Entrepreneur Spencer Schar has been fortunate enough to travel to every continent bar Antarctica with his family, having visited 24 countries in total. This article will look at family vacations, providing pointers for a successful family trip. The attached PDF takes a closer look at the post-pandemic increase in appetite for multi-generational travel as well as other tourism trends.
Traveling with family is an entirely different experience to traveling alone or as a couple. Nevertheless, the key to any successful vacation is careful planning and preparation, leaving room for a degree of spontaneity but helping the party to stay one step ahead and make the most of their time in a different region or country.
For those embarking on a multi-destination trip, it is sensible to pack light, particularly when traveling on public transport. Accommodation in central locations may be more expensive, but ensuring all the main sites are well within walking distance will pave the way for a more enjoyable stay by helping to reduce travel costs, time, and frustration.
Walking provides a more immersive experience than can be achieved by traveling by tube, car, or tour bus. Although the party may cover less ground, it is only possible to truly get a feel for a place on foot. Sensible clothing and comfortable walking shoes are therefore essential, along with a lightweight stroller or baby carriers for tiny travelers. The attached infographic provides some interesting statistics on European travel in 2023.
For those traveling with small children, it may be possible to complete treks and even scale mountains, although most seasoned parent travelers would warn against it. In a child’s early years, it is generally much more productive to keep travel slow and easy. Parents should focus on child-friendly and accessible destinations, including pram-friendly buildings and modes of transport.
Once the youngest travelers reach school age, it is the perfect time to begin experimenting with longer journeys to culturally unfamiliar places. The embedded video explores the benefits of exposing children to different cultures from a young age.
Traveling with older children and teenagers can be incredibly rewarding, as by this age they will have started to form their own opinions on where and how they want to travel. It is at this point that visiting far-flung destinations becomes a real possibility, helping to expand young people’s minds and horizons by exposing them to different people, places, and cultures, providing them with a taste of a whole new way of life.