Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts

Friday, June 10, 2011

Family Accommodation

You’ve battled, argued, agreed and changed your minds again, but finally settled on where to go for your summer holiday – Great Yarmouth, for a traditional UK seaside break. But now the debates begin again as you start to think what type of accommodation would be best.

There are sure to be many things to consider and boundless questions, with everyone having their own favourite – mum would like a luxury hotel, dad wants to rekindle childhood memories with a camping holiday, the children just want to go swimming everyday and the grandparents are coming too! Finding somewhere suitable feels like mission impossible…

So start to think about what it is you really need, then add to that the things you’d like – and should be well on the road to a great holiday. Ask yourself some questions and you’ll end up with a list of the things that are most important to you. Do you want leisure facilities on site such as swimming pools, tennis courts and even activity classes for the kids? What about entertainment – for the children and the adults? Some places, such as caravan parks and holiday villages have children’s clubs, evening shows and comedy to keep everyone amused.

The answers to these are probably already shaping your ideas, so now think about the type of accommodation, from self catering cottages in idyllic locations to town-based bed & breakfasts, all action holiday villages to quiet camp sites, there will be bags of options! And finally, but more boring, you’ll have to consider the budget – but don’t worry as staying in the UK will mean no costly flights and Great Yarmouth has accommodation to suit everybody.

Now you’ve considered all the fundamental questions, where are you going to find that accommodation? There are certainly many internet sites where you could browse for hours without getting very far. An informative and trustworthy site is that run by the Great Yarmouth Borough Council, great-yarmouth (dot) co (dot) uk, where you will find an easy to use search facility and comprehensive list of options. And if you need further information, you can either download a full holiday brochure or order one to be posted to you door.
 
Like a one-stop-shop for finding what you need, quickly and pain-free this website certainly stands out from the crowd.

Family Vacation Travel

1. Cheaper rates can often apply if you plan and book your vacation well in advance. Last minute bookings with family vacation travel could cause you too much stress though, wondering if you were going to be able to take the whole family or have to leave someone behind, but which one?  Book online, it makes it so easy to check out the best deals available.

2. Package deals often include flights, transport to and from the airport, budget car hire, accommodation, breakfasts, free organised activities for the kids (great time for adults to duck off for a quick nap), and sometimes tours or river cruises. Deals like these can be a huge saving with a family and a strict budget.

3. It is important to check when it is peak time at your destination as prices can go sky high and break your bank account. Off peak rates are the best times to book that family holiday.

4. Last minute hotel bookings are the way to go for your family vacation travel. This is only for the brave at heart, especially with a family in tow. But still worth a try as they may have rooms left to rent at a discount price and you could be lucky.

5. Hire a mobile home, load up with plenty of food, maps, gas, and a full tank of petrol, choose a destination and hit the road. Go on an adventure with your family, it’s a good time for bonding with them.

6. Stay away from traditional places to eat and shop, the best way is to ask the locals for the cheapest and best. Renting cabins or self contained units where you can do your own cooking. Barbeques are a quick and easy fun family meal (inexpensive too).

7. Some of the larger businesses offer rewards points or cheques for money spent at their shop, so if possible make a point to buy your items where these rewards are being offered. You usually have 12-24 months to spend them. These can be used at Resorts, cruises and weekends away, saving lots of your family vacation travel money.

8. It cannot be denied that family vacations are fun, but to save even more money you could consider holidaying with other family members or co-workers or close friends, you could have a lot of fun. Share the baby sitting responsibilities. One couple could slip away for a romantic dinner and visa versa. Board games can often be a lot of fun in groups. Outdoor sports like cricket, hide and seek, swimming, soccer just to name a few, can fill in the hours without costing a fortune.

9. One last thought for planning your family vacation travel on a budget is to house swap with other vacationers. You could look into a home exchange vacation in Europe. Thousands of people have been exchanging homes since the 1950’s, there are home exchange clubs to help arrange everything for you and cut travel costs almost in half.
If you are interested in a home exchange vacation there are many sites on the internet that can help.

10. Don’t forget when you are off on your family vacation travel you must make sure to pack all the family essentials such as-band aids, bandages (just in case of a sprain), antiseptic cream, antihistamines (for allergic reactions and hay fever), tissues, sunscreen, emergency numbers, pain killers for adult and child, nightlight (if your children are small, for bathroom trips), toilet paper (for any emergency roadside stops), plenty of water, wet wipes (great if no water available) and if travelling by road a pillow for little heads for when they get sleepy.

British Holiday Camp

Imagine choosing between a guest house with a set of strict rules – and a landlady ready to enforce them, or a holiday camp with tents and daily chores to complete. Doesn’t sound like much of a choice, yet these were the accommodation options for those holidaying in Great Britain’s seaside resorts in the 1900s.

Given these were the only options, the ‘freedom’ offered by the holiday camp was instantly appealing and holidaymakers were welcomed at the UK’s first holiday camp in 1906 at Caistor-on-Sea, Norfolk. By today’s standards the camp was incredibly basic and certainly had no luxury accommodation on offer! Yet it paved the way for a holiday genre that has been thriving for more than 100 years.

Holiday camps continued to make steady progression and 1924 saw the arrival of a holiday camp in Hopton-on-Sea which boasted brick chalets, running water and electric lights – some of the ultimate facilities. However, global events were to have a serious impact on holidays with two World Wars, and the take over of holiday camps to be used as military bases in the Second World War.

Holiday camps really came into their own with a glorious golden era during the 1950s and 60s after the end of WWII. People hadn’t been on holiday for many years and many children had never seen the sea. Life had been incredibly hard and the public were in need of fun and entertainment. The holiday camp could provide all this and more. With swimming pools on site, entertainment in the evenings, competitions including ‘Glamorous Granny’ and ‘Knobbly Knees’ plus plentiful food the camps offered all the right ingredients for an fun and affordable family holiday.

While the offer of cheap sea and sun holidays drew many people to destinations such as Spain in the 1970s, UK holiday resorts such as Great Yarmouth have seen a resurgence of visitors in recent years. As the cost of living continues to soar and with the need to consider ‘greener’ ways to travel, a Great British seaside holiday – with glorious beaches, strolls along the pier and ice cream – is an attractive proposition.

And where better to stay than a holiday village? A far cry from their 20th Century counterparts, Great Yarmouth is home to some of the UK’s best including some with 5-star ratings. With the promise of modern accommodation, a huge range of indoor and outside entertainment for children and adults and onsite eateries, it’s the ideal choice for families.

Great Yarmouth has invested more than £25 million in redeveloping the seafront, creating a stunning new promenade area for visitors to stroll along, and a beautifully lit pedestrianised walkway linking the seafront to the town centre. The town’s rich maritime heritage is evident all around, with a heritage quarter rich in history to explore. The many holiday parks and villages along this part of the coastline expect a bumper year in 2008.