{"id":1540,"date":"2014-05-15T20:44:59","date_gmt":"2014-05-15T20:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/?p=1540"},"modified":"2014-07-14T08:49:02","modified_gmt":"2014-07-14T08:49:02","slug":"top-tips-for-family-fun-in-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/top-tips-for-family-fun-in-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Top tips for family fun in the sun"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/country\/uk\/\">weather in the UK<\/a> hotting up nicely and the summer holiday just around the corner, families across the nation are getting ready for their annual trip abroad. With this in mind, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thomascook.com\/\">Thomas Cook<\/a> has put together its top tips to help take the stress out of a family holiday, showing how a little insider knowledge and a few wise decisions can help you and your loved ones make the most out of your precious time together.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_89518942.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1541\" title=\"shutterstock_89518942\" src=\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_89518942.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_89518942.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_89518942-300x202.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip 1: Book with a reputable holiday company<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In light of the findings of a recent report conducted on behalf of <a href=\"http:\/\/abta.com\/\">ABTA<\/a>, which found that British travellers lost \u00a37million through booking with bogus holiday companies in 2013, travelling with a reputable tour operator is more important than ever to safeguard your hard-earned holiday spend. A recent YouGov poll for ABTA revealed that one in ten consumers (9%) do nothing to research their travel company, such as checking if it is a member of a trade association like ABTA (which has a code of conduct in place to protect consumers), asking friends and family for recommendations, or running a web search. So, make sure you book with an ABTA\/ATOL protected name you can trust like Thomas Cook to ensure you receive what you\u2019ve paid for &#8211; high service levels, fair terms of trading and accurate information, as well as that all-important value for money.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_100190084.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1542\" title=\"shutterstock_100190084\" src=\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_100190084.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_100190084.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_100190084-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip 2: Choose the right holiday for you and your family<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While keeping the kids happy is the key to a successful holiday, don\u2019t forget you\u2019re on holiday too &#8211; it pays to do some research to make sure you choose the right holiday for your family. To save you time, Thomas Cook has done the hard work for you &#8211; its family holidays are easily categorised for your convenience, reflecting the varied needs of modern families.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Families with toddlers will know how challenging it can be to keep them entertained, and so that\u2019s why our Thomas Cook FamilyWORLD properties feature Toddler Time (operating May, June, September and October 2014) &#8211; a free, fun-filled activity programme of interactive music, dancing and story time sessions for toddlers up to 3 years old.<\/li>\n<li>If you have tech-lovers in your family, you\u2019ll know how they can struggle to imagine life without the internet &#8211; 54% of us consider broadband as &#8216;vital&#8217; or &#8216;important&#8217; for our next holiday according to the latest research conducted on behalf of Thomas Cook. Our SunConnect resorts have been developed to appeal to families who like to stay connected and offer some great digital features including the ConnectBar, where you can relax with a drink while you recharge your digital devices, and ConnectFun, with activities for all ages, such as geocaching GPS treasure hunts.<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re after an exceptionally good value holiday, our range of Airtours smartline hotels with their eye-catching, colourful interior design and smartline ice cream trolley serving fresh fruit and ice cream on a daily basis, have been developed with the budget-savvy holidaymaker in mind.<\/li>\n<li>If you are looking for a great place for your family to let off steam, you\u2019ll want to pick somewhere with plenty of fun activities to keep them occupied. Thomas Cook and Airtours Aquamania hotels make an ideal choice as they all include unlimited access to onsite waterparks or free entrance to some of the biggest and best waterparks in Europe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_72137122.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1545\" title=\"shutterstock_72137122\" src=\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_72137122.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_72137122.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_72137122-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip 3: Pack for perfection<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When you\u2019re packing for little ones as well as yourself, it\u2019s a good idea to check whether the airline you are travelling with offers any additional luggage allowance &#8211; Thomas Cook Airlines provides an extra 10kg luggage allowance for infants travelling with you on your lap.<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re holidaying with kids, it\u2019s best to pack as lightly as possible so you\u2019re not laden down with suitcases and prams. The majority of resorts have good local supermarkets, so consider saving space by buying baby essentials such as nappies and baby food when you arrive at your holiday destination.