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Sure, holidays are fun and all that, but those that you take together with your family can be overly stressful. Some people get into a row about something, others get sulky when they don’t get to do everything they wanted to, while the youngest complain about being bored when you just really want a relaxing day in.
Luckily, it doesn’t have to be like this as long as you’ve taken a few simple precautions. Here is a handful of tips to make your big family holidays a lot more pleasant so that you can start to look forward to the next one already.
First: Do the planning early on
There are two sides to planning a holiday in advance, and you know better than anyone if this is the best solution for your family. One point to planning it a month or two in advance is that you will get a better offer on flights as well as accommodation.
This can have a lot to say for your stress levels the days before you leave; when you know that everything is booked and taken care of, it will be a bit easier to put up with each other.
One problem to this is that some family members may build expectations that are a bit too high. You know who this is if you have someone in your family who tends to throw a tantrum if something suddenly doesn’t go their way. The best remedy to high expectations is, of course, not to let them build up.
Simply plan the holiday a short week or two in advance, and set up before the person even has a chance to process it. Just make sure that they still have a slight say about where you are going and what you are doing, though, otherwise you may have a whole other problem on your hands.
Next: Think about activities for everyone
Kids love to have something to look forward to, and the more they’re allowed to dream about your big family outing, the more fun you’re also giving them. You won’t just avoid that they get sulky about what you doing, but you might also be able to get a few bright ideas from them about what you should be doing in the area.
Keep in mind that a holiday with the kids always becomes a bit better if you have a base to stay in. Even though it seems like they’re always on the move and ready to explore somewhere new, they won’t enjoy a holiday where you jet off to the next city – at least not as much as they’d enjoy going somewhere they have a holiday home.
Let them get to know the destination, first of all, and make the hotel, Airbnb, camping area or grandma and grandpa’s place be your base. That way, they have a chance to convince you to renting a boat in Miami, for example, in case you’re staying around that area – or just book tickets to a show that might be sold out later on.
All that’s left to be done now is to pack those bags, say goodbye to your home for a week or so, and enjoy the time off with your family.
