It is no secret we love travelling as a family, albeit we do not go away a lot. We have been lucky to have some fantastic opportunities for family holidays over the years. This year is no exception as we are off to Dubai very soon. We are so excited. It got me thinking about how do you plan for that dream holiday? Such big decisions and a ball of excitement, it can hard to concentrate. Well, that’s how I feel.
Think about your accommodation
If have that dream location in mind you will need somewhere to stay. One of my dream destinations is Florida and I have heard some really great tips on where to stay in Florida to get the best deals. My parents-in-law go to Florida every 2 years and they are complete pros. They have said if ever we go together, the best idea would be to get a family villa for us all. This is because there would be the right space for the entire family, and you can get a location that is near to the attractions you want to visit. Obviously, Disney’s Magic Kingdom is on the top of our list.
Hiring a car?
One tip I learnt just recently is rather fantastic. When booking flights, without accommodation, companies usually want you to pay for the flights outright. If you add a hire car onto your booking, it immediately becomes a holiday package. We did this with our flights to Dubai. We would have paid over £500 more for our flights without a hire car, with another company. We now have a hire car, which means we get a little freedom to roam and explore the new destination. We also got to pay a deposit initially and pay off the balance over time.
Make a list of attractions
With both of my dream locations, Florida & Dubai, there are so many places I want to visit and explore. With Florida there are the main attractions for families: Disney, Epcot, Waterparks etc. With Dubai there are a heap of things we want to do but not the budget to do them all. So, I am making a list of all the things we want to do. I am asking the kiddies their opinions too. I will prioritise the list, based on popularity and within budget, and we will do the ones at the top. I know we want to try the waterpark, dessert trips and visit The Palm! We are so excited.
Save! Save! Save!
Sounds obvious. But with it being a dream holiday, invariably that implies it won’t be cheap. Unless you have completely different goals to me – which is fine by the way! But Dubai isn’t cheap. The flight costs are as expensive as some 2 week All Inclusive breaks. When we get there, we need to be careful with money and plan the time, so we don’t go over budget. It is going to be difficult as there is so much to see and do, but we know we can have a fabulous time without it costing a fortune. We are saving every penny in the run up to our holiday.
Don’t forget to say cheese!
It goes without saying that we will be taking our cameras with us to our dream holiday. Ensuring we have chargers; memory cards and cases is as important as our swim wear. I want to make sure we capture our dream holiday and all the memories. I know it will not be a location we will visit again, so we need to make the most out of our time. And, capture all the travel photography or videos so we can reflect on those moments forever.
I am really excited about our family time together in Dubai and still dreaming about Florida, one day, it is so exciting knowing that you are going on holiday. But making it all work together with what you want and what you can afford is tricky. Where is your dream holiday location? I would love to know in the comments below.
