Traveling as a family is a fantastic thing to do, and it can be the ideal way to spend plenty of quality time together, which might be tricky when you’re at home due to work and school, as well as all the other commitments people have these days (that’s not a bad thing, it just means spending time together as a family is something you need to plan for, and a vacation can be the perfect solution).
However, when you’ve got a family with you, it’s important to try to make your travels as safe and hassle-free as possible. True, that’s something you’ll want to do even if you’re on your own, but when you’ve got other people to be responsible for, especially if they’re quite young, then it becomes a real priority. With that in mind, read on to find out how to enjoy safe and hassle-free travel as a family every time.
Family-Friendly Destinations
If you want to have a great time on vacation as a family, choosing the right destination is the perfect place to start. You’ll need to make sure that wherever you go caters to families, and particularly that there’s plenty to do for your kids, whatever their age might be. Picking a destination that’s known to be a fun, enjoyable place for families to visit is important, and you can generally find out that information when you look online or when you speak to a travel expert to help you book your trip.
However, as well as the destination in general, you’ll also have to get more specific and make sure the hotel (or other type of accommodation) you’re staying at is family-friendly too. Some hotels are geared towards adults only, and others are much more for families, so it’s best to make sure you’re choosing wisely because you book, otherwise the vacation might not be as fun as you’d hoped.
Pack Well
If you’re going somewhere alone, you might just throw a few changes of clothes into a suitcase along with some toiletries and call it a job well done – after all, you’re not going to need all that much, and the lighter you can travel, the better.
Traveling light as a family is a nice idea but generally not something you can do, especially with younger kids because the younger your children are, the more stuff they’ll need with them, from bottles and diapers to toys and many, many changes of clothes. As they get older, they’ll need a lot less, but they’ll still need to have everything with them to be on the safe side.
The best thing to do is to create (or download) a checklist before you go so you know you’ve packed everything you need to pack and there’s no last-minute panic. It’s best to opt for lightweight, versatile clothing, plus you’ll need all medication, toiletries, and, of course, everyone’s travel documents, as well as your kids’ comfort items, like stuffed toys and blankets and so on. It might seem like a lot to remember and a lot to pack, but think what a disaster it would be if you left a favorite toy at home, and you’ll see why you need to take it with you.
Entertainment
Everyone gets bored from time to time, and if you’ve got a long flight or car journey to make, that’s a definite for your kids (not to mention the adults). That’s why making sure you’ve got entertainment on hand for them is wise – it’s going to make things more enjoyable for them and less stressful for you. After all, you’ll have enough to think about when you’re traveling without worrying about whether your children are occupied.
Games are great to have with you, and you can get travel-sized versions of board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Battleships, and so on. Plus a pack of cards or something like Uno that’s easy to pack in a bag is a good option.
To really make sure everyone’s entertained, downloading movies to a tablet or phone can work wonders, but the problem is once they’ve been watched a few times, they’ll start to lose their appeal. That’s why it’s a good idea to learn how to change Android IP address so you can use streaming services in whatever country you’re going to. If you don’t change the IP address using a VPN, you might find you’re restricted on what you can stream or what sites you can use, but if you change the IP address to match the country you’ve traveled to, that won’t be an issue, and you can stream whatever you want. Of course, you won’t want your family to spend their entire vacation staring at a screen, but for traveling and for downtime in the hotel or villa, it can be ideal, and it’s well worth looking into further.
Take A First Aid Kit
No one expects to get hurt on vacation, but the fact is that accidents can happen and even something as simple and commonplace as a trip or fall can be nasty if you don’t have the tools you need to fix it and make your child (or an adult, come to that) feel better.
So what’s the solution? A first aid kit, of course. If you’ve got a first aid kit full of useful supplies, like bandages, sticking plasters, swabs, tweezers, and painkillers, you’ll find that even if someone does have a small injury, you’ll be able to ensure it doesn’t get any worse, and fix it all so they can enjoy the rest of their vacation.
For larger issues, especially those that might need a doctor or even a hospital stay, you’ll need to ensure you’ve got travel insurance. In that way, you can have peace of mind that should the worst happen, you’re covered and everyone can get the care they need. You might not think it’s worth paying for travel insurance, especially since it can be expensive for a family to get the cover you might need, but it’s far better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it for your peace of mind, if nothing else.
