Your family vacation to a tropical paradise is approaching. Your little ones may be ready for the sun and sand, but setbacks can make a trip difficult at times. When you’re traveling with children, prepare your group with a few tips that will keep the fun times rolling on.
- Discuss the Trip’s Rules
When you have little ones coming along on a major trip, they probably won’t know what to expect. Surprise is part of the fun as you pull up to a 5-bedroom villa situated right on the beach. However, you still need to discuss basic travel rules. Staying close to Mom and Dad and using inside voices during a flight are just a few of the items that need to be discussed. Your little ones will need some reminding of these rules during the trip, but knowing them before the excitement will help with discipline on the go.
2) Pack Familiar Items
Depending on your child’s age, some trips can be stressful for little ones. As a simple solution, bring along familiar items. A stuffed animal, small blanket or other comforting item can do wonders for a child as they travel. Read their favorite book to them when they need some quiet time away from handheld gadgets. Familiar items can also extend to bedding that you bring for your vacation villa. Although the property comes with bedding during the stay, parents can outfit a room for little ones that mimics their bedrooms at home.
3) Don’t Forget Critical Accessories
Little ones depend on a lot of accessories to keep them happy with a new situation. Bring night lights, chargers and other accessories that make life easier. A night light can create a soft glow as the kids fall asleep in an unfamiliar room. Chargers for tablets and smartphones allow the fun to continue through the vacation by playing games or connecting with loved ones on the mainland.
4) Design Age-appropriate Activities
Parents can’t expect little ones to lay out on the beach for hours at a time. Children need stimulation and hands-on experiences. Develop games that are simple to play on the beach or at your vacation villa. Hide-and-seek or playing catch are just a few activities that might excite the kids. Entertain the children, but remember that the vacation is also for the adults. Divide out the entertainment so that everyone is excited to spend time in your tropical paradise.
5) Maintain a Normal Sleep Schedule
It’s nearly impossible to have a relaxing vacation with sleepy children along. Ideally, your little ones need a relatively normal sleep schedule. Bedtime at midnight and breakfast at 7 a.m. will only create grumpy faces. Put the kids to bed at a regular time so that the adults can plan some alone time. Adults can enjoy a barbecue, round of drinks or other entertainment at night.
6) Allow for Downtime
Although vacations are meant for exploring, there should be some downtime for kids and adults alike. Carve out an afternoon for just reading, lounging or conversation at the villa. Being on the go for the entire vacation will only make you tired as the adventures come to an end. Everyone, including the little ones, should feel refreshed after an escape to the beach. When the final vacation days arrive, you can look forward to making those last adventures into memories.
With all of these tips for smooth traveling, you’ll want to plan your vacation as soon as possible. Start your vacation to paradise by booking a villa with our team. You can find our villas at TC Villas. Contact TC Villas at info@tcvillas.com or by phone from 9-5 EST at 1.877.467.4858 to book your perfect beachfront vacation rental villa!