The holiday program If you want to make a successful family holiday, look behind the brochure pictures and give it some real thought. We don’t want to be writing postcards saying ‘Wish we weren’t here...’

Where, together?
Give us a white-sand beach, a cocktail menu and we’ll be happy. Yes, we certainly would – if we were on our own! But we’re not. And while a barren beach with a lone palm tree might be our idea of heaven, it could turn quickly into hell when a) you have to slather every inch of the kids with suncream on the hour, b) drawing in the sand fails to hold fascination, c) they’re too young to swim on their own, and d) they’re hungry, you’re miles from a café and there’s sand in your sarnies.

Write out a checklist of things that would actually make life easier on holiday. An apartment with a kitchen over a hotel room? A free-to-roam campsite over an apartment balcony? A shady forest over a beach? A fun-filled town centre over a windswept paradise? Most of you probably don’t need reminding that holidays after kids just aren’t as ‘romantic’ as the ones before. So if you’re dreaming of desert island decadence, don’t, er, kid yourself.
Share, together
You may have the loudest voice and the biggest bank account (only just), but smaller members of the family need to be involved in the planning of holidays. See it their way: they get bundled into a train/plane/automobile, taken somewhere and told that they’d ‘better enjoy this holiday because it’s the only one we’re having this year’. If you want them to feel part of it, make them part of it.

Besides, when the kids are looking forward to something, it’s a great opportunity to extract chores from them. Tidying the bedroom gets you half-way to Butlins. Making a charity bag of all those toys they never use gets you past Folkstone…. etc. But more seriously, if the kids have a look in at making the bigger decisions, then they’re happier, you’re happier, the whole experience is just that little bit easier.

Ask them, not for a destination, but what factors they might like to consider: what do they HATE doing and LOVE doing? Do they want activities or relaxation? Do they want to do something new or something they’ve done before? Piece together the answers and come up with some suggestions.
Here, together
When selecting a family holiday don’t necessarily plump for one that boasts 24hr activities, never-see’em-again kids clubs and a chance to ‘escape’. You may as well send them on Camp America and be done with it. A family holiday means that you are going away to enjoy being together without term-time pressure in a fun environment. And how often do you get a chance to do that? So don’t baulk at the thought of ‘nothing to do’. Armed with board games, backyard games and conversation you won’t give two-kiddie discos for tour-operator talent contests.

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Great games:

Swingball, cards, hoops, croquet, beach/foot/volley ball

Look, no props!

Brain games and sillyness can be just as fun so try your family at 20 Questions, The Forehead game, Just A Minute, Mornington Crescent (find out rules here)

Please email us with more suggestions for great holiday games editor@roundaboutmagazine.co.uk

Cheap Cheaper Cheapest

If your children aren’t of school age yet, you’re shooting yourself in the kitty if you travel in ‘school holidays’. The prices can more than double.

If your children are at school, you’ll be flying Sods Law. But you can make some savings if you either book ahead (like NOW!) or travel mid-week.

Save on flights and carbon emissions by staying in the UK! Beautiful countryside and water-spots – and Britain’s getting warmer by the minute…

Have a look at Hostels. You may have hung up your beer goggles some time ago, but some have family units and a great atmosphere.

Fear of Flying Off (the Handle)

You’d think holidays would mean less stress and fewer family arguments. But too much time together and too much free-wheeling can leave children, and parents, at each others’ throats, says Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Claire Halsey. And here are some quick tips for great trips:

Add structure to the day so children have some predictability – this helps them feel secure and they’re less likely to argue.
If you have more than one child take them off for some time alone with each adult. A whole holiday of vying for attention is bound to wind up the sibling rivalry.

Spend time apart as well as together: half the family can head off to the beach whilst the rest explore rock pools. So you’re not overexposed to each other and will find fewer things to bicker about.

If you’re planning an extended family holiday and some adults don’t get on then act in advance to keep things calm. Don’t try to pretend you all get on but at least agree between yourselves not to bring up subjects that always cause a row.