You’ve been looking forward to your family holiday for months. In fact, you already booked your Bangkok accommodation family as early as possible. But as much as you’re excited to finally take that much-needed trip, you’re also anxious about the fact that a lot of things can go wrong on this holiday, especially if you’re travelling with children.
The truth is, kids experience a lot of stress during these trips, and it causes them to be fussy, moody and just difficult to deal with sometimes. So if you’re going to manage these tantrums, you need to understand what causes them first.
A Disruption in Routine
Children thrive in routines because they’re calmer when they know exactly how their day is going to be. But when you go on a holiday, these routines get messed up. You travel to a different time zone, which disrupts their sleep cycle. Then, you put them in a completely different environment, which increases their anxiety more.
But kids are also great at adapting to new environments if they’re guided properly. The trick here is to make sure that they still have a routine even if they’re out of their usual routine. Give your kids time to adapt to the change before you even leave. It’s also very important to plan your activities around their routine to make sure that you can stick to them as much as possible. Take note of meal times, nap times and bed times, and try to follow them even when you’re travelling. This will help your kids stay calm and less fussy, which also makes your trip less stressful.
Lack of Personal Space
Travelling means that you don’t get to have the comforts of home, and that could be quite stressful for children, especially if they have to be confined in a small hotel room during your entire trip. A lack of personal space can cause anxiety in both young and older children.
So if you’re going to splurge on one thing, make it your accommodation. Choose a hotel that can offer spacious rooms for you and the family. You can even ask for family rooms, which are interconnecting rooms that allow everyone to be together in one space but still give them the privacy and personal space that they need.
Overstimulation
Aeroplane rides, crowded airports, strangers and bright lights, these are just some of the things that can cause sensory overload in children. And when this happens, they usually get emotional and extra fussy, which can lead to tantrums and meltdowns. To make sure that this doesn’t happen, it’s very important to plan your travel properly.
For one, it’s best to book a flight in the early morning or late at night when the airport isn’t as packed as during the daytime. You should also limit activities every day to avoid tiring out your children and letting them enjoy each activity. A lot of parents make the mistake of packing their travel days with so many activities to make the most of their holiday. But when kids get tired, you can also expect tantrums to get in the way of you having fun during your trip.
Fear of Travelling
While the idea of travelling is exciting for adults, it can be quite the opposite for some children. In fact, a lot of kids go through tantrums during their first aeroplane ride simply because new things scare them. This is why proper preparation is key to the success of your family holiday. If your children have expressed fear of travelling, you can start by taking them on a weekend road trip or a short getaway within the country. This will give them time to adjust to travel before you can take them on long-haul flights and extended holidays in other countries.
It’s also very important to explain to your kids the holiday that you’re about to take. In fact, you should get them involved in the planning process by getting their opinion on the destination that you should choose, the foods that you would try and the activities that you’d do during your trip. Involvement helps them prepare themselves for the trip, which can reduce the chances of anxiety, stress and meltdowns.
Final Thoughts
In the end, there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for travelling with the family. This is because every family is unique, and your children could behave differently from others. So while it’s normal to feel some pressure to let your kids behave properly during your holiday, never let that get in the way of you enjoying your trip. Take things as they are, prepare for what you can and deal with the hiccups along the way. And to make things smoother, let us take care of you during your trip with the best holiday accommodation that you can find.
