10 Family Travel Tips

Travelling with your family is a great experience for everyone. You'll have memories that last forever and stories to look back on. Expect the unexpected and don't sweat the small stuff. These ten travel tips will have you looking at the calendar and planning your next vacation.

People often sweat over finding ‘western' style restaurants with kids' menus; it's exciting for everyone to try out new, different foods all over the world. Be careful that the establishment looks clean—if you're worried, see how many local people are in the restaurant. If there are very few, try somewhere else. Hire a guide for the day if you feel uncomfortable going it alone.

Often it's the grownups who make a far bigger fuss over the toilets than kids (they're much better at seeing the funny side of what can be an absurd situation). Like with other aspects of traveling, they just seem to roll with it. Carry supplies like toilet paper, tissues and wipes with you and do a bit of research about the facilities in the city you'll be visiting before you get there.

Family travel is incredibly rewarding, but there is work involved so be prepared. Check and double check flight times—they change more than you'd think. Read a guidebook for tips and scams and check the calendar for local festivals—they create incredible atmosphere, but also generate huge crowds.

Hand luggage only? Over pack or travel light? There are no obvious answers. One thing, though, is to pack clever. As a family, the more pieces you have the more that can get lost and the harder it is to transport. Mix up your luggage among family members so that if one bag gets lost, one person isn't stuck without luggage. Put key clothing in your hand luggage, even if you check your bags so you'll have a few items guaranteed when you arrive at your destination.

Remember, you're never in total control of all circumstances, so don't tempt fate too much. If you're in your home city, consider the potential traffic. If you're not, find out how long it really takes to get to the airport and double-check your mode of transport. Always give yourself extra time (you probably weren't going to be relaxed at home anyways).

If you're somewhere a little remote and you're offered a great excursion, think very carefully about the transport. If your kids don't do well on long car or bus rides, or at sea, take this into account when making your plans. Tours can also be difficult because once you're on there's no way off. A better option is hiring a private guide so that you can be in charge and do whatever you want, or try doing it on your own. Always remember: if your kids are bored or miserable, you will be too.

Let your kids have an equal say in planning and activities especially as they get older. It's their trip too, even if they're not paying for it. This is a great way of keeping older kids—who may not be too happy about family travel—engaged and enthusiastic. Always have an end goal to keep everyone's interests aroused and let them research places, guides and hotels. The excitement of getting to a place researched and planned by your children is amazing.

Don't force must-see cultural attractions on kids who just aren't interested. Take it in stride—you're not traveling solo and everyone is entitled to a good time. The great thing about travel is that, in a foreign place with a different culture, you're always just minutes away from something fun and interesting.

You may just be a travel perfectionist who wants everything to run smoothly, according to plan. And sometimes it just doesn't go that way. You have to keep reminding yourself that it's never as bad as it seems and can always be dealt with. Just put it all down to experience and don't try doing too much. It's not how much you see that's important, but the quality of the time you spend together.

As kids get older and busier, the days of family travel are somewhat limited. But it's important to try traveling as a family for as long as possible. They may strongly resist the notion of family travel, but you should try keeping them engaged. You'll learn a lot from your kids, and your trip will be a rich source of family anecdotes years later.

Thanks to Quivertree Travel, family travel experts, for providing us with these travel tips.