9 Tips for Traveling with a Large Family
Preparing for a trip is a challenge that’s multiplied when the family group has many members. Check out these tips for traveling with a large family that can help you make your planning more orderly and overcome this challenge with dignity and joy!
Take note and start organizing your dream trip today!
“…a large family is defined as one or two ascendants with three or more children, whether or not they’re common”.
-Law for the protection of large families, Spain-
Traveling with a large family: Tips to make the most of the experience
There’s no doubt that traveling requires planning and organization, but when it’s a large group, everything must be maximized. For this reason, we present a series of simple but very effective recommendations that will help you have a smooth trip.
1. Plan the trip as a family
Although you, as an adult, will make the most important decisions, it’s a good idea to involve your children in the planning. Tell them where you’re going, and ask them what their wishes are for this trip and what they would like to do. This way, they’ll become familiar with the destination and feel at ease from the moment they arrive.
2. Organize the budget
Making a trip with a large family implies taking special care when it comes to expenses so that they don’t get out of control. To begin with, the most efficient thing to do is to save a few months in advance and calculate how much money you’ll have available for all those days. Once you have a number, you can adapt your vacation to that budget and not the other way around.
3. Take advantage of offers, promotions, and discounts
When many members travel together, expenses multiply, but there are also opportunities to optimize the budget. Large families often get discounts on tickets to theme parks, cinemas, theaters, and museums. Also, tour agencies and online ticket and accommodation shopping sites offer family group packs.
4. Choose accommodations suitable for the family group
Choose places where the infrastructure is conducive to large families and that have activities for children.
5. Schedule activities in advance
When the family group is large, coming to agreements at home is difficult, so imagine on a trip, where emotions run high. Therefore, it’s easier to decide together and from the beginning what you’ll do each day. An extra tip, always set aside a few hours for rest.
6. Book as much as you can in advance
Nowadays, the internet allows us to make reservations with simple procedures, so take advantage of this! That way, you can secure accommodation, travel tickets, tickets for various events or for amusement parks, theaters, and cinemas. You can book everything in advance with just a couple of clicks.
7. Check everyone’s documents
Make sure that passports and identity documents are valid if you’ll be traveling out of the country.
Other documents you’ll need are health care credentials and vaccination certificates. If you’re traveling to a country that requires a visa, arrange it in advance.
8. Choose the most appropriate means of transportation
According to the number of days and where you’re going to travel, choose the means of transportation that best suits you to take your whole family comfortably and safely:
- Car: This is the best option for short trips and also if you want to have freedom of movement at your destination. In addition, you can make as many stops as you want and travel at your own pace.
- Plane: This is ideal for longer trips or for nearby destinations in case you only have a few days of vacation.
- Train: This alternative is valid for both short and long trips. In addition, railway companies usually have interesting discounts for families and children.
9. Take out travel insurance
Even if you have health coverage at your destination, it’s a good idea to take out travel insurance that includes transfers and has the appropriate limit. This will give you peace of mind in case of any unforeseen event or emergency with a family member.
Traveling with a large family: Are you ready?
The tips we’ve offered will be useful to organize your trip, optimize your expenses, and have a beneficial experience for everyone. The idea is for you to be able to coordinate a plan and then carry it out so that both children and adults enjoy it equally.
To travel with a large family, you should focus on time and resource management. But, this doesn’t mean that if a fun plan comes up in the middle of the trip you can’t join in! You have to take advantage of opportunities to have a good time, and thanks to the fact that you have a plan, you’ll be able to quickly know what to do and the trip will be harmonious for everyone.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- BOE.es – BOE-A-2003-21052 Ley 40/2003, de 18 de noviembre, de Protección a las Familias Numerosas. (s/f). Boe.es. Recuperado el 10 de septiembre de 2022, de https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2003-21052
- FANOC, & Comunicació. (2022, junio 23). Turismo familiar. FANOC. https://fanoc.org/es/el-albergue-la-sala-reconocido-con-el-sello-de-turismo-familiar/
- Federación Española de Familias Numerosas. Federación Española de Familias Numerosas. (2022, julio 20). Familiasnumerosas.org. https://www.familiasnumerosas.org/
- Ministerio del Interior. (s/f). Recuperado el 10 de septiembre de 2022, de https://www.interior.gob.es/opencms/ca/servicios-al-ciudadano/tramites-y-gestiones/tasas/pasaporte/#:~:text=El%20tr%C3%A1mite%20es%20gratuito%20cuando,la%20primera%20expedici%C3%B3n%20del%20pasaporte.