How to get the most out of a family holiday to Florida

If you could go on a family holiday anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I think for a lot of people the answer would be Florida.

A family holiday to Florida has it all really.  As long as you go at the right time of year you’re almost guaranteed good weather.  You have Disney and Universal to explore as well as loads of stunning beaches, museums and landmarks.

There are some things to keep in mind though, to really get the most out of a family holiday to Florida:

Plan ahead for the flight and for jet lag

Flight times from the UK to Florida are around 9 hours, so you’ll need to be prepared for keeping your children entertained for that long.

A lot depends on how old your children are, but things like sticker and activity books are great to pop in your carry on bag.  If you’re flying with a toddler then this post from Flying with a baby is full of ideas for activities to keep them happy.

Older children are a bit easier to plan for and may well just be happy with a book or two and something to watch/music to listen to.

The other issue you’ll have to deal with is jet lag, with Florida being 5 hours behind the UK.

Children are generally more susceptible to jet lag so you’ll need to have a bit of a plan in place to cope with it.  Things like allowing a day or two at the start of the holiday for everyone to adjust will help.  Keep these days a bit more low-key while you get your bearings.

Jetlag and Mayhem have got a great list of tips on dealing with jet lag and kids, including setting your watch to local time as soon as you arrive, getting out in daylight as much as possible to help reset your body clock and getting the children on to local time as soon as you can.

Hire a car

To really make the most of a family holiday to Florida, you’ll most likely need to hire a car.

That way you can get around easily and visit all the theme parks and attractions that you don’t want to miss.

One thing to keep in mind though is that there are tolls on the major highways.  So make sure you include those costs in your budget.

Plan your itinerary before you go

If you’re planning on visiting Disney world and Universal while you’re in Florida then you really need to plan our you itinerary before you go.

You can book fast passes in advance for Disney which is well worth doing so you can avoid some of the lines for the most popular rides.  So take a bit of time to do some research and decide what you want to do and when.

If you have a few weeks in Florida then you might want to plan to alternate days at the theme parks with quieter days exploring the area.

Florida has got some beautiful beaches to discover, including Clearwater beach which has been named the best in the USA.

There are so many places in Florida to visit and create some amazing family memories.

You can get take in all the sights from the top of the ICON Orlando 360, which is Orlando’s answer to the London Eye.  A ride on the wheel lasts 23 minutes, which is plenty of time to take it all in but not so long that little ones will get bored.

Children will also love a visit to Ripley’s believe it or not which is a museum full of all things weird and wonderful.  And if you have a space-lover in the family then the Kennedy Space Centre is worth the hour drive from Orlando.

It’s well worth spending time really researching what you want to do in Florida as a family, and hopefully this post has helped to point you in the right direction to really get the most out of a holiday there.

Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post