It happened to all of us. Before having children you could book cheap flights, go away for the weekend without booking in advance, or escape for just one day to surprise your partner. Now, if your family has grown and you have a baby, 2 teenagers or you have a large family with all ages, don't worry: we promise that even if going on holidays with kids is different, it is also more exciting. We know that there are many things to take into account when booking your vacation, such as the destination, accommodation, luggage, etc. That is why we want to help you choose the ideal place for your holiday with kids. Obviously, it depends a lot on the preferences and availability of each family, so we will keep it simple. Let's start!
Where to go on holiday with kids
First things first, destination. Since it is not the same to travel with a baby than with teenagers, the destination you will choose will depend on the age of your children. Approximately from the age of 6, all children want to choose where to go on vacation. So to make choosing even more fun, we encourage each member of the family to choose 3 different destinations that excite them. From there, everything is negotiable and you can check if they comply with your criteria. The main thing is to avoid the typical phrase “we will go where we say, whether you like it or not.” You as well as the children deserve to be excited about the destination!
To start and gain some experience in traveling with children, some important criteria to take into account are proximity and the means of transport. We recommend that you choose a place near your city or town so that the journey does not take too long and if an emergency occurs you do not have to travel many hours to return home. With this, the means of transport must be taken into account: is it better to go by car, by train or by plane? Only you have the answer, but if your destination is less than 5 hours away, going by car will ensure more comfort and flexibility with children.
Then, the type of tourism and the climate that you will find on the destination are important matters. Normally one wants to have a vacation with good weather, without rain or storms. And depending on the time of year, there will be destinations that will have very hot or very cold weather which can cause a bit of discomfort for the little ones. So before choosing the destination for your holiday with kids, check the average temperatures, to choose a mild climate. Obviously, if the objective of your vacation is to go skiing, this advice does not apply. That is why you also have to find out a bit about the type of tourism of the destinations that you fancy: if one has beach tourism, you may want to save it for the summer holiday and not go there for Christmas.
Then, since we are going to anticipate a little, make sure you have the documents that are necessary for each of your favorite destinations. If you are going to travel to a distant country or to another continent, you may need to update passports, visas or even get vaccinated. So if you go on short notice, you probably won't have time to update everything anymore, and it's better to cross that destination off the list (for now!).
Also related to the age of the children are the activities that can be done at each destination. As they grow, you can add more cultural activities to your routes or trips. For example, when they are between 4 and 8 years old, you can look for more nature or parks (theme, water...), fun places to go with children. And between the ages of 8 and 12 you will begin to make cultural excursions related to historical monuments or emblematic places close to the destination. Finally for older children and teenagers, adventure activities tend to be very successful, so a destination with a kart track, adventure park, or water sports may be a good choice.
Find a resort for families with children
Once we know the destination of our family holiday, it's time to choose where to vacation with the kids. Today there is a huge variety (apartment, bed and breakfast, hotel, hostel, bungalow, glamping, motorhome...) so we make it easy for you: choose an accommodation within a resort. It is the ideal solution for both you and your children, since it offers many facilities in the same place.
In this case, you simply have to look for the type of facilities you are interested in, according to the age and tastes of the children. There are smaller resorts with enough to go with a baby, and larger resorts with water parks, restaurants, playgrounds, sports courts, shows, access to the beach... We invite you to make a list of the things that most appeal to each of you, and search for the best resorts to go with children at the destination of your choice.
In addition to fun, resorts with restaurants are a popular option for going on a vacation with kids since they tend to have family-friendly environments, with kids menus and half-board or full-board options: all-inclusive vacations with kids. This is a criterion that we cannot ignore: because vacations are for resting, and with children it might be difficult to relax since we still need to prepare meals, among other things. So if you find a resort with services that make this part of your daily life easier, it will allow you to save time and energy.
If you have chosen your destination based on the activities, you may also be interested in finding a resort that is quite close to these activities. For example, if you want to do water sports, look near the sailing school or the beach; while if you are interested in cultural visits and historical monuments, you can search for something closer to the center.
