Travel Tips From Our Best Family Holiday

In Australia, the months of December and January are traditionally the months for holiday travel during our Southern Hemisphere summer. With Christmas and New Year celebrations coinciding with our summer months, many families plan for short trips, or travel interstate within Australia or, if they can afford it, travel overseas either to see family or for sightseeing tours.

Reflecting on my family holiday last December-January, every one of us considered it the best family holiday ever. I would say that the success of the holiday could be put down to the factors below. In fact, these might be something you consider when planning your next family holiday.

To give you an idea of our travelling party – there were two Baby Boomers, three Millennials and three Alphas. In other words, my wife Jenny and I, our son, our daughter, son-in-law and their three boys (aged at the time of travel) 12, 9 and 5 years. While we have travelled before, this trip was our largest travelling family group.

Our itinerary in the south of Sri Lanka included Colombo, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala National Park, Galle and Bentota

It took almost a year of planning and dare I say about the same time in saving for the trip.

1) Budgeting for the trip.

Before taking on any venture, it is important to find out if you can afford it. As Jenny and I discussed how we would celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, we tossed around the idea of either celebrating with a catered function or making it even more memorable by going on a family holiday to Jenny's birth country of Sri Lanka. As it had been a while since we travelled there, we decided that we would spend our time and money on the trip.

2) Settling on the travel dates

While we knew the destination, the first task was to secure returning airline tickets. Initially however this proved challenging because we needed all parties, especially those who were working, to agree on the departure and returning dates. Deciding to celebrate Christmas at home helped focused our departure to dates after the 25^th of December. This then left us to decide on the returning leg. With many workers in Australia entitled to a four-week annual holiday period, it was a case of working from our proposed departure date and setting no more than four-weeks away to accommodate the working millennials in the group. In the end we settled on a three-week holiday window as our son had to return to work in mid-January.

The next step was to book our airline travel. This is where working with a reputable travel advisor is important. Fortunately for us, I had used the same company and advisor before. Booking domestic flights was simple for me, however with international travel especially with multiple stops and hotel bookings, my preference is to go through a travel agency.

We booked Malaysia Airlines to Colombo which required a transit via Kuala Lumpur

We finally booked our tickets in March 2024, almost nine months before our departure date. While our travel advisor was able to assist with our return air tickets, she was unfamiliar with the places we wanted to visit in Sri Lanka. So, for us, the next step was to source a local travel advisor in Sri Lanka. The return stopover in Kuala Lumpur was easy as we wanted to stay in KL's shopping 'Golden Triangle'. And as we were not travelling elsewhere in Malaysia, our advisor helped us with our hotel selection in KL.

3) Find a local agent to assist with the in-country itinerary.

While our group had all travelled to Sri Lanka, but not necessarily as a family unit, we had predominantly only stayed in and around Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. This time we wanted to see the reputable beautiful countryside, the renowned beaches and the various tourist attractions.

With the help of a friend in Sri Lanka, we found a local travel advisor. What gave me confidence was that the travel agency had provided consulting services to our friend on many occasions. After introductions using the WhatsApp platform to confirm suitability, our travel advisor Nazla and I started the process of planning our itinerary. The factors which were crucial to planning the itinerary were:

a) tour group size and age range,

b) details of our arrival and departure,

c) days available for our tour, after the initial few days stay in Colombo to see friends and family,

d) activities we wished to do, to see and experience, and

e) hotel star ratings we were comfortable with.

Nazla, was able to provide feedback, suggestions, hotel costs and places of interest to cater for all in our family.

Countryside around Nuwara Eliya

4) Deciding on the places to visit and considering everyone's wishes.

It must be said that at the start of the planning process my family and I were a little overambitious with where we wanted to go, things to do and see. Having a good and experienced travel advisor was great as she was able to provide us with all the travelling details. We were told that most of countryside was hilly and the country roads were that of a developing country.

A mainly walking beach area at the back of our hotel located at the edge of the Yala National Park

Nazla also advised us that during the December-January the island of Sri Lanka has two distinct weather seasons. While the east coast has beautiful beaches, the rainy season at that time would not make beach going a pleasant experience. When hearing that the south and southwest coast of the island had better weather at that time, we focused our plans on the south.

