Follow these top tips for a hassle free holiday with your family’s BFFs.
Recently my husband and I decided to take the plunge with a couple who are close friends of ours – we booked a holiday together with our children. Before then we’d had plenty of dinners, BBQs and play dates but I can safely say we all became increasingly nervous about what seemed like a good idea at the time of booking. The good news is we are safely home and all still great friends.
Here are my top tips to make sure you don’t need to book different airlines on the return trip.
Tip 1: Stay close but not too close
This depends on how private you are but if your kids are as unpredictable as our two-year old, your own space on flights, at the hotel and in the breakfast buffet is probably for the best. We had adjoining rooms right next to each other so we could have a cocktail on the balcony and shoot the breeze during nap times and hatch plans for the evening but retreat inside for momentary meltdowns and colouring crisis’.
Let’s face it, flying with kids (even with all the stickers in the world) can be hairy so I would suggest separate check-ins are a good idea. And don’t feel that because you are travelling together you need to have every meal together. Just to go breakfast when your family has pants on and make your plans for the day later – relax, you are on holidays after all.
Tip 2: Pool Villas – Pool Villas – Pool Villas
We decided to go to Phuket for a few reasons, but the main two were luxury-for-less and that kind of ‘no rules’ atmosphere that knits well with two-year olds. On nights when we just wanted to go for a swim but the kids were passed out before we could get them mobile, our Pool Villa became king.
We patted ourselves on the back and thanked each other for going the extra mile and booking a private pool villa. As fun as kids are, nothing says holiday like a cocktail by the pool with no-one trying to stick their fingers in it but you. All I’ll say about the hangover is that it’s another great way to bond with your travelling family.
Tip 3: Baby-sitters club
Kids clubs are great but they don’t work nights and getting a babysitter in our room wasn’t for us. One of the best nights of our family holiday was when we left the kids with our friends and went on a date night.
An adults dinner with no-one else to feed except each other and the little things like small bags, tuk-tuks and focused market shopping was an awesome break that we don’t get often (even at home). And conversely when it’s your turn to babysit the kids have so much fun together you will be a happier parent for both your time away and your time with them.
Tip 4: Take family time-out
As great as it is to have another set of parents who understand your struggles, take time to create your own special family moments. No matter how much energy they have, kids burn bright and go to a very dark place when they are tired.
For example, after many fun-filled days in the pool our two-year-olds were fighting over who sang “Let it go” better and had to be physically torn apart whilst trying to sing over the top of each other… at this point we decided it was time to give them a little break and have our own family dinners. It only took one evening for them to go back to being best friends again – Frozen crisis averted.
Tip 5: Don’t let the schedule rule
Don’t worry when your children are getting nasty tired. Just think that after they crash and burn you are free to make all the calls again. When little Stevie fell asleep at 6pm one night we didn’t stay locked down. We wheeled her out in our travel stroller – set to snooze – and enjoyed dinner at a local seafood restaurant. By the time dinner was finished we had two angelic sleeping girls and two sleeping baby boys in carriers (had I not mentioned them yet? – angels)….. so we went for a foot massage. Kids asleep on the parlor couches, the four of us were the only parents in the place at 10pm! It was relaxing, quiet and the photos you can get of your child passed out in a Phuket nail parlor are hilarious. Then we wheeled everyone home none the wiser.
It does sound like my best holiday memories were when the kids were asleep, but these were only small parts of the holiday that kept us sane. There was plenty of pool-time, adventures, exploring and eating together both as our family and as a group that made our holiday complete. Everyone knows to do them but don’t forget it’s a holiday for everyone in the family – make sure you make it work for you too.
