Family holidays are so important. We’ve just recently returned from a week in Wales and we loved every second of it. Being away from the mundane day-to-day routines at home and being able to relax and enjoy each others company much-needed. We spent the week making memories that I hope the boys will remember for years to come – after all, that’s what its all about isn’t it?

Below are just some family holiday tips to ensure that you and your loved ones enjoy a relaxing, entertaining and stress-free time to remember.

Collaborate on holiday plans

Before you get carried away with your holiday plans, consider making the experience a collaborative effort. Have a family dinner to discuss what each person wants out of the holiday. Some might want to spend hours at the beach and others might want to visit the local museum. Armed with this information, you can work in activities to make everyone happy. Every single person will feel thrilled to have been involved. This might sound like a lot of work, but if you fail to take into account everyone’s interests and feelings, you will be left with one or two frustrated and bored children.

Take your dog along for the ride

If you’re looking to save money and you’ve organised a UK-based staycation you have a certain degree of flexibility that you can’t enjoy with an overseas adventure. The biggest and best advantage offered by a UK holiday is that you can take your pet with you. Dog lovers all over the country will be pleased to learn that many places are becoming more and more dog-friendly. There are a huge amount of amazing pet-friendly holiday cottages to choose from.

Remember to specifically inquire before making the booking to avoid disappointment. Taking your pet with you will mean you won’t have to organise a sitter or locate kennels, and you and the children can enjoy the company of your four-legged friend.

Plan for the road trip

So many people put effort into every minute detail of their holidays, but they forget to factor in the journey. Road trips can be long, frustrating and exhausting, especially when they aren’t planned effectively. Do your homework and find out how you can make road trips more fun. This way, when you get to your destination, you have a car full of happy, content people, eager and ready to start their holiday on a good note.

Save money with a last minute cottage deal

Money is a concern for everyone these days, especially if you are one of the 20% of families who find it hard to even budget for a seaside day trip. However, family holidays don’t have to come in the form of lavish trips abroad. More and more families are seeing the value of staycations and are exploring everything that their country has to offer. With last minute cottage deals, you can save yourself the stress of flying, you don’t have to worry about passports or tickets and you can organise a personalised deal to save yourself a considerable amount of money that would be better spent elsewhere.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself or your family

Don’t begin your holiday with any pre-conceived notions that this break will be picture perfect. Sociologists argue that expectations of flawless holidays set us up for a fall, cause unnecessary tension and provoke a disproportionate amount of arguments. Don’t expect your children to be wonderful at all times; they’re only human after all.

If things don’t go to plan, don’t stress. Just move on and make the most of your time together.

You might also like:

• Top packing tips for a Spring/Summer family holiday
• Making the most of our family holidays
• Alternative destinations to holiday as a family

Additional resources:

• Before your trip, don’t forget to check the shelf-life of gasoline before it goes bad
• The ultimate checklist for used car buyers
• Used cars get more valuable over time