The summer holidays are in full swing now, whether you are recently back from a holiday with your children, or about to go off on one, we all know that a carefully planned family holiday can be a wonderful experience.
Picture: Family travel can be stress-free.
What greater joy is there than introducing your young ones to new climates, activities, languages and cultures; but while there is lots of fun in store, each stage of your trip will present a challenge or two.
Challenges? Diverse Travellers share their solutions
Recently I interviewed a few Diverse Traveller readers who have travelled with children. Our conversations yielded a list of tips, that many agreed with, for making the annual summer holiday, an enjoyable experience. Diverse Traveller mums took me on their journey, from the planning stage to the holiday itself.
Whether you’ve been on your holiday or about to pack up your brood and take off by train, car, coach or plan, I hope you will enjoy these practical insights, and feel inspired to share your own. I have been assured by those who have been before, that these tips have been and will be useful in avoiding or overcoming those little obstacles that threaten to derail a great family holiday.
Accommodation
Holidays are seen by many as the time to relax, someone else to do the cooking and cleaning, so the thought of a self-catering holiday may seem far from ideal. But, if you are travelling with young children, maybe Andrea, mother of Troy aged three and Olivia aged 23 months will make you think again.
“I’ve found booking a self-contained apartment rather than a hotel room makes things so much easier because I can cook small meals, the ones the children like, whenever needed. We usually go for a minimum of two rooms, so kids can sleep in a separate room. Also I always, check the apartment is located on the bottom floor as there is nothing worse than lugging all the kids stuff upstairs only to carry it back down again when they want to play outside.”
Stay on ground floor so your kids can help to carry their toys to play area.
The wee ones
On the subject of kid’s stuff, babies and toddlers may be small in size, but they always travel with a large amount of baggage, home and away. Paring down what you take with you might seem like a challenge, but it can be done. For example, using bottles that can be sterilised in a microwave can save you lugging around the giant steam sterilisers.
“One of my favourite inventions is the portable toilet seat for kids
. I can’t bear those times I have disappeared into the public toilet with my toddlers only to end up struggling the big person seat and the often dirty bathrooms. These portable units normally come with easy-to-store bags so you can at least be a little discrete.” Lucy mother of two.
Picture: Happy toddlers on the beach.
Also find accommodation that provides most of the essentials, such as a cot and a highchair. According to the mums interviewed, this can make life so much easier.
Food glorious food!
Not surprisingly, food was on the mind of many of the mothers I spoke to. They all travel with food, food and more food; apparently you can’t have too much. Not only do they take snack and drinks for car / train trips and likely flight delays, they also pack plenty of their children’s favourite food, snacks and drinks to prevent major toddler melt-downs and embarrassing scenes.
Picture: Gingerbread biscuits make great snacks.
Favourite food is also a useful tool in the parent armoury in helping children settle in to new surroundings.
Tweens and teens
Great advice from Helen, mother of Zach eight and Harry aged 12, on how to keep pre-teens from complaining that they are bored or chanting the annoying refrain of “Are we there yet?”
“I was slightly sceptical when my best friend brought a portable DVD Player for her pre-teen. But after struggling with a few long and frustrating journeys myself I splashed out and brought one and it was one of the best things I have done for making my travelling life easier. We take it everywhere now when we travel. You never know when there might be a time you need a bit of peace and quiet and so can simply just pop a movie on.”
Pre-teens and teenagers are notorious for having short attention spans so a top tip, from the mothers interviewed, is to pack a few toys, books and movies, without telling them i.e. keep them in reserve. Keep them in your bag and only bring them out when nerves are starting to fray.
Healthy and clothed – or not
Children are happy to hang out all day in the sun and rain, wearing as little as possible, when they are on holiday. This disregard for covering up is not always in the best interest for your child, especially if your destination is very hot.
Since they will whine for Britain if you drag them into the shade when the sun is at its fiercest, the only thing you can do is to keep them smothered with the appropriate sunscreen. While it might make you more unpopular, nag them continuously about keeping hats on.
Picture: Teens will spend a lot of time out in the sun with little on.
However, if you are holidaying at home or somewhere where they will be involved in lots of activities, take plenty of spare clothes. The clothes should be easy to wash and quick to dry.
Birds of a feather flock together
If possible travel with a family who have similar aged children, or travel to a place where you’re likely to find other children of similar age. You might not end up becoming the best of friends with the other parents, but you will enjoy your holiday far more knowing that your children are entertained, having friends to play and spend time with.
Picture: Children will be happier if they can make friends on holiday.
All said and done...
No matter the age of your child / children, the most important advice from our Diverse Traveller mums is to “have a positive attitude and roll with the punches,” after all you can’t plan for everything.
Picture: A relaxing and uneventful family holiday
Win with Diverse Traveller
There is still opportunity to share your own travel experiences through travel writing (stories) or tips, All contributors will be entered into a prize draw to win one of a £5 Amazon voucher or 100 Things for Little Children to Do on a Journey (Usborne Activity Cards value £4.99). Whether you are travelling with children as a mother, grandmother, aunt, teacher, etc we look forward to hearing from you.
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