I book all my trips myself and therefore do not use a travel agency. There is a whole process involved in booking a trip and I will explain to you here how that process works exactly. But I want to start with an anecdote, because this process came to life through my trip to Thailand.
An overview:
- I prefer to book my own trips and choose travel periods based on school holidays. I also make sure to include activities that are fun for both parents and children.
- Accommodations have evolved over the years from budget-friendly options to family-friendly hotels with amenities like pools and fitness centres.
- During the planning process, I research hotels thoroughly, paying attention to reviews and costs. I have also learned to avoid third-party booking sites to avoid problems.
My trip alone to Thailand
It was April 2013 when I boarded the plane for a two-week trip to Thailand. It was half a year before I would meet my husband and my first and at last long solo trip.
Although I discussed my trip extensively with friends in advance, I had no plan. I aimed to be spontaneous, inspired by stories from colleagues and others. With only a plane ticket and a hotel reservation for the first night, I left.
Visiting a travel agency
I flew to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. At home I had read that the famous party ‘Full Moon Party’ was taking place at the end of my trip and I decided then, that I had to go there. On my second day in Bangkok, I planned my trip anyway. In that respect, ‘doing something spontaneously’ was not really my thing. I walked into a small travel agency and shared my wishes there.
Now it is probably relevant to say that I have a bit of a baby face and was 31 years old when I made this trip. I worked as a marketing coordinator at a software company, and I had received a retroactive salary increase. The woman behind the counter must have thought that I was still studying or wanted to make a months-long tour (as many young people do), because she designed a budget trip for me. I only found out about this when I arrived at my first location.
Disappointing hotel rooms
After a long ride of about eleven hours in an ‘okay train’, I arrived in Chumphon, Thailand, from where I had to take the boat to Ko Samui. From there I travelled to my hotel, where my room turned out to be nothing more than a bed in a kind of stone hut. I was disappointed because I had stayed in better rooms before. However, I decided to push that feeling away and went out. I wanted to explore the island and met other holidaymakers.
After four days on Ko Samui, I took the boat to Ko Panghan and there, the same thing happened. I arrived at my hotel, went to my room, and found a shabby hut, that did not really invited to stay. That was the moment I realised that the woman in the travel agency in Bangkok must have thought I was on a budget tour. I walked back to the reception, politely asked for a room upgrade (I should have done that in Ko Samui) and continued my journey.
The lesson I learned
My trip to Thailand turned out to be unforgettable. I went diving, I saw beautiful beaches, ate delicious food, visited beautiful places, and met really nice people. But I also learned, that I must plan my own trip and arrange transport and accommodation and I have been doing that ever since.
Where are we going?
In everyday life, I am not really concerned with the holidays. But when we are on holiday, the trips we (my husband and I) still want to make often come up. We both really enjoy going out during these free times, and when our children are playing in a playground or in the swimming pool, we watch them while chatting and dreaming about our next trip.
Previous conversations about travel destinations often form the basis and a choice does not really come out of the blue. Starting this year (2025), we have included our eight-year-old daughter in our plans, though this is currently limited to the destination.
When are we going?
Once we have decided where we are going, we choose a travel period. We depend on the school holidays for the trips with our children. But we are not for the annual weekend away together and we look at our agendas and those of the babysitter (grandma). As a result, it can happen that one year we are away during the spring, and the next year we go on a trip in the fall. For the duration, we depend on my husband’s vacation days. As a self-employed person, I can basically go whenever I want.
What are we going to do there?
I am not going on vacation to lie on the beach all day. Of course there is room for relaxation, but we do want to see something. The trip has to be fun for all of us and in practice that means swimming for the children and visiting towns for the parents.
We often do not stay in one place to long and opt for a small tour in the holiday country. This means that we visit several places for a couple of days. That is why I buy a Lonely Planet in preparation, which often lists the best sights in a top 10. I frequently verify online if this top 10 list is corroborated by other sources and that is often the case. Then I know which places are interesting and we go there.
What is fun for children?
I also look at whether such a destination is fun for children. What is there to do? This inspired me to start this blog, because many blogs feature: museums, museums and walks, and that not what my children like. Maybe they are culturally behind, but looking at paintings and statues is honestly not something that really makes us happy.
If the Lonely Planet does not show what we can do there, I simply look at Google Maps to discover what activities there are in the region. You often come across an amusement park or water park and in the best case there is a national park nearby. If there is enough to do or see, my interest increases.
How are we going to travel?
Then I ask myself the question: ‘how do I get there?’ The answer to that question is often ‘the plane’. We do not fly with budget airlines, which fly you to your destination for peanuts. They often leave at inconvenient times, and I do not want to leave home in the middle of the night with two children, and we are lucky that we can afford to fly at a more pleasant time.
In addition, you also learn from experiences. For example, we flew (in 2019) with Eurowings from Athens to Düsseldorf (where we lived at the time – LINK). Unfortunately, that plane was so delayed that it was no longer welcome at Düsseldorf Airport, because it would land after midnight. Finally, we landed at Cologne/Bonn airport and were able to take a taxi to our house in Düsseldorf at night (because it had gotten so late). Not ideal when you are six months pregnant and traveling with a toddler. We could have also waited for the bus that would take all the passengers to Düsseldorf, but then we would have been home even later.
