Choosing A Family Holiday

By Author: Paul Collins
Total Articles: 13
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As a mother, the organising of the holidays every year falls on you – a task which should be (and usually starts out as) a fun project. Decisions, decisions… Daydreaming your way through glossy brochures of hotels and researching on the internet for a destination. Where to go and when to do it? This enthusiasm often waivers when having to take into account the budget, pleasing the whole family and organising the more mundane yet necessary things like family travel insurance and currency exchange.

Take a Deep Breath

Research and shopping around is the key to making this process as pain-free as possible. However, a time limit must be applied, as you can spend every evening and weekend trawling over your holiday choice for the next three months if you allow it. Give yourself a weekend to pour over the options, report back to your husband on the Saturday night and book on the Sunday. One thing that should make it easier or more difficult (depending on how you look at it) is the restriction to school holidays so the destinations are limited due to climate and severe weather conditions.

Booking

The ...
... never-ending debate: wait until the last minute or book well in advance? If you can hold your nerve and don’t really care about where you go, the last-minute option is by far the cheapest. Often though, if you are booking a package deal you may not know the exact hotel you’ll be staying in but you can often specify the minimum star rating you prefer. Obviously with this option you must have your family travel insurance organised beforehand to ensure it covers you for everything you wish, from personal injury to repatriation insurance.

If you are a planner and like to know where you’re going and love to look forward to your family holiday then planning in advance is the option for you. Be sure to shop around, though, as the same hotel can be with several different companies all offering differing rates. It is a good idea to book your family travel insurance when you book the holiday as it can cover you for any cancellations as well as the trip itself. If you choose a policy which includes multiple trips then you only have to organise it once for the whole year and be covered for everything from two-week holidays to weekend short breaks.

The Sensible Stuff

It doesn’t need to be said that safety and peace of mind are paramount when you take your family on holiday. A little bit of time spent on planning and taking out the right family travel insurance for your travel requirements over the year will pay dividends (in the event that it comes to having to use it). Take into account all eventualities from dental, to accidental damage to property to even repatriation insurance – it may sound bleak but travel insurance is necessary, so ensure it’s all-encompassing. It will give you peace of mind no matter where you decide to go.