subject: When Holiday Excitement Falls Flat - And How To Stop It Happening [print this page] If it's not bad enough for the travel industry at the moment with poor sales and the economy in a poor state, the last thing they need to hear is that for those who did venture abroad this year - quite a few wish they had stayed at home.
And with as many as one in five expressing this sentiment, 2012 looks a little dismal for holiday companies hoping to get more people holidaying abroad next year than this.
Many people go away in the hope of better weather than at home - and unless you book somewhere that's good nearly all the time - have a look at today's Tenerife weather for example - there's always a risk factor that the rain will dampen your holiday mood.
So what were the main reasons for some 20% of the respondents to the survey wishing they had stayed at home in the UK?
Top of the list is the stress of the journey when travelling with young children. The excitement of going away and then arriving at the airport is enough to more than perk a toddler's interest...it's a new environment with plenty going on, crowds of people, and inevitably children will get excited, while the parents struggle with luggage and queueing for check-in.
One answer to this could be to involve the children. There are ranges of small suitcases that can be carried on-board an aircraft that are sprecially designed for young children - and if they feel involved and with some responsibility it could change their behaviour for the better.
Also stressful can be going through passport control, not least because again like check-in there are queues, and the parents need to make sure they have all the documentation to hand while making sure their children stand in line with them. Making sure they are not flouting regulations for fluids is another thing for them to consider - if there is a baby in the party and made up milk is being taken through they will be asked to taste the milk to show it isn't tainted - a sign of the times we live in with what may appear to be bizarre ways of combating terrorism.
Again there is an answer to this to reduce stress levels. Children and especially babies and toddlers need fluids to prevent any dehydration. Nearly all airports have shops selling drinks once through passport control and you can buy normal size juices, bottled water and other drinks here - some will also sell ready made up baby milk in cartons that can then be transferred to a bottle for feeding that a baby is used to.
And if those who had gone away had taken a UK holiday, would they have been less stressed? They might have avoided an airport, but motorway journeys can be equally stressful, with children needing frequent loo breaks, squabbling if there is more than one child, and traffic jams for the driver to contend with are all part and parcel of the journey. And if they had holidayed this summer the weather was disappointing, especially when compared to the weather in Tenerife for example.
As for costs, UK holidays can be just as expensive as going abroad. Petrol prices are high and renting a cottage in the West Country is often between six and eight hundred pounds, not a lot less than renting a villa in many overseas locations. Gong to a well known theme park for a family of four in the UK can cost anything between a hundred and two hundred pounds, depending on whether you take a picnic or eat at one of the park's restaurants. And for self catering a shopping trolley of food for the week is similar in price to most European countries.
The answer to reducing stress when you go on a holiday abroad is to do a little preperation. Read about the area you're going to online, have a look at a map too to see where the nearest attractions and good safe beaches are, and have a look at a weather forecast too a day or two before departure so you will know what kind of weather to expect when you arrive.
Do this and swap stress for enjoyment, and happy family holidays both you and your children will all remember with fondness.
