How do you make a family holiday fun for ALL the family?
One of the biggest concerns with a Family Holiday is how to entertain the younger members of the party.
It’s an unavoidable fact. Children have many forms of entertainment available to them these days and in most cases they take a passive role in them. Staying connected is challenging enough at home with individual busy schedules to accommodate. So-called “family time” at the dinner table is something we’ve all tried as parents, and suffered the sour looks in the process.
A family holiday away from the usual distractions can be even more challenging, fraught and counterproductive.
An active family holiday
A narrowboat holiday is a very active experience, so you can forget concerns with ‘what to do with the children’.
Get them involved! Put them to work! They’ll love it!
With supervision, the younger crew members can take part in all aspects of cruising.
Working as a team is essential for getting from A to B, the journey is as important as the destination.
From the morning pre-start check where a look under-the-hood is an opportunity to see a diesel engine close-up, to piloting the boat itself. Shore side activities are fun and energetic and they carry no small amount of responsibility!
Our certified and fully trained team at Gailey Wharf will take the whole family through all aspects of operations a narrowboat before you get underway.
Teamwork
Working as a team plays a key role in the smooth flow of canal traffic and your cruise. This is an adventure family holiday, a rare opportunity to work as a family team.
Working locks requires an understanding of when to let water in or out of the lock and at what rate. When to open the gates and who goes first. Traffic movements encourages communication with other travellers as well as with your own crew. There’s a short video on the Canal and River Trust site that covers this well.
Just remember we recommend a properly fitting lifejacket at all times in the vicinity of water of ANY depth. The Canal and River Trust also have useful safety tips here.
2 nice days and a thunderstorm
It probably comes as no surprise that the weather cannot be guaranteed. Least of all the British Summer! And this is when a family holiday can be most challenging.
The fun of cruising can become a chore in the rain and some paved areas around locks can become slippery.
Unless you have an urgent appointment to keep, moor up and take the rest of the day off.
Remember, narrowboat Kodran has all the luxuries of home so help the kids improve their culinary skills in the galley, or get out those board games, a pack of playing cards or try your hand at traditional pub games like dominoes.
Or just kick back and relax with a book.
And as a last resort, we have free-to-air TV channels and free wifi if they’ve smuggled the phone on-board!
Family Holiday Dining
After all the exertion and particularly the fresh air – hopefully in a good way – the crew needs to be refuelled. And although Kodran has a fully equipped kitchen (details here) spare a thought for the family member who didn’t come along just to reprise his or her role in a floating household: be sure to read our blog post on the multiple dining options on a narrowboat holiday.
Packing for a Family Holiday afloat
Where are we going to store everything we need for this adventure I hear you ask: we’ve got that covered too with clever storage solutions designed specifically for a large crew. This blog on what to bring with you also has some great tips for the type of luggage you should consider, especially if your vacation afloat is part of a longer visit to the UK.
And remember, we supply the towels and bedding to suit your cabin specifications.
If we’ve whetted your appetite, you can find all the Booking Details here. Otherwise, there’s more tips on our Home Page and FAQs.
