Holiday tips that are actually useful
Going on holiday with children needn’t be stressful. If you’re prepared, organised and have a plan that can go a long way to helping create a stress free atmosphere in the run up to your holiday.
Having been on three family holidays abroad with my own children, and a few when I was growing up I have a number of ‘go to’ tips that I always use when getting holiday ready. We’ve also recently returned from Majorca so I thought I’d share my tips with you whilst they’re fresh in my mind! I hope they help and that you find them useful!
Invest in luggage scales
They needn’t be expensive ones! I bought one from my local pound shop, for, you guessed it, £1! On one of our family holidays I wrongly assumed that if our suitcase was a little on the heavy side, I could just pay extra at the check in desk. How wrong was I! I knew that it was over the weight limit, but thought that it’d be ok. I was told that I’d need to take some things out.
Sounds simple enough, but when you consider that I’d padlocked the case and then couldn’t find the right key quick enough whilst under pressure from the numerous families with young children huffing and puffing behind me, it was a pretty stressful experience!
This time around, I was prepared! Armed with my £1 luggage scales we managed to pack everything into three suitcases and zoomed through the whole check in process without any problems. The best £1 investment ever!
Invest in a pop up beach tent for kids
Our beach tent was an essential part of our holiday. It provided our girls with some much needed shade whilst on the beach, plus it a great place for them to eat their lunch without getting their food covered in sand! I will say though, that it’s important to do your research. Make sure the tent you buy has UV protection as a lot, mainly the cheaper versions, don’t have any UV protection at all. I think it’s also a good idea to practise folding the tent back up a few times before you head off on your holidays. They can be pretty tricky to fold back down and the last thing you’ll want is to do is leave your tent behind!
Picnic/Lunch
If you’re planning a day away from your hotel, perhaps the beach or an excursion ask your hotel reception staff if they can make you a packed lunch. Depending on what type of board basis your holiday is, you might not have to pay for this, as it may already be included in the price. Our hotel provided us with a lunch box which was pretty impressive. It included sandwiches, salad, fruit, snacks and drinks! It meant we didn’t have to worry about making our own food, or worse collecting food from the breakfast buffet and wrapping it up to take with us!
Bring a first aid kit
Yes, hotels do have their own first aid kits, but if you’re at the beach or away from the hotel, what are you going to do? Before you leave for your holiday, make sure your first aid is fully stocked up. I’m talking plasters, antiseptic wipes and creams, bandages, sting relief, tweezers, the works! You never know what you’ll need so it’s good to be prepared.
Entertainment
I like to bring some games from home with us. Not too many, maybe just a card game or a small travel game. It’s great for keeping kids entertained on the flight, but also good for in the hotel room too and you need to keep the kids entertained whilst you’re getting ready. Colouring books, crayons, stickers and small Lego sets are also great ideas!
So there we have it. Some of my most useful travel tips. What do you think? Do you have any of your own you’d like to add? Let me know in the comments below!
2 Comments
Laura Side Street
August 22, 2016 at 12:18 pm
These are really some fantastic tips!! I keep trying to remind myself to buy scales as it's so stressful not knowing if you are over the weight limit
Laura x
kerry norris
August 22, 2016 at 12:24 pm
The luggage scales are a great tip. I've been caught out before and it cost us a fortune. Great tips x