Every parent tries to make their child's childhood as joyful and full of impressions and discoveries as possible. That is why today we take our children on foreign trips so often.
What to choose
Every year tourism becomes more and more focused on the rest of couples with children. Many tours offer special entertainment programs for toddlers or older children.
When choosing a ticket for a vacation with a child, you must adhere to the following rules:
- Do not be afraid to overpay a little and purchase an all-inclusive tour. This will relieve problems with nutrition and daily routine, which is especially important for parents with preschool children. Moreover, hotels provide in this case a number of additional services for a comfortable stay: animators, children's rooms, changing tables for babies, small cribs.
- The best option would be to rest in the off-season - resorts and world tourist centers are not so crowded. But at the same time, be careful: if you are going to go to the sea, find out in advance the temperature of the water in this period of the year. After all, you still can’t prevent swimming.
- Spend a little more time and find a profitable tour for traveling with children - many hotels or travel agencies check in children at a symbolic price or even for free. They also offer discounts on some services if there is a child.
Where is the best place to go
The best option would be the sea coast - the beaches of Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Egypt, United Arab Emirates. A mild climate, a long swimming season - all this will make a child's stay abroad fun and educational. In addition, sea air is an excellent prevention of diseases of the respiratory system, increasing immunity.
We do not recommend choosing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America if your baby is not yet three years old. Firstly, it is not known how the child will endure acclimatization and the time difference. Secondly, all these countries have their own microflora and microfauna, a bacterial map unusual for a small organism. Special vaccinations may be needed. Yes, and exotic food will not benefit the baby, and upon arrival, there is often a shortage of the usual cereals and infant formula.
In any case, do not save on medical insurance: what could be worse than a child who falls ill on vacation.
In order for the long-awaited vacation with the child to leave only pleasant memories and not deceive expectations, parents should pay special attention to the selection of a tour, as well as take into account several important factors when planning a trip.
To be warm and pleasant
The issue of acclimatization is relevant for many adults, but for children it is much more important. That is why when choosing a holiday destination and a resort, it is worth paying special attention to the climatic conditions of the place. It is worth asking not only the temperature of the air and water in the sea, but also to find out about the humidity and the presence of vegetation. Obviously, when traveling with the whole family, and especially with small children, during the hot season, one should refrain from traveling to such extremely hot countries as the United Arab Emirates or Egypt, where the air temperature during the daytime hours of the summer months reaches +40 ... +45 degrees in the shade. Celsius. It is also worth remembering that in places with high humidity, acclimatization can be even more difficult. Therefore, in Sochi or Turkey, beloved by tourists, it can be difficult for children to endure the heat of June - August. Heat is much easier to tolerate in countries with low or moderate humidity, such as in the northern part of Bulgaria or Greece. The most favorable destinations for summer holidays with kids will be countries such as Croatia, Bulgaria, some Italian and Spanish resorts, as well as central Russia, Crimea and Anapa.
Since summer holidays at sea are inextricably linked with swimming, when buying a tour, you should ask how warm the sea water will be at the selected time of the trip. It is better not to try to solve this issue on your own, armed with a geographical map. Since, for example, in the southern Spanish resort of Costa del Sol, the air temperature is quite high in summer, while the water in the sea is usually very cool and is not suitable for swimming children. In extreme cases, you can resort to the advice of Internet sources.
You can go on vacation with children at the beginning or at the very end of the beach season, when the resorts are already less crowded and not as hot as in the high season. In addition, the cost of vouchers at this time falls. Here you only need to remember that in the autumn season, namely in October and November, the acclimatization of the baby can become especially difficult not upon arrival on vacation, but upon returning home, when the young tourist returns from a warm and sunny climate to a cold and windy autumn.
Resorts for children
Traditionally, all resorts have their own specialization: some of them are focused on older tourists, some - on young people and large companies, some - on families with children. When traveling with a child, you should not choose a youth resort, as it was created for those who are not disturbed by music until the morning and other daily manifestations of wild fun. It would be best to choose a quiet hotel for a family vacation, where all conditions are created for a comfortable stay of tourists with kids.
