I’ll come clean – up until now I haven’t been a big traveller, and it’s very upsetting! I’ve packed my friends off to their gap years in Australia, watched them go on couple trips away, sat and looked through photos of their couple trips abroad – and here I was going nowhere. I wasn’t really that bothered about it until late last year, and then I changed my mind. I booked a couple of things, made a couple of plans, but whether it was me who inspired him or not, my Dad renewed his ages old passport. And what better to do with a new passport than take it away somewhere?
We decided for one of our first trips abroad with no-one else who could ship us around, that it would probably be best to go with a travel company. We looked at several different locations, and finally decided on Malta. Now, don’t get me wrong, I was unbelievably excited to be going away, but… a family holiday? At 28 years old? I had my concerns!
It was actually fine, and I was completed wrong to have any worries about it. But there were a few things that made it work, which I wanted to share for anyone in my position…
1. Plan in some alone time
I live at home still – the saving for a mortgage after university didn’t go so well – so I have almost mastered the art of taking myself to my room when I feel a family tiff coming on. But this is also important to have when you’re somewhere new. My Dad and I obviously had separate rooms booked, but we also made sure everyday to have a bit of time by ourselves in our separate rooms, usually between getting home from a day out and going to dinner.
2. Talk about your to-do lists first
You have to get on-board with each other on the itinerary for your trip early on. My Dad is more into looking at historic buildings, and I’m more into idyllic, photogenic scenery. But that’s fine, because we spent our first evening looking up the local recommendations, and each scheduling into the plan what we wanted to do. But then on this point…
3. Be flexible
Things crop up, plans change, so be prepared for it. Don’t stress each other out when it does.
4. Understand each other’s speed
You’re on holiday, what’s the rush? Just be prepared to feel held up if you’re on their thing, and to hold them up when you’re doing yours.
5. Think about the destination
Malta was perfect for my Dad and I, because it had the right level of what we both enjoy from a holiday. Finding the right location is really important, to make sure everyone is going to have something there for them, and even things like checking that the weather is going to be right for what everyone enjoys.
xx
