Traveling is a part of life for every family as a necessity and recreation. After a long lockdown time, this demand becomes more important than ever because most of us feel too suffocating and awful.
Getting away with family is never easy, but when you know how to travel with your little angels, you will start and create a humorous, memorable, and meaningful journey for the whole family. If you and your loved ones are faithful to travel, here are some family vacation planning tips to help you be safer and more joyous.
Don’t postpone, action as quick as possible
I really get impressed by Nike’s slogan: Just do it. You should start as soon as possible when you have a plan. So don’t wait until your kids are old enough, or don’t wait until you have saved a lot of money. Think about kids’ grandparents getting older and weaker day by day so there is no reason for the delay.
Clothes are an important part of the journey. With me, preparing some cute toddler girl outfits for my daughter or some shorts for my husband and my sons will encourage me a lot to complete quicker what I planned for a trip. I usually purchase cute shorts for toddlers in the online store to save time on shopping. Shorts are great examples of summer pieces that can easily be dressed up or down, which is ideal for vacation fashion.
You should remember that the earlier you book your trip, the more likely you will have the best advantage of early-bird savings and a range of other availability options like seats together on planes or trains, better rental car options, and preferred rooms in hotels.
Consider your family members’ vaccinations
Make sure you, your kids, and all your family members have enough doses of the COVID vaccine before starting the trip. Remember to bring any COVID-19 tests you will need during the journey. In addition, check the latest COVID-19 travel advice regularly, especially when you get closer to your departure date.
If you are planning to go somewhere that requires extra vaccinations or anti-malarial medication, let’s always check and get appointments and don’t miss any prescribed courses before you travel. And don’t forget to bring repellents, long clothes and nets if you’re going somewhere with malaria diseases.
Research and select your destination carefully
Finding the best destination for your family trip is so important. In fact, there is no “perfect” destination out there, so it’s best to find the place that fits your family’s needs so that you can all spend some quality time together. A few good suggestions can be beaches, a pool, culture or wilderness, etc.
Think about the maximum journey time you can all cope with. How long can you spend the trip? If you’ve planned to go to a region, island or city, then where you’re based now is important.
Choosing a resort near a beach will cut down on driving, or you can maximize sightseeing time by staying in the city center. If you don’t want to cook every evening of your villa holiday, picking somewhere that’s walking distance from places to eat is necessary.
Explain the meanings of the trip with your children
Introducing kids to the purposes and meanings of the trip is especially important for first-time travelers.
Going over a profile of the trip and what will be happening can help kids understand their conditions at each point of the journey. They need to know what to expect next, then they will be more comfortable or more satisfied with the next stage.
Explaining the trip can include telling them what they can expect at some places like the airport, on the plane, or when they arrive at each destination. Take this opportunity to adjust your expectations for their attitudes throughout the trip. Don’t forget to teach them how they should act on planes, in hotels, in restaurants or anywhere.
Packing suitcases
Packing for a family trip can be daunting, especially if you’re trying to fit everything into one large suitcase. Therefore it is necessary to choose the right one. If you’re planning a long trip, you’ll need an extra large suitcase with wheels that can hold all of your clothes and belongings.
Start by making a list of all the essential items you’ll need, such as clothes, toiletries, and medications. Once you have your list, start packing the heaviest items first, such as books and shoes. Then, fill in the gaps with lighter items such as clothes and towels.
If you’re still having trouble fitting everything into the suitcase, consider rolling your clothes instead of folding them. This will help to maximize space and prevent wrinkles. With a little effort, you can successfully pack everything you need for your next family vacation.
Get your admin in order
Make sure all your family members’ travel documents are on date, and visas sorted well before you start. Don’t let travel insurance fall down your admin list, either. In case you buy it straight away, you’ll be covered for cancellations. But calm down to buy, always research, make comparisons, and look seriously at what is covered and the excess.
Normally, when buying a family policy is more cost-effective than buying separate policies; maybe it will not be correct in the case for couples with only one child or single parents. Besides, if you are a fan of travel and often go on more than one trip, getting an annual policy is often the best way. Moreover, when you’re planning to play any outdoor sports, make sure your policy includes them too.
Prepare snacks for your kids!
It’s a good idea to pack food or snacks when you travel with your kids. It’s a great way to make sure that you have easy food ready for your little ones when they get hungry. Also, you never know how long the time between meals will get extended. We popularly see that a delayed flight, unexpected traffic getting to the hotel, or a tour time can last a bit longer than you thought it would.
The food at your destination may be quite different from what your kids often eat. They may happily order lunch and then ignore or eat only a few bites because it is not what they expect. You’ll have a hungry kid to deal with an hour or two later on your afternoon museum visit.
Teach your Kids how to remember your contact information
Your kids can get lost despite your best efforts in some unlucky situations. In this case, if they have your contact information, it will be easier to deal with.
Your contact information should include some basic items for all of the adults on your trip, so you have multiple opportunities to find your child. You can refer to this sample.
- Name
- Phone number
- Email address
- Local address
For small children, the best way to share contact information is with a note in one of their pockets. If they don’t have pockets, tie a little card to their belt loop or wear it on their neck. Try to create any method to make sure your child knows where to find it.
Teach your kids to memorize basic information like your name and phone number. If they need the local address where you are staying, write it down for them or have them put the information in their pockets.
Travel With Basic Medicines
One of the best ways to ruin a day of travel or possibly an entire trip is to have a sick family member. It can be even more terrible if the whole family gets sick.
Whether your child or any family members have a problem with an upset stomach from the bumpy bus ride to your destination, or you touch or smell anything that could make you feel allergic. At this time, you want to make the sick family members feel better as quickly as possible.
It’s always good to bring some over-the-counter medications to be ready when your family needs them while traveling. Some of the basic family first aid items you should pak include:
- Headache medicines
- Allergy medicines
- Medicine for upset stomachs
- Motion sickness medication
- Other medication which can apply to your family or the specific trip
If any members of your family are taking prescription medication, bring it along for sure. Take your medications in their original packaging, especially prescription medications as much as you can. If you can’t take the original package, take a copy or a photo of the prescription from your doctor so you can know exactly what the prescription is, why you have it for border crossings, and if your luggage is searched.
Before your journey, check the regulations for your destination and make sure that you’re allowed to bring your medications without filling out additional paperwork or getting special permission.