When choosing a suitable resort for recreation, you need to ask about the distance from the airport where the plane will arrive. If the hotel turns out to be a two to three hour bus ride from the airport, then it is better to refuse this option right away, since such a trip after the flight will be tiring for adults, not to mention small children. It would be useful to find out about the size of the resort. If the hotel is huge and located far from the sea, then the "population density" on the beach will be quite significant, no matter how big the beach is.
When choosing a resort, you should pay attention to the presence of greenery on the territory of the hotel, as the trees create the necessary shade, in which it is much more pleasant to walk with a child than in the "desert" with two or three palm trees. It is also worth asking about the very infrastructure of the beach, which can be urban or owned by a hotel. The beach should have showers, toilets and, ideally, playgrounds that will make children's holidays more interesting and enjoyable. It is also worth finding out if umbrellas and sunbeds on the beach are paid, in order to include a certain amount in the trip budget if necessary. You can also ask about water activities on the beach - catamarans, jet skis, kites and others. A large number of such noisy entertainment on the beach can interfere with children.
A particularly important point is information about the state of the seabed, namely the entrance to the sea. It is much more pleasant to enter the water on soft sand than on sharp stones that can injure a child's legs. Also, the entrances to the sea, equipped in the form of a concrete platform, are not suitable for tourists with children, since such options can only be considered if the children have already reached adolescence and can swim well. The best beach for a family vacation is a quiet sandy coastline with a gentle entrance to the sea. It will be safer and more fun for a child to frolic in shallow water and, in addition, the water near the coast is a couple of degrees warmer than at depth.
Hotel selection
The first question when planning a trip is the question of the direction where the next vacation will take place. It is also worth remembering here that in different countries there are completely different ideas about recreation, tourist services and services for vacationers. For example, in Turkey, everything you need - animation, water parks, beaches, restaurants - are located on the territory of hotels, and outside, as a rule, the tourist service is very poorly developed. As for countries such as Spain, everything is exactly the opposite here - everything interesting begins outside the gates of the hotel. There are zoos, museums, water parks, amusement parks, restaurants, shops and much more. That is why, when choosing a country, you should take into account your own requirements for hotels, so as not to be disappointed on the spot without getting what you want.
Also, when choosing a hotel for families with children, it is worth remembering that the concept of "stardom" is quite tricky. So a 4 * hotel in France, Italy, Bulgaria and Turkey will represent a completely different set of services and quality of service. In addition, in some countries the concept of stardom is completely absent, as, for example, in Greece, where their designations are adopted: A is comparable to four stars, B is three, and hotels that can be classified as 5 * are called De Luxe here. Finally, prices for rooms in hotels of the same level also differ in different countries. Therefore, having a certain amount of money, you can count on a completely different vacation, for example, in an expensive hotel in Bulgaria and a very modest hotel in Croatia.
The question of nutrition
A particularly important issue when vacationing with toddlers is the issue of nutrition, because if a child encounters unusual and inappropriately cooked food, this can lead to problems with the stomach and / or intestines. For very young travelers and those children who have some health problems, it is worth choosing hotel-apartments, that is, in the rooms of which there is a kitchen where you can cook food for children on your own. If you choose food in a restaurant, then here you need to be prepared for some surprises that are fraught with a children's menu. In some restaurants, this does not mean healthy food in the form of cereals, fruits and vegetables, but a variety of unhealthy dishes like breaded chicken nuggets, hamburgers and french fries, which are so loved by children and teenagers. Another thing is that if the cafe has a separate dietary menu, then among the dishes on offer you can find something suitable for children - chicken, low-fat meat dishes or vegetable broths.
In some countries, tourists with children are advised to eat only on site (Egypt, Turkey), while in some it will be cheaper and tastier to go to city restaurants for lunch and dinner (Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria). Such a favorite type of food for tourists as "all inclusive" is not common in all countries, and in some of them the choice of dishes will be an order of magnitude smaller than with "half board" or "full board" meals. Finally, for those tourists who are on a budget and plan to stay in a 3 * hotel, you should not choose the all-inclusive option, since it is likely that they will save a lot on food in such a hotel, offering what is left from lunch for dinner.
