It’s exciting, going away as a family, especially if you’re long overdue for some quality family bonding time. However, this doesn’t make the months leading up to your trip any less stressful, and proper planning can often make or break what should be a relaxing family holiday.
To ensure that your trip is as smooth as can be, let these hacks help you.
1. The Book Now, Pay Later Mentality
It’s obviously advisable to have a large chunk of your holiday budget already saved before you move to book anything, but this can be very problematic when booking for a large family. It also runs the risk of flights or accommodation deals being gone by the time you do come round to book – which is why booking sooner rather than later is key. You should find any deals where the supplier allows you to book in advance and pay at a later date, such as paylatertravel.com.au, which lets you book your flights and arrange a payment plan to suit your budget.
2. Look for Group Deals
If you’re traveling as a family group that includes children, there may be more options for cheaper deals. Many attractions offer deals where children under a certain age can go free, and you might also be able to find a better deal on accommodation, such as renting a whole apartment rather than paying for a big enough hotel room, which may be cheaper overall (and leave you more room to move around, too!).
3. Choose Your Plane Seats
Although it’s cheaper to allow your airline to allocate seats automatically for you, this can be problematic when traveling as a family if you are separated, even by a seat or two. To make your trip as easy as possible, choose the most comfortable seats for you and your family to sit together – and perhaps very close to the plane bathroom if you have young children.
4. Take a Photo of All Your Travel Documents
Even if you’re extremely organized with all your relevant documents and paperwork, the stress of traveling, and especially airport travel with a family in toe, may see you misplacing paperwork, or pulling out your entire packed suitcase to find your passport that was in your handbag all along. Taking a backup photo of all items is extra security to know you still have proof, should the worst happen.
This includes photos of:
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Your passports
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Your boarding passes
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Your travel insurance documents
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Your driving licenses
5. Consider Your Timing
Even adults despise a 3 A.M. wakeup to journey to the airport for a long flight, so you can just imagine how much your child is going to hate it. If you can, try and plan your flight and travel schedule around times when your children are going to be more receptive and less grumpy. If you can’t avoid an early flight, put plans into place to improve your travel and make sure there’s plenty of time for rest and power naps if your children need it.