Family holidays are the most exciting time in a child's life as they can discover new places and have great new experiences with their parents. And for parents it's a fascinating period, but these holidays can be a bit tiring unless you have planned them properly. Below you will find some tips to help you spend a carefree and enjoyable holiday with your family:

1. Choose the right destination:
In the summer, children need comfortable places to stay, organised beaches and opportunities to play and enjoy some entertainment. The perfect choice is organised facilities that ensure children can play freely but safely, and at the same time allow parents to rest. It is best to avoid very remote or inaccessible places, and wise to choose an island with a hospital which you can go to in case of an emergency.

If it is not possible to stay in organised facilities, summer holidays in your country house or a house in your village are a good choice. Children will feel at home and become closer to people who may not see them often (grandmothers, grandfathers). Also, they will always remember the house where they had so much fun, a sense of freedom and endless hours of play.

Daring parents - not with infants but with slightly older kids - can go to an organised camp site. This kind of holiday may require more preparation, a fair amount of organisation and more care, but in the end your destination will be its own reward. Being in close contact with nature and the sense of freedom that this kind of holiday offers will undoubtedly be an exciting experience for everyone - both young and old.

2. What you should take with you 
- An organised first aid kit is definitely a good idea so you are ready for any accidents and prepared for whatever might happen.

- Do not forget your beach things... buckets, towels, etc. And of course, you will need hats, sunglasses and high factor sunscreen to protect your children when they are playing.

- Your child's suitcase: Changes of clothes (two for each day of the holiday), underwear, pajamas, comfortable and cool shoes, personal hygiene items (sponge, toothbrush), favourite toys and vaccination booklet.

3. Plan their diet properly
Diet is one of the most important areas of the holiday and requires planning. If you have an infant, you must make sure you have everything you need for your child’s milk or first foods. This means that you will need a kitchenette equipped with the necessary household items (fridge, gas stove, grill, kettle) and, of course, a steriliser and a bottle. If your child is a little bigger, things are a little easier, as long as you find a reliable restaurant that serves homemade foods cooked with olive oil and fresh seasonal ingredients. Of course, you should never skip the morning meal - which should be nutritious and light as your next stop is the beach. If you are planning to spend a fair amount of time at the seaside you should maybe take a light snack and plenty of water or juice with you.

Do not skip meals and, of course, be sure your children drink enough as there is always a high risk of dehydration. Always take plenty of water with you.

Summer is the only time when we can enjoy such a wide variety of delicious vegetables and fruits and it is a good opportunity for children to get to love dishes that include these fruits.

4. Organise their needs properly
Parents should draw up a "holiday timetable" for children to follow. This will mainly deal with their basic needs such as food and sleep. How detailed this programme is depends on the age of the children, their individual characters and where the family has gone for its summer vacation. Bear in mind that tired children do not behave like tired adults: they become hyperactive and irritable, and try to exhaust their energy and to exhaust themselves.

A good idea for the summer - something that we cannot do in winter because of our obligations - is a sleep after lunch. After being on the beach and playing for so long, children need to rest, even for just an hour. They will immediately feel better, more relaxed and more calm.

As far as possible, do not let your children have soft drinks which contain caffeine in the afternoon as this can make it hard for them to sleep and can lead to them over-stretching themselves. Also, children do not need to eat a big meal every night or lunchtime, especially if they have a good afternoon snack: a glass of milk with a whole-wheat bread turkey and low-fat cheese sandwich or a piece of homemade cake are both very good ideas.

5. 5. Spend creative and carefree time with your children
At the same time, summer holidays are an excellent opportunity for parents to come closer to their children and discuss various issues that they may not have time to talk about in their everyday life. You can collect shells, stones or pebbles and use them to make a collage, paint them or have them as ornaments in the house. Give your children a camera and let them play at being a ... journalist and make a "report" with images from nature. Lie down with your child under a tree and just listen to the noises around you. Read them a book before they go to sleep. Take afternoon walks and discuss various topics with them or tell them stories from your childhood - children love hearing these stories, especially when they realise that you were once the same age as them. Play board games with them. Visit sights in the area as a family and learn their history. Organise evenings with the new friends they meet on vacation and let them come into the kitchen to help you with the preparations - you will be surprised by how imaginative they are when it comes to preparing food.

Above all, however, give them the opportunity to have fun and have fun with them! With a little proper organisation and preparation you will be able to spend happy, pleasant and stress-free holidays with your family.