There is nothing better than the company of your Loved Ones, and if its family then you are enroute to picture perfect. For me there are four types of travelers, Solo, Couple, Friends and Family. Traveling with family comes with lots of responsibility. Here instead of dribbling by your feet, you might have to stroll down your kid on wheels. Family travel might sound you a herculean management task, but it’s easy as you are with people most comfortable with. However here are few tips to come in handy.
Choosing the family perfect destination – When it comes to family trips the destination has to be perfect. Not everyday you head on with your family for vacation. You can’t take your family to Ibiza on a trip, though Swiss alpines might sound good. Destination need to have mutual likeness by all, be it toddlers, or your elderly parents. There should be something for everyone.
The best way to decide for the destination of your family trip is to jolt down few destination and take opinions of all the members of the family that are going to travel. It might happen that you do not get to choose the destination which was your favorite, but that is the fun part of being in a family trip. While choosing destination, always keep the family first.
Kids and elderly friendly destination – While choosing a destination keep in mind you don’t pick ones full with hipsters, bohemians, or even too many of romantic couples. Remember that this is a family trip and you would not want loud music at the beach, or couples getting cozy around you. Such situations can cause discomfort to your family members, especially the kids and the elderly.
Choose a destination, that your extremes who are Kids and the elderly, might co relate easily with seeing alike people around. They are the most sensitive people in any family and needs to be taken extra care of. If you are traveling to a place that has lots of younger crowd then the elderly and the kids of the family might feel left out. Remember that similarities sparks interest.
Sightseeing for the entire family – While choosing the destination you should also keep in mind the spots and sightseeing location you will visit to. It is best that you keep the itinerary revolving around the interest of every family member. Pick up a historical monument for instance, it will suit the entire family, then pick up an amusement park it will suit the kids, pick a cliff side or beach for family couples.
The point is to keep the entire family engaged. Don’t pick ones that include lots of walking, or will welcome trouble from kids, and exhaustion from elderly. Do not pick spots that could pose health hazards to the particular people in the family, like if venturing for an adventure sports. We know that family knows how to adjust and compromise, but this is a vacation people.
Book direct flights – Carrying all that luggage, and keeping all of them in queue or group will eventually become difficult. It is not just about the luggage, but connecting flights also include risk especially when you have different carriers in the itinerary. In cases when there are no direct flights available to a particular destination, plan your travel well, with enough buffer time.
In cases where the direct flights are available, but on particular days and with a cost much higher, always choose direct flights, as connecting flights will sure become a headache while changing terminals. If itinerary involves changing lots of flights, improvise it. Flights might look like a convenient and faster mode of travel, but there are always other options too for shorter journeys.
Avoid peak season – Don’t travel in peak season, unless your entire trip depends on the a particular point of time. For instance if you are traveling to Switzerland in winters to be able to visit a ski resort then that is the only time you got to visit it, or if you are traveling to Germany for Oktoberfest, then that is the time you got to visit it. In such cases you do not have the option of traveling in off season.
But if you have the option, then don’t choose peak season, as rush will be double for you, one external and other internal. Plus it will cost more, and multiply with number of heads you will be traveling with. Lastly its unlikely that your family will be able to enjoy while being crowded by hundreds of strangers. Plus when traveling with family you also not got to worry about being alone in the destination to seek for the comfort of strangers.
Don’t leave the bookings for last moment – Being a family man, there is one thing that you must be already aware about which is deliberate planning. In this entire eternity not even one family trip is made successful with out careful planning. So keep in mind to never ever leave your bookings for last moment if your family is with you. For solo travelers it might suit, but not for family trips.
With the n number of people traveling with you, it might happen that hotel be already booked, or larger cab is not available, or unrealistic last moment tariffs, etc. To avoid any such instance that might lead to cancellation of the trip, book everything beforehand, or buy family tour package. There are lots of tour operators in the market that offer specialized tours for families.
Travel insurance is a must – Usually the amount of money that travel insurance takes is fraction of the cost of the entire trip, and the best part about it is that it will save you n times the money you invested in it if something goes wrong. With that many people traveling with you, will lead you to probably commute within city and country via private vehicle or hired cab.
Do not get me wrong but anything bad can happen. To avoid any extra expense please get proper travel insurance. God forbid, but accidents don’t come with a notification, plus any viral infection affecting all could cost lot many hospital beds. These were the extreme situations where you would need travel insurance, but also be wary of those missed flights, or cancellation of a hotel booking.
Go for AirBnb or apartments – We always recommend hotels for various obvious reasons, but with family an Airbnb home might suit better, or a home stay might suit to the need of all the members, or a rented apartment might be suitable to accommodate all. You got to note that majority of hotels are made for shorter days and couple of people traveling on their own.
But it when comes to family trips, the number of travelers might reach up to double digits. For obvious reasons, in hotels a suite might cost a lot than these options. Plus in rented apartments you will get ample amount of space that will be all yours and for your family. You can even choose to cook your own meals. Also note that you mustn’t leave your elders and kids in different rooms, which is a bad idea.
