As parents often it’s easy to worry about the judgement of others, while on planes, trains and travelling in general. It is all too easy to take the casual gaze of strangers to heart. Sadly, many of us worry so much about our children’s behaviour and what other people think, that we avoid going on long haul family adventures.
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Make The Most Of Your First Long Haul Family Holiday
- Make a long list, then be ruthless. Get it down to three or four places. Choosing as a family will instantly make this a unique and exciting adventure.
- Be prepared to have some give and take. You might want to check out Bali; someone else might want to go to Brazil and others? Who knows?
- Don’t rush the decision – you might need some time to save up first.
Now, you’ve decided where to go, perhaps the pleasant people of Canada won you over, and you’ve booked into the Delta Hotels Halifax. What now? Accommodation taken care of it’s time to move on to the other fun stuff.
Attractions
Everyone should make a list of cheap places nearby they’d like to visit. Museums, gardens, long walks – are all budget friendly, which is handy when you travel as a pack. Next up, add a few mid-priced activities, perhaps have a few available and vote for the winners. Your adventure should by now have started to take shape. With the location and accommodation taken care of, and some of the time planned you’re taking the stress out of it.
There is nothing worse than arriving somewhere you aren’t familiar with, and then hoping for it to fall into place – a disaster waiting to happen.
Food
Check if your accommodation is self-catering, or if there are meals provided. It might be worth checking out the local supermarkets upon arrival and getting things like bread and cheese, so you can pack sandwiches to take with you on your day trips. Cutting the cost of eating as a group.
Choose one or two nights to head out and sample the local cuisine. Try and pick evenings that are following on from a day that was action-packed, that way the kids are less likely to hit overtired early in the meal and more likely to kick back and relax too.
Creature Comforts
Don’t be scared to bring along your creature comforts. Sometimes it does get a bit much, and there is no harm in putting your feet up, using some of the hotel’s WiFi and all indulging in some internet time.
When it comes down to it, it is all too easy to pin a lot of really high, and in some cases unrealistic hopes and dreams on family holidays. While we should aim to create some memories in countries that aren’t our own, we shouldn’t try to force them. After all, the best holiday memories are usually the ones where everyone is cutting loose and relaxing on the beach in the sunshine, eating new and exciting cuisine and most of all? They happen naturally and will be remembered for years to come.
1 Comment
Very helpful post! Thank you, Sarah, for sharing it! Vacationing with your children for the first time can be an adventure, in more ways than one. I agree with you that it is important to focus on enjoying yourselves rather than what other people think. Being well-prepared beforehand will allow you to do that and take full advantage of the time you have with each other while on vacation. It is a great bonding experience.