It's time to plan a FAMILY VACAY!

While we wait to travel again, here’s how you can ready yourself to vacation avec famille.

- Primrose Monteiro-D’Souza

Family travel is all about mindset. There are many parents who are hesitant to travel with young children, because it seems fraught with complications; there are others who foray out, baby carrier and light pram in tow, when their babies are but six months old. For the latter, it makes sense because that is how life will be from this time on. And fortune favours the brave; well-travelled children actually embrace more of the world earlier in life, and become easy travellers to reward their parents for their trust in the universe, and in them.

For all of us who are coming out of the too-long lockdown, a family vacation is about extending the time we spent together but in a different location. We might invite extended family along, people whom we trust have handled the confinement as we have, without taking unnecessary risks, because we know that they will conduct themselves appropriately and with social distancing and safety protocols in place even on holiday.

Keep in mind that holidays with children are about a certain amount of planning with a healthy bit of spontaneity thrown in; that’s the best way to actually help you and your kids get the best out of a well-deserved vacay. The best-laid plans will most likely go out of whack when there are kids in the mix, but being flexible will serve you well.

Remember, also, that you and your partner are also on holiday; ‘well deserved’ probably applies more to you and him than to the kids, who will just be happy to be with you in a new place. So, by all means, do kid-friendly things together, but also mix it up with activities that you can each do alone, while the other adult spends time chilling with the children. If you have reliable babysitting you can tap into, try a romantic lunch date, so you can get back quickly in daylight if the need arises.