Discounts in bulk – Don’t hesitate in asking for discounts. If you are traveling in bulk, and paying in bulk, so why not a little concession. Plus family discount is a normal thing to ask, and even available at many of the places, be it tourist attractions, hotels, or even restaurants. Remember that it is not something alien that you are asking from the establishments, but a normal thing.
Before looking for discounts, check with the restaurant, or check with your hotel, or check with your cab facility provider, or check with your apartment guy, before hand, and before making the reservations. You might be surprised but you might even get a upgrade in a hotel or a free meal at the hotel’s restaurant for the family.
Commute by a cab or a mini bus – The larger the number of people in your trip, the more difficult it will become to commute in public transportation. You cannot expect to find seats for dozen of people on a bus or a tram. Hence while traveling with family in order to commute to local sights and nearby cities which are part of your itinerary, I suggest you hire a cab or a mini bus.
There are lots of advantages to hiring a cab or a mini bus. The first and the foremost thing is that it will be cost effective more than you think, especially if the cab or the mini bus is totally occupied. The second thing it will be very comfortable especially by extremes, I mean kids and elderly. The third thing is that you will have flexibility on schedules in your itinerary and much needed breaks.
Keep the luggage light – One thing that i have learnt from all the trips that i have made is that key to happy journey starts with lesser the luggage you have. It always helps to have lesser luggage. Don’t pack too much, in fact pack lesser than usual for per head. The chances are that there will be lots of stuff that you will be packing that can be shared among each other by the family members.
The main reason why you should pack less is that you will have to carry it all in odd times, as your kids and elderly will not. This might sound like a less of challenge, but when you will face such situation, you will get to know that carrying luggage is never fun. Plus overall luggage has to be exactly what can fit in a cab for further travel. The lesser the better. Keep these things in mind.
Carry an extra card along – Family trips are the best vacations that you can have if you are not a teenager. But family trips also come with unprecedented expenses. The more the family members, the chances increase that they might need some financial aid in unwanted situations. It could be because of some local law or because of some local flu, or because of some shopping spree gone bad.
Always carry an additional Debit or Credit card with you. Do not make that card the primary mode of expenses during the trip, and keep it only for situations where you need out of the budget financial aid. Do not keep this card in your wallet but someplace safe. Make note of it to use this card in case of an emergency, and with all those members you will probably avoid a mass panic situation.
Dinners at a resort – There is one thing that has never failed to keep the family together which is good food. In fact good food is the key ingredient of all family get together, so why not include it in the family trip. But we are not talking about dining in a fancy restaurant, but in a resort. Trust me visiting a nearby resort for dinner can be a great idea. You are going to love the open air setting for sure.
Also these days big resorts have shows running that can suit the elderly and keep them engaged. While the section of your family is enjoying entertainment shows, you can have a date alone with your other half. The best part comes when resorts prove to be a great location to keep the kids engaged, as the little ones can enjoy playing in the open lawns. It is as perfect, as it sounds.
Indulge in some fun activity – As this one is a family trip, so probably you wont get the chance to take the entire people to hang out in a club to party, so there has to be some way to add fun in this trip. The best way is to indulge yourself in some group activities while on a trip. It could be treasure hunt in a theme park, or quiz at a museum, or a cozy indoor game, etc.
Remember that the entire family is out for a trip to relax and unwind, and at the same time to enjoy their time. The continuous sightseeing be it on the locations visited first time, can be a little boring at times. So a fun activity will get you all closer and build better bonds. This will also keep the family members engaged, plus you always will leave with long lasting and striking memories.
Lesser screen time – We live in the times, where most of our errands, most of our conversations, most our activity is spent on mobile phones and computer screens. It is not just a habit, but has became a necessity for most of the people. Even travel is not untouched by the glitz of screen time. People will do bookings through phone, will take pictures from cell phones, and will listen to music when bored.
But this is a family trip and you all got to keep one thing in mind that during this trip you got to give quality time to the other family members. You can always use your phones in your free time while you are chilling at your home. But while on the trip, you got to enjoy every moment. The best way to reduce screen time can also be done by leave your phones at the hotel room policy.
Kids and elderly attract lots of attention – There is something about kids and the elderly that everyone likes. For kids its their innocence and for the elderly its their wisdom. Everyone wants to have a piece of it. People automatically will be attracted to your family for a quick hello if you have them while traveling. Trust me every trip becomes more social with two strong assets you have, kids and elderly.
But the thing is that often people do not like people getting cozy with their kids or the elderly. But you do not do that. If your kids and the elderly are attracting lots of attention, conversation, care, and love, then what is wrong in it. When people do that, don’t be insecure but instead enjoy the perks and immerse yourself in the mutual feeling. Who knows you will make a lifetime friend.
Keep the itinerary relaxed – There is one thing that we should never forget that travel is a leisure activity, and people go on vacations not stress themselves but to unwind. Vacations are meant for doing things at your natural speed. So don’t stuff your days on travel with n numbers of sightseeing spots, just because you want to wrap up a destination as quickly as you can.
If you do so, it will become troublesome for kids and elderly to catch up with you. They do not have that much level of energy and attention span. You got to be realistic while creating your itinerary. Everyone should feel that you are on a vacation and to do things before you die. Remember that your extreme companions are little less interested in quantity. They need quality time.
No time better than Family Time!
