5 tips for fuss free family holidays: The Family Travel Handbook review

This is a sponsored review

We know a thing or two about going on holiday as a family – we’ve got two kids, and we’ve been there and done that *mostly*. However, there is ALWAYS something about planning, and then going on a family holiday that throws up surprises. Anything that helps to make organising and executing a family holiday that little bit easier is likely to bring a smile to any parents face. So we are pleased to be taking a look at the Lonely Planet’s new Family Travel Handbook (affiliate link); which is designed to help you to inspire, plan and have great fuss free family holidays with the kids.

Planning family holidays can be one surprise after another. The realisation that you are about to get on a plane with the baby and you didn’t bring the formula, or the nappies is enough to send anyone into a spin….

This book is designed to help minimise the number of unexpected challenges you’ll get next time you decide to take the family on holiday. Fuss free family holidays really are possible!

Family Travel Handbook – What is it?

The book contains years of Lonely Planet experience of both holiday destinations, and plans for your family holiday. If you are looking for inspiration or advice, and ways to keep the stress out of your holidays, this is a really good place to start.

The book has both practical help, such as package checklists, things to think about depending on the age of your kids, health advice for travelling, and our favourite; survival tips for travelling with a toddler.

Aside from the inevitable practical considerations though, the book is packed with inspiration for your tip.

It is THIS that sets the book apart from other guides you could download off the internet tomorrow. Lonely Planet is known globally for their experiences of many different locations, and the inspiration this book provides for choosing unusual destinations means it comes into its own. Where else could you find a list of Top 10 Science Destinations or ideas for family wildlife holidays for your family alongside a list of places that tweens and teens would like to look at?

The travel list inspirations are the perfect way to explore what will work for your family from the comfort of your own home without getting too distracted by internet rabbit holes *oops look, something shiny*.

There are some fabulous stories of real life travel to excite you too; helping to see how some of the ideas actually work practically with a family.

5 tips for fuss free family holidays

Thanks to this book and a few experiences of our own – there are a few things that WE think will help you to have a great holiday with the kids:

Plan

Obviously this book comes in most handy here, think about what you want from the holiday, where you feel comfortable travelling, what advice is out there for travel currently from the UK government, and finally what you are happy to take in terms of time getting to your destination with the kids. Use this book, and other resources, to explore a few destinations and have a more detailed look at the ones that you like the look of the most.

Budget

Once you have decided on a few destinations, make sure you have a look at the budget you have for the holiday; remember to factor everything into it from food, to travel, to any new clothes you will need, or visas and passes you might have to buy. Cost up the different destinations, and you might find the budget decision makes the choice of location for you.

Talk

If the kids are old enough, involve them in the discussions about where you are thinking of going. Don’t forget they have an opinion on the holidays too. If you have them – call a family conference to chat about what the kids want from a holiday as well as yourselves. Imagine you are their age again – what did YOU want from your holidays?

Check

In the rush to book don’t forget to check your documentation before you go, and then when you do go, DON’T FORGET TO TAKE IT WITH YOU. Most importantly, if you are travelling with passports, make sure they are sufficiently in date for the country you are going to. Some require that there is at least 6 months on the passport before you are allowed to travel.

Enjoy

Finally, don’t get so stressed about the whole process that you forget that family holidays are meant to be fun.

Kick back and relax.

What did we think of the Family Travel Handbook: Overall 3.5/5

We loved the inspiration in this book – the practical considerations are helpful too, but it is hard to cater for all ages in one book. For younger children, there is so much to try and remember that I think Lonely Planet could probably have written a separate book on travel with babies and toddlers.

The book is small, so practical to take away with you too without too much difficulty; but it really is more a before, rather than a during. If you need a guide on your destination, there are plenty of pocket guides from Lonely Planet to choose from, with lots of ideas including some suitable for families.

The advice it gives will be invaluable to those planning their trips, regardless of destinations, and the inspiration to look for fuss free family holidays should help to come up with a few ideas for you as well.

The key criticism is that for larger families, and for those with smaller budgets, some of the ideas are likely to be aspirational due to budget constraints.

Have you read the book too? What did you think? Do let us know?

If you want some more ideas for activities around travel – do look here:

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See you soon,

Helen

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