Sigh, the season has started again. I don't mean the skating season, winter sports season, but the you-must-book a holiday season. At least, that's what the travel agencies want to tell you. There are invariably in these months all kinds of advertisements and offers for the summer holidays. Book now! Early bird discount! Fast decision-maker advantage! Everything is being tried to persuade you to book a holiday with children now. Because inside is inside, the travel agents think. I know many people who love to scour the internet in search of good deals and fun vacations. So I'm not that kind of person. Because booking a holiday with children is not easy. After half an hour I am more ready for a holiday than ever. Read about my holiday woes. And the holidays haven't even started yet!
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A vacation used to be wonderful. Decide for yourself where, when and how people traveled and celebrated holidays. Not knowing in the morning where you would be in the afternoon, wonderful. Now I don't have to think about it! What happened to my holiday-going, backpack-loving soul that I am so dreading a holiday now? Let me say it straight away:booking a holiday with children is just a completely different story. Different cake than backpacking.
I'm not much of a planner, I like spontaneous. The thought that I should book a holiday now gives me the creeps. Let alone book a holiday with children. That's not a city trip. I don't even know what to eat next week, let alone where I want to go in a few months! Still for a few weeks… And if I change my mind later, I'm still stuck with it. Brrr, so that makes me kind of claustrophobic. Do you recognize that? Then you can of course go for a last minute. A great option if you are going on holiday as a young couple, but as soon as kids come along, the idea gives me the jitters again… What about you? Would you book a last-minute holiday with children?
Aside from being a bad planner, I'm also a bit frugal. I've developed the bad habit that a vacation should never cost too much. Booking a holiday with children to the Safari Resort is therefore not an option. This also dates back to my backpacker period. And we always plan to renovate something, so we want to keep a budget. So don't empty the entire piggy bank. Unfortunately:if you are going to book a holiday with children, there are things you have to take into account.
Before the children were of compulsory school age, we were able to book a holiday with children for a good price. Fly to a warm country and enjoy the sun. Holidays with small children are already challenging enough, so we opted for a little more luxury at the time to get a holiday feeling. Now that the children are older, that holiday feeling is slowly returning. But you are bound by the school holidays and therefore the very high prices. For what belongs what apparently ... now I finally understand why so many people go camping, it is the costs! Makes a huge difference in the number of hotel rooms that you have to arrange while booking a holiday with children.
Flying holidays are therefore almost no longer an option. Then by car? I find 10 hours in a car with three children quite a challenge. With a normal car ride, after 10 minutes I get the question whether it will take a long time, or if there is a big fight. Fortunately, there are screens that can remove a lot of "nuisance" in the car, but still. So it doesn't really sound like music to your ears. And experience shows that we do not get more comfortable in the car. Some people don't turn a blind eye to it. I'm afraid we (hubby and I) will be arguing in the car in no time. We also realize that our car does not drive very economically, so a long car journey can still be quite expensive.
So just a short car ride. That will soon be the case in the Netherlands (My inner-backpacker becomes unwell for a while). If the weather is good, it is still great to stay in our own country! I also feel that a holiday in my own country should be cheaper than abroad. Why? No idea. This feeling turns out to be wrong. The only thing cheaper is the trip itself, because the accommodation costs are not that much cheaper than foreign ones. And then you don't even have a great chance of summer weather! Gosh, for that money, I would rather go a little further away where there is more sun security. So you see:booking a holiday with children, there is more to it than you would like. But the sun remains a real priority for me!
In the end we decide that a 5 to 6 hour drive is the max. We can easily drive in a day without getting the kids and us out of the car all tired, arguing. And that way you still have something to do with your day. With this maximum travel time (calculated without traffic jams) you will quickly arrive in southern Germany or the Ardennes.
The next dilemma:booking the accommodation for a holiday with children. Wasn't a problem with that backpacking either. A hotel room with five people does not sound appealing. We would like there to be separate bedrooms so that the children can wake each other less quickly and we do not have to keep the TV soft all evening in a bed. And those hungry people of mine want to eat a lot and often, so a space to make something out of food would be nice. Maybe an apartment? That sounds like something to us, but close to activities and/or swimming pool so that the children can also enjoy themselves. We can find them less quickly.
Enjoying a civilized stay in a bungalow park? Then we have enough space and ample opportunities for activities and entertainment. My inner backpacker is not getting well again. Then something like a mobile home. But there is enough space so that when the youngest wakes up, he does not immediately wake everyone up. Or a tent then. We don't have too many tent gear, so you have to buy it first. And if we don't like it, we're stuck with all that stuff. Besides, I don't see myself walking around on a campsite with a toilet roll under my arm, so no.
So it will be a bungalow park or mobile home. Well, after we've gone through the previous steps, we feel triumphant and settle down on the couch contentedly. This was already quite a job, the booking is still coming. Or are we procrastinating because that might be the worst part?
A few weeks later we start looking again. If we find bungalow parks or campsites that appeal to us, they are either very expensive or completely booked. Usually both. I'm done with it already. Forget it. We are now so far into the season that we (have to) do a last minute. You often hear great success stories about this, so we can do that too, right?
Well not nice! Why I thought there were nice options now that weren't there a few weeks ago is a mystery. All destinations that we like are fully booked by people who do plan in advance and were smart enough to make a choice. The people who apparently know how to book a holiday with children. But yes, we do want to go away for a while. Rundhausen is not really a holiday either. You really want to get away from it all.
Because the holiday is approaching faster and faster, we really have to choose now. I notice that I am less and less interested in it (is more often the case when something has to be done) and that I have less and less money for it. Then you end up in a vicious circle. Ultimately, I chose something based on the "it is still available" category. Doesn't give the best results, I can tell you. Vacation sounds like gold to me now, but booking vacations with children? It's starting to look like a full-time job. As if motherhood wasn't already that.
There you are, nice and cheap somewhere in the Netherlands in a caravan that is slightly too small. The youngest son is usually awake at 6.30 am and the rest unfortunately soon follow. The pool is closed due to a fire alarm malfunction and there is a wasp infestation. Well, now what's the fun again. Fortunately, we can go to the neighboring campsite in terms of swimming pool and the children are very happy with it. Whether we as parents can rest well remains to be seen. But yes, the children are having a good time, so parents quickly too.
Read also :The best activities with children on holiday!
Would you like to book a holiday with children? We decide to do things differently next year! I am sure that if we take a slightly larger budget and book in time, we will soon forget this. If we ever really book our first choice. It is now really time to rest my backpackers soul and return to reality. My inner backpacker lifts his resistance and lets it go. My mother soul will take over from now on. I am tapping into my inner organizational soul and this year I will succeed! Now I have to go, I have a holiday with children on the schedule 😉 .
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