Searching for the perfect destination for the best luxury family vacation can often feel like mission impossible. Ensuring that everyone has fun while on holiday can be tricky, especially when each family member has different interests.
Often, funds take a backseat and facilities are prioritized to make sure that the family travel experience is a memorable one. It’s this differing definition of “fun” that creates the first challenge on a family trip. So, how does one ensure the ultimate luxury family vacation?
Being part of a family myself, and being as invested in the travel industry as I am, I have some key insights to share on luxury family travel.
The Heart of Family Travel
Everyday life can cause a lot of stress and strain. Families around the world constantly search for the opportunity to disconnect from these everyday pressures and connect with their loved ones.
For some, this opportunity presents itself on a regular basis. For others, and most likely the majority of families, they work towards being able to enjoy this luxury at least once a year with their annual family vacation.
A New Travel Trend
Over recent years, the dynamics in family groups have changed. This is largely due to families living apart, often on different continents, which has spurred the increase of multi-generational travel. As the top travel trend in 2018, multi-generational travel brings together different generations within the family through planned holidays as a means to reconnect.
In all honesty, I do not envy those managing resorts, hotels and lodges. The expectation of hospitality means that they have to constantly strive to strike a balance between creating an enjoyable experience for adults travelling independently and those on exclusive family vacations. Aspiring to find the perfect balance between care and consideration for all guests’ preferences is no easy task!
In my opinion, the only way to achieve this balance in a way that excels at delivering on promises made is to actively create personalised, bespoke guest experiences. To stand out, the hospitality industry needs to deliver the unexpected and contribute towards creating memories that last a lifetime. A cookie cutter family programme will just not do – unless of course the cookie cutter is used in the kitchen by the pastry chef baking biscuits with the younger guests.
Personal Experience of Luxury Travel with Kids
Having the privilege of travelling both locally and internationally with my daughter, I’ve been able to identify aspects of our family holiday planning, and actual holiday experiences, that have stood out as highlights.
In the same breath, we’ve also experienced some absolute disasters which we hope to never experience again. When spending hard-earned money and precious time, the thought of anything going wrong is not really an option.
Positive Experiences
Some experiences which have really stood out for us as a family are:
Priority check-ins – all passengers seem to be equally relieved when families with little ones are not expected to wait unnecessarily with grumpy children in tow.
Room upgrades – giving us some much-needed extra space when all sharing a room.
Healthy menus created especially for children – while pizza and chicken nuggets can be forgiven for a lazy Friday evening in, it’s not acceptable when spending a lot of money on a family holiday.
Fun toiletries specifically for children – you would be surprised on the positive impact an animal-themed foam bath can have on a little one!
An appropriately themed soft-toy at turn down – even though we have enough soft-toys to open our very own toy store, a new one is always welcomed with open arms and becomes a treasured memory once back home.
A personalised bedtime story on a child’s pillow – I mean, who wouldn’t want to be featured in their own story!
Friendly staff members – who go out of their way to remember your name, your room, and even your favourite drink. This is equally appreciated by mom and dad too!
Community-orientated opportunities – the chance to be involved in a local community project, where you can actively participate as a family in making a difference.
Meeting expectations is one thing – exceeding expectations, well that’s really the dream isn’t it!
Closing Thoughts on Family Vacations
At 3Sixty Luxury Marketing, we are blessed to work with clients who not only value the importance of family travel but play an active role in instilling a love and passion for the place that they get to call home.
Guests (both big and small) get to share in their piece of heaven and leave as part of a greater family. When guests leave these destinations, they have a better understanding of the impact their holiday has had on the local communities, wildlife and on conservation.
At the end of their holiday, guests feel that they’ve also made a difference in some shape and form, and almost always leave with the promise to return!
By Natalie Mietz