Tips to keep you sane on family holidays

We dig out a few pieces of advice to make sure your holiday with the kids is memorable for the right reasons…

Getting a get-away just right can be trickier than we might imagine. With tourism and holidaying as a multi-billion dollar industry in its own right –and a growing one – it seems to have simply become another thing on the list of ‘concerns/gripes/doubts’ that we have in daily life.

Well, it doesn’t mean that a holiday with the family has to be pre-visualised as some kind of disastrous implosion. Providers such as On The Beach make it easy for us to book family holidays, but if all the journalists in the world were to be believed, we’re taking a wrong turning even by considering a family trip! However, unlike Peter White in the above link, we don’t recommend taking a narrow boat holiday with your family – especially if it’s a young family.

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And that’s the difference – holidays with kids when they’re kids; or kids when they’re adults? Very often it’s the latter that turns out worse, as each member of the group is an independent individual in their own rights…and each might have their own idea of what they think is fun.

If you’re planning on a family holiday with your (younger) offspring, a few things to bear in mind. Check and double check that your hotels or selected accommodation is child-friendly. More importantly, what about the culture you are visiting? Some destinations in Asia and even Eastern Europe are tailor made for adults, backpackers or adventurous groups, but they might not be family friendly.

Also, bear in mind the customs and dress of particular countries – do you need to cover up when visiting certain sites or monuments? What about food? If you have young children who require milk-based products, you need to be especially sensitive in kosher or halal countries when it comes to preparing dairy products.

And on a practical note – will there be enough for the kids to do? Again, it’s about ability levels. Places like Turkey and Egypt offer excellent adventure packages for adults – just make sure you’re in a hotel that also caters to the novices and children. You can’t take a three year old mountain biking across Cappacdocia. Trust us, we’ve tried….