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Mothers instinctively know when the time is right to let their children do something new, and this applies to travelling as much as, say, moving from cot to bed or starting playgroup.
You know your child better than anyone and what their strengths and limitations are; so be guided and trust your instincts.
Whether you're looking to take the family to an island in the Far East or a musical in the West End, our travel partners takethefamily offer exciting ideas, terrific value and good old-fashioned human advice.
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| Part of the appeal of travel is that it is exciting because life is different and perhaps a little out of control, but the secret of pleasurable travel with children is to ensure you are within your limits of coping .with a little help from us.
" I think the 'tip' that comes to mind first, is less a tip and more an on-going question: how do you set the balance between risk on one hand and adventure, excitement and development of self confidence and self reliance on the other. At the end of the day it's all down to perceptions.
Many years ago I remember a little French girl maybe 3 or 4 travelling overland across the Sahara with her parents. Fair and white skinned, she was the focus of attention in all the tiny sub-Saharan villages of Niger that we visited together. She would often disappear off playing with village children, going into their huts, eating their food and mixing and sharing as small children do.
Her parents didn't object and as far as I could ever tell, village adults looked out for her every bit as much as they would their own children and probably more - aware that there were hidden risks for her that their own children knew well. I've often felt since that the risks were quite high by western standards - many people would have considered the parents foolhardy or irresponsible - but what a huge reward of experience that child will have grown up with. She will be almost 30 now and I'd love to hear what she remembers and if and how it changed her life.
I admire the courage of those parents".
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| What Sort of Holiday or Break?
We've thought of a few things for you to think about when choosing particular types of family holidays: |
| City breaks, or even longer holidays in cities, can be highly enjoyable for the whole family if planned carefully. In addition to ‘typical' tourist attractions like museums, monuments and parks, it's worth bearing in mind that cities are also home to children and therefore will almost certainly have a wide range of facilities to offer your family.
Getting there there are very frequent flights to European cities (and New York) from most UK airports. Increasingly there will be a choice of airport at the destination. Lower cost fares from the ‘no-frills' airlines are sometimes attributable to using airports up to two hours transfer from the desired city. So think carefully about the hassle involved with a longer transfer before opting for what may be an otherwise less expensive alternative.
Consider the train if you're visiting Paris or Brussels (or even Bruges) and live in London or Kent then Eurostar is both faster and significantly more ‘family friendly'. |
| | From the airport - Generally public transport is fast, reliable and inexpensive in European capitals and getting to your accommodation centre should be easier than it would for a family visiting London. Many European cities offer a multi-day family transportation pass which can prove highly cost effective.
Where to stay - Most European cities are compact, especially compared to London, and many have extensive pedestrianised street sections. And, at weekends, hotel prices can be reasonable. It's worth finding accommodation as close to the centre as possible if your children are young. On the other hand, with older kids and for those on smaller budgets staying on the outskirts and commuting can work fine too. |
| Hotels or apartments - Choose carefully between staying in hotel and apartments. Hotels can rarely guarantee interconnecting rooms and opting for a larger family room is a big evening constraint (unless the hotel can offer baby listening services or it's small enough for your monitor to work). Nevertheless, hotels often have a range of facilities that you would not necessarily find with self catering accommodation. Swimming pools, for example, are a great way to finish off a day of sightseeing or make up for rain. By contrast, self catering is often less expensive, apartments are becoming increasingly hotel-like with similar facilities, and you're likely to have both a kitchen (or kitchen area) and living area.
Itinerary jam packed city breaks with children can be exhausting for everyone. Limit your plans to a couple of attractions a day and combine a morning in a museum with an afternoon in a park.
Getting around - Many European cities offer a multi-day family transportation pass which can prove highly cost effective. If you have young children consider taking either a lightweight stroller or even just a carrier or sling. Busy streets and public transportation are not on the X-mas card list of a large and heavy pram.
A good compromise - Consider combining a few days in a city with others visiting or staying at a theme park. Barcelona and Universal Mediterranea, Paris and Disneyland or even a weekend in Copenhagen with an afternoon spent at Tivoli are good examples.
Learn what's going on - Invariably a wide variety of events are likely to be taking place in the city you have chosen to visit. It's worth investing the time and energy to find out what's going on and when. You'll find links from within our city guides to upcoming events.
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| Long Haul
If you plan to travel beyond Europe think about the length of the journey and jet-lag. Toddlers and young children can find long flights difficult and try our patience. Most scheduled airlines now offer specially prepared food and entertainment for children, which increasingly include dedicated seat-back TV programmes. It's worth enquiring exactly what the airline does offer before making a final choice.
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| | If you are travelling with an infant under the age of two they will travel free or nearly free. However, if the flight is full you will be expected to juggle them on your lap for hours. If your budget allows and you are travelling during a peak period then it is worth considering the purchase of a ticket that actually comes with a seat!
Jet-lag tends to affect people more when arriving from the West (i.e. on your way back from North America or on your way to Asia). If you are planning a trip to the East Coast of the United States, and your schedule allows, consider taking a day time flight home. These generally leave at 9 in the morning and arrive in the UK at 9 in the evening.
