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Travelling with kids can be a hugely rewarding experience for everyone, both parents and children alike. It can help to forge stronger bonds, and it can create lifelong memories. You’ll be able to show your little ones all kinds of new cultures, landscapes, and even food.
Yet if you are travelling with children, there are definitely some things you’ll need to bear in mind if you want it to go well and be a positive trip. With that in mind, read on for some useful advice.
Travelling with kids: Things to consider
Consider Your Child’s Age
Your child’s age is going to play a big part in deciding not just when to go on holiday or travelling, but where. If you have very small children, including babies, you may not want to miss out on the fun of a family trip away (especially if you have other, older children to think about), but do you really want to go on a long plane journey? It might be better to pick somewhere close to home, and perhaps even somewhere you can drive to. In this way, you’ll be able to stop when you need to in order to take care of your little one’s needs.
Older children might be quite happy to travel long distances, but you still need to think about what they’ll do when you arrive. Whereas adults and even teenagers can be happy to lie on a beach or by a pool and do nothing, smaller children will want some form of activity, whether that’s excursions or a kid’s club, for example. You’ll need to make sure everyone is going to be happy and comfortable throughout the trip.
When Will You Go?
Knowing where you are going and what you might do when you get there, you’ll also need to think about when you go. Some places have better weather at certain times of the year, for example, and in some resorts, a lot of restaurants and hotels actually close during the off-season. However, it can be a lot less expensive to travel at this time, saving you a lot of money which, when you have a family to book for, could make the difference between going away or staying at home.
If you have children in an elite grammar school, you’ll have some more choice when it comes to when you can go on holiday. The school holidays tend to be different to standard schools, and you might have some more flexibility, enabling you to take advantage of the lower prices.
Special Events And Festivals
One of the main reasons for travelling with your children is to experience new things together and give them a better sense of the world around them. Following on from the point above, something you should also consider is whether there are any festivals or events happening in the area you are going to when you are planning to be there.
If so, you can create an itinerary around this so that you definitely don’t miss out on anything. In fact, looking for fun and interesting festivals could be what determines when you end up going on holiday in the first place, and it’s an ideal teaching opportunity as well.
Stick To A Routine
When adults go on holiday, their usual routines can easily disappear. They’ll go to bed later, they’ll sleep in longer, and they’ll eat at different times as they’ll have other things to fit into their schedule. However, although adults can manage this for a short while without getting stressed (and actually, this new way of living becomes a routine of sorts by the end of the holiday in a lot of cases), children often can’t. They’ll become grumpy and unhappy if their schedule is altered too much, and that means they won’t enjoy their time away – and neither will you.
This is why it’s usually best to stick to your child’s schedule as much as you can. This means having a proper bedtime and eating when you would eat at home, for example. Although it might be a little limiting in some cases, it will be worth it because you’ll have a happy child who remembers their holiday fondly.
Choose Your Accommodation Wisely
Where are you going to stay when you go away as a family? It will depend on where you go and what your holiday is all about, and you’ll undoubtedly have plenty of choices, from a tent if you go camping to a luxury hotel room if you decide to stay in a resort somewhere. Make sure to look for the best price with Cruise118 when booking a Celebrity cruise for you and the family.
No matter where you go, look at what is on offer for children. Are there child-friendly facilities nearby? Are there discounts for children? What kind of food is served? Knowing all this in advance will help you make the right choice.
