Planning the perfect family holiday is never easy, but a bit of preparation can make all the difference.
Whether you’re heading for a UK campsite, jetting off to an all-inclusive resort or seeking that perfect villa in the sun, you need to make sure you’ve got everything covered so you can relax too.
So here’s our comprehensive checklist when you’re planning the best family holiday.
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The basics of family holiday planning
Take a long hard look at your family – their likes, and dislikes, routines, habits and dreams. This is the time to be realistic and decide on:
Travel time – under four hours if you’re flying, longer (with breaks) if you’re going overland. Choose a destination that won’t put too much strain on you all, either going or coming back.
Weather – hot and sunny is the default, but might not be the right choice for you.
Location – nice beaches, busy cities or pretty countryside. What’s your family dynamic?
Family friendly activities – this is a must, whatever age your children.
Many holiday firms offer free-child places. Check out TravelSupermarket
Pre-planning for a family holiday
If your children are old enough:
• Get them involved in the planning – their ideas of a great holiday may not match yours.
• Make the journey part of the adventure. In-flight entertainment isn’t always enough, so plan alternative activities.
• Compromise, because it’s your holiday too. With our family adventures, we made separate lists and offered one day their choice, the next day ours. Funnily enough, some of the best days turned out to be the grown-ups choices!
• Build in lots of down-time. Everyone’s batteries need recharging. Don’t pack your days with so much to do that you forget to just be.
• Make a decision about chores. Self-catering is a great choice for families, especially if the children are young, but you don’t want to be stuck in an endless round of shopping/cooking/cleaning.
If your children are very young:
• When flying, check what rules and restrictions your airline applies to costs, special seating etc.
• Be kind to yourself. Most fellow travellers, and certainly all the staff, know what it is like to travel with very little ones, and you’ll mainly get sympathy.
Check the paperwork NOW!
Before you book anything, be sure you know exactly what you need.
• Up-to-date passports for everyone, even babies. Check they have long expiry dates, and for European travel post Brexit, check the issue date as well.
• Travel Insurance – always important, but make sure you’re covered for any health-related cancellations or changes. And arrange travel insurance as soon as you book.
• Vaccinations. Make sure you and your children’s routine jabs are up-to-date, and bring them forward if necessary. For up-to-date information, check destination-specific requirements on the UK Government website.
• Scan and keep hard and e-copies of all important travel documents, so you always have access to key information.
• Allergy or medical information. A bit specific this one, but as I have food allergies I always translate and print off a few phrases to explain what I can’t eat. It’s proved very helpful, even in countries where I have a reasonable command of the language.
I have a series of pre-holiday lists that I keep by me for every occasion. They include all the core things we need to have/do/pack for any holiday. Then I customise it for the actual destination once we know where we’re heading.
Drives Pork Belly mad, all this planning, but he thanks me for it, every time!
Choosing the right family holiday accommodation
This is the most important thing to get right – even more than the choice of destination. Your main options are:
• Hotels. All-inclusive is usually the best value, but can be difficult if your child needs naps or downtime during the day.
• Villas give you extra space, more freedom and chill-out time, especially if you get one with a pool. But you do have to factor in cooking and cleaning chores.
• Villas within resorts. This is a great compromise, the ease of a hotel with the space of a villa, but you’ll have to pay extra for it.
• Apartments. Great for city breaks, but can lack outdoor space and may be too small for your family.
• Camping/glamping/mobile homes. We know of families who swear that this is the best. Affordable, freedom, and lots for the kids to do.
Just before you go
• Let children pack their own bags – managing expectations of what you really need on holiday starts early!
• Check in online. When flying, it’s always best to register in advance. And if you are reeling at the price some airlines charge for letting you sit together, have a look at the MSE airline seating tips. There’s a great article on how to sit together for free on Virgin, British Airways, easyJet, and others.
• Get to the airport early – you need time to factor in unexpected nappy changes, hangry toddler stops and reluctant teens. You don’t want to be rushing, in fear of missing your flight.
• Time car journeys around natural naps and down-time. If they nod off almost straight away, by the time they wake up you’ll be ready for a break too.
• Pack snacks. We all need them, and travel disrupts mealtimes and hunger patterns. Be prepared.
So where will you go?
Best relaxing family-friendly destinations
Look for places that are geared to families in cultures where children are welcome.
Most Mediterranean countries rate high on the family-friendly scale and eating out locally is a joy, when waiters, chefs and fellow diners come over to admire your lovely family and their hearty appetites!
If you can manage the long flight and can take the heat, The Caribbean is ultra-family focused, with Barbados having a reputation as being the most child-friendly.
Asia is another super-family-orientated region, but choose the right season for your trip. The hot season is very hot, and the rainy season can be dramatic!
Best adventurous family-friendly destinations
Theme park holidays are the obvious choice for thrill-seekers, with the bonus that most parks cater for a whole range of ages.
I don’t ‘do’ rides, but I still love Universal in Florida for the shows, the music and the general atmosphere. I’m quite happy to be the family bag and sunglasses holder while the rest of them fly off into space!
If you’re heading to the Florida theme parks, check out FloridaTix . We’ve used them ourselves, and they have some great theme park entry deals.
For older children, a jungle adventure in Costa Rica is amazing. Wildlife, natural forest and the chance to walk or zip wire through the tree canopy.
Best no fly family-friendly destinations
For many travellers, a flight is just a step too far as we try to be flight free. Or perhaps your little ones aren’t confident travellers yet.
Ireland, France and The Netherlands can easily be reached by car and ferry.
And you can always take the Eurostar and connect with the European rail network.
And last, but not least, there are so many UK based family holiday choices.
If you are a member of a UK reward points scheme like Tesco, they can go a long way to covering the cost of days out or even channel crossings.
Park Holidays have an amazing range of camping and caravanning sites in some of the UK’s most beautiful locations. And if you don’t want the hassle of pitching your own, try their unique timber camping pods.
Wherever you go and whatever you do, have a fun-filled family summer.
Happy travels
Where to next?
• How to get the best out of an all-inclusive holiday
• Caravan, camper or motorhome?
• Best travel planning tips