Going on Holiday with Children? Here’s How to Survive It ☀️✈️

According to the travel brochures, family holidays involve golden beaches, sparkling swimming pools, leisurely meals and happy children playing peacefully in the sunshine.

What they forget to mention is that going on holiday with children can be… well, stressful.

There will almost certainly be an urgent toilet request immediately after passing the last service station, a sudden declaration of starvation despite the enormous bag of snacks beside them, and at least one argument about whose turn it is to look out of which window (even though the motorway looks the same on both sides)...

But eventually, after several toilet stops, seventeen rounds of “I Spy” and a solemn promise that you really are nearly there, you arrive. And somehow, as soon as you put down the suitcases and take a deep breath, the stress begins to fade.

Whether you are going abroad, enjoying a staycation or planning a few family day trips, our mini travel consultants have you covered. Here is their advice on what to do while you’re on holiday…

Going on Holiday with Children? 🧳 The Fun Box Travel Agency’s Five-Star Holiday Package

A comprehensive guide created by tiny travel consultants with unlimited imagination, no personal luggage allowance and very little understanding of budgets…

🍉 Sample the Local Cuisine

Every good holiday should include an opportunity to try the local food. For grown-ups, this may mean visiting a little restaurant, ordering a regional speciality and discovering a wonderful new flavour. For young children, it may mean carefully examining the unfamiliar food, touching it with one finger, asking countless questions about it and finally announcing: “I don’t like it.” They may then proceed to eat half of yours.

Still, trying unfamiliar foods can be part of the adventure. A smell, a lick or the tiniest nibble imaginable all count as cultural exploration. And should the local delicacies fail to impress, there is usually bread. Bread has prevented many international incidents.

🎶 Enjoy the Local Music

A holiday is the perfect opportunity to experience new sounds, songs and instruments. You may hear traditional music in a town square, a band playing near the beach or someone singing in a language you do not understand. Naturally, young children will respond in the most culturally appropriate way possible: By dancing directly in front of everyone. Rhythm is optional. Enthusiasm is not.

They may spin, jump, clap, invent entirely new dance moves and insist that every adult joins in. Do not resist. You are on holiday, nobody knows you and you may never see these people again. Besides, the best holiday soundtrack is often the one that reminds you of a moment when everyone forgot to feel self-conscious and simply joined in.

🗺️ Explore the Surroundings

Grown-ups may travel hundreds of miles to admire beautiful architecture, historic buildings and breath-taking scenery. Children will find a particularly interesting stick. They will also notice a tiny insect, an unusually shaped stone, a drain cover, a cat sitting under a chair and a puddle that apparently must be investigated immediately.

Allow plenty of time for these important discoveries. You may have carefully planned a scenic family walk, but remember that a young child’s legs can suddenly “stop working” after approximately seven minutes of walking. Curiously, those same legs often make a complete recovery when an ice-cream shop, playground or pigeon appears.

Maps are also highly recommended. Give one to your child, allow them to hold it upside down and follow confidently as they lead the entire family in the opposite direction. That is not being lost. That is exploring.

💦 Try the Water Park

No summer holiday is complete without water. It might be a swimming pool, splash park, paddling pool, beach or simply a fountain that nobody realised was going to soak them quite so thoroughly. Before entering, one adult will usually make the announcement: “I’m not getting wet.” Children interpret this as a personal challenge.

Remember to bring towels. Then bring more towels. There are never enough towels.

For more ways to enjoy splashing, pouring and exploring together, have a look at our 8 Water Play Ideas to Keep Children Cool and Entertained This Summer.

📸 Create Some Memories

At some point, you may attempt to take a lovely family photograph. One child will close their eyes.

Another will wander out of the picture. Someone will be holding a half-eaten snack. A grown-up will be smiling with the unmistakable expression of someone quietly saying through clenched teeth: “Please. Just one nice photograph.”

Take the picture anyway.

Years from now, the imperfect photographs may be the ones you treasure most—the windswept hair, the sandy faces, the ice cream on someone’s T-shirt and the toddler who refused to look at the camera because they had just discovered a fascinating pebble.

❤️ But Seriously… Here’s Some Advice on How to Survive the Holidays

Once you have arrived, it is tempting to switch off completely—and after all the packing and travelling, parents certainly deserve a break. Unfortunately, parental supervision does not come with an out-of-office setting. Unfamiliar swimming pools, beaches, hot weather and different foods can introduce risks that are not part of children’s normal routines. A little preparation can help everyone relax and enjoy the holiday more safely.