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t forget to pack a high factor \u2018broad-spectrum\u2019 sunscreen with a four or five-star rating to make sure you and yours stay safe in the sun.<\/li>\n<li>A holiday isn\u2019t complete without a good book and Thomas Cook has launched a brand new \u2018Holiday Book Selector\u2019 app in collaboration with NOOK\u00ae, to help you pick your ideal summer read to complement the destination you\u2019re travelling to. The \u2018Holiday Book Selector\u2019 is accessible via\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thomascook.com\/blog\/holiday-book-selector\/\">http:\/\/www.thomascook.com\/blog\/holiday-book-selector\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_92732179.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1546\" title=\"shutterstock_92732179\" src=\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_92732179.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_92732179.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_92732179-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip 4: At the airport &amp; in the air<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Families holidaying on a budget might want to consider travelling from a selection of regional airports, or look into night flights as they can be cheaper than travelling at peak times.<\/li>\n<li>Midweek flights don\u2019t tend to be as busy as those at the weekend, so if you choose a weekday departure, you might find there\u2019s more space on the plane and in the airport, making for a more relaxing journey.<\/li>\n<li>To help children feel like the flight will be an adventure, consider letting them take their own small case onto the plane as hand luggage. Not only does this make them feel grown-up, it also frees up some room in your own hand baggage that would otherwise be taken up with toys.<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re travelling on a long flight, consider wrapping up a few books and small toys before you leave and keeping them with you in your hand baggage &#8211; rewarding children for good behaviour with a present will help to keep them entertained.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tip 5: Once you\u2019re there<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Encourage your kids to keep a travel journal to look back on when they\u2019re older, suggest they write about new experiences and draw pictures of what they see and the new foods they try. If you\u2019re looking for new experiences, Thomas Cook has a great range of excursions from island tours and submarine safaris to trips to local markets and aqua parks, providing plenty of opportunities to take photos and videos.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t forget, to help keep kids amused, many of our hotels and resorts, including our Airtours Sunstar and Thomas Cook FamilyWORLD properties, feature a great range of family entertainment.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s important to make sure children eat well on holiday, otherwise they have a tendency to overload on ice-cream and sugary treats. Well balanced, fresh cuisine is the trademark of our SENTIDO Hotels &amp; Resorts. In addition to the varied buffet selection, SENTIDO guests can order food at the live cooking stations and watch the chef prepare their dinner. There are also themed buffets and dedicated buffets for children, vegetarians and guests with special dietary requirements, as well as a range of snacks and delicious fresh fruit available.<\/li>\n<li>Consider booking your children in for swimming classes while on holiday. They&#8217;re a great way of gaining water confidence and learning essential water safety skills. New for Summer 2014, in partnership with the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), Thomas Cook is offering parents of non-swimmers the ideal opportunity for their kids to learn to swim \u2013 on holiday in the sun. An adapted version of the ASA\u2019s Learn to Swim Framework will feature in swim academies at six Thomas Cook FamilyWORLD and Airtours Sunstar resorts, throughout July and August 2014.<\/li>\n<li>Water-based activities such as swimming and snorkelling can increase UV exposure, so make sure your family covers up with UV wetsuits.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s easy to forget about yourself on holiday and focus on making sure the kids have a great time, so ensure you factor in some me-time too. Many of our hotels have Kids\u2019 Clubs, hosted by our own UK qualified and DBS-checked team. This offers parents the chance to spend some quality time together as a couple, enjoy one of the many adult-focused activities including spa treatments \u2013 or simply soak up a few rays on a sunbed by the pool.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Thomas Cook\u2019s dedicated family offering\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Aquamania<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Available with Thomas Cook and Airtours, Aquamania hotels have an amazing range of rip-roaring slides, plummeting chutes and twisting flumes. Most hotels have their very own on-site aqua park and they all include unlimited access to onsite waterparks or free entrance to some of the biggest and best waterparks in Europe throughout your stay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Airtours Aquamania \u2013 7 nights in Tunisia from \u00a31,059 for a family of 3\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nStaying at the 3-star Sahara Beach in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/skanes\/\">Skanes<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/country\/tunisia\/\">Tunisia<\/a> on an all-inclusive basis, London Gatwick \u2013 4th October 2014. To book<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thomascook.com\/\"> click here<\/a> or call\u00a00844 412 5970 or visit the nearest Thomas Cook or Co-operative Travel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kids\u2019 Clubs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Available with Thomas Cook and Airtours at 52 hotels and with a different themed programme each day, our fully qualified, energetic kids\u2019 club team and sports coaches have a full agenda of age-appropriate sports, games and crafts for children aged 3 to 11, designed to suit three different age groups.