Top tips for a perfect family skiing holiday

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Top tips for the perfect family skiing holiday

01 September 2006

Rachael Waite is childcare manager for the chalet specialist Snowline. She worked as a nanny in various French ski resorts before returning to the UK to start a family of her own. Rachael has a wealth of experience both as a nanny and as a parent. Here are her top tips for planning your family ski holiday.

Book early. This only really applies if you have school-aged children and are not prepared to risk the wrath of the headteacher by taking them away during term time. The February half term week gets booked up incredibly early, with the best chalets being booked 12 months ahead or more.
Pick your moment. If you are not bound by school holidays then you can pick up some excellent deals in the traditionally quieter periods like early January. Some companies even offer free childcare at this time.
Choose your Tour Operator with care. If they are geared up for kids then they will usually have all the bulky extras you need such as travel cots, stairgates, high chairs and sterilisers. Some can even lend you a buggy or a back pack for the week. They might also have extras for older ones such as a DVD library. In my experience, small specialist companies are the most reliable in this field – a friend of mine once travelled with the largest of the mass market operators over half term, and was offered a cardboard box for her 3 month old baby to sleep in as they had run out of travel cots!
Research childcare options. Pre-skiers ( i.e. under 4) have three options: local creche, Tour Operator crèche or Private Nanny service. My vote is always for the Tour Operator option. Unlike most locally-run services, the staff will be native English speakers, and will have the same ‘cultural references’ as your kids – be it Balamory, Sponge Bob or Power Rangers. Again, not all Tour Operators are the same however, so find out what exactly is included. Are the children collected and returned to the chalet? If not you could waste an hour at each end of the day. What meals are included? What’s in the chalet? Does the equipment meet UK safety standards? What qualifications do the staff have?
Sort out ski school. Lots of the bigger resorts now have British-run ski schools – at the risk of sounding overly nationalistic I’ve found that these tend to be a far better bet for children for the same reasons that I would choose a Tour Operators crèche over a local one.
Pack Smart. Chalets are usually very warm inside, so you really don’t need heavy wool jumpers for the kids. Find out if the accommodation has a washing machine that you can use, check if your brand of nappies or formula is available locally, and don’t forget wellies and waterproofs so they can play in the snow.
Borrow as much kit as you can. Quality ski gear is not cheap, and unless you’re very lucky it won’t last more than a season or two. It’s a good idea to buy their own accessories such as gloves, hats and goggles as then you won’t panic too much when something inevitably gets lost.
Choose a resort close to the airport. Long transfers are no fun for kids, not to mention the practical difficulties such as loo stops along the way. There are plenty of resorts, such as Morzine in the Portes de Soleil, which are barely an hour from Geneva. Alternatively consider hiring a car or booking a private taxi transfer instead of using the coach. You’ll get there quicker and you can stop when you need to.
Find a suncream that only needs to be applied once. My favourite is Ultrasun Mountain, which has none of the fragrances or colourings that many kids are allergic to, and it lasts all day.
Don’t be afraid to ask. If your child will only eat beans and bananas, then as long as you give the chalet staff enough notice, they will usually be only too pleased to oblige.

We are pleased to offer 10% discount to our customers when booking your ski holiday with SnowlineVIP. Please quote the code URCHIN when booking.
Tel: 08701 123118 OR 08701 123119
Web: www.snowline.co.uk OR www.vip-chalets.com

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	home > Urchin inspiration > family travel and holidays > Top tips for the perfect family skiing holiday Top tips for the perfect family skiing holiday 01 September 2006 Rachael Waite is childcare manager for the chalet specialist Snowline. She worked as a nanny in various French ski resorts before returning to the UK to start a family of her own. Rachael has a wealth of experience both as a nanny and as a parent. Here are her top tips for planning your family ski holiday. Book early. This only really applies if you have school-aged children and are not prepared to risk the wrath of the headteacher by taking them away during term time. The February half term week gets booked up incredibly early, with the best chalets being booked 12 months ahead or more. Pick your moment. If you are not bound by school holidays then you can pick up some excellent deals in the traditionally quieter periods like early January. Some companies even offer free childcare at this time. Choose your Tour Operator with care. If they are geared up for kids then they will usually have all the bulky extras you need such as travel cots, stairgates, high chairs and sterilisers. Some can even lend you a buggy or a back pack for the week. They might also have extras for older ones such as a DVD library. In my experience, small specialist companies are the most reliable in this field – a friend of mine once travelled with the largest of the mass market operators over half term, and was offered a cardboard box for her 3 month old baby to sleep in as they had run out of travel cots! Research childcare options. Pre-skiers ( i.e. under 4) have three options: local creche, Tour Operator crèche or Private Nanny service. My vote is always for the Tour Operator option. Unlike most locally-run services, the staff will be native English speakers, and will have the same ‘cultural references’ as your kids – be it Balamory, Sponge Bob or Power Rangers. Again, not all Tour Operators are the same however, so find out what exactly is included. Are the children collected and returned to the chalet? If not you could waste an hour at each end of the day. What meals are included? What’s in the chalet? Does the equipment meet UK safety standards? What qualifications do the staff have? Sort out ski school. Lots of the bigger resorts now have British-run ski schools – at the risk of sounding overly nationalistic I’ve found that these tend to be a far better bet for children for the same reasons that I would choose a Tour Operators crèche over a local one. Pack Smart. Chalets are usually very warm inside, so you really don’t need heavy wool jumpers for the kids. Find out if the accommodation has a washing machine that you can use, check if your brand of nappies or formula is available locally, and don’t forget wellies and waterproofs so they can play in the snow. Borrow as much kit as you can. Quality ski gear is not cheap, and unless you’re very lucky it won’t last more than a season or two. It’s a good idea to buy their own accessories such as gloves, hats and goggles as then you won’t panic too much when something inevitably gets lost. Choose a resort close to the airport. Long transfers are no fun for kids, not to mention the practical difficulties such as loo stops along the way. There are plenty of resorts, such as Morzine in the Portes de Soleil, which are barely an hour from Geneva. Alternatively consider hiring a car or booking a private taxi transfer instead of using the coach. You’ll get there quicker and you can stop when you need to. Find a suncream that only needs to be applied once. My favourite is Ultrasun Mountain, which has none of the fragrances or colourings that many kids are allergic to, and it lasts all day. Don’t be afraid to ask. If your child will only eat beans and bananas, then as long as you give the chalet staff enough notice, they will usually be only too pleased to oblige. We are pleased to offer 10% discount to our customers when booking your ski holiday with SnowlineVIP. Please quote the code URCHIN when booking. Tel: 08701 123118 OR 08701 123119 Web: www.snowline.co.uk OR www.vip-chalets.com

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Top tips for the perfect family skiing holiday