Family travel offers kids a chance to explore their interests and learn different cultures – not to mention have loads of fun! Good planning will make holidays even more enjoyable. But where do you start? Is it going to be cheap or expensive? What to see? How will you get around? Will it be boring for the little ones?
Don’t be overwhelmed especially if you haven’t done it before and you don’t know where to start. Here is our Easy step by step guide on How to Plan your Family Travel
Decide where to go
Pick a destination or cities from your family travel bucket list. For first time family travellers, we recommend choosing a holiday destination that is reachable by a direct flight. Some places are more family friendly than others. Don’t pick a destination so challenging that it will discourage you from ever travelling again. Consider sights, activities, change rooms, general hygiene, access to medics and ease of commute.
Know your costs and budget
Travelling doesn’t have to be expensive. Travelling with a toddler almost doesn’t cost anything extra. Create a realistic budget for a comfortable family holiday. Knowing the costs of your accommodation and entrance fees for sights allows you to estimate how much money you will need to set aside for foods and other daily contingencies.
Go during low or shoulder season. This might be harder to schedule especially with work and school holidays. But if you can, you will save THOUSANDS of dollars in flight tickets and accommodation. Remember that there are many ways to save money during a family holiday.
Start saving money before the trip
Stop or limit recurring expenses you can easily give up. Small purchases that you make daily may not seem much but over the course of a month it adds up! This include money spent on snacks, clothes, home phone line, pay TV subscriptions, movies, dining out and coffee. Hmmm maybe not coffee, parenting is challenging enough with coffee! Check our other money saving tips here.
Decide the length of your family holiday
How long can you take time off work? Set a realistic duration that allows you all to cover your bucket list while still feeling like you are on a holiday (and not on a boot camp). Don’t spend valuable family travel time inside a bus moving town to town.
With limited holiday time, by all means get the most value out of it. But trying to cover too much and moving too many hotels will do the exact opposite. When travelling far from home, remember to allow time to recover from likely jet lag and consider adding a “rest” day for your children towards the end of a trip.
Purchase your plane tickets!
Subscribe to airline email newsletters, visit travel expos and use websites like Skyscanner to get the best deals. Best deals are usually found more than 6 months in advance. Once the tickets are purchased your family travel plans becomes more clear and definite, which also make planning a lot easier.
Book accommodation
We prefer to make reservations via Booking.com primarily because of their Free cancellation policy. It is very useful especially when you are still only planning and haven’t quite finalise your holiday plans or even got your holiday leave approved. You can lock in hotel rates in advance. Plus if your plans changes or you find better deal closer to your travel date you have the flexibility to cancel and make changes.
Also check out apartment rentals if you prefer a more spacious accommodation with kitchen facilities. We had good experience Airbnb in Frankfurt but overall still prefer to stay in a hotel. Check out our Six steps choosing accommodation for family travel article.
Planning your itinerary
Do this a few months before your travel date. Make sure that everyone is on the same page about what type of holiday it is going to be by planning together. Take into consideration your child’s interests when making the itinerary.
List down all the attractions and sights you want to cover then group them according to their location. Focus on one part of the town each day to minimise time wasted in transit.
Organise visas & passport renewal if needed
Make sure your passports are not within 6 months of expiry and you have enough blank pages for immigration stamps. You won’t want to fly to your destination just to be sent back home. For Australians, check out your visa requirements online at Smarttraveller.gov.au
Start packing
During your family travels, do you go around with unusually large suitcases? Going through airports, moving between hotels with rock heavy bags, overloaded hand carries and backpacks while at the same time trying to stop your little ones from running away is not a fun way to travel.
Yes, there are children in other countries too! Even if you forget to bring one or two little things you can just purchase them at the destination. It will not be the end of the world. Check out our packing list section and best packing tips.
Buy travel insurance
Travel insurance is much more than just a cover for medical emergencies. It covers you for flight cancellations, missing luggage, stolen belonging and other things. For only a few dollars a day, it is absolutely worth it for your peace of mind.
Tell your bank
Let your credit card companies know you will be overseas. Give them your travel dates so that any overseas transactions you make won’t be blocked.
Scan & email your documents
Scan your passports, driver licence, your children’s birth certificate, visa, travel insurance and any other important documents and have it sent to your email. If needed, they can be accessed when you are overseas.
Final step: Have a great time!
The memories you create and the quality time with your family is priceless. Live in the moment, put down your smartphone, experience new things and get out of your comfort zone. Your family will have a great trip.
The more you travel as a family and the more planning you need to do, the better you will get. For us, travel planning can be just as fun as going on the trip itself. It keeps us excited and ready for our next adventure.
