Going on a family vacation is a fun thing for sure. It could be fun more than you could imagine. You could go to all the places each one wants to go and bond a little more and bask in the glory of familial love. But when planning a trip with your family there is a lot that needs to be taken care of before you hit the road. There are a lot of risks that you should prepare yourself for beforehand.
Here are ten tips for vacation travelling with family that could possibly make your like a lot more easier and your vacation way more fun.
Related read: Guide To Applying Schengen Visa From Pakistan
1. Look For Discounts
Everybody looks for discounts, but what you need to be careful of is frauds. You might book a discount offer sitting in your home country and once you reach your destination, there is nothing. And you are stranded in a new place where you know no nobody. You must be very careful about the security of your family and yourself. There are a lot of discounts that travelling agencies can help you with. So only consult the most reliable one.
2. First Aid Kit
Wherever you plan to go, keep a first aid kit in your handy bag. Because small injuries can happen anywhere and with kids, you can’t take a risk. Not just injuries, keep the prescribed medicines in the kit if you are dealing with some medical condition. Never take a risk with your health while on vacation, otherwise what’s the fun?
3. Regular Check-up
Before setting out on a vacation have a thorough medical check-up. If you have medical conditions like Diabetes, Arthritis etc. consult a doctor and take all the precautions while on a vacation. And if you have kids joining you, you need to be more careful. If they have any particular allergies, be very cautious about them.
4. Travel Insurance
Vacationing or no vacationing, always take care of travel insurance. It takes of accidental cancellation of your plans like bad weather, death or even sudden illnesses. It also covers medical expenses, lost luggage and stuff like that while you are travelling. Travel insurance can be arranged when you book a trip. And it is really important that you get a travel insurance while travelling with family, especially if you have kids with you. Because with kids anything could happen. And if in a different country, you know you really need it.
Related read: 6 Important Dos and Don’ts of Travel Insurance Plans
5. Weigh Your Options
Always weigh all your options about what place to go, what city, what country, where you would stay, for how long can you afford to stay, what places you can afford to see and what could you possibly do on the vacation. Always consider your safety and make plans accordingly. If you go to places like Greece, Spain etc. Prepare yourself for that or if you are a bunch of grown ups in the family and going for vacation to a place like New Zealand, where there is all about different fun sports, prepare for that. Know where you really wanna go.
6. Prepare For Everything Accordingly
Like mentioned before, prepare everything according to the place you plan to go for vacationing. In preparing comes planning everything according to the budget, book everything beforehand, taking care of travel insurance etc.
7. Set the Budget
Set the budget for your trip and then calculate an estimate of all your expenses. This will not let you get embarrassed by running short on money at any point while on the vacation. And it will also stop all your family members ending up heartbroken because they can’t enjoy a certain thing on their family vacation.
8. Packing
This goes without saying, packing is an essential part of any vacation, the types of clothes you pack, the accessories you take, the shoes, the extra money etc. This is also a part of being well prepared for the vacation because you don’t want any hitches in your plan, or do you? So pack properly too. Don’t just shove clothes in a duffle bag. Take what you need and leave what you don’t need, why carry the extra weight? Put everything according to the place that you are going to visit, if it is a cold place, you got to keep warm clothes etc. and vice versa.
9. Itinerary
You must have an itinerary for your vacation, especially if you are going on a road trip with your family because you don’t want to get lost or stop every now and then ask for the right route from the locals. Even if it is not a road trip, you should know where you want to stay first, where then, and then as it goes. You don’t want to get lost in a strange country and get robbed.
10. Places to go
Once you have decided the location of your vacation, you must also plan what are all the exciting places you wanna experience in that country or city. Don’t take risks that you aren’t prepared for. You are a visitor and anybody can fool you to do anything. Do your homework before boarding the plane.
Related read: Top 5 Holiday Destinations for Pakistanis You Might Have Overlooked
11: Restriction
Last and the most importantly, you need to keep in mind all the things you must not do on a vacation. Because you need to come and bring your family back home unscathed and alive. Don’t take risks that you are not prepared for or things that requires training and you aren’t trained for it. Apart from that, be mindful of the health of your family members. All allergies, diseases, and health reservations must be taken into account. Be very careful!
Conclusion
It all comes down to one thing i.e planning. Plan ahead of time for everything. It is understandable that you are human and you can’t possibly be 100% secure, but cover as much as you can i.e. budget, tickets, insurance, packing, just everything to enjoy as much as you can.
