This is a guest post for fellow family travellers;)

It’s not the easiest thing to do – a family holiday is bound to be full of complications. After all, you hardly ever all agree on anything at home. Here are some of the biggest annoyances you’re bound to run into, and how you can avoid them.

 

Packing

 

Someone’s going to want to take too much. Somebody else won’t pack enough at all. It’s not going to be plain sailing getting the family to pack efficiently – and you can guarantee that you’re going to leave something behind. Just don’t do a Home Alone! There’s a plethora of tips online to help make at least this part of the holiday easier – consider making lists for each member of the family, so that they can tick things off when they’re in the case. Just make sure you don’t forget anything important at this stage.

 

Choosing the right destination

 

When it comes to choosing a place to visit, you’ll likely once again be at loggerheads. Everybody will ideally want something different from their holiday – the kids will be imagining an energetic resort packed full of things to do, whereas parents will want something a bit more laidback. Why not have both? There’s a huge range of holiday resorts and complexes worldwide that offer something for everyone, and you’ll want to make sure everyone gets to do something they want – CTI recommends active holidays for young children and teens, so make it exciting. Consider a destination that offers plenty of opportunities to explore.

 

Keeping the journey fun

 

Depending on how long the plane/car ride is to your destination – and how young your little ones are – there’s potential for them to get bored. Nobody wants to hear “are we there yet?” two hours before you arrive. If there are no movies to watch, consider bringing books, games and perhaps even a tablet with you. There are hundreds of apps that allow you to save movies and programmes for offline watching, so the time will literally fly by.

 

What will you eat?

 

Cuisine is always an important factor when it comes to holidaying – perhaps without you even realising. Nowadays it’s more likely you’ll be able to find anything you want to eat anywhere in the world, but you can’t be sure. Before you head off on your travels, have a brush up on the local cuisine and see what’s on offer where you’re staying. There’s nothing worse than when kids (and maybe adults) don’t like anything on the menu.

 

Finding activities for everyone

 

If you’re using these tips, you’ll have already considered this factor when choosing where to go. Wherever you are, you’re going to have to split your time up so that everybody gets to do something they want to. The little ones might moan over the fact you’re going on a boat trip, but why not book to head to the local waterpark the next day? Giving yourself time to relax whilst also dedicating days to keeping the kids occupied is incredibly important for a stress-free holiday, and so perhaps create an itinerary that works for everyone before you go.