Incredibly Useful Family Vacation Safety Tips

There are many reasons to take a family vacation, including improving family bonding, especially if both parents work long hours and there isn’t always a lot of time for outings. A holiday can also expand everyone’s knowledge of the world and offers a new perspective. Plus, it’s relaxing and fun. At least that’s how it ought to be, but if you worry about keeping your family safe while away, then you won’t be able to unwind and enjoy yourself completely. If that’s the case, here are some excellent family vacation safety tips so that you can have fun too.

Provide Contact Details

Hand out the relevant contact details to everyone, from the oldest to the youngest family members. This is a great way to get some peace of mind if you are prone to worrying about “what if’s” such as what would happen if someone gets lost away from home. Planning ahead with family vacation safety tips can go a long way toward reducing your anxiety. Here are some contact details to write down and give to each member of the family:

• The address of the rental house or hotel
• The phone number of that establishment
• Your phone number (and your partner’s number, if you have one)

It’s just a small piece of paper so it won’t weigh your kids down. Keep this piece of paper safe in a zippered pocket or wallet. Now, if anyone gets separated from everyone else, they will be able to get in touch easily and safely.

If the children are very young and you don’t think they would understand what to do with this information, then you can try designing custom patches that can be added to clothing with the right information on it – read more here if this sounds like a good idea. You can make the patches fun and include your children’s favorite characters, but also include your phone number. They won’t be able to lose it, and they can point it out to those who would be helping if they get lost during the family vacation.

Have a Meeting Point

In a busy place, it’s easy to get separated. It’s a horribly scary moment for parents and children alike, one of the worst feelings that you will have, and though you will try your best for it not to happen, accidents happen. Through no fault of anyone, children can get lost. Because the chances of this happening are fairly high, it is essential to work out a meeting place right at the start of your holiday. Yes, it’s one of our top family vacation safety tips.

Find a point that is easy to see and to get to, and make sure that everyone knows that if they become separated from the others, this is where to go and wait. As long as they can do this, you will know exactly where to head if you can’t find them and the agonizing fear of not knowing where they are will be less. It will also prevent everyone from heading off to search in different directions and potentially all becoming lost themselves.

As well as giving everyone a meeting point to get to, you should inform your children that if they need help, they should:

• First, find a police officer or, if there are none around,
• Find a person who has children of a similar age to them
  • This person will be able to care for your child until you get there
  • Despite being a stranger, that individual is likely to be a safer choice

Research the Family Vacation Destination

When you are going on a holiday, even if it’s only a day trip, research the area before your arrival. Information is likely readily available online and often if you phone hotels they are happy to answer your questions.

How is this one of the listed family vacation safety tips? The goal of the research is to make sure that your destination is family-friendly and, in particular, age-appropriate for your specific family. Many places will have different hazards, such as strong water currents that might overwhelm young swimmers. So, knowing as much as you can in advance will help you to make the right choice. If it means not going to a certain place, then that might be the best option. At least everyone will remain safe.

One example of a great destination for the whole family is Arizona. Check out three great cities in Arizona to visit in this guide.

Sunscreen

Although the first thing you might think of when you consider how to keep your family safe is how to protect them from other people and dangerous situations, there are other things to consider too. Using sunscreen is one of them. It can be easy to overlook, but sunscreen is essential. Don’t forget it as you head out for a day outdoors, even if your kids say they hate wearing it. It doesn’t even matter if the day is cloudy and hazy because the sun’s rays can penetrate and cause skin damage.

When looking for the right sunscreen, look for one with a factor of 30 or more. Reapply it throughout the day, especially if the children have been swimming or sweating, activities that can wash away the cream. Remember too that sunscreen isn’t just for kids; the adults should wear it too, and that includes you. Set a good example for your children by wearing sunscreen.

Family Vacation Safety Tips: Food Allergies 101

Some children suffer badly from allergies, but this will not always be immediately obvious (if at all) to those outside the immediate family. Make sure that you know how to tell people about the issue in the language of the destination country.

What if you’re not sure of the pronunciation? Write it down and show it to the wait staff in each restaurant you go to on your trip. This way there is no doubt about the sensitivity. You can then be sure that the served food is safe for your child to eat there.

Pack a First Aid Kit

But no matter how much care you take with family vacation safety tips, children can still fall and hurt themselves. Or insects can sting them. They can have a headache or an upset stomach too at any point during a family vacation. To deal with these minor injuries quickly and easily, keep a first aid kit in your luggage. Use the band-aids, gauze, and other items in the kit and then get back to having fun on your family vacation!