How to travel as a big family?
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Traveling is a great way for families to spend time together away from the stresses and distractions of home life. It’s a chance to build memories together and see more of the world in the safety of your family unit. However, if you have a large household, or like to travel with your extended family, things can get tricky. Travel can be expensive for larger-than-average families, and you may even find that your accommodation options are more limited. Here are some smart tips for traveling as a big family, so that you don’t have to miss out on fantastic experiences.
Choose family-friendly accommodation
Try to consider all of your family’s needs when looking for accommodation. If your children are older, you’ll want something with plenty of activities for them to enjoy, and perhaps a lot to do in the surrounding area. If you have younger children, you might need accommodation that provides things like cribs and highchairs. As well as hotels, consider things like caravan sites and holiday parks, which are very family-friendly and safe.
Make sure everyone has space
If you have older teens or are traveling with extended family, you should also make sure everyone has space and a little privacy. This could mean staying close, but not together, or just making sure older teens aren’t sharing a room.
Explore transport options and book in advance
After accommodation, travel is the most expensive and most difficult element of large family travel. You may struggle to get seats together, and tickets can be very expensive. Take some time to explore your options, looking at things like hiring a minibus as well as flights and trains, and compare prices after learning how to find the best deals on flights.
As soon as you find a good deal, make sure you book. This can save you money but also guarantees that you get seats together, which will be more difficult to find the longer you leave it.
Pack sensibly
More people typically mean more luggage, which can be expensive, and hard to transport. Try to pack light as much as possible and use bags that even young children can help to carry, like backpacks as well as large cases.
Prioritize safety
When traveling with children, safety should always be your priority. Check reviews of accommodation with safety in mind and consider things like Airtags or contact detail wristbands. Make sure all of the children in your party know your names, where you are staying and your contact number by heart, and that you have a set meeting place both at your accommodation and at any attraction you visit.
Create an itinerary
Unless you are taking an extended trip, you may not have time to do everything that everyone wants to do. Creating an itinerary gives everyone a say, minimizes boredom, and helps you to organize your time. It can also mean that you get a chance to book in advance, which could help you to save money.
Give everyone a chance to contribute
Try to find activities and attractions that everyone in your party wants to do, to save money and time but make sure everyone gets a say. Work on compromises but try to make sure everyone in your party has time to do the thing that they want to do the most.
Plan some down time
Vacations with lots of people can quickly become hectic. Make sure the day after a busy one is spent relaxing by the pool or exploring close to your accommodation. If this isn’t always possible, make sure you have at least afternoons or mornings free to relax and rest up.
Large families can enjoy fantastic trips and see more of the world together. The fact that there is more of you certainly doesn’t have to mean that you miss out, but it might mean that you have to plan things more carefully.