A family vacation should be cause for excitement. So it’s imperative to ensure you invest in some careful planning to endure a mishap-free journey and keep stress to a minimum, enabling you to relax and enjoy yourselves. Here is a list of everything you need for a successful family vacation:
- Plan ahead. Last minute stress will get a family vacation off to a bad start. Vacations are all about relaxing, so do everything you can before you leave to make life easier for yourself. Booking flights well in advance will also save money, so you will have more spending money for fun activities.
- Be flexible. However much you plan ahead, expect something different and embrace spontaneity.
- Make sure to bring something for the kids to do on long journeys; they are likely to make spectacles of themselves if there’s nothing to hold their attention. Digitise your CD and DVD collection, sell the obsolete physical copies on http://www.musicmagpie.com, and invest in an MP3 player or tablet to keep the kids busy.
- Consider travel insurance. Kids are great at throwing a spanner in the works so it might be worth the extra cost to get insurance. You may want to be covered in case anything gets lost or a member of your family injures themselves.
- Take with you some family health records, identification and vaccination history, especially when visiting areas with high risk of tropical diseases. Should a member of your family get lost or fall ill, this information will help the local authorities to remedy the situation.
- Make a note of important details like flight numbers, hotel confirmation, important contacts etc. Keep all your paperwork and passports in one place will make them easy to find when they are needed.
- Bring a few home comforts. Whether it’s their favourite food or a special toy, take a few things to keep the kids comfortable. Holidays can be exciting but daunting experiences, especially for young children, so pack accordingly.
- Prepare for the weather. Check the weather report before leaving and pack plenty of sun cream and waterproofs as appropriate.
- Get a guidebook and a map of the local area. Getting lost and or bored in a strange place is bound to lead to familial disputes. Avoid arguments by bringing these essential items. But don’t stick religiously to the guidebook – seek out your own original experiences.
- Have an open mind. Embrace spending time with the family and open yourself up to new experiences. Don’t be distracted by work issues, these will only detract from the overall experience. Give your family the attention they need, but don’t be afraid to take some time alone to unwind.
If you keep all these things in mind, there’s nothing stopping you from enjoying a successful family vacation this year.
…
Photo by
