Top 10 family travel tips to follow for your next family vacation

Top 10 family travel tips you need to follow for your next family vacation.

Holidays are usually a time for most families to bond and relax. However, sometimes, things don't go as planned. Preparing in advance is one of the best ways to ensure that you have a flawless journey. One of the best ways of preparing yourself is by making a travel packing list when parking your things. Below are 10 family travel tips you can adopt to ensure you enjoy your trip without worries.

1. Make sure you leave your house in order before leaving.

Ensure that you leave your house clean and organized before leaving home. Check that your taps and gas mains are not leaking and properly switched or turned off. This is both a safety measure and a way to avoid losses that may occur when you are not home. Alert a family member or neighbor you trust that you will be traveling and for how long. Good neighbors can help take care of your house when you are away giving you peace of mind while traveling with your family.

2. Book your air tickets and hotel rooms earlier.

The advantages of booking for your flight and hotel room in advance outweigh the disadvantages. You will never be inconvenienced in any way when you book a flight or hotel room in advance; in fact, your journey will be less stressful. You will be more organized and less confused because you are already aware of where you are supposed to be and at what time. It is common to find good deals when you book your flight or hotel in advance. This can save you a lot of money, allowing you to enjoy your trip less worried about money. Booking early gives you more options to choose from too. This increases the chances of getting quality services throughout your journey.

3. Travel light as much as possible.

As much as you may have a lot of essential things to pack for travel, it’s always better to travel light. This makes you more flexible and open to any spontaneous adventures on the way to your destination. You will use less energy, giving you more time to enjoy your trip. Always make a luggage packing list before you pack. Split your luggage; separate your liquids, medicine, and documents from your main luggage. It will be an inconvenience, especially if you lose the bag that contains essential stuff like your travel documents, medicine or even money. Not only should you travel light, you should always have less luggage on you even when you arrive at your destination. Going light allows you to enjoy your trip more because you are more flexible.

4. Take time to plan your entire trip.

Planning for a trip is the most important thing you can do. It helps you identify all the costs that you will incur during the entire trip and help you map out sites that you and your family would like to visit. This will help you during budgeting, allowing you to be aware of what you can afford and for how long your trip will last. It's not fun to run out of cash or getting into debt to finance your vacation with your family. Planning gives you more time to look for good deals on flight tickets and hotel rooms.

5. Get and pack all the crucial documents well.

While traveling, you need to carry all the relevant documents with you. Documents such as any form of identification or ATM cards do make a lot of places easier to access since you can identify yourself or even pay for things as you travel. If you are traveling with a child, it is also vital that you carry their documents too. If you don’t want to forget them at home, you can write a list of all the documents that you may need as you travel. You can pack them in a separate bag so that it can be easier for you to retrieve when you need to use them. The bag should be light and portable so that you can travel with it throughout your journey without getting tired or losing the bag. Besides that, you need to ensure they are well kept and safe. Losing an important document such as your passport when you are on a family vacation may inconvenience you a great deal. If carrying an original copy of a document may be risky, you can photocopy the original document and travel with the photocopy.

6. Buy and install a baby seat in your car if you will be traveling by road with a child.

Statistics show that in 2012 alone 663 children under the age of 12 years died in car accidents as occupants in America alone, while more than 100,000 were injured. Most were as a result of negligence by parents and lack of car seats that accommodate children. If you will be traveling with your child in your car, put their safety first. A car seat improves the safety of your child drastically. They are flexible and can allow them to play with their toys or eat without worrying about their safety. Most car seats are long-lasting, and your child can use them for a long time before they outgrow them. They are relatively affordable, and you don’t need any special skills for you to install them. To ensure that you and your kids travel safe, it is a good idea to buy a car seat and fix it before you start your trip.

7. Buy travel insurance.

Many people planning to travel put a lot of things into consideration and tend to forget travel insurance. Today almost anything can be insured. Contrary to the myths that surround insurance, travel insurance is less cheap, and it's not permanent. An excellent example of a travel insurance policy is the medical cover. Getting such cover will protect you from any loss incurred as a result of illness. In case you get sick abroad, the insurance company will pay for your hospital bill and even evacuate you to a better medical facility in case of an emergency. This can help you save a lot of money since some countries medical care is costly. Other travel insurance policies can insure things such as luggage, flight delays, legal expenses, and many more. In case you are inconvenienced in any way you will be compensated by the insurance company as long as you are insured against such a loss.

8. Inform yourself as much as possible about where you are going

If you are traveling to a destination you have never been to, it’s wise to learn more about where you are going. The first and the most important thing is to know where your national embassy is so that in case of an emergency, you can easily get help. Look at Google Maps and quickly familiarize yourself with some monuments that can be used as a reference in case you get lost. If you will be traveling to a country that has a different language from yours, it's better to learn some few words to ease communication with any of the local. Even just learning frequently used words like ''thank you'' can help a lot. You should also be aware of the way of life of the locals. Learning how they live will help you avoid saying or doing things that may be offensive to the locals and bring about trouble. Such information may sound unnecessary, but it is essential for anyone traveling to be very aware.

9. Always keep your children close as you travel.

If your child can walk always ensure your child walks ahead of you or close behind you. As stated above, the lighter you travel, the easier it is to monitor your child. You can also push them on a stroller if they can't walk or they are still too young to be let loose. Book a baby friendly hotel room that is near emergency exits or fire extinguishers. This makes it easier for you to duck danger with your child in case of an emergency. You should never leave your child unattended in a hotel room, even if they are asleep. Keep your kids engaged throughout the entire vacation so that they will not get bored and in the process, learn a few things. For emergency, you can also put a tag on your child's hand with your contact information and any other relevant information that can be used to track you down.

10. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket.

Anything can happen during your vacation, and you may lose all your money or even documents. Always separate essential documents and money. Separate them so that in case you lose one bag, you haven’t lost everything. Keep your money in different places so that you do not lose all your money. This will help you stay afloat before you get more cash. You should also pack your clothes in different bags too so that you have something to put on in case you lose your bag.