One of the most under rated challenge of family travel? The constant nagging of worried family members back home. Before the trip: the discouragement not to go. During the trip: the endless contact via Whatsapp or email. After the trip: the usual “You got lucky nothing happened comment”. While in most cases your relatives want to “protect” you, they do this by recommending not to go or making up random facts as they go.
Many people including your worried family will not understand why you bother with all the hassle of going on a holiday especially with a young child in tow. They may also question your plans to travel to “less popular” destinations. Before our trips to Nepal & Sri Lanka, everyone seem to be overly concerned with safety and with cleanliness. “You are crazy, you will get robbed or kidnapped or…” we heard them all. As it turn out both countries are overall safer and cleaner than where we originally came from! Indonesia.
At the end of the day it is your journey, not theirs. Even if your family may not always agree with your holiday plans, here are 5 ways to reassure your worried family:
1. Before your trip, break the news to your family calmly
Do not get into an argument and do not be defensive. Remember that they only have your best interest at heart. Parents naturally have a tendency to protect you from the unknowns and uncertainties that come with visiting foreign places.
2. Tell your family that you got the all OK from your GP
Prior to booking a holiday destination, go to your family GP to check if there is a specific health concern and if additional vaccination is required for the country you are visiting. For example, when visiting Nepal our GP confirmed there are no specific concerns (since we are not going on a mountain trek) and there is no additional vaccination required for our then 2.5 year old son. As parents you would never put your child’s health at risk for the sake of travelling.
3. Show them the amount of research you have done
Explain to them what your interests are in your chosen holiday destination. This is to show that you’re not planning anything crazy. When they see you have a wealth of information and enthusiasm, they may understand just a little bit more.
4. Give them your detailed itinerary
Email your final itinerary to your family so they will know exactly where you will be at any given time. This includes flights and accommodation details.
5. Promise your family that you will keep them updated during the holiday
Wi-Fi is readily available just about anywhere so there is no excuse to not be in touch while you’re away. Update your family every few days and send them happy photos. On the other hand there is no need to keeping in touch every few hours. Our parents usually want none of our travel photos, just our son’s!
For us, having previous travel experience as a couple definitely helps. Our family knows that we are travel savvy and trust we will travel with our child’s best interest in mind.
