Winning Combo? Or Whining Congo?
How to make a holiday which works for every member of the family with everyone returning with warm memories, not screeching “You ruined it”.
As with everything, the budget will dictate, everyone has their favourite of scores of cheap-travel apps from trains, plans and package holidays.
Here are a few thoughts for deciding what to do.
Are you going to stretch the budget to rental for ten days or plunge for a hotel for six days?
We’ve been in gorgeous locations in “boutique homes” – dolls houses, and, once a villa. It is still the same old s….. Sink to sink, supermarket to supermarket, even if you order a food delivery, ahead of time. And the last day is spent cleaning instead of by a pool or beach, you get it. I’d go for sangria over domestic-a. (Sorry, had to get that in!)
Several parents spend less on the family holiday saving for one or two weekends away together. Children are precious and a joy, but, beware they are wearing to a partnership, so look after the ‘us’ as well as the you, and yours.
As Good As It Gets
What is your “Good as it gets?.
A 18plus night out, and by day, flat out with a hangover by a pool with the kids in play camp?
Fast tracking to override in a theme park?
Camping or Air BandB, at a Bucket and space on a beach in Northumberland? Scotland? Wales?
Backpacking through mountains and camping in the wild?
Canoeing and bicycling in Wales? Scotland? France? Or Canada?
AirBandB in cave or tree tent? Bicycling in the surrounding woods?
Legoland with a pirate room? In Windsor or Denmark?
Three days in London seeing the sites and taking in a show?
With younger children are less voluble, it is easier to ‘choose’ the holiday, ie your selection. As they grow, so ‘guidance’ (manipulation) comes into choice. The more years, the higher the volume, the negotiations begin.
It is your holiday as much as theirs. So, remember to you include yourself in the “What do you want and need?”
Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
We are looking at the automobiles.
If you’re travelling abroad, in all the pre-holiday craziness, do make sure your car is up to the job. You are. Is it?
My friend, a GP, drove up to our yoga class in a pre-loved 4 x 4. (You might have read this, already, but it’s apt.) In answer to our ‘fancy’, ‘oooh’, remarks, she told her story of ‘last minute dot.com rescue’. Their reliable but old estate into which the camping holiday has been packed and squeezed … broke down. With no time to spare, they managed (pleading both full time GPs) to change their ferry bookings, by two days during which they found, paid for the next pre-loved vehicle, kept grizzling children at bay (on-line), unloaded all the kit, reloaded most of it, and made it to the ferry, just in time. I have many stories from parents of cars breaking down when fully loaded.
Every two years we hauled a dinghy and camping equipment 320 miles, (7 hours in bank holiday traffic) to a camping and dinghy sailing gathering of friends who were members of the same yacht club. Usually, out of ten cars with dinghies being towed, three ended up with tow trucks because the cars or the dinghy trailers failed. Although at the time I resented the time John spent in garages and hardware shops that all of it was worth to drive the five hours safely.
You might have read the post on choosing a campsite on this site. Similar thoughts apply.
You may have read in About that we travels around the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas and US Eastern seaboard for eight years, five with babies and young children. The only reason I mention this now is to small children don’t care if the beach is in Mallorca or Antigua. If you wish to spent money to fly (planes) to a beach in the Balearics, Caribbean or Bahamas, do it for you, not for the children. From my experience, and yes, it was an amazing experience, my children were more concerned about the playgrounds and pals on the beach, not where it was. Wait, spend the money when they are older and will appreciate it. Save it until they are ten or so, catch a train (trains) for an overnight to Scotland to go walking, or Eurorail to Pari/Amsterdam, or far away, Singapore to Thailand, or Hong Kong to Beijing.
Some Like it Hot
Most people head to the Mediterranean for a sun and sand holiday. However, you may want to think about short, half term trips.
Spring and Autumn Half terms. Mediterranean.
We had a great five days in Palma de Mallorca. John was selling a boat there so we combined a holiday there. I anticipated Rome or Athens for four days of Ancient sites, but Covid and other destinations intervened. Still on the list.
Exploring Ancient Rome? Aim for Spring or Autumn. One family, well the parents had ambitions of exploring Rome with their children which they did early in the morning and in the evening. It was too hot during the day. They crumbled. Ancient Rome in the July did for them. The week in the Villa was spent in the pool, (and watching “Friends”.)
Most people fly to their destination to explore. But sometimes the journey is part of the holiday.
The Ice Road
An example
Fly to Iceland.
Or
Road and Ferry to Iceland.
Or catch ferries for example direct to Denmark from Harwich https://www.harwichesbjerg.co.uk or to the Netherlands and north to Germany where there are several ferries. Take in Copehagen? Legoland? You’re aiming to for https://www.harwichesbjerg.co.uk Hirsthals is where you board the ferry to Iceland via the Faroe Islands.
(Maybe an even longer trip from France and drive to Germany Or a ferry from Ha and explore (Legoland) and then catch the ferry which takes you to