Travel experts are reporting that a current trend is for families to plan their trips well in advance – sometimes even years. For couples with children, this makes a lot of sense.
I don’t know about you but the first time I went abroad with my parents, I was five years old and I really remember very little about it. The last time I vacationed with them I was sixteen. So it seems fair to assume that for many families, there will be approximately ten years during which the family will go away together.
And for many, if not most, families, this will mean just once a year. Ten trips in total. So it makes sense to plan in advance.
When children are young, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that there’ll be many glorious family holidays over years and years. But there might easily be only ten, or even fewer. So it does make sense to plan well in advance.
If a family can also plan for their future vacations financially, this will ensure that no day-to-day emergency (like the car needing a new transmission or the house needing a complete electric overhaul) will stand in the way of future trips. For this reason, many families are putting money aside to ensure that one of their precious vacations will not be ruined by financial emergencies.
Family holidays will vary as the kids get older. For young children, beach resorts may be more suitable for example. An East African safari would be wasted on the very young whereas teenagers would get a great deal out of such an experience.
Travel professional are suggesting that families with young children prepare a plan of action for their annual vacations, taking into account their children’s needs as they grow older. They suggest that families should also start saving in a special account so that they can afford these trips.
Some are saying that these days, people – especially families – are changing the direction of their wants and needs. They no longer want to buy ‘stuff’ for their children (or even toys such as boats for themselves) but are focusing more on providing their kids with experiences – and memories that will last them a lifetime.