Practicalities Getting Organised When to Start 

The younger the child, the less far ahead you have to involve them. Very young children get giddy if they have even just a full week to anticipate the pleasures of a holiday.

Older children and certainly teenagers are best involved right from the initial decision-making. You might like to ask everyone to write down what they want from the holiday, before you have even opened a brochure. If offspring feel they have participated in choosing the destination they are much less likely to grumble about the rigours of getting there or short-comings on the holiday itself.

Do consider all of the issues in Thinking It Through and look particularly carefully at the question of health care. Illness, particularly in a small child, is guaranteed to make parents wish they had never left home.

If you have concerns about the practicalities, for example changing a nappy in a confined space on a plane, practice a few times before you go.