There is an art to going on holiday with children.
You need to pick the perfect destination: hot but not too hot, kiddie-friendly but not so much that there is nothing decent for the adults to do, and not so far away that you need to spend more than a couple of hours on the plane with the kids.
Then you need to plan the trip itself: activity packs and movie downloads, games planned for the car, change of clothes for any accidents and snacks to beat the band.
On top of all else, you must be prepared weeks in advance: are the passports valid, are the kids all up to date with vaccinations, is the suitcase big enough, will the airline take the buggy on board or do you need to borrow a smaller one and do you have every suncream known to man.
But what are you missing?
Family holidays can be stressful if everyone isn’t catered to.
Adults want the kids to enjoy themselves so in turn, they can relax and have a holiday to look back on fondly.
In order to strike that balance, many families are considering bringing a friend of their kids with them on holidays.
Depending on your children’s age, or the gap between older and younger siblings, this could work out to be a great idea in terms of keeping everyone happy.
Your children are occupied with a friend or relative their own age who you know and trust while you either become freed up to give younger children that bit of extra care they need, or get a break from being the one solely responsible for your child’s entertainment for the duration of the holiday.
And to sweeten that deal? Whoever you take with you would surely have to return the favour at some point, and bring your child on hols with them too, right?
What do you think? Is it more hassle to bring another child on holidays with you or would it make things easier? Let us know in the comments on Facebook.
