There’s nothing better than a getaway with the whole family. With the holidays approaching fast, it’s likely some of you are planning a trip with your loved ones. But as great an experience as it can be, travelling with such a large party can be hectic. Wrangling all those people from all different ages, with all different preferences and interests into the already chaotic travel environment – it’s no easy task. But the potential for a few headaches is no reason to avoid the great experience of travelling with family, so take a look at a few ways to make the whole experience better so you can focus on making memories with your favourite people.
Book early.
Some travellers like to enjoy a more spontaneous trip. That can approach at the right time, but a family vacation is not that time. You want to maintain a good level of control over things and that means planning ahead. Be sure to book flights and hotels as early as possible so you’re not missing any critical gaps in your schedule. While not as crucial, it’s also a good idea to pre-book any big activities such as tours and excursions you might want to take part in. In the end, it might save you from a lot of disappointment.
Pack as a team
Knowing what to pack becomes one of the hardest things to figure out with each new vacation. You have to consider things like climate, culture and activities while choosing what to bring. And let’s face it, not everyone is a great packer. Some go way overboard and pack too much, others take a carefree attitude and forget the essentials. Then there’s the younger members of the travelling team who pack more for entertainment than practicality. If you all combine your efforts it can make the whole process easier, more efficient and more thorough.
Plan activities with the whole group in mind.
When you’re travelling with a group like this, it can be very difficult to set a schedule that makes everyone happy. No matter your destination, you want to try to keep every member of the group included when planning the daily activities. Again, this is not going to be easy and you probably can’t make everyone completely happy, but ensuring the younger family members are entertained and no one is being pushed outside their comfort zone. It is supposed to be a vacation for everyone, after all.
Plan meal times.
While exploring the city or taking in the resort’s activities doesn’t necessarily need to be done on a set schedule, when it comes to your daily meals, it’s better to plan ahead. Especially when it comes to the younger members of your family, regular and scheduled meals helps to keep up the energy and keep everyone in a good mood for the rest of the day. Playing loose with the meal times can make it difficult to have such a large group fed and feeling good for the whole day.
Enjoy the company.
It’s exciting to go on vacations with the whole family, but that doesn’t mean you have to get everything into one trip. There can be a temptation to always be on the move but this can lead to you overdoing it and making the experience less fun for everyone. Instead, enjoy the more relaxing moments with your family. Yes, you’re visiting a new place and want to explore it, but you also have some great company and plenty of opportunity to enjoy spending time with them, no matter what you’re doing. These vacations don’t come along all that often so don’t put too much pressure on doing everything and just enjoy every moment.