Top 3 Rules of Family Travel

Travelling is always a great experience. If you can, I think you would love to get the chance to unwind and roam the world freely as frequently as possible. After all, no experience is quite as magical and life-changing as travelling. 

To see the world for yourself, to witness what is happening in the great beyond, I think those are the kind of things we all yearn for in life. I guess there will always be that one thing missing in a person’s life if he or she never gets the chance to explore places far different from their own. Check this out, for instance.

So if you ever get the chance or opportunity, seize it. Trust me; it’s the only expense that will make your life richer.

Travelling is one thing. Travelling with the family is another. While it’s true when they say “the more, the merrier,” there are still some things that you will only get to experience when you’re going on a trip with the whole gang. There will be good and bad sides to it; both advantages and disadvantages. 

However, I believe the experience is worthwhile overall. There’s nothing more precious than sharing life-changing moments with people who matter to you the most, after all. 

To avoid going at each other’s necks on your upcoming trip (I know siblings end up doing so anyway at least half the time), here are a few rules every family member must observe during a family trip. You can also check out websites like Travel TMI for more convenient tips and tricks. Take careful note of these tips and I’m pretty sure that you’ll pack more wonderful experiences during this once in a lifetime event:

Travel Light

First things first: Do not bring your entire closet with you – special mention to all the women out there who are so keen on planning their Instagram OOTDs. Every family will always have that one fashionista (or overly cautious member) that tends to pack way more than what’s necessary. This ends up being a pain for the others who packed lightly as they will most likely get asked to help that one member who over-packed with his or her stuff. You can only imagine what happens next should the people involved in the scenario turn out to be siblings – it would be pure chaos!

To avoid having to deal with such petty issues, it’s best to just follow travelling protocol. And number one is that you travel light. Surely, you won’t be living there for a year so a few spares should last you the couple of days or weeks of your stay. Not to mention, you’ll be buying all sorts of “souvenirs” for yourself anyway so I don’t think you’ll need that much from home. 

Prepare a Personal Budget for Your Individual Wants

Next is the budget. Now, budgeting is a very important factor in any travel activity. As a family, this will be an even bigger concern as you will have to allocate budget for food, transportation, leisure activities, and other necessities for the entire group. 

When you’re alone, budgeting is a lot easier since you only have to look out for yourself. When you go as a group, it’s important that you monitor everything closely. Here are some amazing tips to help you budget better: https://www.doughroller.net/smart-spending/budgeting-family-travel/. 

In order to not make things any more confusing, make sure that each person brings their own pocket money and you may either give it to them yourself or they save up for it (that’s your own personal matter at home). The reason for this is for you to allocate the family budget better. What’s for the family as a whole should already be isolated from the personal funds of each member of the household. This is to ensure that you have enough for food, lodging, and transportation. After all, these come first!   

Plan the Itinerary According To What Each and Everyone Likes

Lastly, to avoid any sort of quarrel or disagreement within the group, make sure that you get everyone’s opinion before plotting the trip itinerary. I’m pretty sure that each one has a place they want to visit or an activity they want to do. Make sure that you hear out all of these wants and interests and devise a travel plan that would best fit with what each person likes. Remember that this trip is not just about you; take time to think about what the other family members want as well!