The Best Way to Travel with a Family

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Once you’ve booked your next family holiday, you’ve probably already taken into consideration such things as location, activities and amenities that will suit you and your children to ensure you get the most out of your trip. If you are like most people, you have left transportation the last thing to consider, however this doesn’t mean that it isn’t important as traveling with kids isn’t always easy.  Therefore the next thing to consider is how you will get about during your holiday and what method of transport best suits your needs.  The following discusses some pros and cons of using different methods of transport.

Perhaps you have booked a package holiday which includes your transfer from the airport to your accommodation? Indeed, having this arranged on arrival can be convenient, with you only needing to pick up your bags and head for a bus terminal where your onward travel awaits. Perhaps you have booked your holiday independently and need to arrange transport yourself? Getting a taxi is arguably the most preferred method, even if you own a driving license, with you only needing to jump into a waiting taxi to take you to your accommodation. Finally, you may have arranged car hire that you will most probably be using for the duration of your stay, if not, one way car hire can be expensive as one way fees may apply.

Immediately dilemmas are thrown up as soon as your plane touches down. A coach transfer will normally entail you and your children having to wait for other holidaymakers to board and then be dropped off at various locations before your reach your destination. This is not ideal if you have impatient and tired children with you who just want to rest after a long flight. Getting a cab is convenient and cuts out any queuing involved at a car hire desk, but is essentially a luxury, with this method undoubtedly ranking as the most expensive.

Once you are settled at your accommodation it then makes sense for you to want to go and discover the local area and make use of any good sightseeing opportunities that might be available. Many resorts offer organised coach tours, however this normally incurs further cost and are designed with a group in mind as opposed to that of the needs of your individual family. You could use public transport as an alternative. This is handy if the public transport network is reliable and efficient, but a real headache if services are few and far between and can be a tense time waiting around with hungry kids.

Public transport costs can also become a factor when traveling as a family, likewise the inconvenience involved when carting all your belongings and things you need with you. The price per family member can soon add up if you are using the transport system a lot.  You are also subject to timetables, which may be impractical if traveling with younger ones who need to be home and in bed by a certain hour, let alone the possibility of the bus/train etc being overcrowded with passengers.

This leaves car hire as the most viable option if none of the above methods suit. With car hire you are given unlimited access to the places you want to go to and are able to go and visit them at a pace which suits you and your family. Car hire can also offer extremely good value for money these days too thanks to the wide array of companies vying for you custom.  Travel costs per head can also be reduced when hiring a car, there is no need to buy travel tickets for each person, just pay the daily fee and you are free to use your car as little or as often as you want with no extra charge except fuel costs.  However convenience usually outweighs the cost of fuel for most people.

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