👪Family travel: a practical guide

With young children, a direct flight that isn't too long makes travel days much easier. Destinations with family-friendly infrastructure (baby-changing facilities, kids' menus, rentable strollers) make everything simpler once you arrive.

An apartment with a kitchen, or a hotel with dedicated family rooms, gives you more freedom to manage meals and naps. Being close to a supermarket and a pharmacy is a small detail that makes a real difference.

Check well in advance that your children's documents (passport or ID card) are valid for the entire trip, and find out whether your destination requires extra documentation when a single parent is travelling with a child.

Travel insurance that covers children too is recommended, especially for destinations outside the EU.

Fewer stops and more time in each place works better with children than a packed itinerary: plan for breaks, regular mealtimes, and a few days with no rigid schedule.

Parks, beaches, interactive museums and zoos/aquariums are safe choices almost everywhere. For the busiest attractions, booking tickets ahead avoids long queues, which weigh most heavily on the youngest travellers.

Underestimating transfer times is one of the most common mistakes with young children: always build in wider margins than usual between activities, including breaks for meals and naps.

Another frequent mistake is planning an itinerary designed for adults and only later 'adapting' it for children: starting from their pace instead makes the whole trip easier from the outset.