Get packing for your summer holiday!

Now is the time to get packing for your summer holiday! Not literally of course, although those summer clothes might well be happier in a suitcase than they would be in the changeable weather here in the UK. But metaphorically, now is the perfect time to start thinking about your summer holiday, where you would like to go, when you can go, what you want from your holiday, who you plan to go with and how much you have to spend.
The chances are that you will want to avoid the school summer holidays if you don't have kids, and this will undoubtedly make your experience altogether cheaper because demand will be less. But if you do have kids, do not fret, as there are plenty of fantastic options that will not require you to spend a small fortune or spend years and years saving.
While we often think that we have to go abroad to have a great summer holiday, the weather in the UK has been unseasonably warm in recent years and we are seeing more and more of the sunshine right here at home, and with that in mind, you should seriously consider short breaks in the UK over and a above a package holiday abroad.
These type of summer holidays, in the UK, are particularly worth looking into for families with very young children, for whom a journey to the airport, a wait in the airport lounge and all the other time consuming but boring tasks that go along with a foreign holiday, can be extremely difficult to handle. So with a UK summer holiday comes the chance to leave home at a reasonable hour, keep the routine in tact for the kids, spend more money on fun activities, delicious meals out and spa treatments, or whatever else you and the kids are into, and less on expensive air fares and hotels that know they can put the prices up to just about any level during peak season.
But the key to a successful summer holiday or short break is to do your research and book your break as early as possible. Start your search online, ideally with a holiday operator that you know and trust, and look for the dates that you can do, or look for dates when great offers are available. The secret is to get packing early so that you can ensure a great short break within budget, that the whole family can enjoy.

by Jane Clarke