5 ideas to enable you to take your family away without the stress

This is a collaborative post. For some people, the prospect of taking their family on holiday immediately strikes them with fear. For anyone who has done this in the past, the reasons for this should be clear. After all, there are a huge number of issues which can arise when you take your family abroad, and it’s unsurprising that so many people might find it particularly worrying or stressful.

However, there are plenty of actions you can take to ensure that it is as stress-free as possible, and those are the steps that we are going to take a look at today. As long as you have considered the following, you should find that you can take your family on holiday with much less of the associated stress and worry that usually comes along with it. That way, everyone can enjoy themselves considerably more.

The power of an itinerary

Let’s be clear: it’s unlikely that your children will care much about your itinerary, or whether or not you even have one. But for you, it is likely to make a considerable difference to the experience as a whole. If you have a strong plan which you have put a lot of thought into before you go abroad, you will find that most of the trip falls into place much more. This then means that you can expect far fewer tears, less stress and anxiety, and on the whole a much more enjoyable experience. Of course, you do need to make sure that such an itinerary is going to be detailed enough – but not so detailed that you are unable to allow time for any spontaneous enjoyments too. So how do you make sure that you are going to find this balance in just the right way?

Consider everyone’s opinion

For a start, it’s a good idea to make sure you are considering everyone’s opinion and needs when it comes to this. If there is anyone who feels that they are not really being considered, then it could cause a rift in the family, which is the last thing you need when you are on holiday. You should also make sure that you have accounted for how much time you actually have, so that you don’t have to worry about running out at the wrong time. As long as you do this, you should end up with an itinerary which is considerably more complete, and which you can follow in order to ensure that your holiday works out as well as possible.

Early arrivals

You really can’t underestimate the importance and power of getting to the airport early on the day of your holiday. Although it’s not so much fun to hang around at an airport with all of your family, and with your kids screaming with boredom, it’s infinitely much more enjoyable than running late and having to rush for your plane. And the situation that nobody wants to be in – namely, actually missing your plane – is going to be much worse still. So make sure that you are doing everything you can to get to the airport as early as possible. If you are wondering what you might need to do to make that happen, there are a few things in particular which are likely to help.

First of all, make sure you all pack your bags the night before. This stops you having to rush around in the morning, should you find that you need to pack any last bits. Get as ready as possible so that you can just wake up and get out the door. With that, make sure that you actually give yourself enough time to get to the airport. If you are driving, consider the worst possible traffic as a very real possibility and plan for it. If you are taking public transport, then make sure that you get on as early as possible – don’t wait for the last train or bus, just in case it never arrives. Once at the airport, you can speed things up by already having checked in online, and by knowing where you need to go. Pay attention to signs, and you should be through baggage check-in in no time. You can also make security quicker by already having your liquids sorted out and so on. All of this makes a huge difference, and it’s easy to do, so make sure that you’re doing so. And remember to check you have your passports as you leave home!

Prepare for emergencies

It is unlikely that you will have any emergencies when abroad with your family, but it is something that happens every now and then. You should therefore aim to prepare for such emergencies as well as you can, which could be a harder thing to do than you might think. Part of this is because there are just so many kinds of emergency you might be partied to, and so you will need to think about as many of them as you can. Of course, the most important – and those you should put the most effort into preparing for – are those which are medical-based, or which could cause loss of life.

If you or your family members have any conditions, be sure to pack the medication – and make sure you can carry it on the plane (you might need to inform security). If you happen to run out while you are abroad, or forget to bring it at all, you can always use a Simple Online Pharmacy service to hopefully get hold of whatever medication you need. Alternatively, you might need to go to a pharmacy in the local area, or even see a doctor. This can be stressful when you are on holiday however, so it’s good to know that there are other options.

Beyond that, you should make sure to take a first aid kit with you, just in case anyone suffers any sudden injury or pain. Just having a first aid kit will often work wonders in terms of making you feel considerably safer, and that helps to make the whole experience much less stressful as well. The more that you are prepared for these kinds of emergencies, the better off you are, and the more that you can probably enjoy your holiday. This is one of the first things you should think about, and something to consider when you are packing for the holiday too.

Allow time to relax

Although we have spoken about the importance of having a plan, it is equally important to make sure that you allow plenty of time to relax as well. If your holiday has no downtime at all, then you will find it considerably more difficult for everyone to enjoy themselves as fully as possible, so this is absolutely something to consider. Allowing time to relax (even if it is time you build into your schedule) will ensure that everyone can keep calm, and that is definitely something that you will find to be useful and which you will be grateful of when you are hoping to take your family abroad.

Of course, some people need more relaxation time than others, and so you should generally ensure that everyone has the right amount of relaxation and downtime for them, no matter what it might mean for everyone else in the group. This is one of those occasions when you need to work as a group by allowing for everyone’s needs, which in a more general sense can make things much simpler and easier for all in this kind of situation.

We hope you like the ideas here, do take a look at the printables we have on site, and the other great travel posts too including:

• 5 family holiday ideas you won’t have thought of,
• How to get started on caravan holidays,
• Some iSpy free printable activities to do on the ferry and in the car, and
• Don’t forget that one of fantastic track me reward charts is based on a car travelling around a track, so might be worth checking that out too.

Do come back again soon, and sign up to our weekly newsletter if you can too.

Take care and enjoy the rest of the day, whatever you are up to! Don’t forget to pin this post for later too!

Helen

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