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Airtours Kids\u2019 Clubs \u2013 7 nights in Crete from \u00a31,285 for a family of 3<\/strong><br \/>\nStaying at the 4-star The Village Resort &amp; Waterpark in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/hersonissos\/\">Hersonissos<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/country\/greece\/\">Greece<\/a> on an all-inclusive basis, London Gatwick \u2013 10th June 2014.\u00a0To book<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thomascook.com\/\">\u00a0click here<\/a>\u00a0or call\u00a00844 412 5970 or visit the nearest Thomas Cook or Co-operative Travel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thomas Cook FamilyWORLD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thomas Cook FamilyWORLD hotels are exclusive to Thomas Cook customers in the UK, hosted by our own dedicated and qualified team. They offer all the facilities you\u2019d expect from a great family resort: family-size rooms, children\u2019s pool, play area and menus as well as our multi-activity Kids\u2019 Club for ages 3-11 years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thomas Cook FamilyWORLD \u2013 <\/strong>7 nights in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/gran_canaria\/\">Gran Canaria<\/a> from \u00a31,019 for a family of three. For more info, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thomascook.com\/holidays\/spain\/canary-islands\/gran-canaria\/\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SunConnect<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our SunConnect Resorts are embracing the future, with a combination of fantastic digital and traditional features. This means that besides family-friendly rooms, spacious pool areas and good value all-inclusive packages, SunConnect Resorts offer free wireless internet within the hotel as well as new features that make your holiday even more relaxing and uncomplicated such as the ConnectBar, where you can relax with a drink whilst you recharge your digital devices, and ConnectFun, with activities for all ages, such as geocaching GPS treasure hunts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thomas Cook SunConnect \u2013 7 nights in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/majorca\/\">Mallorca<\/a> from \u00a31,565 for a family of three.\u00a0<\/strong>Staying at the 4-star SunConnect Rosa Del Mar in Palma Nova on a half-board basis, Manchester \u2013 16th June 2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Smartline<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>smartline hotels are a great value option for families, couples and single travellers. The eye-catching, colourful interior design is fresh and inviting and each hotel typically has a bar, buffet restaurant and swimming pool. Ice cream and fresh fruit are served daily from the smartline ice cream trolley and free Wi-Fi is available in the lobby.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Airtours smartline \u2013 7 nights in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/djerba\/\">Djerba<\/a> from \u00a3959 for a family of three.<\/strong><br \/>\nStaying at the 3-star smartline Miramar Petit Palais in Djerba on an all-inclusive basis, London Gatwick \u2013 20th June 2014.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SENTIDO Family Hotels<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A range of 4 star hotels designed with children from 3 to 16 in mind, with dedicated programmes for parents and children in a child-friendly environment.<br \/>\n<strong>Airtours Sunstar Resorts \u2013 7 nights in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/lanzarote\/\">Lanzarote<\/a> from \u00a31,305 for a family of 3<\/strong><br \/>\nStaying at the 4-star Sentido Mamlouk Palace Resort in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/hurghada\/\">Hurghada<\/a> on an all-inclusive basis, London Gatwick \u2013 3rd June 2014.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Airtours Sunstar Resorts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With sports, entertainment and a wide variety of activities on hand. Airtours Sunstar Resorts are individually chosen to bring you great facilities, excellent accommodation and a fantastic atmosphere in one complete package.<br \/>\n<strong>Airtours Sunstar Resorts \u2013 7 nights in Lanzarote from \u00a31,305 for a family of 3<\/strong><br \/>\nStaying at the 3-star THB Tropical Island in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/playa_blanca\/\">Playa Blanca<\/a> on an all-inclusive basis, London Gatwick \u2013 12th June 2014.<\/p>\n<p><em>* Correct at time of issue and subject to change, inclusive of flights, transfers and accommodation as specified. Other optional extras such as in-flight meals, Choose Your Seat and 5kg additional luggage allowance may be applicable at the time of booking.<\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Thomas Cook<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the weather in the UK hotting up nicely and the summer holiday just around the corner, families across the nation are getting ready for their annual trip abroad. With this in mind, Thomas Cook has put together its top tips to help take the stress out of a family holiday, showing how a little [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"post_views_count":2128,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[165,207,115,205,206],"class_list":["post-1540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holidays","tag-resort-grancanaria","tag-resort-hersonissos","tag-resort-lanzarote","tag-resort-mallorca","tag-resort-skanes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1540"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1761,"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions\/1761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}