When you have children, you imagine a whole life ahead of them. You imagine all the experiences and the memories that you’re going to provide them with, and you imagine the fun you are going to have doing it all. As a parent, all you want is for your children to be happy and a big part of that is going to come from the experiences you get to provide. One such experience comes from travel.
Before you shout at me about how stressful it can be to travel or go on holiday with children, I get it. Children are unpredictable little creatures and planning to go on holiday is stressful when you’re pulling three kids across the globe with you. It’s hard, I know. People will tell you all about how you are just parenting in another place when you go on holiday, but it’s so much more than that. It’s soaking up new climates and scenery. It’s those first moments they touch another ocean from the one that they get from the stony seaside in the UK - or wherever you happen to be. It’s the new food experiences, and going to bed late after having fun at the local fairs and festivals. Travelling with children may feel like a mountain to be climbed, but it’s one of those mountains you WANT to climb - even if you have to go during the school summer holidays when the prices are higher.
Holiday planning is fun and those of you who love lists and organising will love being able to sort all the new experiences you want to offer your children. There are many steps that you need to take before you can get everyone on the plane, though, and it takes some effort to successfully organise a holiday for the whole family. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the easiest ways to manage travel with children so your memories will be mostly good ones!
Plan The Finances
Before you do anything in regard to your holiday itinerary or booking anything, you need to know you can afford the adventures in your mind. The big issues surrounding taking a family holiday include being able to afford it. Travelling can be dirt cheap when you’re on your own, but when you’re travelling with children, the prices can ramp up. You can get the finances squared away in so many ways, including extended savings, picking up extra work and even secured homeowner loans if your adventures are going to be big ones. Make sure, though, that whichever route you go down to afford your holiday with the children, you can make the repayments. Holidays are wonderful, but you want to keep the stress at bay!
Book Early
Whether you are travelling by train, plane or boat, you need to get the best prices. Websites like this one can help you to get the best prices and deals for travel. Also, a nifty little hack for you to get cheap travel bookings is to clear your computer or phone cookies every time you do a search. These instructions can help you to get there faster and it means that you won’t be charged more each time you search.
Print Everything. E V E R Y T H I N G.
The whole world is online right now, but do you know how frustrating it can be to fumble through a list of confirmation emails for your tickets to the plane/accommodation confirmation/entry into theme parks? It’s a pain in the backside, and one of the best ways to avoid doing so is to print everything out and put it in the order of when you need it. By doing this, you can stop that ‘gate side fumble’ for information every time you’re about to enjoy a new experience or flight - or even at check in!
Book Early Flights
If you are planning to get on a plane with the kids, you need to be smart. There’s a clever phrase for parents to know: Flying west to east? It’s a beast. Flying east to west? It’s the best. And it’s SO true. Children need to adjust quickly to new time zones so that you’re not all too shattered to enjoy your break. So, flying early in the day can be the best thing that you do. Early flights are often less crowded and it can help the kids to settle into new time zones faster. You can see so much of a difference when they fly in the light and the plane lights dim for nap times.
Keep Them Busy
It doesn't matter whether you are in a car or on a plane, children will get bored. They have the attention span of a gnat, so the best thing that you can do is pack snacks, colouring books, pens and treats. The treats don’t have to be food, either! Head to the pound shops and stock up on little gifts that you can individually wrap for them. Every couple of hours, dole out a gift each and they will have a new thing to play with. On a plane, seat-back entertainment is often provided on longer flights, and they can spend a good chunk of time watching new films and cartoons when the toys run out of glitter.
Make It Count
Holidays - for children - are rarely about much more than getting the chance to spend time with you. Particularly if your children are young. The holiday experiences in the location that you choose requires you to research and figure out the best activities for your children to enjoy. While you’re at it, check out the travel and accessibility; especially if you don’t have a car. Make the memories count and pack the days with things that will mean everything for the rest of their lives. Adventures with the children don’t have to break the bank, put you into financial trouble or be stressful - it all depends on what you want from the holiday. Trust me: a holiday can be the best thing that you and your children do this year.
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