Family holidays are brilliant fun, but if we’re honest, they can also bring their fair share of stress and frustration — often before you’ve even left the house. Being together 24/7 for a week or two in a row is wearing, even for the most patient among us. So what can you do to make sure everyone actually enjoys the trip? Here are a dad’s best tips for making holidays with kids easy peasy.
After months of looking forward to it, our family holiday finally arrived — this time heading off as a family of five for what we hoped would be a proper sun-soaked break.
At this time of year, when school’s out, we all look forward to a well-earned holiday and everything that comes with it: eating out, chilling out, hanging out, and yes, even the little jobs — washing clothes, sorting the daily shop, keeping things tidy — that busy parents secretly quite enjoy.
But in this slightly unreal holiday world, where the whole family is together around the clock for a couple of weeks, the one thing everyone wants to avoid is friction, arguments and silly fights over nothing at all.
So with that firmly in mind, here’s what I try to do to help make sure everyone has a genuinely fun holiday and comes home with good memories that last.
1. Help with Preparations
This sounds obvious, but the last thing you want is for your holiday to cause stress before you’ve even set foot in the airport.
Getting everyone to do their bit is a great way to make sure nothing important gets left behind, and you’re not arriving at the airport in a panic, tearing bags apart looking for passports you were sure you’d told your partner to pack (cue the “pass the blame” game). Assign jobs and packing roles, and make sure everyone plays their part.
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2. Embrace the Airport Experience
Anyone with small (or medium-sized) kids will know that airports can cause plenty of stress and strain on the family dynamic.
Even travelling solo, airports can be frustrating places — but throw in organising kids, wrangling bags, keeping the peace and trying to get everyone moving faster when you’re in danger of missing your flight, and it’s a whole different level of stress.
We always try to be at the airport a good few hours before the flight. Why? Because the more time you give yourself, the more organised you’ll be at the boarding stage — and the less chance there is of airport stress getting the holiday off to a rocky start.
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3. When You Arrive, Try and Relax
Once you’ve survived the flight and arrived at the other end, chances are everyone will be a little tired, a little over-excited, or both. Tensions can run high, tempers can get a bit frayed.
So here’s the best thing to do: relax. Take a few deep breaths and remember — you’re on holiday, time isn’t the priority, and even if there’s the odd hiccup along the way, you’ll get to where you’re going soon enough. And once you do, it will all feel worth it.
4. Find Activities for Everyone
Everyone likes different things, so just because you’re on holiday as a unit doesn’t mean you’ll all want to do the same things every day.
Try letting each person pick one activity they’d most like to do while you’re away. It makes it much easier to keep everyone on board and happy, and helps ensure your days out are fun-filled rather than argument-filled.
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5. Holidays Are Made When Kids Are Happy
Before you had kids, your holiday was all about you — historical sites, long lazy lunches, lie-ins, and lazing by the pool without a care in the world.
But a family holiday is about the kids much more than it’s about you. Once they’re entertained and happy doing the things they love, the whole holiday becomes more enjoyable, less stressful, and full of happier memories for everyone. So if they want you back in the sea jumping waves for the tenth time, just do it.
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6. If You Must, Divide and Conquer!
When you’re sitting out on the balcony or stretched out on a deck chair with a cold drink in hand, it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening with the kids back in the real world.
When you’re holidaying as a family, stay aware of the kids and your partner. By all means enjoy some downtime, but make sure your other half gets their fair share too. If you need to divide and conquer some days so you each get a bit of time to relax or read in peace, do it — and don’t feel guilty about it either.
Family holidays are all about compromise. It’s everyone’s holiday, so it’s only fair that everyone pulls their weight and gets to enjoy it in equal measure.
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Over to you — have you any further tips to help make family holidays easier? Let us know in the comments below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early should we get to the airport with kids?
Giving yourself extra time is one of the simplest ways to lower stress. Arriving well ahead of your flight gives you breathing room to deal with queues, bag checks, toilet stops and any last-minute surprises, without anyone feeling rushed or panicked.
How do you keep kids happy on a long family holiday?
Letting each child choose an activity they’re excited about helps everyone feel involved and reduces the “but I wanted to do something else” arguments. Mixing structured outings with plenty of downtime also helps keep everyone in good form.
What if my partner and I want different things from the holiday?
Try dividing and conquering on some days, so you each get a bit of time to relax, read or explore on your own terms. A family holiday works best as a compromise where everyone, parents included, gets a fair share of enjoyment.
What can we do to avoid arguments before we even leave home?
Get everyone involved in packing and preparation ahead of time. Assigning small jobs to each family member helps avoid last-minute panic and stops one person carrying all the mental load of getting the family out the door.
Related Articles
If you enjoyed these tips, you might also like:
- 20 Travel Hacks To Make Holidaying with Kids Easier
- 15 Best Apps for Kids When Travelling
- How To Make Flying with Kids Easier
- 10 Tips for Surviving City Breaks with Kids
- Top Tips for Travel with Kids
- 10 Of The Best Family Resorts in Europe (and 10 More)
Looking for more ideas to keep the family entertained, at home or away? Browse our travel and adventure section for more parent-tested tips and inspiration.
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