About booking
Those tourists who plan to go on vacation with their children should be puzzled by the issue of choosing and booking a tour in advance. Firstly, for family tourists, the choice of a hotel is of fundamental importance. Therefore, it will be better to choose from a larger number of offers than from three to five remaining hotels on the desired date. Secondly, in some hotels there is a so-called rebooking principle, when the same room can be booked twice and the advantage remains with the one who was the first. The second tourist can be moved to another hotel. Such surprises are not particularly pleasant, especially when traveling with children. Finally, an early purchase of a tour and booking a hotel will allow travelers to save money, since with an early booking the cost of the ticket will be lower than a week or two before departure.
Going on vacation with children, we always want to find the most suitable place, hotel and beach. It is very important for us that the surroundings are clean and safe, and that little tomboys can occupy themselves with something on the territory of the hotel. Parents worry about the child's comfortable sleep in a new place, the menu and the availability of adequate medical care. So, we will consider several countries for children's winter holidays and decide on the most suitable hotels.
Holidays with children in Turkey
R Recommended hotels for families with children in Turkey
The territory is planned perfectly: comfortable paths directly to the beach, green meadows with sun loungers under the pines. Bags, hammocks - everything for relaxation and comfort.
The best beach in Alanya! Wide, clean, with a gentle entrance. The rooms have been completely renovated - lonicera is young and beautiful again. They feed excellent. Mini-zoo replenished with white peacocks. In the citrus garden, you can sleep in a hammock after dinner. They feed excellent. Found 4 types of ice cream.
Flawless 5*! Animation adapted for age groups. Beneficial for families with "adult" children. Children under 15 with two adults stay free. We get a rest in an excellent "five" at the price of four stars.
For younger guests, the hotel offers so many entertainments that sometimes there is not enough time even for daytime sleep: In addition to the usual hotel activities: (slide competitions, disco, T-shirt and face painting), each day of the week has its own concept: Indiana Day, Pirate Day, Day Pizza Day, Cookie Day, Water Games Day, Sandcastle Day, Athletic Games Day. It won't be boring - Dragon guarantees.
Holidays with children in Vietnam
Vietnam is one of the countries that scares the parents of little tourists. Here, children are allegedly surrounded by overseas infections, poisoning, poor-quality food and complete unsanitary conditions. All these representations can form the basis of the plot of scary tales of mothers, fathers and grandmothers. But in fact, the fairy tale is not at all scary, but very cheerful, bright and memorable. What does it cost to travel in a cabin on a cable car over the sea to the island of Hon Che. Here is the amusement park "Vinperl", in which there are activities for both children and their parents. And on the island of Hon Meau there is a huge oceanarium in the form of a pirate ship, which has become home to different types of fish, turtles and rays. And there is also the eco-park "Yang Bay" and the Monkey Island of Hon Lao. In general, if there is a lot of interesting things for your kids, then there are also wonderful hotels where you can have a great rest after such excursions.
Current prices for tours to Vietnam
Popular family hotels
Nha Trang
Vinpearl resort spa hotel is located on the island of Hon Che, belongs to the complex of hotels of the "Vinpearl" system. Great for family holidays. Offers full board meals, the restaurant has a separate children's menu and high chairs. On the territory there is an entertainment park "Vinperl", which is free for guests of the hotel complex. There is a children's pool. A baby cot is available upon request. There is a miniclub and it is possible to use the services of a babysitter.
Dessole Sea Lion Beach Resort Spa hotel is located in Cam Ranh, 30 km from Nha Trang. Works on the system "All inclusive", the restaurant has the opportunity to take a high chair. There is a mini club for children from 4 to 12 years old. There is a playground and a children's pool on site. A baby cot is available upon request. Babysitting services are paid (approximately $ 15 per hour).
HAPPY LIGHT - the hotel is located 36 km from Nha Trang in the city of Khanh Hoa. The public beach is 100 meters from the hotel. The hotel also works on the "Full board" system (breakfast - Swedish table, lunch and dinner on the menu). There is a children's pool on site. It is possible to order a baby cot.
Phan Thiet
Europe San Salvador.
