Our tips for a successful children's weekend
Family life is great, but it can sometimes be a bit tiring for parents but also for children! You have to know how to cut back in order to always be at the top of your game. To do that, you need to increase the number of activities, outings, escapades, holidays and, of course, family weekends.
At Familytrip, our experts have selected the best children's weekends in France. There's something for everyone: in a hotel, with a theme park nearby, with a swimming pool, on a campsite, in a rental, with a water park, in the city, in the countryside, in the mountains, in a house and even some offers in a castle.
Booking a family weekend isn't complicated, making it a success is another matter. So we've decided to accompany you on this adventure. We'll look at how to plan a great family weekend, and how to organise the getaway. We'll then list a few essential ingredients for a dream family weekend and finish with a presentation of the best 3-day weekends!
How to plan a great family weekend
When you go away as a family, you're by definition not on your own! So you need to plan well. Even if this word doesn't make every parent dream, it's necessary to spend a bit of time planning at the risk of having children or a spouse giving you the cold shoulder all weekend.
School holidays are published almost 2 years in advance by the Ministry of Education. As soon as the new school year starts, you can organise one or more weekends with your children, trying to stagger them between holidays. Yes, it's better for the children - a nice weekend away, even if it's only two days, gives them a breath of fresh air. Children have a lot of holidays, at least more than parents. It's sometimes tempting to organise a weekend away with them during the school holidays. It can be fun, but be warned that bookings for 2-day weekends or even 3-day weekends are very limited during the school holidays. You'll find something, but it will be more expensive ...
Then you have to be "wary" of the activities of each member of the family. And yes, the weekend is often the time when the little ones have their sporting activities. Of course, you won't be able to please everyone, but to avoid one of your children sulking all weekend, it's better to be prepared. And it's not just the children you need to think about, it's your other half too. If you're in a relationship with a football or rugby fan... be careful not to decide on a big match weekend at the risk once again of disappointing someone.
The last stage of planning is transport. If you're travelling by car, there's not much to manage. On the other hand, for family train journeys, it's best to plan ahead. Fares have gone up a lot in recent years, and getting in early is often synonymous with low prices. This will save you money for an outing, an activity or a visit to a museum during your weekend.
Ok! it's all good. You can book your family weekend... but not with your eyes closed. Think about the cancellation conditions or take out cancellation insurance so you're not caught out if anything goes wrong.
Organising a family weekend getaway
Once the planning is done, when the family weekend getaway approaches, you need to focus on the organisation. As you booked some time ago don't forget to reiterate to the whole family that the getaway is coming up... some people have short memories. Then, for a bit of teasing, you can organise a family evening a few days before the weekend and suggest a few activities to do during the getaway. The best thing to do at this stage is to prepare a short list of fun activities close to where you're staying. Children don't like driving and parents are tired! Museums, water parks, acrobranches, guided tours - it's all possible. At Familytrip, we've negotiated rates on activities such as zoos, aquariums...Once your mini-meeting is over you can buy the tickets yourself, there are often preferential rates if you pre-book.
Don't forget to make time for yourself during your stay. A short hour in a spa can give you renewed strength until the next holiday. Some of our destinations have in-house spas. If not, don't worry, there's always a spa nearby: it's all a question of organisation.
Then you can get the whole family involved in packing your bags. The problem is that when children are too small (babies), they don't pack anything; when they're just little, they love packing their bags but don't put anything in them; and when they're older... well, they don't want to pack anything! In short, you have to go back behind them to make sure they don't miss their swimming costume for the beach or pool, or their ski suit for a weekend in the mountains. For a successful getaway remember to check what's included in the price you've paid: sheets, towels, bath towel.
The ingredients for a dream family weekend
If you think about it, we go on weekends with the kids every weekend...Cutting out, leaving your routine behind, isn't enough to ensure a dream weekend with the family. If everything has been planned and organised properly, you're well on the way to a dream family weekend. To add a little dream, you can improvise on the spot, but the best thing is to have prepared a surprise. Sometimes it doesn't take much to turn a great family weekend into something everyone will remember. It could be an event during a visit. For example, at Familytrip, when you visit cerza zoo, you can add a special visit with a soigneur. You can organise a surprise activity in the schedule. You can also more simply leave with everything you need to make a nice family dinner in your accommodation or opt for a small restaurant.
Making the most of it: 3-day family weekends!
To make sure you enjoy yourself, there's nothing better than a 3-day weekend. So of course there are bridge weekends, but they're often very expensive and all too rare. So if you can get away on a Friday or Monday, don't hesitate. As far as school or college is concerned, thanks to the pro-note account you can have a very precise view of unmarked days or days with very few lessons...
You now have all the information you need to book a successful family weekend. At Familytrip, going away for a weekend with the kids is easy! Hotels, campsites, holiday villages you don't need too many ideas, we give you plenty. Book your weekend away with kids in just a few minutes, add activities and off you go!