We asked family travel experts how to budget for a family holiday, packing tips for family holidays and how to make family travel easier and more. Gretta Schifano, who blogs Mums Do Travel, shares advice from top UK family travel influencers. Over to Gretta:
First things first: Make planning your family getaway a snap with my post: Family holiday planning checklist — it shows how to plan a trip independently, perfect for those families who like to organise it all themselves. And here, some top tips from experience family travel experts.
Budgeting
Can Families Really Save Money Flying?
Before even thinking about booking a flight, be sure to read this excellent post. In it Keri (Our Globetrotters) shares detailed, practical advice on how to get the best flight deals, even if you’re restricted by school holiday dates. I’m definitely bookmarking this post for future reference.
This is a really interesting post. Karen Edwards (Travel Mad Mum) explains how she and her partner managed to budget in order to spend a year travelling with their baby. Karen is very honest about the choices that they made in order to do this and about how tricky it may be to do again.
10 tips for cutting the cost of a winter city break
In this post Natalie Ray (Plutonium Sox Blog) shares her advice on ways to make a winter city break more affordable. There are many useful tips here.
Packing
Packing tips for life on the go with kids
Lisa (Travel Loving Family) is frequently out and about exploring with her family, and here she explains how they prepare for all eventualities and which pieces of kit they take along with them. It sounds like Lisa and her family are ready for anything!
5 Packing Tips for a Baby Road Trip
If you’re planning a road trip with a baby, check out this post by Nicola Hatch (All Things Spliced). Nicola shares her advice on what you need to take, based on her experience.
BEING TRAVEL READY, SWIMWEAR AND WINTER SUN
Sarah Christie (Extraordinary Chaos) explains how she always has a bag packed for travel, and shares her tips for being travel-ready.
Tips for making the family travel journey easier
FLYING WITH A BABY – THE ULTIMATE SURVIVAL GUIDE
Ting Dalton (My Travel Monkey) shares her detailed tips and advice on flying with a baby. Ting covers everything from flight times to packing to entertainment in this thorough and helpful post.
10 + things to pack for a long haul flight with children
Jennifer Jain (Jennifer’s Little World) shares her list of what to take into the cabin when you’re on a long flight with young kids in tow. I agree with everything on the list – especially plastic carrier bags, just in case.
5 tips for a civilised road trip with toddlers
Claire Hall (Tin Box Traveller) and her family are often to be found touring with their caravan. Claire is now a family road trip expert, and here she shares her top tips for long car journeys with young children.
Carrie Bradley (Flying with a Baby) shared with me her top travel hack for parents of little ones. She says: ‘If you are bringing a stroller or car seat, use a stroller bag to not only help protect it, but to add some extra items for free. Nappies are always a good idea!’
Destinations
Twelve tips for travelling India with kids
Jenny (Travelynn Family) and her partner and young children currently live in India, and this post is packed with practical tips and advice on exploring this country with children.
Activities
Hiking with Kids – Top 12 Tips!
If you have family members who are reluctant to get outside and have a family adventure, then this post could help. Emma (Bavarian Sojourn) shares practical advice on encouraging kids to take part in family hikes – and her tips could apply to many other outdoor activities.
More family travel advice
35 tips for having fun and staying safe on holiday
Expert tips for a family holiday in Cyprus
5 great family friendly pubs with rooms in the UK
Baby-friendly hotels for your first family trip with baby
34 of the best family-friendly hotels and resorts in the Canary Islands
About Gretta Schifano
Gretta Schifano is an award-winning blogger, journalist and social media manager. Gretta writes about luxury, cultural and active family travel with teens, and trips when parents escape without their kids. Winner of the 2016 Women in Marketing Award for Best Social Media Campaign and the 2014 BritMums BiB Award for Best Travel Blog, she lives with her husband and teenage kids in the Surrey countryside, near to London. Gretta previously worked as a BBC radio producer, has lived and worked in Italy and Spain and loves exploring new places, chocolate and kindness.