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Organizing a family holiday can be like planning a military operation: unless you’re careful, there are a number of logistical bombshells that can quickly send you ballistic—especially if you’re traveling with a short-tempered squadron of kids.
As commanding officer (we’ll stop soon, we promise) of your own personal army, however, it’s your job to strike the right balance between family fun and relaxation, making sure your troops and your kit make it to your holiday HQ in one piece.
But how?
You’ll be glad to know that arranging your next family holiday can actually be relatively stress-free if you follow our three tips below …
- Pre-book airport parking
Rather than passing out with stress before your holiday has even kicked off, save your blood pressure and your family’s ears by pre-booking your airport parking. Wherever you’re flying from in the US use Looking4.com to find the best deal on a spot at your nearest airport.
If you want to relax entirely, opt for a meet and greet service. This means a professional driver will meet you at the terminal to take your car to its parking spot. Upon your return, simply call the driver and they’ll deliver it back to where you dropped it off. Easy!
- Take a snap of your documents
There’s always a rush to get to the airport, especially when you have kids in tow. Consequently, there’s a real danger of forgetting important documents, like your passport or itinerary, for example.
That’s why we recommend using the camera on your smartphone to take a snap of your documents before you leave. This way you’ll at least have evidence of document numbers etc, which should help if you do happen to misplace the hard copies.
- Use ATMs once you get to your location
It’s no secret that most folk will make an effort to convert their holiday dollars before they leave, as opposed to using the money convertor at the airport, which generally offers a very poor exchange rate.
If you’ve forgotten to convert cash, however, it’s best to use ATMs at your location to withdraw the local currency. Generally, you’ll get a better exchange rate than at the airport—but be sure to check with your bank before you go as some providers may block your card if used in unfamiliar locations.
- Lose the iPads and other technology
When your kid is losing the plot over their water being too wet or the sky being too blue (or some other non-issue), the temptation is to assuage their weird mood by plonking a tablet in front of them.
But this isn’t always a good idea on holiday.
After all, your time away should be used as an opportunity to reconnect as a family, so try to keep technology to a minimum. Encourage your kids to ask questions about the local culture and food or spend time simply having fun together in the pool.
What do you think?
What are your top tips for a perfect family getaway? Let us know in the comments below—we’d love to hear from you.