The quality is above the stated three stars! Clean, wide beach right in front of the hotel. Embankment with playgrounds - trampolines, swings - everything is nearby. The child will definitely have fun! The hotel can only take breakfast - there are plenty of cafes around.
BEST San Diego.
In short: Cheap, close to the sea, tasty, close to the center.
Rosamar Maritim.
The windows overlook the embankment, and here it is - the SEA!
The restaurant in the lobby is small, calm, without fuss, everything is measured and with dignity.
The food is all very tasty. There is a Caprabo supermarket 150 meters away, so all the little things for kids can be bought there.
Holidays with children in Bulgaria
Majestic Hotel & Residence
Close to Burgas airport. In a quiet part of the resort "Sunny Beach". Excellent rooms - apartments. Advice - take an apartment with a kitchen, meals only "breakfasts" - there are a lot of cafes around, everything is not expensive. The sea is 100 meters away, a huge, clean beach.
When choosing a trip with children, it is important:
Quick access (short flight and transfer)
- safe to swim (mandatory - a good beach nearby)
- comfortable accommodation
- Healthy food
- have fun
Next, we need a clean beach and a good entrance to the water, preferably belonging to the hotel, so that there are not many outsiders. It can be found in 3*-4*. What else can you get from the administration, good comfortable rooms, a playground, a club, a swimming pool, a separate table and chairs in restaurants, babysitting services. This list can be provided to us by 5*. Stroller rental, a club for babies from 0 years old with a bedroom, pots, special areas for walking and entertainment, areas with swings and attractions, water parks with sections for kids. All these services can be obtained in 5* Deluxe.
Turkey - Antalya (From mid-May to late October, but July - August is quite hot).
Bulgaria (July - August Good climate)
In Albena - a resort on the territory of the reserve. The combination of sea and forest air, a kilometer-long coast, only electric trains and bicycles from transport - entry into the territory of Albena is limited for cars.
Greece (June - September)
If you decide to relax on the island of Crete, choose Gouves, Rethymnon: the sea is calmer there and there are no strong winds. The best option for a children's tour on the mainland of Chalkidiki and the Peloponnese.
UAE (October - November, April - May)
The choice for every taste and budget, there is an infrastructure for children
Thailand (October - April)
The flight is longer, there are not many for children, but there are
Traveling to Turkey with a child or with children can easily be done from Moscow, St. Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Surgut, Kaliningrad, Syktyvkar, Nizhnevartovsk, Rostov-on-Don, Orenburg, Blagoveshchensk.
Contact the office of the Geography travel agency nearest to you, they will help you choose the best options for a comfortable stay with children.
Family tours
Family tours - temporary trips of a family (with or without children), or a group of several families to an area other than the place of permanent residence, made in their spare time. The main feature of family tourism, like any form of family leisure, is the interaction of all family members.
It is it that allows you to determine whether this trip is family or not. If parents at the resort prefer to rent their children to animators or nannies, but they themselves want to go on an excursion or the beach, then, in our opinion, this has nothing to do with family tourism. You can describe it as a family holiday.
Family tourism solves the following tasks:
Promotes family cohesion and the establishment of emotional contact, mutual understanding, cooperation between parents and children, correction of parent-child relationships, realization of family values;
Satisfies the need for rest and physical activity. This is especially true for sports types of family tourism;
Focuses on a healthy, active lifestyle and the development of health-saving technologies;
Contributes to the active socialization of children, many types of family tourism are team tourism, joint work, cooperation, teamwork create natural conditions for the acquisition of social experience in children.
Social types of tourism (which include family tourism) are characterized not only by a high intensity of interpersonal communication, but also contribute to the development of communication between generations at the household level. In addition, they are a high-speed channel for transmitting information to offspring about the appropriate and most effective ways of social adaptation and strategies for tolerant behavior, allow you to simultaneously and synchronously form a useful life experience for two, three or more generations of people.
Family tours designed by tour operators. In the tourism business, family orientation is a priority, a priori it is believed that family tourists bring diversity to tourism in general. Nevertheless, tour operators try to select the tour as much as possible, focusing on the main features of the family audience, especially paying attention to the issues of comfortable living, meals, organizing children's entertainment, convenient transport links, providing additional services, developing excursion routes that are interesting and accessible to children.
