Weekends away are a great way to grab some special time with the kids between proper holidays, away from domestic pressures and distractions.
However, if getting ready for and packing for a weekend break takes you as long as it does for two weeks away, you’re likely to be frazzled before you go and then frazzled when you get back and have to unload the car, unpack and tackle a mountain of laundry.
Our friends at Luxury Family Hotels have looked at ways to make preparing for a weekend break as speedy and stress-free as possible.
• Sit down and make a considered list of what you think you need to take, then go through it and ask if all of the things you’ve included are strictly necessary. For instance, much baby equipment, including cots, sterilisers and baby baths, will be provided if your chosen hotel is truly family-friendly – call or email them in advance to ask what they have. Luxury Family Hotels even loan out kids’ and adults’ wellies and bicyles, so you can travel really light.
• Try to leave your gadgets at home and take only what is truly necessary – your phone. The average holidaymaker takes five days to wind down, according to a study done in 2013, so those on weekend breaks need to fast-track their way to relaxation by avoiding all unnecessary intrusions from work, family or the outside world (Tip: check your phone messages once or twice a day and respond only to anything urgent).
• Take some time to think about what luggage best suits individual members of your family. Slightly older kids like the independence of taking responsibility for their luggage and this is a good time to look into overnight bags (handy for sleepovers too) or wheeled rucksacks that they can carry or pull as the mood takes them.
• Bear in mind that even smaller kids like to feel grown-up by having their own luggage. Trunki ride-on suitcases are a modern classic but there are other wheeled options, including Samsonite’s super-cute Dreams Upright Elephant suitcase.
• Seek out the most space-efficient car kit. A car-seat tidy hooks over the back of one of the front seats to keep drinks, toys and gadgets compact and in one place, while Trunki’s BoostApak is an ingenious booster-seat that doubles as a backpack, meaning you can store things in it even when a child is sitting on it, and also carry things into your hotel with it.
• Make sure your toys and kids’ entertainments are space-efficient too. We recommend stickerbooks, flatpacks of Plasticine, and good old-fashioned pens and paper or colouring books. Load them all into a Trunki – the much-loved wheelie case doubles beautifully as a mobile toy-box. Alternatively, the firm also does a great Tote Bag that can be used as a shoulder bag and clips onto a car (or plane) seat, as as fitting into the side of a Trunki case.
• Even on winter breaks, pack a cool bag for the car, with healthy snacks and plenty to drink to save you having to stop en route. Remember to fill it up for the journey home too.
Thanks for those great tips. Let us know what you do to ease the stress of packing for the family.