Going on a family vacation sounds great. Considering you’re all going to spend time together visiting a new place, it’s the best thing to do, actually. If you’re a parent, this could be a super emotional experience to see your kids enjoying the world and the adventure that awaits. But let’s be serious: this is a whole different game.
For some, this activity is pretty simple, but for others, it can be a bit chaotic. The difference between a smooth family trip and a stressful one comes down to one major thing: planning. You can plan everything from itinerary, hotel, airport transfers, entertainment – literally everything you need.
Vacations as a family aren’t always easy, it’s true. But they are the experiences that create memories you’ll cherish. So if you want a great experience, try to work with a plan so you’ll have enough time to spend with your loved ones. Also, think about what your children will remember. You want them to be happy, to look at old pictures with joy.
Pick a location that works for everyone
The thing about picking a destination is that you can’t just choose somewhere you want to go and hope everyone will enjoy it. Instead, think about what your family and especially your children, would like. You should go to a place where you can find all sorts of activities, like London. Plus, you can book a taxi to Luton airport with us to avoid the stress of missing the flight.
A place that’s perfect for you might be super boring for the kids and the other way around. At the same time, a place that’s perfect for them might exhaust you. A theme park? Great for having fun. A zoo? Great for learning more about new animals. What is the common aspect here? They make you act more cautiously than you usually do.
Finding something good for everyone is a challenge, but it’s not the end of the road. It’s best to ask for opinions, and then you all decide what to do. The solution lies in detail because all the details matter. It could be about the hotel, the transport, the activities, and everything in between. Think about how much it would help to book a Heathrow airport taxi instead of waiting for a bus.
Besides these, other things to consider at this point are:
- Accommodation with enough space
- Food your children will actually eat
- Access to medical care
- Reasonable distances between activities
Pack the bags without overdoing it
The packing time is a whole different game. On one hand, you know that you need to take extra stuff. On the other hand, you know that it’s hard to walk around with giant suitcases, a stroller, and little human beings running around. It’s true that you have to take things just in case you’ll need them. But you can pack in a smarter way.
Here are some tips for packing and how they help you:
| Tips | How they help |
| Write everything down | It’s effective to have a list so you won’t miss the essentials |
| Think about layers and not bulk | It takes up less room in luggage and works for when the temperature changes |
| Pack an extra outfit in your carry-on | It can save your day to have accessible, clean clothes when accidents happen |
Keep things running smoothly
Trying to make everything work with no problem is actually where the theory meets reality and reality wins most of the time. You can plan the perfect itinerary, but then your kid wakes up cranky. It rains, it’s cold, or someone gets sick. These things can be unexpected, they’re natural. So even if you have a good plan, it’s important to build some flexibility.
Let’s see what could help you a lot:
- Always respect the nap schedule
- Sleep in if you can
- Know your weather backup plans
- Laugh it off when things go wrong
If you have kids who still need to sleep in the afternoons, don’t go past them because they could get tired and fussy. Also, don’t try to get everyone out of bed very early – it’s a vacation, not a marathon. Even if you do less activities, it’s best to feel fresh instead of walking around tired.
What matters most eventually is the attitude you have to address things. Put on a smile and don’t let yourself stress too much. There will always be situations you can’t have control of, but you can prepare yourself for them a bit. At the end of the day, some of the best stories and memories are from the imperfect moments.
Making family travel work without stress
If you’re a parent, just know that chaos is part of family vacations. But even with all the chaos, you can still have a great time if you embrace it, laugh about it and focus only on what matters.
Kids won’t remember the five-star hotel or the museum. They’ll remember you chose to spend time with them and you all had an adventure together.