💧 Water Safety

As uncomfortable as it may be to talk about, drowning is a serious risk during family holidays.

It does not usually look the way it does in films. A child in difficulty may not shout, splash or wave for help. It can happen silently and quickly, including in only a few centimetres of water.

So make sure that you:

🤲 Keep babies and young children within arm’s reach. Never leave them alone in or near water, even for a moment. This includes swimming pools, paddling pools, baths, ponds and hot tubs.

👀 Actively supervise children around water. Children under eight still need close adult supervision, even when they understand water-safety rules or appear confident in the pool.

🏊 Choose safer places to swim. Where possible, use swimming pools and beaches with lifeguards. At UK beaches, swim between the red and yellow flags, which mark the lifeguarded area.

🌊 Take extra care with inflatables. At the seaside, wind and currents can quickly carry inflatables away from the shore. Check the local beach flags and safety information, particularly when travelling abroad, where the flag system may differ.

🪣 Empty paddling pools after use. Also check for ponds, pools and hot tubs when staying in holiday cottages, villas or visiting other people’s homes.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust provides clear advice about preventing drowning at home, at swimming pools and at the beach.

Hampshire families can also find useful information through the Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership’s water-safety resources.

☀️ Sun and Heat Safety

Getting a lovely tan is one of the best parts of a sunny holiday, especially when it stays with you for weeks after you return. However, children are often far too busy enjoying themselves to notice that they are becoming hot or thirsty. Regular reminders, drinks and breaks in the shade are therefore especially important.

The NHS recommends spending time in the shade when the sun is strongest. In the UK, this is generally between 11am and 3pm from March to October. Babies under six months should be kept out of direct strong sunlight. When travelling abroad, check the local temperature and UV index rather than assuming the conditions will be the same as at home. Also:

👒 Use lightweight clothing, a suitable sunhat and shaded areas to protect children from direct sunlight.

🧴 Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and good UVA protection. Apply it generously and remember that sunscreen should be used alongside shade and protective clothing—not instead of them.

💦 Reapply sunscreen frequently, including immediately after swimming, towel drying or heavy sweating, even when the sunscreen is described as water resistant. NHS guidance also recommends reapplying it at least every two hours.

🥤 Offer drinks regularly. Young children may become so absorbed in playing that they forget to ask for one.

🌳 Slow down during the hottest part of the day. A quiet activity in the shade may be a better choice than trying to fit in one more attraction.

You can find more advice in our guides to keeping children safe in hot weather and using sunscreen safely with young children.

🍽️ Food Safety

Trying new foods can be one of the loveliest parts of travelling, but babies and young children are especially vulnerable to bacteria that can cause food poisoning. So make sure that you:

🧼 Wash hands before preparing or eating food, and make sure children’s hands are clean before meals.

🥗 Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly, and keep raw meat and eggs separate from cooked or ready-to-eat foods.

🍗 Make sure food is cooked thoroughly before giving it to a child, particularly meat, eggs, fish and shellfish.

🌡️ Take care with food that needs to remain chilled, especially during long journeys, picnics or days at the beach.

🍽️ Do not save food that a child has already left on their plate to serve again later.

👀 Always stay with young children while they are eating, as even familiar foods can present a choking risk.

The NHS provides further practical guidance on children’s food safety and hygiene.

☀️ One Final Thought…

Children probably will not remember whether the hotel had the perfect view, whether every activity began on time or whether you managed to visit everything on your carefully prepared itinerary. They may remember the song everyone danced to. They may remember tasting something new—or refusing to taste it with extraordinary determination. They may remember splashing you when you had specifically asked them not to, collecting fourteen “special” stones that had to travel home in your suitcase, or laughing together when the beautiful beach day suddenly became a very wet one.

Family holidays do not need to be perfect to become precious. Pack the suncream, keep a close eye around water, practise good food hygiene and bring more snacks than any reasonable person thinks could possibly be necessary. Then explore, dance, splash, laugh and create some wonderful memories together. And when someone asks, “Are we nearly home yet?” four minutes into the return journey… Take a deep breath.

Apparently, that is all part of the holiday too. 😊