Our train stopped on the Nine Arch Bridge for people to take 'happy snaps'

While Jenny and I were just happy to have everyone travelling with us as it was a trip to celebrate our anniversary, I was also cognizant that it was a holiday for the whole family to enjoy. During the early stages of the planning, I asked each one, even the grandsons to list three things they wanted to do, see or experience. Admittedly not everyone filled out my planning spreadsheet, but some did give me their oral suggestions. In the end however we got to a list of the things we all wanted to see and do.

Some of these included, seeing the fireworks on Galle Face, taking a train to Ella over the Nine Arch Bridge, seeing the native animals at Yala National Park, visiting a turtle farm, swimming in the Indian Ocean, visiting Jenny's childhood house, visiting a tea estate, and having a sumptuous and memorable meal. My daughter, having had a strenuous school year as a teacher, while completing her master’s degree was happy just to relax by the beach while staying at a five-star hotel. She didn’t ask for much.

Pepper crab presentation at Ministry of Crab restaurant, Colombo

After visiting Pedro Tea Estate, we had High Tea at Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya

5) Confirming the places to stay and finalising the itinerary.

As part of determining the places we wanted to see and visit, we also had to finalise the hotels we were going to stay at. The advantage again of having a local travel advisor looking after our plans was the ability to quickly establish if hotels had interconnecting rooms. For our travelling group, rooms large enough to accommodate two parents with three children were important, especially in some locations where we intended to stay over four days and three nights. As we were unfamiliar with the hotels around, we were very much dependent on the recommendations from Nazla. By this time in our planning, we were able to build a level of trust where she knew our requirements, and I was able to establish a level of confidence in her advice.

View from our Bentota hotel balcony overlooking the Indian Ocean and pool in the foreground

After a number of iterations, we finalised our Sri Lanka itinerary in late June 2024. A few weeks later we had to settle the 50% of the invoice which covered the four hotels we were staying at, the transfers, the commuter van with driver and our train tickets for the four-hour train journey to Ella over the iconic Nine Arch Bridge. We organised the trip to the National Park ourselves as we were unsure of the final details in June. As a result of the openness in planning, there were no surprises in the cost for our in-country tour. Every item was executed to the plan, and in fact the surprises we did experience were all pleasant ones. These included the extravagant welcome we received at every hotel, even at the airport, the upgraded rooms, the extra-large van and our very friendly driver Philip and his nephew Tharindu. Originally, we were only expecting a driver for the tour. Not only were Nazla and Philip servicing us as part of their jobs, but we became friends on this trip. We have continued to maintain contact since.

In the jeep ready for the second part of our safari in the Yala National Park

6) Enjoy the moments, and don't forget your smartphone charger.

I am so glad we are no longer using analogue cameras and having to wait for film to be processed, which could take days before seeing the results of the photographs. Our smartphone digital cameras were functioning in overdrive during the trip. What some people seldom realise is that these smartphones require regular charging when it's used all day long. Fortunately, we had a portable power bank and local power adaptors to charge our various devices when we were in the hotel. One valuable tip a friend shared with us was to bring along a multi-point power board, allowing multiple plug-ins with one local power adaptor.

What was even greater for me than the photos and videos captured was seeing the interactions of our grandsons, not only between themselves but also, them individually with the adults. There were many funny moments, a few 'boys getting upset' moments but overall, many more loving memories.

The boys enjoyed cooling off at Sunway Lagoon in Kuala Lumpur

7) A holiday after the holiday.

While it may be paradoxical, after the hectic tour in Sri Lanka, the four-day stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia gave us a real respite before returning to Australia. Taking the time to 'chill' at a slower pace, albeit walking around modern shopping centres and eating at food courts, allowed us to experience a more familiar routine but still enjoy the fact that we were on holidays overseas.

8) Don't forget to reminisce about the holiday.

Especially with a family holiday involving both young and old it is important to share what each person enjoyed and/or learned during the holiday. This helps, especially the younger members to appreciate the things they did and even better what they had learnt.

