first family holiday

[silver_fox]

hi,

I am about to book our first family holiday - my son is 4.

Can anyone suggest a good destination, not too far away (don't know how he'll take to flying!), plenty to see and do for a young family and also CHEAP (say less than�300 each)

We will be going on 25th Aug....is it better to book now or wait until about a week before for a 'lastminute' deal?

Thanks in advance
A xXx

[jno]

if you wait to the last minute you never know what you'll get. If you have specific requirements you're better off booking them when you can (and it's getting quite late for high-summer holidays) even if it costs a bit more. The good news is that 4-year-olds don't care where they are as long as they have something familiar around them (comfort blanket, comfort Mummy etc). They are pretty flexible. Give him something to drink after takeoff and beforelanding; this will stop his ears popping with the change in altitude.

As for destination it will depend what sort of thing you want - beach, villa, sightseeing etc. I wouldn't go anywhere too hot, heat can wear kids out and too much sun can damage their skins in later life.

[puzzled54]

We always used to take our kids camping abroad, usually France, with one of the companies like Eurocamp. It's what I'd call luxury camping, 6-berth tents with all the equipment, even a double bed. Have a look at their website. We always found the kids had lots of freedom to run around, most sites have pools and play areas and some sites have kids clubs. They always slept well after all the fresh air! Any questions or advice, please ask.

[cockroach]

try menorca ..not so noisey areas..nice child friendly beeches & only just over 2hrs on a plane.

[amonty1144]

Depends what you're after, the Canary Islands are good for kids but probably too hot in August.
Last year we went to Krakow for a week with a 5 year old, it was fantastic. The coast of Poland is also good, Gdansk or Gydinia, lovely coast and cheap.

[goosing]

when ours were little we always took a small backpack (hidden till the day) with colouring books, crayons, sweets etc to amuse them both in the airport and on the plane. we never had any problems flying - youngest was 8 months old on her 1st flight.