Planning a Family Vacation

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Childhood is all about memories. Good memories! Taking a vacation with young ones can be challenging though. Ghada Salem shares her thoughts on how best to go about it.

Parents usually opt for a short flight, but they want a destination that has things to do for both kids and adults and is reasonably priced. This can be doable if planned ahead of time, and can be a goal for the whole family to share.

Choosing the Place
Plan it a year ahead. At the beginning of the school year, for example, or the start of a new year. If your kids are four plus, they can be involved in choosing the destination. Give them options for places to go, get them do their own research about the destination they pick and list places they want to visit and things they want to do while there.

If you plan a short escape or a relatively short flight, then Oman, Dubai, Lebanon and Jordan might be good options for you. The flights to these countries are below three hours and they offer many activities for kids and adults. There’s also plenty of sightseeing for the whole family which will make great pictures to remind your young ones of good times with family!

Plan of Action
Now that kids have done their research, parents need to do their maths! Calculate roughly how much your vacation will cost, divide the amount into 10 months and start saving for the trip in a “trip piggy bank”. Kids can help in this too by adding money they save. At the end of 10 months, over a weekend, open up the piggy bank and calculate your savings. Get flights and hotel booked and get the young ones really excited about the holiday by asking them to read books about the destination and maybe learn a few words in the language of the country you’re planning to visit. Remember Dr Suess said: “The more you read the more places you see.”
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Destination: Malaysia
Now, if your kids are three-plus, I would highly recommend Malaysia. It has loads of activities and things to do for children and is a perfect place for mum to enjoy shopping!

There are many things to be done in Kuala Lumpur, so it’s best is to plan visits by areas so you do not waste your time in traffic, as it is a busy city. Places you must check out are: KLCC area, Petrosains Science Centre, KLCC towers, Menara KL Tower, Aquaria and Bukit Bintang. Parks: Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park, Perdana Botanical Garden and the Royal Palace (Istana Negara) – taking pictures is not allowed inside but you can always take a shot at the main gate and sign the guest book with your kids.

If you have aeroplane fans in the house, the Aircraft Museum will be heaven for them. Museum entrance is free of charge and you get to see different kinds of aircraft both commercial and military. Children are even allowed to try out the pilot’s seat in the army planes. The outside area of the museum is a large green area where kids can run around too.

Happy Holidays everyone and an early happy new year to all Woman This Month readers!