from boredom by bringing some snacks they can nibble while still on the road or some books for the plane ride.
Rent a car
Though it would be great to let the kids experience mass transit, reserve that when they have grown older. Today, go for a car for hire. It makes the kids more comfortable since they will be traveling with more familiar faces, and you would not feel so bad if they start to throw tantrums or take a nap in peculiar sleeping positions. A car for hire can be very large, with a lot of legroom and spaces to store plenty of luggage.
Plan, plan, plan
Plan the trip at least six months in advance. Revisit it at least a month before you depart. While you are in the middle of the holiday, check your itinerary and make the necessary adjustments. Your guide does not have to be followed to a T, but at least you will know what to possibly expect.
Book tours
Tours may be costly, but it saves you the hassle of lining up for hours just to pay entrance tickets, choosing which restaurants to go to, or picking activities that you are not sure if the kids will love.