 How
to prepare for your Holiday
It is essential that parents prepare as much as they can for their family
holidays.
For one in ten parents, organising their travel insurance is considered
no more important than cleaning the house when preparing for a family
holiday! A further 24 per cent find packing for the family to be a major
cause of stress, while travelling to the airport is a stressful activity
for 18 per cent of parents.
So, here is a range of services that could make your life easier and
keep your blood pressure down as you prepare to depart for a well-earned
break!
No nappies, babyfood or clobber to pack!
When you travel you don't want to pack and carry a weeks worth of nappies,
toiletries and baby food do you? The last thing you want to do on arrival
is to search the local supermarkets for your babies favourite branded
products. Tiny Traveller ships everything you need to your travel destination.
With increasingly tighter airline regulations and no luggage allowance
at all for your infants under two years of age, this service allows you
to order ahead of time, saves you the hassle of carrying it to check in
and also keeps track of it! They follow your package from the time it
leaves the depot to it's destination to coincide with your arrival time.
All you have to do is pack clothes and toys!
Find out more: www.tinytraveller.co.uk
Airline angels
Everyone knows kids can make the worst neighbours on a long (or even
a short) distance flight. Book a Sky nanny with Airline Angels and you
can expect to have the children entertained before and during the flight
with games and toys, they will even liaise with the cabin crew on food
and all other manor of things! Then you can sit back and enjoy the flight!
Gulf Air is the first airline to introduce in-flight "sky nannies".
The nannies - all female - are a feature of every flight on the airline's
long-distance routes and are, says Gulf, "dedicated to delivering
specialist care for children up to the age of 12".
Find out more: to book an Airline angel :www.airlineangels.co.uk/index.htm.
For more information about Gulf Air's service phone 0870 7771717
www.gulfairco.com
Save your sanity in Spain
Going on holiday with a baby or two can be an exhausting experience.
And that's before you even get there. Struggling around the airport and
onto the plane with buggies, cots, beach equipment - it's enough to make
you cancel your holiday. Luckily hire company Kidz to Go! Supplies a range
of pushchairs, cots, highchairs, beach tents and much more to families
holidaying in Spain's Costa del Sol.
All hired equipment is delivered to your accommodation at a time which
is convenient. You'll be shown how to operate the equipment safely and
the items are collected again at the end of your stay.
For instance, hire a car seat for €33 for one week and €55 for a fortnight,
a wooden cot costs €39 for a week and €73 for two, and a baby bath costs
just €15, and €28 for a fortnight.
Find out more: www.kidztogo.com
Avoid carousel hell
Anyone fed up with the loads of luggage and equipment that goes with
a 'relaxing' family holiday should take the sensible option and allow
First Luggage to send their luggage ahead.
With one quick phone call or online booking, First Luggage will arrange
to collect any luggage from your home or place of work before the day
of departure and deliver it to their holiday destination in time for arrival.
A text message lets them know that it has arrived safely. For the return
trip, the same applies - First Luggage collects the luggage on the day
of departure and delivers it back safely to the customer's home.
Prices vary according to the country the luggage is being picked up from
and sent to, but the average price for a suitcase to most European countries
is £149 on a return journey, £89 return for a pram and £59 return for
skis.
Find out more: www.firstluggage.com
Passport, tickets?
All children born after 5 October 1998 need their own passport and can
no longer be added to their parents' passports as before. So, don't make
your holiday the holiday from hell by forgetting to get your children
their own passports or updating yours!
Find out more: The UK passport
agency and read our article on applying
for a child passport.
Little frequent flyers
Children as young as two are now allowed to join Monarch
Scheduled's frequent-flyer programme, Vantage Club. Members earn points
for every flight taken. which can then be redeemed for free travel. Other
perks include increased baggage allowance (princesses take note!).
Find out more: www.flymonarch.com
Easy-to-buy insurance
Insurance is a must-have for any trip, no matter how short.
Form E111 is all very well (entitles you to free health treatment in European
Union countries), but it can be a tricky and protracted process to get
reimbursement. Besides, you also need insurance for lost luggage, delays,
cancellations, curtailment and so on.
If you travel more than once a year a multi-trip policy
is the most cost-effective option, particularly if you can take advantage
of a "family" deal (which still covers adults travelling individually).
Family insurance policies and annual multi-trip policies
appear to be the best bet. There are plenty of sites - but some take ages
to give you a price and then even longer to complete the registration
process. Then finally some require you to print the policy rather than
giving you the policy numbers and important addresses on screen.
You will need to apply for the European Health Insurance
card before you travel. Every member of the family will require their
own card.
Family Holiday Checklist
Prepare yourself for the journey with these tips
- Before you go abroad, check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website
or call +44-(0)20-7008-0232 / 0233 for travel advice
- Book with a travel company that's registered with ABTA or ATOL
- Get adequate insurance
- Ensure the whole family is covered
- Take enough money and a mix of different payment methods
- Make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of six months and that
you have any visas you may need
- Stay healthy - check what vaccinations you need with your GP
- Obtain a European Health Insurance card if you're travelling in the
European Economic Area
Where to next?
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