Even if you’re a professional traveler, who’s been to many places, went on numerous road trips/plane rides and found his way out of quite critical situations, you may find yourself completely defeated by a child of yours taken on a family vacation. Successful and peaceful family vacation both parents and children would enjoy takes a lot of planning and patience.
Packing stress, arguments, breakdowns, tantrums, forgotten essentials, always being late, kids being cranky on the plane and completely crazy during the vacation… There are just too many things that may ruin your holidays and make you feel completely exhausted instead of fresh and relaxed after the trip. However, don’t let those problems ruin your vacation and get mad at your little ones. Use these tips to make your next family trip as enjoyable as possible.
Tips for a stress-free family vacation
1. Choose a kid-friendly destination
The wise choice of a destination for a family vacation will set the tone for the whole trip and determine how successful it will be. However, it doesn’t mean that you should stick to typical beach resorts and refrain from experiencing completely different holidays.
It only means that you need to involve your kids in the decision-making process, let them express their desires and choose a place that has entertainment options both for adults and kids of different ages. If you know that the place you will stay in isn’t equipped to accommodate kids, make sure that you pack everything your kids need and call up your hotel to make necessary readjustments.
2. Make a packing list
If you make a packing list in advance and stick to it during packing, you won’t over pack, you won’t forget anything and you will not leave your stuff at the hotel room when packing to go back home.
Plan outfits for each day of your family vacation for each family member (with a few spare options for kids) and include them in your packing list. Write down the things your family can’t leave without (which are also things you tend to forget the most) – your kid’s comfort toys, books for the bedtime routine, medicine, passports, phone chargers, tablets with your kids’ favorite movies and games, snacks for the trip, etc.
3. Rent an apartment or book a hotel room with a kitchen
I know what you’re about to say: the last thing you want to do on your vacation is cooking. However, eating out all the time may be much more stressful and tiring than eating in most of the time, especially when you involve young kids that need time to adjust to a different setup and sometimes misbehave due to no particular reason.
I don’t say that you shouldn’t experience local food or spend a few evenings at the restaurant at all. I suggest turning eating out on a family vacation into a special experience, but not a routine. Then, your kids will look forward to it, and the chances of temper tantrums will be much lower. You’ll be able to eat breakfast in your apartment and don’t drag kids to the restaurant while they’re half-awake and super fussy.
Moreover, if you continue cooking food your kids are used to even on a vacation, you won’t have to deal with upset stomachs and related issues. Besides, parents should have a chance to leave their kids with a babysitter and go for a romantic date at least once during a family vacation.
4. Try your best to leave the house early
Weak up twice as much time ahead of the leaving time than you would if you were going alone/as a couple. Dress your kids and let them have their normal breakfast. Come to the airport early, go through security and let your kids run around to burn energy before the flight. With plenty of time to spare, you will be able to avoid tension and irritability, you won’t be worried about missing the flight due to the traffic and your kids won’t get fussy due to your stress.
5. Don’t make your kids overly existed
Set realistic expectations for your little ones and explain to them how things will go once you arrive at your destination. Make it clear that amusement parks have long lines, and there’s no way to get on a ride without waiting for your turn. Don’t hype your children up before the flight to prevent meltdowns on a plane. Come up with ideas to keep your kids occupied in restaurants and other public settings.
6. Don’t plan too much for a family vacation
Surely, when you come to visit a new place, you want to explore and see as much as possible. However, it’s probably not the best idea when you take kids with you. If you rush from one place to another, book an activity after activity, you kids will get quite tired by afternoon and turn the rest of the day in a total disaster.
Always tell your kids what the plan for the current day is to prepare hem mentally and have a backup plan for each situation. You never know when it’s going to rain or when your child will get tired amidst a long excursion.
Try to keep your schedule quite relaxed, not more than 1-2 activities a day, and spend the rest of your free time walking around the resort, playing by the sea and letting your little ones play with other kids on holidays. Believe me, kids enjoy playing in the sand and smashing each other’s sand castles almost as much as Disney Land rides.
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