Tips for a stress-free family holiday

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Family holidays are wonderful, but there is no denying that the part that comes before you touch down in your destination has the possibility of being a little, shall we say, stressful?

Tears, tantrums, tiredness, feeling too excited, these are all easily featured in any travel day scenario, and while it’s not always possible to cut it out completely, there are ways to at least reduce the frequency or intensity of it! The key thing? Well, I guess it’s staying calm, and even though that can be difficult when you’re feeling just as tired and eager to get there as they are, remember that your little darlings will pick up on any frustration you’re feeling, and probably amplify it ten-fold! Calm is the way forward.

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If you have all eventualities covered, this calm feeling is going to be infinitely easier to manifest, and one of the best ways to do this is to make sure you have organised adequate travel insurance cover well ahead of time. There are lots of different types of cover, so it’s worthwhile picking the best one for you. For example, do you plan on going away more than once? If so, then an annual multi-trip policy could be the way forward. Always check restrictions and limitations, but overall, the feeling of comfort, knowing you’re covered for all eventualities, will certainly go a long way to helping you feel calm and serene during that travel day!

Being organised is another way to stop you feeling out of control, which certainly does nothing to reduce stress. Being organised can take many forms, but I always find double checking all travel plans is the best way to do this, and then print out all your confirmations, keeping them in the order you’re going to need them in your hand luggage bag. You can never be too organised!

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Once you’re at the airport, it’s really a case of distraction techniques to help pass the time. Travel has been made infinitely easier by the invention of iPads, Kindles and other tablets, so always make sure yours is well charged up, and full of games and movies to keep everyone occupied. I’d personally keep this side of things for the flight itself, because at least in the airport you can distract them in other ways, such as looking at the planes taking off, going for a sit down meal in a restaurant, having a wander around the shops. Once you’re on the plane, if you can get them to sleep, that’s great, however if not, whip out the iPad and find some earphones!

To some degree, there is no way around travel day stress, but if you can lower it at least a little, you can start to look forward to touch down at your resort much quicker.