When you’re planning a family holiday, you always want to make sure that everybody is going to enjoy it. As much as you need the break, you know that it can only be fun for you if the kids are content. This means that you really have to nail the planning side of things. When the children are really little, and you first decide that you want to go abroad, it’s only natural that you’ll want to stay closer to home. After all, a two-hour flight to Spain still feels like a long time to try and avoid tantrums and keep them entertained. But, if you do find that your children are great at flying and they do always seem to be entertained, then you may be ready to venture further afield.

We all know that long-haul travel often offers a lot more. You get to experience new cultures, you’re almost guaranteed great weather, and there’s also nothing quite like the idea of enjoying beautiful views when you wake up! But when you think about doing this with your children, you worry that it’s going to be more problematic than it is enjoyable. However, if you chose for it to be difficult, then it probably will be! But when you plan properly, when you have all of your bases covered, and you know that you’re going to be able to enjoy this, you will. So let’s take a look at the things you really need to do when it comes to enjoying a long-haul holiday.

Start Planning Well In Advance

First of all, you’re going to want to make sure that this is something that you start to plan well in advance. You could definitely do a long-haul holiday last minute, but it gives you less time to prepare and you may feel too stressed out during the entire experience. This means that you’re going to want to ensure that you give yourself plenty of time to plan, prepare, and make the most of the holiday.

Research The Area

Step one of your planning process, you’re going to want to ensure that you’re looking into the area. If you’re considering Dubai, Florida, Hong Kong or anywhere else, just make sure that you’re really considering everything about the area. Think about some of the family holiday destinations that would be appropriate and then look into what the area is like.

Consider Your Accommodation

Then, you’re going to want to think about what you want out of the accommodation. Don’t just assume that you’ll stay in a complex. You may want to consider a condominium in Malaysia for your own space. Or maybe you want a luxury hotel in Miami that has all of the facilities you need? Just make sure that you’re considering the amenities that are going to be useful for your family.

Time The Flights Well

But that’s not all. You’re definitely going to want to make sure that you’re planning the flight times well. If you know that you’re going to be on a plane for over ten hours – sometimes nearer 24, then you have to really make sure that the times are perfect. Think about naps and when your little ones might want to sleep. Also make sure that you’re going to get to your accommodation at the right time too.

Pack The Essentials

When it comes to packing, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re packing up everything that you need. Think about what you might need for medical reasons, for cleaning and bathing, the clothing that you need, and anything that your children will need to be entertained with too. Just like you would for any family holiday, just make sure that you’ve got everything that you need in place.

Pack Your Carry-On Well

When it comes to packing your carry-on, you will want to make sure that you have everything that the kids need. This post on what to pack for the kids is going to be what you need to focus on here. Ideally, you’ll want toys and games that are going to entertain them. If you’re bringing anything electronic, just make sure that you have enough chargers to get through too.

Plan An Itinerary

Depending on where you’re going and what you want to do, it could be a good idea to plan a bit of an itinerary too. Think about things that the kids might like to do, and what your ideal holiday looks like too. This itinerary for Dubai might inspire you. While you may not stick to everything, it’s often a really great idea so that you know what options you have if things aren’t going to plan.

Try To Get Them To Sleep

You know that travel is tiring, and you know that a long time on a plane could be tough for your kids. So sleep should be your savior here. This is why you need to time the flights well. Just make sure that you’re able to get them to sleep during the flight if you can. While they don’t always seem ideal, this is why overnight flights are often great – because you’ll be able to ensure that they get to sleep for most of it.

Stock Up

Now, when you get to the destination, you might want to stock up on food and other supplies. While ideally, your children are going to be able to try new foods, if you have a picky eater or they don’t like certain things, having snacks in your accommodation can be a great idea. This is often why renting a condo or villa is great so that you’re still able to cook.

Don’t Sweat It

But above all else, you have to make sure that you just let yourself enjoy it. If you spend the entire time worrying if the children are okay, if they have what they need, or if you’re going to have any issues that day, you will be ruining your own holiday. Instead, you just need to switch off and have fun. You know that you’ve planned well, that you have everything you need, and now you just need to make sure that you can all have fun and enjoy that well-deserved break!