How to prep for your best-ever family holiday

It’s the highlight of the year, so you want to be sure your family holiday is as brilliant as everyone hopes it’ll be. And when you arrive at your hotel, it’s great to feel yourself relaxing as your day to day cares drift away and everything’s looked after for you. These tips will help to make it happen...

Book a family-friendly holiday

There may have been a time when a tent on a remote beach was romantic and fun, but with kids in tow, winging it simply doesn’t work. Instead of trawling the internet for the best deals, make life easier and hand over the holiday reins to the experts at TUI. They’ve thought of every eventuality a young family may come up against on holiday to ensure it’s smooth and stress-free, exactly how your holiday should be!

Take care of all your documentation

Travelling with a clan can be challenging when you’ve got everyone’s passports, insurance and travel documents to look after – not to mention keeping the kids entertained the whole way! Downloading the MyThomson app before travelling will put your mind at rest by making sure all your travel information is easy to access and stored in one place. If anything goes wrong or they get lost for any reason, this app will be your saving grace.

Choose a family room that makes life easy

Room for toddlers to toddle, space to spread out, a fridge for milk and cold water… they’re all things that make a family room a place where you and the kids can really kick back and chill. Add thoughtful elements like blackout blinds for little ones who may need a nap during the day. Heck, if you're lucky, you might even have the chance of a holiday lie-in!

Plan an escape from the heat

We all love the sun, but no one wants to change a dirty nappy or feed the baby their bottle of milk in the sun at the hottest times of the day. In TUI Family Life hotels, you can swing by the cool, air-conditioned Baby Lounge. It’s kitted out with everything you need for feeding and changing your baby, saving you walking back to your room. Plus it's the perfect place to get together with other parents and babies.

Keep the kids busy and happy

It’s great to enjoy fun times splashing in the pool or discovering the seaside as a family. At some resorts the kids can also join the Bamse swim school, where they’ll have the chance to perfect their confidence in the water, learn new strokes and join in with lively games and activities. With swimming classes for all ages, they’ll enjoy meeting new friends and will come back from their sessions full of stories to tell and skills they’ve learned. Tired but happy, they’ll sleep better too – another holiday bonus.

Prepare for some downtime

Plan little games and activities for the kids to do when you’re enjoying downtime together in your family apartment. With free wifi in your room, you can load up your devices with fun new apps and games. That way you’ll always have back-up entertainment in case you need it.

Make sure there’s something for teens too

If you’ve got teenagers in tow as well as younger kids, they won’t want to spend all their time hanging out with you. But they’ll appreciate a teen zone designed for chilling with new friends, plus free wi-fi for staying in touch with those back home. When they’ve had enough of being indoors, they can head to the pool or the beach with new mates in tow.

Remember to indulge in some ’me time’

A holiday is time for you to relax and unwind but also a good opportunity to try new things. There are lots of fun fitness classes to try at TUI Family Life hotels – but it’s the BodyBalance, BodyVive and Sh’Bam that are the most popular. They’re all run by professional Les Mills staff, and best of all, there’s no pressure to book days ahead. You’re free to pick whenever and whatever takes your fancy!