Is there such a thing as luxury getaways when travelling with your children? For many, luxury travel with kids is a contradiction in terms. You might understandably wonder whether it is worth taking your youngest members of the family on a 5-star getaway if they are not likely to remember the experience.
Here’s all you need to know about luxury travel with kids in tow…
Benefits of Taking Your Kids on a Luxury Sojourn
The quality time you get to spend with your children while away from work commitments, cell-phones, grocery lists and the general routines of modern life is priceless. Kids grow up fast, and vacations offer a great opportunity for otherwise busy, working parents to share unique experiences with their children and reflect on recent milestones. Travel is a chance to bond, reinforcing an intimate connection with your children regardless of whether they remember the actual details of the trip.
Travelling helps your children to see the value of trying new experiences and foods, as well as developing skills such as patience, flexibility and open-mindedness, not to mention learning a foreign language. Even babies and toddlers benefit as they are exposed to a wide repertoire of sights, sounds, smells, faces and colours.
Is Luxury Wasted on the Young?
Whether or not your kids care about the thread-count of the bed sheets or that the interiors were appointed by a famous interior designer is beside the point. They will be excited by outdoor showers; a huge jetted tub for bath times; a hammock on the balcony or the fact that the infinity pool is heated and has inflatable toys.
You, on the other hand, will welcome the fact that your accommodation is in a prime location that is walking distance from the beach or kids club, that you can hire a licensed babysitter for the night and that a chef is available to cook your meals, including fussy-kid-friendly options. Remember: happy parents inspire happy kids … or is it the other way around?
Choose the Right Luxury Accommodation
Not all luxury options are the best choice if you are travelling with your children. For example, staying in a home full of expensive antiques will probably have you on tender hooks the whole time. Our luxury travel specialists at Tripwix can help you choose the perfect place for you and your children. For example, free Wi-Fi connection is important when you have older children. Is there a games room with board games, ping-pong etc? Home movie theatres, toys, books, inflatables for the pool etc.
How Tripwix Makes Luxury Travel with Kids Easier
Tripwix selects which homes to promote based on several factors, including how suitable they are for young children. Our curators make notes about how kid-friendly a property is when they inspect. To find out if the home is right for you and your family, you can either look out for the “Family Find” tag as shown in the example below or check the notes in the “Weeny Wixxers Services and Activities” section on each home description.
Cribs and high-chairs are available in any home recommended for families, either included as an extra benefit or for rent. Even in homes that aren’t necessarily “kid-friendly”, which carry the Luxe, Deluxe or Ultra-Deluxe tags, Tripwix can organize the hire of high-quality local equipment such as cribs, car seats and buggies etc. Saving you on luggage fees. Also, when you reserve airport transportation or chauffeur services through Tripwix, we can arrange car seats and booster seats.
Likewise, our local ambassadors can help you organise nannie services or babysitters as well as recommend a host of kid-friendly activities in the area.
Tips for Getting There and Back
Arriving to your luxury destination without a tantrum or meltdown (both kids and parents can fall into this category) is often a sticking point. How do you survive long flights?
- Prepare a constant stream of healthy snacks that last and keep them quiet.
- Bring a range of small activities and games, wrapping them as gifts for good behaviour.
- Plenty of water – not only during the flight but throughout the trip.
- Download games and DVDS on tablets before the flight and make sure they are charged (invest in a portable charger to be on the safe side)
- Get some ride-on luggage. These wheelie carry-ons allow kids to scoot around on top of them when bored at the airport. You can also pull them if they claim to be too tired to walk.
- Put a couple of drops of lavender oil on their wrists.
- Bach Rescue Remedy for Kids before and during travel (double check with your doctor first).
- Comfortable clothing, a pillow, ear plugs and a face mask to help them sleep.
- If all else fails, take a nannie or your mother-in-law with you!
Got any of your own tips or funny anecdotes about luxury travel with kids in tow? Leave us a comment in the box below or add your stories to our Facebook and Instagram accounts.
