Wanderlust is for both the “young” and the “young at heart.” Do not let age stand in the way to new adventures. Follow your “spirit of adventure” and keep it alive as one great family hobby! There are many experiences and opportunities you are missing out by not coming out of your “shell” or moving out of your “comfort zones.”
It is time for relaxation and for personal fulfillment. Expand your boundaries and experience beautiful memories by traveling to different places.
Family Travel requires planning to get the most and the greatest benefit from it.
Here are some important pre-trip preparations that would be useful and would give you a memorable traveling experiences:
Travel Tips: Travel tips and advice for Traveling
Plan your Family Travel Destinations
If you plan your itinerary, your trip will be more comfortable, safer and enjoyable. So, plan where would you like to go? The tip is to go to places that could offer a whole range of activities that could entertain and educate you or stimulate your interest. For instance, your destination will be a place where you can have the long-dreamt beach holiday, a luxurious cruise holiday, an enjoyable golf holiday, a challenging hunting expedition, a fabulous wild-life viewing, an exciting sailing adventure, an interesting eco-touring, a mountain climbing expedition, a wilderness travel or an impressive cultural feast.
Another important consideration is your budget for such travel. How much would it cost you to get there? Does your budget situation allow such travel? Do you need to hold down travel expenses? To economize on your travel, do not schedule your trip during “peak season” in your intended destination. Ask and find out when their absolute lowest season prices are and then schedule your trip during such off season to get the best deal. Conduct research for low-cost budget trips such as family package tours. off-season economy trips, group trip packages and the like.
Know your Family Travel Destinations
Be well-informed about your prospective travel destinations. Find out if there is any travel warning or alert in the place, including its weather conditions such as in the event of hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. Be sure to ask about laws of the country you wish to visit to avoid problems with their law-enforcement agencies. Search for the latest news or information on the peace and order situation of the place. Is the place a security risk? Is there an alarming rate of crimes committed in such place? Are there terrorists or terrorism incidents thereat? Is the place a health-risk, for instance, from dengue fever, malaria, SARs, A1 (H1N1), AIDs, Meningococcemia These are critical and deciding factors in planning your travel destinations.
Ensure that you have a Hotel Reservation
When choosing a hotel, your first consideration is safety and security of your family. Before making a hotel reservation, ascertain that the hotel of your choice has a management and security staff who have already undergone security and emergency management training and that the hotel has a security personnel on duty 24 hours daily. It is also very important that you confirm if the hotel has an electronic key card access, an emergency evacuation plan, fire escape map, fire exits, fire fighting equipments as well as fire sprinklers in every room and lobbies. Moreover, reserve a hotel room that should not be facing a busy street or has ground-level windows or sliding doors fronting the hotel’s swimming pools or beach areas. As much as possible, take a room between the 3rd and 6th floor because this cannot be easily accessed by prowlers or that it can be easily reached by most fire department ladders in the event of a fire emergency.
Travel light
Choose wash-and wear, wrinkle proof or light weight clothes and shoes. Select separates in colors that match so you can get different look .in your shirt and pants or blouse and pants/skirts. Always bring with you a formal or semi-formal attire. For safety reasons, do not bring with you a lot of expensive jewelries and equipments. Pack your own toiletries such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, body colognes, lotions, etc. because these cost more in the gift and convenience shops that caters to the needs of tourists..
Update and Photocopy your documents
Make sure your passport, visa, travel and health insurances and other travel documents are up-to-date. Have 2 sets of Xerox or photocopy of your travel documents, including driver’s license, medical insurance, bank and credit cards and travel insurance receipts. Leave 1 set with a family member or friend for their easy access or information in case you are in an emergency situation. Retain and keep the second set of copies but keep it separate from the original copies.
Pack for an Emergency
Make sure you have a mobile phone with international service and always keep handy the charger in your hand luggage. Carry with you a multi-purpose knife, a LED flashlight, a small shortwave radio with extra batteries, medicines and water purifier pills.
Choose your Family Travel Destinations
There are many Family travel destinations you can choose from. It may be comfortable to visit places that are already familiar to you but it will be more exciting to discover new places for new adventures. Besides, you will appreciate more the place you have been to by comparing or contrasting it with a totally new or different place that you are going to visit.
Here are some Great and Interesting Family Travel Destinations that you can go to – Great Travel Destinations