It has to be one of the most frequently asked questions in travel. Where can
we take our new baby or toddler on holiday?
Most new parents, apparently, are pretty much at loss when it comes to
arranging a family holiday.
They can see that their days of just jumping on a plane are gone, but don’t
know how to go about finding a break that doesn’t leave them wanting to jump
off the hotel balcony (not forgetting of course that small children and
balconies don’t go).
Turning to the internet, they find the results overwhelming. Thousands of
sites, some offering paradise, but most selling all sorts of paraphernalia
that they could never have believed they needed for a week’s holiday in the
Balearics.
That’s why I’ve listed, (in no particular order), a few of the best sites for
advice on travelling with babies and small children. There’s also one
shopping site, Tiny Tots
Away, which I’ve included because, brilliantly, it actually helps cut
down your baby baggage.
I’d also like to hear from you. Which sites do you recommend? Maybe there was
one that provided you with an idea for where to go. Or another for a great
self-catering property that no one else has ever heard of, or a tangential
sort of site that makes no claim to be a family travel site but could prove
helpful to other young families. Something like the Good
Beach Guide – invaluable if you are planning a UK break with children in
this age range.
Post your comments below or e-mail me at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk
Mumsnet
I was shocked when a zeitgeisty friend dubbed Mumsnet “so last year” (with
accompanying eye rolling and sneery lips). To my mind, the Internet
parenting behemoth is still absolutely one of the best websites for travel
advice. Where else can you get quick and reliable answers from real
live parents, who have already been there and done that, to your
questions about how long it really takes to get a passport sorted and
whether your hair straighteners will work in the USA?
Where else can you find real
parents’ reviews of travel cots, car seats, push chairs and actual
holidays? I rest my case.
If you want to find a campsite near Disneyland Resort Paris, research family
hotels, or discover which airline is really best for taking a baby to
Australia, Mumsnet is for you. It also has some special offers and
discounts.
Tiny tots away
Babies and small children require an inordinate amount of clobber. I know I
have often wished for a mule or Sherpa or two while wedging yet another
“indispensable” item into my suitcase. And that’s just when it’s a weekend
away; going on holiday is much worse. Which is why it’s worth logging on to
this website.
In a nutshell, it eases the packing burden by allowing you to pre order and
ship bulky essentials such as nappies, baby food and formula milk direct to
your holiday accommodation in more than 100 countries including all the
major holiday hotspots and, for reasons unknown, Lichtenstein and
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
It’s not excessively expensive. I found products cost just slightly more than
at the supermarket with the fee for delivery sensibly worked out according
to where you are going and how much your shopping weighs.
My only grumble is that there are no deliveries at weekends – exactly when
most people start their holidays - so a few supplies are still required to
tide you over.
Babygoes2
One of the first, and still one of the best, one-stop-shop sites offering
information about mid to top range child friendly holidays worldwide, tips,
location reports, travel features and shopping.
What it really excels at though, in my opinion, is ideas. New parents are
often at a loss about their holiday options. This website, in its Why go to?
section offers them inspiration and really good advice. It’s also the best
website at explaining holiday childcare and which tour operators offer it.
It can even recommend private holiday nannies and babysitters in Majorca.
Users can also get discounts and some exclusive offers.
Take the family
With lively writing and bags of humour this is definitely the best read of the
lot. But it is its exclusive offers that make it really stand out. Ten per
cent off many exciting Imaginative Traveller holidays (fancy a trip to China
anyone?), and other deals with many more run of the mill family stalwarts
such as Thomson, Sunsail, Simply Travel, The Mediterranean Experience and
Siblu.
It also has a meaty discussion forum. A recent thread touched on the best tour
operator for new families: Mark Warner v. Powder Byrne. Clearly a much more
relevant topic for new parents than the Tony Blair v. Gordon Brown debate!
Baby-friendly
boltholes
If you like the idea of self catering but dread the thought of a static
caravan or farm outbuilding furnished with grotty seconds, this brand new,
fabulous-looking, site showcasing dreamy self-catering where you can take
pre-schoolers is the one for you. It was founded by new mum Sian Williams
who, having spent 12 years in the luxury travel business, used all her
contacts to seek out the best, many award-winning, self-catering properties
(mainly in the UK).
All are checked for child-friendly features and facilities so you know before
you go whether you need to take your own highchair, baby monitor, stair
gates or toys. Nearby attractions, such as beaches or animal spotting, are
also noted.
The website does not offer a booking service but has links to the property
websites.
Got a question about family travel? Email our trio of experts at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk-
Chloe Bryan-Brown takes care of questions for the 0-6 year olds, Emma
Mahony handles the 7-12 age group and Jane Owen the teenage and single
mother groups
It's an American site, but I like the new site www.ToddlerTravelGuide.com. It's specifically for parents traveling with babies and toddlers and includes advice, tip, and specific destinations (in the US only, so far.)
Jeremy, Hinsdale, IL
babygoes2 is not a good website in my opinion - we went on a holiday last summer which was, frankly a disaster which they highlighted as great. The company has now gone bust and I am extremely wary of everything I read (especially by journalists who always seem to be linked somehow through a friend or relative). I really would not recommend them and when you look at the reviews they are pretty sparce.
louise tong, Frant, u8k