Traveling with the Family: a good way to connect and travel tips

Seat sale alerts have dominated our watch list, our paydays have become synonymous to the day we can book ourselves a new adventure, everyone crams in the group chat when its holiday and the gang is thrilled to travel together yet again. In a time when travel has evolved to be as cheap as a pair of jeans, we’ve often considered traveling every now and then. As they say, work hard, travel harder. 

But most often than not, our initial thought is to travel with our barkada, the besties who have enough patience to take your photos, officemates who are usually very easy to drag along with or lovers who just cant say no to you. Traveling with them is always so exciting. On the other hand, traveling with our family doesn’t always pop on top of our minds.

The truth is, traveling with the family gives a different kind of bliss than the ones we get to spend with our friends. It actually is a lot of fun! Don't get it wrong, traveling with friends will perpetually be an awesome idea. But albeit we’ve spent our lifetime with our family, it will surprise you how there is so much more to know about them and it takes one adventure to discover those. 

The thing is, traveling with the family is not an easy task. There are different age groups you need to consider and the gaps in age means a variety of preferences. The older folks may not be able to catch up with your pace in traveling too. Perhaps these may have contributed to the reasons why you always end up traveling with your friends, it is definitely more spontaneous and less of a hassle.

But when you are with your family out on a holiday, it gives so much bond sharing the vim and even the daunting chore of planning it out. Here are six tips to consider when traveling with the family and how it can help you to connect with each other:

List down your group’s profile

When you travel with your family, mundane things such as the distance from your hotel to your next stop can have a significant impact. “Walking distance” can be relative to age that is why careful planning of the vicinity is vital. To be able to take all circumstances into consideration, you should list down your group profile such as age, different limitations and preferences. This will help you adjust your itinerary and activities to ensure that everyone gets a good time from the holiday. For instance, the beach is always a good choice regardless of age, after all, who doesn't love to splash?   

    Do your homework!

Growing up, doing the homework always bear us good fruits. It’s no different in traveling. Research is always the key to a hassle-free travel. When in dire need of help, Google always saves the day.

In finding hotels, you can always count on Google to do the trick. Search engines are filled with a lot of information about the best Boracay hotels for the family under a budget, or if you fancy a staycation in Manila, you can choose among hundreds of Manila hotels. Don't forget to research about the stuff to do in the area or where it is best to eat. You only have a limited amount of time in that holiday, might as well know what to do and where to go.

But don’t just stop there, reviews are the best way to filter out your options and they are usually very candid and truthful. It is also important to know how the hotel ranks against other hotels in the area. That’s when you know if the hotel has a good reputation. Consider if the hotel is able to cater to the needs of your family like the availability of a connecting room, an inclusive breakfast, which is always a necessity when traveling with the family or an airport pick up service.

Go get some help.

You don’t have to bear all the weight by yourself, storming all websites on your own, finding the best deals. Online travel agencies take away the additional burden of ironing out the travel plans. They give you a list of all the options with the information you need. Earlier, your research must have supplied you with a diverse options for hotels, but they come with a price. Online travel agencies help you sort out those options by offering you the best hotel or airfare deals. They are also so convenient to reach out to since it is just a click away and is even available as a mobile app.

As a cherry on top, they offer overwhelming discounts that is just too hard to miss. Take Traveloka for example. Traveloka helps you find the cheapest hotel and airfare deals with no hidden charges. You don't even need a credit card to book! 

    Make a checklist of what to bring

It is no longer just about you this time, your needs form just a part of the needs of everyone. Consider what they need to bring as well, specially those who do not travel that often, they always get to miss something. This encourages you to be selfless and to think about your loved ones. Think ahead and be their hero. Share your travel checklist to them. This also allows you to understand what kind of a traveler they are, things you probably didn’t know in the past and this summons how much you know each other. 

Most resorts does not have a nearby ATM so always bring sufficient cash for the family. 

      Hear them out

 Don’t just plan things out based on what you feel is best. Hear what they have to say, make decisions collectively, besides, that is the essence of being a family anyway. Get to know their thoughts about getting a group tour or an island hop. Whether they want to parasail or to do snorkeling. Whether they want a fancy buffet dinner or a barbecue al fresco by the beach. It allows you to gauge how much of an adventurer they are and helps you trace where you got your daredevil traits. When you come up with decisions together, there's always a feeling of bliss and it draws you closer to each other. 

Disconnect to connect

Since it is family time, try to snooze off from the outside world and give attention to who you are with at the time being. When it is awkward to make those little conversations at home, now is the best time to share your thoughts, open up on how your work is going or the things you want to do in the future. Life is hectic in our usual days and this is the perfect time to reconnect with the family and make them feel that even if you do not get to spend too much time back at home together, they always remain in your mind and heart. Now's a perfect excuse to be cheesy! 

Traveling always bring out the best in us, in this case, not just as individuals but as a family. It helps us become better and fuller. It teaches us with so many lessons we do not get to realize during our routinary days. I always believe that the best way to travel is when you are able to share it with those who are dear to you. Travel oftentimes guarantee the building of friendship and relationship, but it also helps to strengthens family ties.

If you're thinking about your next getaway, tag along your family and don't forget those tips. Remember, make each moment count and find those fambam deals now!