How to Make Travelling Easier for all the Family

Traveling with your whole family for the first time can be quite an overwhelming prospect. Whether you’re travelling with your children, parents or friends, there are certainly ways to make the drive more comfortable and enjoyable.

Being prepared and knowing what you’re getting yourself into are really important things to do to ensure that your family adventure runs as smoothly as possible; but there are a few other steps you can take to make your trip a good experience.

So here are some ways to make travelling with the family easier and more enjoyable:

Don’t Overpack: Families have a tendency to pack everything kids use at home. However, at the end of a long day of travelling, there is a good chance you will end up carrying a child or pushing a buggy, so you certainly don’t want to be carrying huge amounts of luggage, too.

Take it Slow and Leave with Plenty of Time: You can’t expect a rapid journey when travelling with little ones or a large group. In fact, the more people you travel with, quite often the slower the journey will be. You should make a plan of your journey and schedule stops for people to use the bathroom within your plan.

Break up the drive: If you’re embarking on a family road trip, why not take pit stops to explore a few towns and villages on route? Stretch your legs and go for a wander to make travel time feel shorter and tick extra places off your bucket list.

Utilize everyone’s talents: If you have someone within your group who’s got great navigational skills, have them read the maps. If you have someone who’s confident asking for directions, share the load and have everyone join in and help get you to your destination.

Ensure you have a reliable and comfortable car: Are you driving or flying? Perhaps you need to hire a car to get yourselves to the airport, or maybe you’re journeying into Europe by car. Maybe there are special requirements you need to account for, such as an elderly or disabled relative. Allied Mobility provide vehicles (to hire or buy) suitable for wheelchairs which could make a huge difference to your journey. If you have a relative who uses a wheelchair or the Grandparents are coming along, you’ll really benefit from an appropriate car. 

Use your tablets: Now, here’s a time where technology can be really useful. Download movies, podcasts and music to keep everyone happy and occupied. If you’re going abroad, then you could look into the best torrenting sites or get a VPN, so that you can still watch your favourite shows. With children, this can be really helpful.

Pre-Book everything possible: Of course, you have your flights booked for your trip, but your pre-booking shouldn’t end there. You might be used to arriving at a destination, getting a feel for the city and spontaneously picking a place to stay. This doesn’t work with larger groups! When you arrive in a new place, you’ll want to drop your cases of right away and give everyone a chance to rest if necessary. Pre-booking doesn’t end with flights and accommodation, either. Anything from restaurants to day outs that you can book ahead of time is one less thing you have to worry about.

Ask for everyone’s ideas: It’s a really good idea to ask individuals what they would like to get out of the trip. If the kids want to go to a water park but Grandma wants to visit a medieval castle, you can create a plan and dedicate a day for each relative.

It can be really hard to cater for everyone’s needs on holiday, but take on board these handy tips and you’ll have a stress free travel experience.

*collaborative post