3 Proven Tips To Be Stress Free On Family Vacation

It can sometimes be a tough road, planning and going on a family vacation. Where are you going? When are you going? How much will it cost? How will you get there? What can you do once you are there? Sometimes, you might also feel this added pressure that comes with being a parent… The pressure to keep everyone happy and entertained. Which results in everyone else having a great time, and you being frustrated, stressed and miserable. Everyone wants a stress free vacation, don’t they? So here are our three tried and tested tips to be stress free on your next family vacation.

REDUCE STRESS BY BEING PREPARED

Absolutely, the best tip to be stress free that I can give you is, BE PREPARED. Part of this is, of course, is researching your destination (you know, knowing how you are going to get around and what you are going to see/do).

But I am more thinking of the more day-to-day practicalities. These are the things I do every morning when we are out seeing the sights,

• Fill up everyone’s drink bottles. If we get thirsty we start to drink each other’s blood… at least that’s how it feels! Plus, having a big drink can hold off the hunger pangs a few extra minutes while you run to your nearest supermarket for food.
• Make sure your first aid kit is up to date. Every morning I make sure I have pain killers, anti-inflammatories, band-aids/plasters, some sort of antiseptic/anaesthetic cream or powder, a bandage, antiseptic wipes and hand-sanitiser, ArgeySon’s inhaler and emergency steroid tablets, hay fever tablets/antihistamine, a packet of tissues or handkerchief, plus a few other little bits and pieces to help in emergencies.
• Make sure I have something to clean people! Lots of people will pop a packet of wipes in their day pack. I am a little bit more old-school than that – I wet a flannel and pop it in a wet bag. Perfect for wiping off in the hot weather, or cleaning sticky fingers after that ice cream that was so delicious.
• Pack some snacks. When we are in the UK I usually make sure I have some fruit (stuff that is okay being carried around in a bag – like apples), and a packet of Chocolate Digestives or Jammie Dodgers in my backpack. In the US, I normally take fruit or pop some popcorn in the apartment before we head out (the US bought snacks are not good for my kids – the additives send us all quite grumpy). In the EU I normally buy a packet of mini carrots from the local supermarket and take some crackers with us.
• Additional battery packs or chargers. The last thing you need, when you have finally made it to the front of the queue at The Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, and your phone suddenly starts flashing and switches itself off! No thank you! I want that shot for Instagram!

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG, JUST BREATH!

In Robert Burns‘ (translated) words, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” or if you prefer, according to Snart, “Make the plan. Execute the plan. Expect the plan to go off the rails. Throw away the plan.”

There’s a reason why this is such a famous saying (the Burns saying, not the Snart), because it is true. Plans sometimes just go out the window. Be prepared for this. It happens and when it does happen, don’t let it bother you.

A perfect example would be when we were in Vienna. We were due to catch a train (which we already had tickets for) from Vienna to Budapest at 10am. At 9pm the day before I checked on maps how long the car ride was from the apartment to the train station. 45minutes! Perfect! We ordered a taxi to arrive at 8:30am the next morning. 45 minute taxi trip to the train station. Even if we were delayed a bit (15minutes or so), we’ll still have 15-30minutes before the train was due to leave. Did anyone work out where my mistake was? I checked the time to travel at 9pm, which gave us results for a quiet midweek night, not the results for travelling at 8:30am through peak hour(s) traffic. So we arrived at the train station 15 minutes after our train was due to leave.

We had a choice to make then, we could freak out and get grumpy with each other (or ourselves for making the stupid mistake) or we could shrug, shake it off, dance and sing, and sit down for a coffee and a donut! Which did we do? The latter because it was a stupid mistake, yes, but it was one we wont make again, we lost money, but being on long-term travel meant we could make up for it in other places. We chose to just take a breath and move on.

(Just quietly, that morning in the Vienna train station was actually really lovely).

STRESS WHEN THE KIDS ARE BORED.

I don’t think any of us will disagree with the fact that when kids are bored the situation can get really stressful. What is up for contention is how to deal with that. Some people advocate to just let them go and ‘they will get creative and find something to amuse themselves’. Some people want to entertain their kids because otherwise ‘they will get creative and find something to amuse themselves’. I sit a bit in both camps, sometimes I encourage them to go and make themselves un-bored, and other times I will be more proactive and help them.

BUT on a long haul flight, like when you are making your way from Adelaide, Australia to London for example, it is really hard for them (and for you) to find stuff to do! And there is the added stress of trying not to annoy those around you.

For this, your only option is to help them. If you are not necessarily tech encouraging, little books of mazes, puzzles and colouring are great (the mega tic-tac containers are great for those half-size pencils). A travel size Guess Who or Battleships are brilliant. If you don’t mind a bit of extra tech to get you through a long haul flight, loaded an iPad with Minecraft PE, Minecraft Story Mode and SkinSeed. It should entertain most kids for hours, and hours. Travelling a good airline (Qantas or Emirates) and opting for an A380 will almost certainly ensure that you have great in flight entertainment.

MY ADDED BONUS TIP: REMEMBER THAT VACATION STRESS HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE BEING A MARTHA, NOT A MARY.

You may not know the old Bible story where Jesus and his disciples rock up at Mary and Martha’s house. We’ve all been there; unexpected visitors on the door step, and suddenly you start having images of disaster flash through your brain. Did your 5-year-old flush the toilet last time he went? Did you mop the floor after your dropped the pan of Bolognese sauce? Did you vacuum up the office after the kids tried to make confetti?

In the old story, Mary sat down and enjoyed time with the visitors, while Martha rushed around cleaning, making food and fussing with all the plans.

When I am in the midst of vacation stress, it is more often than not because I am wound up in what I THINK needs to be done, rather than just enjoying the amazing journey that we are on. Nothing is so urgent that I can’t take five minutes to breath, have a cup of tea or glass of wine, and smile at all the brilliant memories you are creating for you and your kids!

Other things to think about:

There are plenty of other tips to be stress free on family vacation. Try some meditation, or exercise. Check what you’re eating to make sure you are not filled up with toxins. Finding some epsom salts and taking a bath. Lavender oil is great to calm.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR MORE TIPS TO BE STRESS FREE ON FAMILY VACATION CHECK OUT THESE OTHER FAMILY TRAVEL ARTICLES.

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