1. Different expectations
Make sure everyone
knows what type of holiday they are going on. As soon as you
mention to the children about your family holiday, which can be
weeks or months away, their minds will be starting to plan what
‘their’ holiday is going to be like. By the time you are ready
to book the accommodation they will have planned what they are
going to take and what they are going to do and you can rest
assured that it will be one hundred percent the exact opposite
to what you have already decided. That is why when planning your
holiday you need to get the kids involved from the outset,
making sure all members of the family know what type of holiday
this is going to be. While most children don’t mind if it
differs slightly from what they imagined, they can totally ruin
a perfectly good holiday if it’s nothing like what they
expected.
2. When what you want to do
isn’t what the kids want to do!
Taking time out
before you leave to explain where you are going and what you
expect to see and do on the trip can help the family to sort out
some of those difficult situations where the adults’ wants are
going to greatly differ from those of the children.
If Aunty Betty is
on the list of people that you just have to visit and you know
that it will entail two hours of total boredom for the children,
plan ahead and involve the children. A small bag of toys, books
or a quiet DVD might be all it takes for you to enjoy your visit
and the kids to leave you adults alone to catch up!
3. Yuk,
I don’t like that!
One enjoyable part
of most holidays is when the family goes out for a meal. It’s a
great time for the head chef in the family to relax and let
someone else do all the work! However, nothing is more likely to
upset the applecart than being stuck at a restaurant with
children who refuse to eat the food the waiter has just put in
front of them, especially when you still have to pay the bill at
the end of the meal.
Forward
planning is a must here. If possible, check out the restaurant
before you arrive to make sure that it has food on the menu that
you know your children will eat. If this is not possible and
you find yourself faced with a menu that offers nothing the
child will eat, have a quiet word with the waiter and see if you
can get something simple made for your child. As a last resort,
if you have a really fussy eater, pack a small snack so at least
they won’t be starving until you get home. Oh, and two hours
sitting enjoying a nice wine, while your children sit there like
perfect angels? That only happens in the movies. Children are
remarkably effective at eating dinner and dessert in a flash
—
and you’re wondering why you’re leaving and you haven’t even
touched your wine yet!
4. Ants
in their pants
One of the worst
possible times of any trip, I feel, is that moment when you
first arrive at the airport or pile the kids into the car at the
beginning of the holiday. Parents tend to be somewhat worn out
by all those things we have to do just to get us out the door,
while the kids tend to try and unpack, repack, get themselves
dirty and just about anything else you can think of which will
add another five minutes to getting out that door and starting
the holiday.
It’s because they
are excited and they just can’t help themselves. The best thing
here is to take the advice of one very experienced grandmother I
know. She said that you can either join them or fight it, but
it’s much more fun to do the first and not the latter!
Holidaying is about fun and perhaps the kids have the best
approach here. Why not get excited about it – maybe it will be
us they will be telling to tone it down!
5. If
it’s going to go wrong, it will!
Emergencies from
medical problems to flat tyres do happen and they will always
come at the least convenient time. So having a few tricks up
your sleeves helps; you may never have to use them – but when
you do, they are a life saver.
Make sure someone
knows where you are going and give them locations, contact phone
numbers and dates you expect to arrive at each destination. Then
if something goes wrong while you’re away you can be contacted
and may be able to sort out the problem with a quick phone call.
One holiday, when it was extremely hot, we left for a two-week
holiday only to get a phone call from our neighbours asking if
someone was staying. When we asked why they said our French
doors were wide open. Oops!
Having travel
insurance that covers all members of the family is a must if
overseas, as is a credit card that isn’t loaded to its maximum
and a membership to some form of roadside assistance scheme.
You may never need them, but when you do – they are worth every
cent!
