Published 28th Jun. 2021
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Your essential survival guide to holidays with your parents (eurgh). Written by Kit, son of Polly and a teenager of excellent repute. Here's his guide on how to get the most out of family holidays...
If you happen to be a parent reading this blog then we highly recommend you read Polly's blog (Kit's mum) dishing out her highly valuable and experienced parental advice on holidays with teens.
Bring a Friend
It can be great to have a friend along on holiday but choose them wisely. They need to get your family 'vibe' and be able to fit in (and help out!) because there's nothing worse than being stuck between a friend and your family.
All Hail the Waboba Ball
You may never have heard of a Waboba ball, but on a villa holiday with a pool or on a beach holiday you can spend literally hours on end flinging these squidgy little neoprene covered balls around, bouncing them off the water for someone else to catch. The best fiver you'll ever spend. In fact, such good value it's worth taking two as one will inevitably get lost.
Negotiating
A key skill, and you may want to set out your position in advance of the conversation with Mum and Dad. What are your non-negotiables? The freedom to stay out late after supper? To be allowed an hour or so on the phone a day? Then you have to be prepared to compromise a bit, even if that means getting up before midday and agreeing not to tease your little brother.
Take a Stand
Chances are you won't share your Dad's passion for Byzantine churches. Time to draw the line and demand that your parents consider more collectively acceptable pastimes while on holiday.
Wear Sunscreen
Ask Mum to buy the stuff that you apply once a day because slapping it on is a massive bore. Also, avoid being anywhere near hairy-backed dads or brothers when they ask for help with the bits they can't reach.
Practical advice and inspiration for your next trip
Travel has many benefits, from immersing yourself in another culture to escaping the burdens of daily life, all while allowing you to learn and evolve. Many travellers are now looking to extend these positive impacts to their entire clan, with multi-generational travel emerging as an increasingly popular way to see the world. This takes the concept of a traditional holiday and broadens horizons so that every generation of your family is included.
7th November 2025 - Family Travel
What if, in addition to making happy memories, children came back from their holidays having learned something new? How to light a fire, create an authentic Neapolitan pizza, identify a paw print. Holidays are an amazing opportunity for children to interact with, and learn about, the world around them – often without even realising it. Welcome to ‘Stealth Learning’. Whether it’s studying constellations with an astronomer in Chile’s Atacama Desert,
26th February 2025 - Family Travel
In a longstanding family tradition, every year Original Travel Co-founder Tom Barber takes his children and parents on a bike ride around the medieval walls of the lovely Tuscan city of Lucca. It’s the perfect 3G (Three Generational) experience. Most of the time. It’s official: my children are spoilt rotten. Having a father who founded a travel company specialising in tailor-made family holidays means they’ve been lucky enough to visit some of the most magical destinations in the world.
30th December 2024 - Italy Family Travel
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