Independent travel. In this case, the family independently plans the route, determines the method of transportation (train, plane, bus, car, hiking, cycling, water tourism). In addition, an independent organization also implies greater interaction between family members at all stages of preparation and conduct, since you have to jointly answer a lot of questions.
Purpose of travel (for what? Why?). This is the main question, the answers to which will determine all further activities. An adult should try to answer honestly not just the question “why?”, but the questions “why does my child need this?”, And “why do I personally and my family need this?”. The main assistant in the search for a goal is common sense. If the child is 2 years old, then it is completely illogical to designate acquaintance with the sights as a goal. and no matter how much my mother would like to travel around all the beauties of architecture, but such a direction of rest will have to be postponed.
Remarkable words were expressed by D.V. Schmeiger in his book “I want to see the Earth!”, which has not lost its relevance for almost 30 years, and every line of which is imbued with love for your work and for children: “If you decide to take a child (on a long trip or on a weekend hike - anyway) just because there is nowhere to put it - change your mind! You will spoil the trip for yourself, poison the rest for yourself and the child, and, perhaps, turn him away from tourism forever. If you failed to send your child to a kindergarten or camp, if you could not find a grandmother, aunt, nanny for the vacation period - well, well ... Sit with your child at home or in the country. And let the spouses go on trips in turn.
If you are tired of communicating with the baby in fits and starts, torn between him, work and a busy life; if you are sad because nannies, teachers, neighbors, the street - anyone but yourself are engaged in raising your heir; if you suddenly feel that you simply love your child like a father (maternally) and are ready to give up some of your claims for him, then you are ripe for a family trip.
The amount of free time that can be devoted to tourism? The amount of free time will determine the end point of the trip, travel time, choice of transport. Do not refuse to travel if there is only one free day - you can arrange a weekend trip. Having a free week, you should either abandon the train, which travels to the destination for three days, and choose a plane. Or choose another destination.
Family composition. How many family members are going on the trip, what is the age group, will grandparents travel? How many children and what are their ages? what is their state of health? The answers to these questions will also influence the choice of the final destination of the trip. Pediatricians and physiologists do not recommend taking children under three years of age out of the climatic zone in which they were born. In case of climate change, acclimatization time must be taken into account. D.V. Schmeiger recommends “up to about a year, take children only to the country, and from a year to two or three years (the proposed age limits, of course, are quite arbitrary - after all, different children have different health and physical development) carefully accustom them to competent communication with nature and instill im some tourist skills. During this period, be sure to take the children out of the city not to summer cottages, but to “wild” conditions, but while walking, carry the child mainly on yourself - in a backpack or on your shoulders. and do not forget that the transitions should be short: children quickly get tired of riding on their parents (however, they quickly get tired of any ride, including on the train, so the trips should not be long). Stop often in suitable clearings where the baby can safely frolic.
Practice shows, for example, that it is more expedient to go hiking with children in a group of several friendly families (about 3-4 families) with a total of 8-12 people who know each other well. In this case, children find a company for communication, and it is easier for adults to organize babysitting and joint games and activities. Of course, the family can go on a hike in “loneliness”, in which case (depending on the age of the children) a weekend hike would be the best choice.
Against the background of traditional types of family tourism, there are currently innovative proposals. So, G.V. Talalaeva proposed the creative development of social forms of tourism in the form of family educational tourism in the format of "grandparents and grandchildren". According to the author, this type of social tourism is relevant for modern Russia. This is connected not only with the availability of free time for the older generation, its absence for the middle generation, and the desire for interactive communication among the younger. This is supported by new economic realities: the development of the country's financial system, the improvement of the forms of activity of pension funds and social protection services. Today, there are all conditions for the social mission of tourism to consolidate society to actively develop.
Thus, family tours are a rich, interesting, very diverse form of cultural and leisure activities of the family and have a great impact on family relationships. Thoughtful planning, taking into account the interests of all family members in choosing a trip will allow you to fully spend your free time.
Based on the materials of Belyakova O.I., Meshcheryakova I.V.
