Travel and motoring

Holidays

Family holiday dos and don’ts

Holidays will never be the same again, but summer doesn’t have to mean stress. Follow these simple rules for a family holiday you’ll all enjoy:

Do

• Book in advance the best family hotels and resorts get snapped up many months ahead.
• Think about what you’d all like to get out of your holiday before you book a ‘bargain break’ that turns out to be the holiday from hell – do you want activities that you can all take part in as a family? Do you want somewhere you can safely leave the kids while you go off and do your own thing for a few hours?
• Book somewhere with a swimming pool on site if possible, ideally an indoor as well as an outdoor pool if it’s in the UK – kids don’t need much else to keep them entertained.
• If you have a baby or young children, choose somewhere that has a babysitting service or can arrange for an experienced local babysitter or nanny to come in, so you can have some evenings out without the buggy and an overtired infant in tow.
• If you get on well with parents or in-laws, consider taking them with you on holiday to split the cost, get babysitting on tap and extra pairs of hands to help out with the kids.
• Holiday in the Mediterranean countries, where going out and eating out with kids is much easier and more relaxed than in the UK, so you’ll feel less stressed.
• Take the train instead of the plane. It’s easy to book train travel across Europe and although it costs more than dirt-cheap flights (London to Barcelona via Paris starts at about £160 including sleeper berth), it’s a far more interesting and relaxed way to travel with kids. Go to seat61.com to find out more.
• If you’re driving, make the journey part of your holiday. Plan in lots of stops for leg stretching, loo breaks, meals and snacks and throw in an overnight stay if it’s more than a six-hour drive.

Don't

• Don’t choose bed and breakfasts if you have a baby or young kids. You’ll have to stay in your room with them all night, every night.
• If you have little kids, don’t book anywhere that takes more than two hours to fly to. What with airport security checks adding to the inevitable delays, you’ll feel frazzled before you’ve even got on the plane. Plus, what you can take onto the plane is so limited that you won’t be able to pack enough distractions/ nappies/snacks and drinks to keep you going for longer than a couple of hours.
• Don’t pick somewhere hot in July and August if you have young tots. They won’t be able to go out in the sun and you’ll all feel hot and bothered.
• Don’t give cruises a wide berth. Believe it or not, they’re no longer all about posh pensioners but offer some of the best value family holidays around.