At the Koshoda Conservation Turtle Farm. Toby with one of the turtles being rehabilitated

Following are some reflections from a few of us, starting with Toby, our 5-year-old grandson who related his thoughts to his mum. Jenny’s reflections follow, with our daughter Jessie’s reflections closing out this essay.

Reflections from Toby (grandson):

I enjoyed the waterpark, jeep and animals, the Christmas decorations in the hotels, the pool and beach. I learned, "That I shouldn't touch the injured turtles...that's all."

Reflections from Jenny (wife, mum, nana):

I am so happy for the wonderful time we enjoyed together. So grateful to God for the blessings of my husband, children and grandchildren. Also, for the blessing of our wonderful son-in-law who was always there for us. Not forgetting kindness and caring nature of our children and grandchildren always looking out for us in case we tripped or fell down.

Reflection from Jess (daughter):

Post-Journey reflection extracted (with permission) from Jessie's Facebook posts after our holidays.

Jenny in front of her childhood family home on Annie Avenue, Dehiwala

PRT 1 GRATEFUL - Concluding 2024 and kicking off 2025 with a family holiday created memories that will continue to bless us for years to come. Feeling incredibly thankful for family time that also included my parents and Jonny. Highlights to come!

PRT 2 FULL-CIRCLE - Our visit to Colombo was nothing short of profound. My mum reconnected with childhood friends, and my children got to witness the beauty of life-long friendships. Place of birth, culture and hospitality were highlights of this part of our trip. To top it all off, we celebrated my parents' 40th wedding anniversary—a significant milestone. Gayan and I are grateful for their commitment to faith and family that they continue to model for us.

After dinner the boys entertained themselves with a card game in the lobby of our hotel in Nuwara Eliya

PRT 3 SERENITY - We are not nature lovers… if you know my boys, ball is life… but Nuwara Eliya’s tea plantations and Ella’s breathtaking views were a refreshing contrast to the busyness of Colombo. Not to mention the cooler climate that created the perfect atmosphere for family games by the fire (yes, it was that cold in this part of Sri Lanka!). Seeing the stunning views as we trained through Ella were a reminder of the beauty of God’s creation.

Jenny being secured by Zeke and Jonny, as the safari jeep drove over potted holes in the national park.

PRT 4 ENCOUNTERS - With monkeys and even an elephant casually roaming our accommodation site, our encounters with Sri Lanka’s wildlife were not confined to Yala National Park. As parents this holiday also gave us the privilege to witness the unique interests and character traits in our boys. Curiosity and a desire to learn was evident as Toby saw various animals. Zeke’s compassionate and tender-heart shone as he looked after his Nana on a bumpy safari (it was more like off-roading with no seatbelts!). And Joel’s maturity and growing independence couldn’t be ignored as he took himself to breakfast and even joined the adults for deeper, more mature conversations.

Jessie, Gayan and boys in Galle Fort, overlooking the Galle Cricket Grounds

PRT 5 SHARED MOMENTS - Evenings spent at the beach, beautiful sunsets, delicious seafood, a visit to a turtle hatchery, the tsunami memorial site and exploration of Galle Fort. This part of our journey was packed with ‘experiences’, but it is the time we spent together that will remain the most treasured part of our time away. Our days spent at Bentota and Galle were a perfect blend of learning, relaxation and family bonding.

Bentota Beach at sunset

PRT 6 RESET - After our journey through central and south Sri Lanka, our stop in Malaysia offered the perfect chance to pause, reflect, and reset before heading back to Melbourne. Leisurely strolls to the shops, and coffee and ice cream runs gave us some quiet moments to ourselves. The trip was capped off with a day at Sunway Lagoon and for the first time, all 5 of us met the height restrictions for the giant waterslide together… Toby was thrilled to not have to wait for his brothers at the bottom!

If you’ve followed along with our journey, this is the final reflection. This holiday will be one we’ll treasure and remember for years to come.

We are looking forward to our next family holiday whenever that might be. Hoping these tips will be useful when you plan your family holiday.