kiddi
Do you have a family trip coming up? Whether it’s a road trip down the coast or an international jaunt, travelling with your loved ones can be an excellent opportunity to bond, connect and share experiences.
But what if the whole family is booked to travel together? Travelling with a mult-generational cohort can be tricky, with the kids, parents and grandparents potentially even all cramped together in one campervan. That’s why we’ve prepared this handy article to share our top tips with you.
If you’re interested in learning how you can survive and thrive during a trip with the whole family, continue reading to learn more.
Invest in Travel Insurance for All
Family travel insurance policies typically don’t include anyone outside of the immediate family. As such, it could be a good idea to look into travel insurance for seniors so you can ensure age-specific cover for grandparents.
Unexpected medical expenses are the number one reason to get travel insurance. If something goes wrong overseas, and you’re not a citizen of that country, you could be up for a huge medical bill. For seniors who are more likely to require medical assistance when abroad, securing adequate insurance cover is naturally a must.
Of course, there are a myriad of other things that can go wrong on any family holiday – from trip cancellations to flight or train delays, to lost luggage and personal items, or even the big stuff like natural disasters. If you end up out of pocket because of these things, securing the right travel insurance can help cover costs accrued across all members of your travel party.
Book Accommodation in Advance
Getting to your destination only to find all the decent hotels and hostels are booked out when you arrive is a major headache. Be preemptive here – once you know you and the family are headed for a little retreat, jump online and begin searching for accommodation.
Airbnb or Stay are great ways to find nice places to stay and can be a good alternative to traditional hotels and motels. These platforms can also help you communicate directly with hosts to set up additional bedding for babies and toddlers (i.e. cots and cribs), and even make allowances for elderly guests.
When booking accommodation, you will probably want to book separate rooms—one for the parents and kids and another for the grandparents. This way, you can have a break from each other each day, even if it’s only during the evenings as you settle in for relaxation and bed.
Travelling Interstate? Pack Food to Save Money
Unless you’re going overseas, it always pays to try and save some money on your trip, as accommodation, experiences and petrol costs can become a bit burdensome on a family trip away. One way to save some cash is by packing some non-perishable foods so you can do some cooking at the hotel instead of eating out for every meal. So, pack your pasta, your sauces and your condiments beforehand and grab the perishable items like meat and dairy while you’re at your destination.
It may be worth booking accommodation that has cooking and dining facilities and equipment to ensure that you can make the most of your savings here. Ensure that you buy food that the whole family can eat, taking into account the kids’ and grandparents’ dietary preferences and likes.
Pro tip: packing snacks to eat on the go can also be a great way of making sure your travels stay stress-free. Even just a few muesli bars and biscuits should be enough to tide over some hangry kids when you’re still hours away from your destination.
Pack Entertainment
There are lots of things you can do to help keep the kids entertained during your trip away. Once you’re at your destination, you may find arcades, mini-golf courses, and other fun things to keep them occupied—but if you’ve got several hours in the car on a road trip, you’ll need to prepare some activities for them.
You can charge their tablets and load them with kids’ films or put them on the hotspot and stream Netflix. If you worry about screen time, you can also pack cards or other small box games that they can play on the go. Books are a great option, too, although be careful—for some little people, reading and cars mean motion sickness, and nobody wants to clean up the mess if someone has a little accident.
Try to keep the grandparents busy and entertained on the trip as well. You might want to pack some crossword or puzzle books or Kindles with light reading to enjoy. During the evenings, if you’re not heading out, you can all enjoy a family activity like a movie night or even a game of cards or a bigger board game, provided you can find one.
Enjoy Separate Activities
If you’re going on a longer trip with the whole family, you might find that you quickly become a little stir crazy and sick of each other after a long period of all travelling together. If you find yourself or anyone getting crabby or snappy, don’t worry – this is perfectly normal in families, so don’t stress about it too much.
Here, your best bet is to pick some separate activities to do, so the family spends some time apart. One idea is to get the grandparents to take the kids on an outing, while the parents enjoy a nice, quiet meal together or a relaxed drink at a local bar. Or, the parents might take the kids to a fun activity, while the grandparents enjoy a more relaxing day to themselves. Once everyone has had a little break from each other, you’ll find that things run a lot smoother.
Travel Comfortably with the Whole Family in Tow
Yes, travelling with three generations can be tricky at times – but truthfully, nothing compares to the quality time you’re able to capture while on holiday with both the kids and the grandkids. In and amongst all the trials of your time away, just be sure to savour all the happy, little moments that will definitely lie in between. And don’t forget to take plenty of photos!