Also, if you want to have everything in the same place, but with the same independence as if you were renting an apartment: you have to try going to a camping resort! A campsite is ideal with children, since there you will have everything at hand like in a resort, while enjoying the tranquility and privacy of an individual accommodation at the same time, with its own kitchen and terrace. When in doubt, you can check our campsite comparator in order to have a general idea of the services and equipment of each one and to make a first selection out of the best family resorts in Spain.
Choose an accommodation for your holidays with kids
Now that you are clear about the destination and the resort you want to go to, there is only one step left before finalizing your vacation: what accommodation to book?
First, depending on how many people you are, you can look for the number of rooms and/or beds that you need. Indeed, the distribution of each accommodation can be different, and you can find bungalows with rooms for 4 people, or with a sofa bed in the dining room. If it is something you do not want, be especially careful when looking at how the bedrooms are structured.
Another feature to consider is the bathroom. Holiday rentals usually have a single bathroom with a shower and toilet in the same space. Usually this is not a problem, but some families with teenagers sometimes look for accommodations with two bathrooms to have more privacy. And if, on the contrary, a bathroom is not necessary for you, there are also accommodations without them: on the resort campsites, you can find equipped tents to add a touch of adventure to your holidays that children will love. You have to use the shower and toilet facilities of the campsite, as if you were camping, but with the comfort of not having to set up or take down your own tent.
In addition, as we have already discussed the issue of meals, we recommend an accommodation with a small equipped kitchen: the fridge and microwave are essential for holidays with children. Because if it is true that boards allow you to disconnect, it may be more comfortable to choose half board, to continue having freedom when going on a excursion with a sandwich that you made, or for a day when you are less hungry, to be able to cook a simple pasta dish. This also allows you to save money and not waste food.
Finally, if you see that two or three accommodations have everything you are looking for, let the children choose by showing them photos! It may be that some of them have beautiful colors or playful nooks that make them especially excited and you had not seen.
What to pack for a holiday with kids
That's it, the whole family is delighted, you have already booked your family holiday and each one has participated in the decision. Now you can rest until the day of packing the suitcases. And since we know that it can also be a tense moment, especially with children, we leave you with a small packing list that can be printed so that the little ones can also participate in preparing their suitcase. And to accompany this list, here are some tips for packing when traveling with children.
As for clothes, we know that kids tend to get dirty and stain their apparel. So take advantage of the resort's washing machines and don't pack too much. Take some everyday clothes, some pajamas, and some destination-specific clothing: a raincoat just in case, a swimsuit, sandals, a cap, and sunglasses. And that's it.
Then with respect to hygiene and health, also think about what is necessary and nothing else: specific treatments and medications with their prescription and leaflet (do not carry the box if there is no important information on it), health card (Global/European Health Insurance Card or any travel insurance information you need), some band-aids, saline solution or disinfectant (what you usually use and know about, holidays are not for testing), and everyday items that are necessary but less important since you can find them in a supermarket if needed (toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, bodywash, sunscreen). One thing that you do have to check is if towels and sheets are included in your accommodation, to find out if you have to bring them.
Now comes the subject of sleep. With small children, we are interested in thinking about what they need to fall asleep: a stuffed animal, a light, a music box, a specific book... Anything that helps them sleep, we want to add to our list. For some children, it can be difficult to fall asleep in an unfamiliar place, so if we recreate the conditions from our home with a few details, we help them feel safe and better rest (so do the parents).
Last but not least, if you have followed our advice and chose a resort with a lot of entertainment for your holiday with children, we advise you to bring with you some simple activities that do not take up too much space. A small backpack is enough: playing cards, a travel size board game, beach items, a notebook with stickers and colored pencils, storybooks... Because there can always be an unexpected rainy day, a car trip that is a little longer than expected planned, or an early bird waiting impatiently for the water slides to open.
