Travel Content // Volcanoes, Earthquakes And Children: Don’t Let Them Destroy Your Holiday Spirit*

It doesn’t matter how seasoned a traveler you are, traveling with kids is hard. There are so many questions to ask, and so many things that need answering. Do you need a passport for your baby? What sort of seat do they have on the plane? How can I find the right food? Does the hotel provide sleeping facilities for infants?

The questions go on and on, and it can be a little stressful. So what should you do if you want to make your next family holiday as stress-free as possible? Check this out.

Book Accommodation With Separate Sleeping Areas
When many young families book hotel rooms, they go for a single room. Why? Because it’s almost always a lot cheaper than booking out a suite of separate rooms.

But the problem is that a single room can make family holidays a lot less convenient. Sure, if you’re out all day long hiking, sleeping in the same room might not be a problem. But if you want to watch a movie, or have a chat with your spouse, it can be a problem.

Not all hotels or resorts offer multi-room suites. So you’ll have to check in advance whether it’s something offered by your holiday provider. If you’re struggling to find a hotel with the right facilities, don’t forget that renting an apartment is also a good option.

Get Sorted With Airport Parking
Airport parking is one of the biggest hassles for families looking to go on a stress-free break. They spend ages hunting around for space. And then they walk for miles, looking for the right terminal, all the while hauling heavy luggage.

If you want to avoid this, get somebody to take care of your car for you. There are parking services at most airports that will pick up your vehicle from the terminal and take it to a secure parking location. Once you get back, the parking company will collect your car and deliver it to you. This avoids trying to remember where you left your car in an enormous long stay car park.

Don’t Bother Taking All Your Kids Equipment
Buggies, car seats, cribs – they all take up an enormous amount of space. And lugging them to a holiday destination can be exhausted. The good news is that parents don’t have to do this anymore. Most child-friend holiday locations allow you to rent out kids equipment. Do a quick search online to see whether you can hire the things you need before you travel. Find a business with good reviews and a range of equipment.

Always Get Travel Insurance
When traveling, things regularly go wrong. Your luggage gets lost or stolen. Your flights get canceled because of terrorists. Your holiday company goes bust. For families who only have one opportunity a year to go traveling, this can be devastating.

That’s why it’s important that all parents take out travel insurance before they leave. Make sure that your policy covers you in the event of a force majeure. It used to be the case that force majeure was rare. But with volcanoes, earthquakes, and terrorism, this is no longer the case.

Take Your Tablet
Traveling for adults and traveling for kids are two different experiences. For young children, everything in the world is new. For adults, it’s the place that they’re traveling to that is special. You’ll often find that your kids are not as interested as you in exploring what their new environment has to offer. As a result, they’ll need some form of entertainment to keep them happy.

Take your tablet. It’s lightweight and can hold hundreds of hours of movies. They can also use it to play games and even relax at night with soothing sounds.

Keep The Pace Gentle
Adults are laser-like in their focus. And when they’re on holiday, they want to get as much done as possible. After all, when will they next get the chance to enjoy a fantastic vacation?

But for kids, squeezing everything into a tight schedule isn’t a great strategy. It’s too intense.

Make sure you break up the day into manageable chunks. Don’t expect kids to spend hours marching around the Guggenheim gallery when they are four years old.

The most enjoyable travel experiences are those where things just happen organically. People enjoy themselves most when what they are doing is fun. By all means take them to art galleries. But do be surprised if they get more excited about the tuck shop than the exhibits.