Here are our top tips for surviving (and enjoying!) family holidays whilst travelling with tots. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin...
Routine, Routine, Routine
Your young one's routine is key to the holiday happiness of everyone concerned. We can recommend the hotels that really understand your needs, be that with restaurants serving meals at times when toddlers tend to eat, or with family-friendly pool opening hours. Some hotels even have entertainers in the restaurant so mum and dad can snatch five minutes of grown-up conversation.
Unhidden Charges
There may be additional charges for babysitting and/or creches, but we will always give you the heads up on any additional costs. File these firmly in the 'money well spent' category!
Aces of Clubs
Most kids' clubs only take childen from the age of four, but while we're absolutely not advocates of depositing children for the duration of a holiday, some are excellent and take little ones from a younger age. Exhausted parents who have been under the pump (sometimes quite literally) for months can then enjoy some well-earned downtime.
In Flight Entertainment
If you follow a few simple rules (see A Parent's Survival Manual to Flying with Infants) travelling with pre-schoolers on planes can - and should - be painless. The key requirement is not necessarily short flights (although that reduces the risk of a meltdown) but direct flights to minimise the faff factor.
Time Travellers
Make the most of those precious pre-nursery years when you can travel with children outside of regimented school holiday dates, and avoid the corresponding hike in accomodation and flight prices. On the subject of flights, under-twos also benefit from significantly reduced airline ticket prices.
As your children get older the possibilities for adventure broaden exponentially. But, for now, we appreciate there are very precise criteria for young families, and our team of expert destination consultants are here to help demystify the places that will fulfil your most demanding requirements.
