Joyce Wilson from TeacherSpark wanted to share some travel tips for the upcoming summer holidays. See what they had to say below.
School breaks are the perfect opportunity to participate in fun activities with your kids and bond as a family. In the past, you likely took advantage of this time to go on a vacation and explore the world. However, with COVID-19 concerns, this is getting challenging. Luckily, there are many pandemic-friendly ways you can make the most of your kids’ time off school.
Explore pandemic-friendly travel options
Long-distance trips, air travel, and international journeys have all become complicated due to COVID. However, there are still ways to travel. The main takeaway is that you must do your homework before making travel arrangements if you intend to holiday outside the country. This means not only knowing about COVID requirements at your destination, but also on airlines. It’s also important to research cancellation policies beforehand.
If you take a road trip to your destination, there are some best practices you can follow to make it more comfortable. One challenge with long drives is keeping kids entertained. Pack a tablet with games and movies to help. Family Vacation Critic also recommends crafts for kids. Friendship bracelets are a fun and safe activity for the back seat. Prepare for the unexpected and pack basics like hand sanitiser and masks. Finally, if you’re vaccinated, it can be helpful to have a copy of your vaccine record on hand.
Take a family-style “staycation” in your hometown
If you don’t want to go that far afield for a mini-vacation, you can still book a staycation in your hometown. Switch up your everyday surroundings by booking a local AirBnB for fun. This is a COVID-safe option compared to a hotel since there aren’t shared spaces to worry about. Plus, you can cook meals at your Airbnb.
Travel Bugs World offers many other staycation suggestions to inspire you. Options include planning a picnic or a barbecue in a local park, touring your town, geocaching, and visiting nearby national parks. Active kids may also enjoy adventure activities like skiing, biking, or hiking. If you live in a coastal area, a beach walk to collect seashells is another fun idea.
Getting outside and away from home can mean many different things. Maybe your family would enjoy exploring a new hobby together. This could mean private lessons for learning a new sport or picking up storm chasing. Storm chasing is a great way to spend time together while exploring different parts of the country.
At a loss for what to do on your staycation? Trust the internet to help. You can use platforms like TripAdvisor to scout out location-specific activities, sights, and tours in your area. There are also mobile phone apps that can help you find worthy activities, like Triptipedia, Where Would You Go?, and The Culture Trip.
Spend a vacation engaging in outdoor fun close to home
Finally, if planning a staycation isn’t your thing, you can find plenty of ways to keep kids amused on their school break right in your own garden. Fun garden activities include tin can bowling, clothespin tag, and ring toss. These are just a few of the many options you might consider. Talk to your kids about what games they think would be fun to try.
You can also ramp up the fun by turning your garden activities into a contest. Get those competitive juices flowing and spark some inter-family rivalry! You might set up a faux olympics, complete with medals. Kids can choose countries they want to play for and draw flags to represent their team. This also adds some educational value to the fun.
Planning a family vacation when you’re worried about COVID doesn’t have to be a drag. As the above guide reveals, there are many ways you and your kids can enjoy a break from school, even if you’re not traveling far.
This article was written by Joyce Wilson.
Visit her website TeacherSpark.
If you’re a grandparent looking for some information on the rules for taking your grandchildren abroad, have a look at Go Compare’s in-depth article on the topic here: https://www.gocompare.com/travel/grandparents-travelling-grandchildren/