Planning a vacation for yourself can be quite easy: select your destination, find accommodation and book the flight. However planning a family holiday can be much harder and often much more expensive.
Where to go? What kind of accommodation to look for? How is the baby going to behave during the flight? Is my teenage son or daughter going to enjoy themselves? Can we do a road trip with a toddler in the car? These are just a few questions that pop to people’s mind when planning a family vacation. If you are in this kind of situation yourself, here are a few tips that will help you get a better hold of it:
Accommodation: arrange a home swap
Home swapping has become increasingly popular and is an ideal choice for families. Often the biggest costs on a vacation goes on accommodation and this even more so when arranging a family vacation. However by arranging a home swap you can totally cut out these costs and enjoy totally free accommodation. What’s more, by arranging a home swap you’ll be staying in a real home with all the space and amenities that a real home has to offer. One tip is to arrange to try and exchange homes with another family that have children of a similar age – in doing so your home swap home is likely to be kitted up for your needs (toys for the children, a cot for the baby, etc). Some people also agree to exchange cars as part of the swap, this can be a very convenient way for you to explore the local attractions with your family. Check out the home exchange vacation offers on Home Base Holidays to find a perfect exchange offer for you and your family.
Think activities
When traveling with kids, you should think less in terms of things you want to see, and more in terms of things your young ones will do. Activity oriented kids with bundles of energy need something to keep them entertained – a bored kid can make for a stressful holiday! Some ideas that might keep your little ones interested include amusement parks, beach activities, science oriented museums, etc.
Pick the destination
When picking the destination for your next family vacation, make a list of the things your young ones might enjoy there. Some travel destinations are more child friendly than others. In Barcelona, for instance, you can find a whole range of activities for kids: from beach games to visiting theme parks, and museums. Many museums have exhibitions especially geared up for young minds (such as the Museum of Ideas and Inventions in Barcelona).
Although known as the most romantic destination, Paris is also a great choice for family vacations. Of course there’s Euro Disneyland and also a trip up the Eiffel Tower is bound to be a thrill for slightly older children.
Road tripping
For the adventurous a family road trip can make for great memories. However remember that kids can often get a little… erm… crabby… when travelling for many hours. It’s often best to try and plan shorter trips and make sure to include lots of stops at attractions that will be of interest to the kids.
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Home Base Holidays: travel the home exchange way
Home Base Holidays is a home exchange vacation website with thousands of swap offers worldwide. Find your perfect family home swap through Home Base Holidays so that you can enjoy totally free accommodation (www.homebase-hols.com)
