Anxious traveller - first family holiday abroad

[britespark1]

We (DH and I plus 3 DC ages 13,12 and 11) are due to fly to Portugal from Birmingham for our first family holiday abroad in October half term. Any general tips for a very nervous traveller please? I have flown before but it was a lifetime ago and my nerves are already through the roof. disclaimer, middle DC is on the spectrum but absolutely hates any sort of public reference to it

It's not clear if you are a nervous flyer or if you are anxious about the whole experience (the unknowns?) but if it's flying then I have a low dose diazepam prescription from the GP - only need to take one 2 mg tablet about an hour before the flight but I find it helps immensely.

Give yourself plenty of time at your home airport OP. If nothing else, not rushing will keep you calm.

Pack lollies to suck for ear equalisation on take off and landing. Load games, books or films onto laptop, iPad etc if that will distract you or the children. There is no in-flight entertainment provided these days.

Ask Jet2 if you'd be able to use the pool while you are waiting to check in. Though realistically you may not have as much time as you think. Disembarking, passport control, collecting your luggage etc all take a bit of time. Then the journey to the villa. If you can't do anything else then wheeling your suitcases (or getting dropped there by your taxi) to the nearest restaurant and having a leisurely lunch might be the best option.

@ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea I have paid for the fast track through security for us all so hoping that helps. We will also be there as soon as the baggage check in opens which I believe is 3 hours before the flight (all through Jet2)

And we are staying in Gale.

I am generally very anxious at the moment (I blame peri-menopause!) but it's not so much the flying as something going wrong. We have waited so long to be able to take the children abroad, I just want everything to go smoothly.

If you're arriving at Faro, the queue for passport control can be very long as several UK flights arrive together. Special needs and young children were going through a fast channel but we waited over half an hour. It was fine, just tedious. The good thing was once we got through our luggage was waiting.

I've used jet 2 a lot and they are very efficient. They had loads of check in desks at faro for the way back.

It's a lovely country. Enjoy!

Its only a 2hr flight so don't go mad with hand luggage, you only need the basics. The more you have, the more you've got to drag around. Your kids are all big enough to make this a really easy, enjoyable journey. Portugal is very civilised so if you forget anything you can easily buy it there.

I'm October the sun goes down pretty early and nights can be chilly so bring some jumpers. The portuguese will already be in their winter coats. Also pack some rainy day clothes as when it rains, it really rains.

Try the local Octopus, Bream and Seabass. Avoid beef, its pretty crap there, Pork is better as is Chicken. Vino verdi wine

There's a nice beach in Carvoeiro, avoid Albufeira unless you're into Magaluf vibes. Nearest decent shopping to you is Portimao. Airport is tiny, you can't hang around there all day. Can pay for airport bag storage and hang out in Faro but there's not much there. I wouldn't bother trying to speak Portuguese in the Algarve, it's very different to the North and very touristy. I have Portuguese family who will only speak English in the South!

I use noise cancelling earphones on the plane as I get full on sensory overload- these might be helpful for autistic child . My DD uses earphones though and plays her music and that's how she keeps calm . Last time we flew we looked on TikTok and you tube to find the quieter places to be in the airport .

You will be absolutely fine for time if arriving 3 hours early and with fast track.

Looks like that's near to Albufiera so there should be plenty for you to do and places where you can take trips from .

If your family like playing mini golf, I recommend the one at Alvor but unless you are really keen you probably wouldn't want to bother travelling on public transport for it - we stayed there. I recommend going on a boat trip around the caves. We went from Portimao.

The villa company have come back and said no early check-in or luggage drop-off :-( I just don't see how we can go anywhere, even for a long lunch with 5 suitcases to cart about :-(

My best suggestion would be to google a beach front restaurant with vehicular access at Gale and get your airport transport to drop you off there. You and your DH can take turns minding the suitcases with a drink whilst the other goes to the beach with the children. All have something to eat and then use Bolt App to order another taxi to your accommodation. Or get the restaurant to order one for you.

Someone with knowledge of the resort may be able to give more specific recommendations.

Thank you! Great idea!

Here you go - a quick google brought up too suggestions so you can see where's closest to your accommodation. I'm not sure if you need it on arrival or departure.
www.portugalist.com/algarve-luggage-storage/

By the time you get through passport control, get your suitcases and find your transfer it's a couple of hours often, depending on your transfer length perhaps see if there's anywhere close to your villa to get a bit to eat, or delay your transfer so you arrive at your villa closer to check in.

Last few times I've got lucky with a bar nearby

There's luggage storage options all over the Algarve. You can either do so in Faro and hang out there or somewhere closer to your destination, probs Albufeira.

They're not super pricey and worth it when you think how much a days holiday is.

There's lots of golf in Faro if you're into that. Ubers are very cheap so it's easy to get around the bigger places. There's a couple of water parks you might enjoy if the weather is good- personally I'd avoid zoomarine for animal welfare reasons.

Thank you so much for the help and suggestions. I hate feeling like this and wish I was just excited that we’re finally going away.

are you planning on taking 5 full size suitcases? If so bear in mind you won’t fit all of them in one taxi, even with a 7 seater taxi. As you will take up the 5 back seats alone, so most will only fit 2-3 max. So you will likely need 2 taxis.

No, two large ones and the 3 boys have small almost cabin sized ones

I wouldn't stress. One of the nice things about eating in places with good weather and outside space is there is usually oodles of space to park a few suitcases. They'll just sit you near a corner or somewhere suitable.

I haven't been to that part of the world since I was a kid but I would recommend not parking a hire car in an underground car park/multistorey and leaving suitcases in it. It's a painful lesson.