Sun, sea and exhausted parents; you never forget your first family holiday.

 

At this time of year, the pressure is mounting on mums and dads to carefully craft a summer trip and create those lifetime-lasting happy memories for their little ones. Having a water fight, taking a toy dinosaur and even jumping in a magic potato are just three of the more imaginative ideas that children shared with lastminute.com, when asked what would make a holiday special for them.

 

These top ingredients show that it really is the little things that count - and stay with us forever.

 

• Jumping over a net and doing a flip

• Eating ice cream every single day

• Having friends on the other side of my door

• Swimming right to the bottom of the pool

• Seeing a starfish in the sea

• Having a water fight

• Going on daddy's back because I don't know how to swim

• Taking my toy dinosaur and the family it's supposed to go with

• And even jumping in a magic potato – proof that a little imagination can produce a lot of holiday fun

 

These suggestions form part of a fun, new video created by lastminute.com, which you can view at https://youtu.be/r5KZR-h6_Cg B

 

Because parents only get one chance to book the perfect summer holiday, lastminute.com's in-house children's holiday experts have pulled together a list of the top most family-friendly destinations and hotels around, based on insights from children and parents.

 

These are:

• Dubai

• