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Family holidays: Mum’s secrets revealed on how to plan!

When my husband and I realised how burnt out we were because of work, we had to do something about it. There’s no use working 24/7 only to find life passing you by. Our whole mindset had to change, and it’s not an easy thing to do when you’re both workaholics. Our kids are young, however they’re now at a great age to holiday more frequently. It’s not always the biggest holidays that they remember the most either. They love chillin’ at the beach and the excitement of new places. Family holidays are so important for your entire family unit. It strengths your bond and allows you to share real conversations. Plus, you’re creating the happiest childhood memories for your kids.

But hey. It’s one thing talking about it, and another trying to work out where to go and how you’re going to pay for it. Let’s face it, holidays can be expensive. You might have to apply for leave, factor in school holidays pricing, luggage, transport, the list goes on. It can all get a little overwhelming. I can assure you, it’s all worth it once you pull it off.

So to get you started, I’m going to share some of our holiday planning tips. These tips will help you plan and execute the best family holidays this year.

 

Holiday planning calendar

This is an absolute winner! Once you go through this process and colour in the holidays, it goes straight to the fridge so everyone can look forward to it. We always start planning with our yearly calendar and add in public holidays and school holidays. I’ve included one here for you to download: Lake Mac Family Life Holiday Planner 2022 (Excel)

Working out the times you can take off work is extremely important. Make sure they don’t clash with big events like family birthdays, school excursions or other states school holidays etc. There’s nothing worse than booking a holiday to the Gold Coast inside QLD school holidays….cough…not that I would know.

 

Involve the whole family

I like to lay a few ideas on the table for the family to pick through. I think it’s really important to get everyone’s input and then you can all discuss which holidays we could take and when. Everyone then understands and appreciates the decision-making process. I usually get the kids to help with some accommodation research. My daughter always seems to find videos to show what we can do or where we can stay. Very helpful indeed.

Our kids appreciate that big holidays cost more, so we only include one of these a year. The rest of our holidays are in cabins. We all understand that shorter breaks are sometimes better for our well-being. It helps break up school terms and it’s a circuit breaker for us with work and life. So for our family, it’s important to almost force our family to holiday more than we think is acceptable.

 

Plan way in advance

Usually, by March I’ve got everything locked away for the year ahead. There are many advantages to this process and it’s worked like clockwork for us for a few years now. These include:

  • Availability. Not only where you want to be but the room selection too.
  • You only have to pay a deposit, then you can pay off the rest over time.
  • It gives the whole family something to look forward to.
  • You’ll save money booking ahead, and can often get a great deal.

 

Choosing the right accommodation

Consider the age of your kids and your budget. Research is key to getting this right and I haven’t booked a crap one yet (touch wood). For us, we like a particular type of room and cabin, so I always look at the floor plans and the park or hotel layout. My goal is to get the best room or cabin, that’s closest to the water, and within walking distance to local places. I think you need to know what’s important for your family, and then go find it. Some things to consider include:

  • Accommodation location from beach or water
  • Room location in park/resort
  • Room plan that suits your family
  • Breakfast and other options like room service
  • Does it have a pool, playground, waterpark, games room etc

I never book online. I always ring the accommodation directly and talk to someone who works there. More often than not, you find out things that aren’t on the website. The other week I found out that the room type we wanted had 6 still available. One of them was facing the garden courtyard and the rest had a view of the ocean. I requested not to be in the garden room.

 

Family holiday budget

You have to be realistic about what you can afford. We always start off with a wish list, then cut it back to what works for our budget. In saying that, holidays don’t have to cost the earth. Some of our best holidays are in parks. We stay in cabins, but camping is an awesome budget-friendly choice. Some parks offer very cost-effective pricing, and if you take your own food, it’s a very affordable holiday. We live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Our beaches are amazing and some beachside parks also have modern splash zones and pools.

Check out our local Lake Mac Camping grounds for some good spots as well.

When we book more expensive holidays, I always plan the big expenses first. Accommodation and travel have to be paid off in a timely way. Then I look at activities and food. Saving for these is important and our kids save as well. They do extra jobs around the house to earn pocket money and they mostly ask for money as gifts for birthdays.

 

Final tips

  • If you’re on a tight budget, start researching holiday parks first.
  • Ask for deals. Stay 4 nights pay for 3 nights.
  • Read reviews. People will share honest reviews on Facebook or review sites.
  • If you can’t find images of the rooms or grounds, there’s a reason for that.
  • Check if the room you want has good WiFi. A lot of parks only have it close to the office.
  • Book one trip for the year with friends. Kids have an awesome time with other kids.
  • Not sure where to start looking. Ask other parent friends where they’d recommend or ask in our Lake Mac Parents group on Facebook. 

You’ve got this family holiday thing in the bag. Once you get organised, please come back and share, in the comment, where you’re now going on your family holiday. You will definitely be inspiring other families to book more holidays together.

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