Think carefully about travelling long-haul with younger children for durations of less than 10 or 14 days. By the time the family has recovered from the effects of jet lag it can be nearly time to come home again.
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| Skiing
Family skiing holiday differs in many ways from a pre-family skiing holiday. There's a lot to think about and you'll need to prepare carefully to ensure it's a successful one. Yet, if you choose the holiday that's got the right level of support for your family then skiing holidays can rival any other kind of family break.
The most important considerations include whether and to what extent to opt for some kind of childcare, whether to use an agency and/or operator to help organise the holiday...and, if so, which one(s), what type of accommodation and resort to choose and what to take:
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|  | Childcare can take many forms including formal programmes and bringing a nanny, au pair or 'non-skier' friend or relative. Even if you're not a 'fan' of holidays with childcare you may find your holiday compromised for all concerned unless your kids are looked after to a degree. Important considerations include language skills of carers, timing and flexibility of care, ratios of carers to kids and reputation of the company providing care. Note that 'care' is often provided by a ski school which is generally independently run from the operator making your arrangements.
If you're bringing your own care in the form of a nanny, au pair or relative then make sure you can find things to do - resorts with pools and other activities, ideally within walking distance of where you're staying, are important considerations. And work out in advance what your mutual expectations of each other are so there are no unfortunate surprises. |
| Agencies and/or operators - you'd be very brave to make all arrangements completely independently for your first family ski trip, especially since a ski holiday is more complicated than other types of holiday. If you know a resort well and visit frequently you may find it more cost effective to make your own arrangements. Remember, though, that operators negotiate discounts for buying rooms, ski passes etc. in bulk and will generally pass on some of that saving. They'll also employ one or more reps at the resort whose job is to ensure your holiday runs smoothly.
Agencies can help you choose the right operator. Since they earn a commission from the operator you won't normally pay more for seeking their assistance. But make sure you opt for an agency with knowledgeable staff who invest the time and energy to really understand your requirements.
Numerous tour operators offer ski programmes, ranging from the larger mainstream companies like Thomson's to smaller ski specialists. Operators who are highly regarded for their focus on families include Mark Warner, Esprit, Powder Byrne, Club Med, Meriski, Scott Dunn, Ski Famille and Simply Ski. Still others will focus on specific regions and may be a highly suitable option for your family.
Type of accommodation Hotels can be more expensive, but offer service and, usually, more facilities than self-catering choices. Apartments offer the benefit of a kitchen and living room for the evenings, but you're even less likely to want to cook and clean after a day's skiing then a day on the beach.
Another option for skiing is a chalet. Chalets vary substantially in size and quality though, generally, they'll accommodate 8-16 people (i.e. 2-4 families) and offer catering in the form of breakfast, dinner and 'afternoon' tea. Since you're not guaranteed to get on brilliantly with your fellow guests an option worth considering is to travel with friends and 'fill up' the whole chalet. Some chalets will offer childcare based at the chalet for younger kids and they may be equipped with toys and games.
Choice of resort - considerations here include transfer times from the airport (a long transfer can get a ski holiday off to an awful start), activities on offer in the resort like swimming pools, reputation of the resort's ski school and suitability of the slopes for the differing ability ranges of your family members.
Other tips - if you live near a dry ski slope it's worth paying a visit. If nothing else, your child(ren) will become familiar with the equipment they'll be using and get a feel for skiing. Take it easy on the trip - you're unlikely to be able to spend a full day skiing under any circumstances, so expect less and, hopefully, be pleasantly surprised. Get in shape!
Finally, don't be put off by the fact that there's a lot to think about. As long as you take the time to prepare properly your family can enjoy an amazing ski holiday.
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| Adventure Holidays
Adventure holidays mean different things to different people. Nowadays, your family can do pyramids and sphinxes, lions and tigers, whales and dolphins and even bungee jumping and white water rafting (although maybe not with toddlers). On every single continent.
You certainly need to spend more time preparing things to take and managing your children's expectations. Here are some things to think about: |  |
| Travelling with other families - most adventure holiday tour operators arrange these trips for small groups of 15-20 people, which means around 3-5 families. You'll need to be the kind of family that can get on with other families and do bear in mind that you'll share their company with few breaks for a week or two. You could, instead, dust off your old Lonely Planet and travel independently...but that probably won't suit most families.
Health and stamina - although the itineraries for family adventure holidays are less taxing than those catering just for adults, your family will need to be relatively fit and used to walking / excursions. Depending on where you travel you may also need a number of jabs beforehand. And you'll need to look after yourselves well in the heat. Hygiene standards may be lower than those to which you are accustomed. The combination of heat, physical exertion and poor hygiene can, minimally, require your family to take it easy for a day or two and opt out of planned excursions. |
|  | Culture shock - depending on where you go it may take a while to adjust to your new surroundings. Locals may take a strong interest in your children, albeit normally friendly, and you and the kids could find that unsettling at first. Cities, while fascinating, can be very crowded and noisy.
Accommodation standards - don't expect luxury on these trips. But do expect clean and comfortable rooms. They're perfectly fine as long as your not expecting to stay at the Ritz Carlton each night.
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