4 rules of thumb for traveling with your kids

“Who loves you well will make you travel” Anonymous."

The festivities of “Las Fiestas del Pilar” along with a long weekend is right around the corner. You might be thinking of taking on a family getaway to enjoy some lovely weather in Spain, but traveling with children can be an experience full with amazing memories and overwhelming at the same time. If you start thinking about the neverending list of things to pack and the unpredictability of such plans you might feel like not even trying at all. But worry not! We’re going to give you some really simple, yet powerful advice in order for you to have it easy on the next family getaway in one of our apartments:


No schedule overload! Let every family member choose and find a single favorite activity.
If you’re coming to Madrid for the first time you might already know of all the things to do, visiting the Prado Museum, walking and snapping cool pics around Sol and even meeting some friends over tapas and vermouth at the San Miguel Market or Plaza Mayor, all in the same day, right?! Well we think that making such a tight itinerary is a bad idea when traveling with your children. Visiting a destination with such a high count of activities like Madrid the best option is to keep plans simple, choose the best of the best while keeping it real and adapted to each family member. If you’re little loved ones are very active, adventurous and creative don’t plan against that! Use it to your advantage and plan a visit to some of the beautiful parks instead of taking them to the theater (specially during the peak activity time). Think about the activities you enjoy as a family and picture them in the majestuosity and marvelousness of Madrid, you’ll sure find the equilibrium for them and for you.


Time to bend the rules!.
You might feel guilty when you see your kid stuck at the iPad screen for hours during a train ride, but during vacation you should relax and probably add more flexibility to the rules. We have limits at home, there’s a limit to how much sweets to eat, how long to watch TV and how chaotic it can get; but during a getaway we should all extend and bend such limits, it will make it easy and great for all, just make sure the rules are bent only during the vacation time! Probably letting them eat a little extra ice cream and letting them overstay at the bedroom watching their favorite shows will let you enjoy an amazing coffee in the terrace of one of our beautiful apartments!


Be ready to deal with luggage.
It’s quite possible that some things get left at home, or even in the way, your son’s favorite teddy bear, that magic blanket that your daughter just loves to sleep with, etc etc. In order to avoid this from happening, try to simply forget the complications, get a good roller suitcase with big enough space and pockets to focus the location of things to a single place. Avoid letting your kids pack themselves until they’re big and mature enough to take care of their luggage the whole trip. Pack your and their essentials and probably add a couple of toys but not the whole Toy Story collection! We also recommend light and healthy snacks, a first aid kit and toiletries, and remember you’ll probably have plenty of space in our greatly located and secure apartments so nothing will get lost.


Family-proof accomodation.
time to sleep will not mean the end of your day. At Mad4Rent we have comfy and spacious apartments where you can take your kids to bed and then finish the night with a deliciously good cup of wine and your own kitchen to get as creative as you want. Also as a parent you do know that having a kitchen makes a big difference if your kid is picky when it comes to eating, so it will both save you time, money and problems!

Just go ahead and plan your family getaway in Madrid, we’ll be ready to let you have an unforgettable experience with a lovely accommodation!