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Who doesn’t do it? Who doesn’t agonise over six carefully chosen weather apps in that long-anticipated fortnight before the family Staycation?

“So BBC tell me it has a 80% chance of rain on our first Wednesday in Abersoch… Maybe we should cancel”

“Hold on, Accuweather is 70% certain it’ll be dry from 10am until 2pm on the Tuesday. It’s ok, we’ve got a beach window…”

When committing to a Staycation, as recent reports suggest a record number will do this year, there are some vital points to keep in mind:

There are no guarantees

True of most holidays you’ll ever take, home or away, there are always some elements of the unknown. Will the shallow end by shallow enough for Lily? Will the hotel offer Coco Pops of Cheerios for Charlie? But always remember that you have chosen to change your scene. You are asking for the unfamiliar – proactively inviting it in.

Enjoy these unknowns by being ready for them.

Pack what you need

This may sound patronising but I’ve tried all methods from filling a roof rack until it almost pops open on the fast lane while the kids’ chins are resting on their knees to selecting the bare necessities and smugly loading one suitcase and a bucket & spade (Or did I just forget half the packing?)

I have meanwhile discovered the obvious – 99% of necessities can either be bought or you quickly discover there are many unnecessities.

Weather forecasting is not a perfected science

Surely by 2016 the meteorological world has sussed out how to know what’s going to happen above us? After all, it certainly changes our holiday memory-makers – I know my childhood holiday snaps are taken in the sun, not the rain!

But sadly, our planet continues to flummox us and the brightest of scientists amongst us. They totally admit that a 7 or 14 day forecast is nowhere near accurate, as the nature of the beast is as unpredictable as a 2-year old at dinner time.

By all means do your pre-holiday checks, but do not take them as gospel.

So your new pre-holiday jobs list reads

1. Prepare little kids for the new and unknown – try to brand out on cereal types before you go and experiment with a different bedtime routine.
2. Make a new abridged holiday packing list of what really are the necessities. Keep it under 10 items. Only allow anything else that fits inside the bag.
3. Allow yourself only one weather app and use it with a pinch of salt.

Finally

4. Have faith. Rarely does Britain wash us out for the entirety of a 7-day stretch. It’s bound to come up trumps and dry out for an hour at some point. Isn’t it???

 

Mum-of-2, Packer-for-4 and Founder of the renowned and ever-popular website www.pillowsandpitstops.com, Amelia Atkinson, provides commentary and insight into family holidays in UK, finding hidden gems to break long car journeys and little ways to make parenting more fun, light-hearted & healthy.