5 Tips for Travelling at Christmas

The month of December is upon us; Christmas is coming as is the inevitable stressful family get together.  At this time of year there isn’t anything better than spending time surrounded by our family but it can feel like a stressful situation here’s some tips for travelling and staying with extended family over this festive time. 

1) Organise ahead of time.

Christmas vacations are even harder to pack for than regulars ones.

With all those presents to remember make sure you leave plenty of time to pack, family holiday insurance should be sorted to relieve any possible dramas and be sure to wrap your gifts in advance so you can enjoy your time with your family as soon as you get to your destination.

2) Discuss ahead of time who is paying for what.

Avoid the awkwardness and arrange it ahead of time. If parents or grandparents are paying for the trip or putting everyone up show your appreciation by cooking a special meal or taking them out to eat. If you are the one putting everyone up or paying for the vacation make sure you tell everyone in advance exactly what you are willing to pay for, this will avoid any confusion. A great way to do this is to use a spread sheet that you share online.

3) Assign chores.

When holidaying with the whole family people tend to fall into their traditional roles. Children of the family (how ever old) tend to slip into that habit of leaving everything for their parents to do.  Just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean this should happen, everyone should have time to relax and not be constantly on his or her feet. Make a list of what has to be done each day and divide the responsibilities equally.

4) Don’t make it a tradition
It’s a definite temptation to make the Christmas holiday a tradition but making it annual can make what was a great experience turn into a holiday of resentment and more stress than fun. From year to year family situations can change and people have to visit the other sides of their family and new additions come in, so it may be better to make it every other year.

5) Always make time for yourself.

It doesn’t matter how close your family are it’s a pretty sure bet that you won’t all want to spend every minute together and that’s ok. Set aside some time each day to give yourself time to unwind and relax. Then make clear set times such as dinner, when everyone can rejoin the group and enjoy family time.