Here are a few hacks that will transform your next holiday into one that’s memorable for all the right reasons.
Traveling with kids has its ups and downs, and the stress involved has the potential to spoil vacations for parents, or at least make each day away from home fraught with uncertainty.
If you plan and prepare properly, many common mistakes can be avoided, and family vacations can become full of fun and joy, even if your little ones aren’t easy to please.
With that in mind, here are a few hacks that will transform your next holiday into one that’s memorable for all the right reasons.
Avoid crowds at busy attractions
If you’re planning to visit a tourist hotspot, especially one that’s aimed at families, then trying to fight through the crowds of other people to access attractions or even basic amenities can be a nightmare. It’s much better to save time in line by avoiding the crowds altogether.
Take Disneyland as an example. If you’re wondering is Disneyland busy over the summer break, the answer is obviously ‘yes’. But with a Disneyland crowds calendar at your disposal, you can see that there are some quieter days. June and July are a write-off, but August isn’t nearly as bad, and mid-week visits are best of all.
Having a free Disneyland crowd calendar to hand when you’re booking your trip will save you so much hassle on the day, and prevent picky kids going loco because of long lines at rides and concession stands.
Minimize packing problems by renting essentials on arrival
If you’re traveling by car, the trunk can quickly become crammed with all the must-have items and accessories you need to take with you to keep kids content and entertained.
Rather than hauling everything but the kitchen sink around with you, consider the option of renting what you need when you arrive at your destination instead.
Rental services for everything from bicycles to games consoles are offered at all good family resorts. And in some cases you’ll have free use of communal essentials for your kids included in the price of the room.
Talk through food options in advance
When it comes to pickiness, the most common issue kids will face is being confronted with unfamiliar foods when on vacation.
There are a couple of ways to tackle this, the first of which is to speak to your child about the new and exciting dishes they’ll encounter during the vacation. This will take the mystery and unfamiliarity out of the equation, and make them less likely to reject items on sight.
If your little ones are not yet talkers, or you simply want a contingency in place, you can pack snacks and meals that you know they will be happy with, and also research to see if restaurants serving dishes they know and love are available in the area you’re visiting.
Don’t be afraid of spontaneity
While you might be tempted to play it safe on vacation if you’ve got a picky kid in tow, it’s also important to remember that there’s always room for spontaneous decisions to be made.
In fact, often you’ll be able to get kids to try things they’d normally not be willing to accept if you introduce them to it in a spur of the moment type way, rather than there being this big build-up.
Ultimately it comes down to knowing how your own kids behave and using this to predict how they’ll react to the new experiences that are part and parcel of the average family vacation. Prior planning is your best defense against anxiety and meltdowns, so don’t leave it to the last minute.
Main photo by Juan Salamanca from Pexels