Flying within Europe
Now I pay attention to departure and arrival times and even take dinner into account, especially when we are traveling with the children. Because of our place of residence (near Eindhoven), I look for flights from Eindhoven, Amsterdam and Düsseldorf and then choose the option that is most convenient for us. Travel times are more important than the costs, unless the price differences are significantly large.
Now, I have to say that the trips we have taken in the last eight years have been within Europe, except for a short trip to New York for two in 2018. The reason for this is that we don’t want to spend too much time on a plane with two small children and we do not want to tease them with time zones. But now that my daughter is eight and my son is about to celebrate his sixth birthday, we are considering visiting another continent with them next year. I will let you know if that affects my way of traveling.
Where are we staying?
Once I know when we are going, what we are going to do and how we are going to get there, I look at where we are going to stay.
Over the years, our accommodation needs have changed. When we were childless thirty-somethings on a tight budget, a simple hotel was sufficient. Back then, we were active all day anyway and the hotel was just a place to shower and sleep.
When we became parents of a daughter in 2017, the availability of baby cots was an important requirement. I also started paying more attention to the surface area of a room, so that we could move around such a room more easily with a baby.
Our son was born in 2019 and soon there was little point in traveling, because of the corona pandemic. In 2020 and 2021 we also did not go away very often (at least, compared to now). But when we did go on vacation, we often chose an apartment from private individuals, which we found via Booking.com.
Family rooms
We are not such a fan of family rooms. By this I mean rooms, with four sleeping places in one room. The reason for this, is that such a room does not offer enough privacy. For one night, I think it is fine and the children love it. But because we, the parents, sleep a little later than they do, we prefer an apartment, so that we do not disturb their night’s sleep by watching a movie on the other bed.
A four-star hotel
As mentioned, in recent years we have preferred a hotel or resort during the summer holidays, because we really like the facilities that come with it. For example, we always look for a place with a good fitness room, so that we can continue to exercise during our holiday.
A swimming pool is a strict requirement for the children, so I like to take that into account (unless we are going on a city trip). In addition, I like it when there are wellness facilities during the summer holidays and the children prefer a place with a kids club. With all those wishes, you often end up with a 4 or 5 star hotel and that is what we often choose.
How do I search for a hotel?
Like many people, I find my hotels via a search engine. As a search term, I type in: ‘best family resorts in [destination] and click on the links that follow. Those links often lead me to websites such as booking.com or TripAdvisor. I use a filter to check my previously mentioned wishes and look at the results.
Costs
Price does play a role in this phase because I am not an American pop star who can afford the penthouse of the Four Seasons. So, I will first find out what a reasonable price is for my destination. A website such as booking.com shows you what you will spend in a certain period. For example, for five nights at a certain location. When multiple hotels show such a price, you will automatically see the average costs for an overnight stay.
For example: If I see that I have to pay 2500 euros for 5 nights at a destination in hotel A, 2400 euros in hotel B and 2600 euros in hotel C. Then I know that you simply have to pay 500 euros per night for my wishes. If there is a hotel among them that charges 900 euros per night, then I think that is too expensive. But I will doubt a hotel that charges 250 euros per night. Why is it so cheap? But if the average price at another destination is 900 euros per night, then I will pay it.
Reviews
Soon there are a handful of hotels left that have the right rooms, fit the budget, and also have the desired gym, spa and kids club*. To narrow down the selection, I look at the exact location of these hotels and how they are rated. Only an eight or higher has a chance and then I read the reviews. Especially the bad ones.
* When it is a summer holiday.
I frequently wonder why people feel dissatisfied. They often find the price/quality ratio disappointing, that is something I would like to judge for myself. But there are reactions that deter, such as: ‘Dated and faded glory’ disappointing shower, then I look further. I have also read that the location is in a place where there is a lot of construction going on and there is noise pollution. When such a reaction is current, I also look further.
But sometimes people are spoiled. Complaining in a 5-star hotel, because you did not get a welcome drink or because you had to wait a while, I think are incidents and are no reason for me to look further.
It does not always go well
I don’t use a travel agency and arrange everything myself. That sometimes goes wrong. For example, in July 2022, I was standing with my family in front of a hotel in Portugal that was under construction. A major renovation was underway and outside we saw the toilets on the balcony. When I went inside to inquire, they said that they had cancelled all bookings, something that I had not seen in my inbox. At the time, I had booked my trip via booking.com and the email in question had ended up in my advertising folder. Fortunately, we found another hotel dozens of kilometres away and were able to continue our holiday without any problems.
Because of all my experiences, I:
- do not book accommodations and flight tickets on third-party websites
- always with the option of free cancellation (corona)
- I book summer holidays a year ahead since my preferred hotels/resorts fill up quickly.
The future
My children are getting older and that changes my way of traveling. We go out more than before, which allows us to see more of a travel destination. As mentioned, we also involve them increasingly in choosing the next trip.
As for accommodation, I can imagine that in a few years we will no longer need an apartment, and we can make do with two hotel rooms. Although we do like the kitchenette and a living room, so that we have a fridge where we can put drinks and fruit and eat in the room, if we don’t want to eat lunch outside.
The trips we have taken as a family so far have been in Europe. But now that our kids are getting older, we are increasingly talking about further trips, such as to South Africa, the US and Asia. But for now, those are still dreams about the future that we talk about in the pool.