Folksonomics

There is nothing more likely to guarantee sulks during family holidays than not letting the children have a say. Planning your holiday should always be a shared experience. If it isn’t, prepare for the worst.

To combat the possibility of World War Three, ensure that you plan your holiday well in advance, and suggest ideas as you go. As children get older, it is no good just deciding that you are going to go somewhere and hoping that the children will love it. It doesn’t always work out like that. Say you are going to a holiday park for example, and they have a great deal for you on the price. However, they don’t have mountain bikes for hire, which, you find out after you have turned up, is your youngest son’ greatest passion.

If you can, let each person in your family choose one thing they would love to do on the holiday. Then, make a clear, serious family rule that everyone else has to join in on each person’s one thing. This way you get everyone happy.

And then ensure that the destination allows it to happen. For example, if your son likes dive-bombing in to a pool (some boys do, they get over it) then check the destination allows it. A lot won’t but some will have special adventure pools that allow for wilder behaviour. You don’t know if you don’t ask.

And take the camping holiday. If you plan to spend some time in the great outdoors, and your daughter likes to spend some time in the morning prettying herself up, then you are onto a loser. If you don’t check what the family wants and the possibility of it, you might as well not get in the car.

It is also very important to make sure that you have a location that the kids will just like. It is no good picking somewhere that is absolutely nowhere near a city if your children really want to take in a few sights. Equally, don’t expect a happy partner if they prefer to have the opportunity to really get away from it all, like twenty miles away, and you book a resort just ten minutes from a busy metropolis.

It is all about juggling the needs and wants of your family. They are all different individuals with different needs. Cater to these needs and you will have an exceptional holiday with a ton of photos and loads of happy memories.

Get it wrong, and you will experience arguments, tantrums, awkward silences, and a general feeling of dread. You may even find yourself cursing as you drive home, and swearing that you will never ever go on holiday with the family ever again.

You don’t want that. So consult with the troops, again and again until you get a consensus. Then get ready to get away from it all, finally.