It’s not a holiday, it’s a family trip. Perhaps a bit depressing but it’s helped me through some tricky moments when I’ve forgotten that it won’t be like a pre child holiday- it just can’t be.
It always helps us to go back to places we know and love (loads less to figure out so it is more relaxing), to write a shopping list for the supermarket before I go (again, less to think about) and to budget for as many nice things/treats as we can. Oh and we still take the push chair even though the 4 year old would never use one at home. Holidays often involve a lot more walking and he’ll doze off happily, leaving us to have a mid afternoon cocktail. Now that is a holiday!
The best travel tip I have is to listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks (read by Stephen Fry) when on long journeys with the family. The kids (and even my wife—who was never a HP fan) were rapt for hours.
A great read - thank you! We returned from our first holiday as a 4 in May and there were many, many *unexpecteds* to navigate... namely national holidays we knew nothing about and therefore everything closed for the first three days. The result - we had nothing to eat in our self-catered apartment for the first days. My son wanted to try mussels for the first time and got super ill... no supermarkets open to buy new nappies, etc etc, I could go on. But I will say that it was worth it.
I love the advice of boarding last, that is an excellent idea. Also of keeping the schedule as loose as possible.
My best tips to add to the mix are:
- try to book flights for when they are likely to nap and tire them out in the airport (get there early and find a play area). Staying overnight beforehand is an excellent idea - we did this and it created a really nice vibe before the holiday.
- pack snacks that take a long time to eat (!)
- before you arrive, find a playground nearby to your destination for little ones to run off steam
- if you have more than one child, one parent takes them for a few hours to give the other a break. Then you swap.
It’s not a holiday, it’s a family trip. Perhaps a bit depressing but it’s helped me through some tricky moments when I’ve forgotten that it won’t be like a pre child holiday- it just can’t be.
It always helps us to go back to places we know and love (loads less to figure out so it is more relaxing), to write a shopping list for the supermarket before I go (again, less to think about) and to budget for as many nice things/treats as we can. Oh and we still take the push chair even though the 4 year old would never use one at home. Holidays often involve a lot more walking and he’ll doze off happily, leaving us to have a mid afternoon cocktail. Now that is a holiday!
Hi Brad,
The best travel tip I have is to listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks (read by Stephen Fry) when on long journeys with the family. The kids (and even my wife—who was never a HP fan) were rapt for hours.
Rich
A great read - thank you! We returned from our first holiday as a 4 in May and there were many, many *unexpecteds* to navigate... namely national holidays we knew nothing about and therefore everything closed for the first three days. The result - we had nothing to eat in our self-catered apartment for the first days. My son wanted to try mussels for the first time and got super ill... no supermarkets open to buy new nappies, etc etc, I could go on. But I will say that it was worth it.
I love the advice of boarding last, that is an excellent idea. Also of keeping the schedule as loose as possible.
My best tips to add to the mix are:
- try to book flights for when they are likely to nap and tire them out in the airport (get there early and find a play area). Staying overnight beforehand is an excellent idea - we did this and it created a really nice vibe before the holiday.
- pack snacks that take a long time to eat (!)
- before you arrive, find a playground nearby to your destination for little ones to run off steam
- if you have more than one child, one parent takes them for a few hours to give the other a break. Then you swap.
Vive les vacances!