Planning a Family Holiday

CEBU, Philippines — There’s no question that one of the best ways for the family to spend the holidays is to go somewhere nice, together. Traveling offers good opportunity for family bonding and for relaxation. The bonding can even start at home, with the family planning the trip together.

Indeed, planning can preclude a lot of possible problems on the trip. That means a lot of possible complaints would be avoided. Also, involving the kids in the planning of the trip would subdue the little ones, the ones who complain the most about anything.

At the website www.huffpost.com, Sandy N. Vyjay shares essential tips on how to plan an unforgettable family holiday:

Plan in advance. Planning three to six months in advance allows for all possible concerns to get covered. It also helps to get the best deals in booking flights and hotels.

Research everything the trip would entail. Spend time doing research on everything you would need on the trip, before finalizing your options. To start with, look out on the Internet for the best places to visit, and the best rates for flights to and from there. Check out not only the most economical flights, but also the month to schedule the trip for the cheapest airfares. Airfares form a major chunk of the budget.

Choose the best accommodation within your budget. In booking an accommodation, look for the best deals and also value for money. Do not rely on only one travel agent or search engine for getting what you want. Canvass services, facilities and rates – or research on a couple of search engines – before you zero in on your choice. Also counter check and compare data from different search engines. TripAdvisor, Expedia, Hotels.com and Booking.com are a great help. Go for the most positive reviews!

Decide on the places you must see. List down the attractions and activities you would want to include in our itinerary. Again, you can research online for possible destinations and activities. It may not be possible to cover everything in a given destination, especially if you have a cramped itinerary or if some activities may be strenuous for some members of the family, like the elderly and very small children.

Before you leave, have a solid plan at hand. Have everything planned with corresponding costs before driving off to a holiday. Start right from how to reach the airport, how to reach your hotel in our destinations, in which restaurants you will eat, what attractions you will visit on which day, how you will commute and reach these places etc.

And just before locking the door, it is good to take a photo of every section of the house. Someone shall make notes, if necessary, down to the smallest detail before finally locking the house. The pictures will help determine if anything has been touched while the family was away.

Of course, there is fun in being spontaneous and going without an itinerary. But when it comes to family travel, especially if traveling with small kids and elderly people, it is not advisable to take a chance. Everything has got to be planned out carefully beforehand.