HOW TO PLAN A STRESS-FREE HOLIDAY

Amidst all the excitement of planning your holiday, you can’t help but feel anxious when you think about your end-of-year getaway. Consider these helpful tips when planning your next holiday and stop the stress dead in its tracks.

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KEEP EVERYONE IN MIND WHEN PLANNING
The best outcome for everybody to have a great holiday is to plan it together. You may be calling the shots but prepare for moping faces on your trip if your family is not excited about the activities. Get everyone's input on what they enjoy and try to include it in the itinerary.

If two or more family members are less than thrilled about an activity, scratch it off the list. Planning a sunrise hike when your family is known to sleep in? You’ll probably be the only one lacing up those walking shoes.

Also read: Top tips to leave work stress behind on holiday

PREPARE FOR THE ‘BORING’ MOMENTS
When trekking to your destination, the car rides can feel long – especially for your kiddies. Plan for the slow moments on your holiday and avoid as many ‘Are we there yet?’ moments along the way.

Think of fun road trip games to play and pack in cards and board games compact to play with during the in-between moments. Anything is better than hearing how bored your kids are for hours on end (looking at you, teenagers).

@wildkidswander road trip games for families!! I've been playing these since I was a kid #roadtrip #roadtripgames #roadtripswithkids #travelwithkids #roadtriptips ♬ original sound - Where the Wild Kids Wander

SPLIT YOUR HOLIDAY DUTIES
If you are doing all the planning and your partner is catching up on soccer highlights, you’re heading straight for an argument. Share the responsibilities to avoid resenting your partner during the trip. Your tiffs will ultimately ruin the mood and dampen the planning.

“The odds of a fight with your partner will drastically decline if you both have set expectations for one another before you leave the house,” says life coach Elizabeth Pearson. So, divvy up those tasks for a smooth trip!

BE FLEXIBLE TO CHANGE
"You want to be the kind of person who can turn lemons into lemonade – but we all get handed lemons when we travel. Figure out how to make the best of it and turn it into something good," says travel journalist Wendy Perrin. Adapt your plans when hiccups occur. If the weather doesn’t allow you to visit the theme park, have a 'plan B' ready to have fun inside.

You'll set a great example for your kids on how to handle disappointment. Plus, you won't be as stressed when things don’t turn out as planned. Don’t forget to plan for some down time too – being on the go all the time can leave you feeling overtired.

@virtuouswanderlust Mistakes to avoid when you’re trip planning 👇 📝 Loading your itinerary with too many things It’s tempting because you want to make the most of your trip, but a jam-packed itinerary may prevent you from enjoying the trip altogether. ✈️ Choosing short layovers Layovers can make flying cheaper, and you may even be tempted to take a short one to avoid waiting. But not all airports are created equally. If you’re opting for a short layover make sure you’ll have enough time to make it to your gate. 🌴 Relying too much on crowdsourced info Crowdsourced information can be a great place to start, but take the things you read on the internet with a grain of salt, especially now that travel is picking back up after COVID. Some information on the internet may be out of date. Do you have any travel questions? Drop them in the comments below. #travelagentsoftiktok #vacation2023 #traveltiktok #vacationmode #traveltips #europetravel #travellife #travelmistakes #traveltok ♬ Sunshine - WIRA

Also read: How to plan a baecation

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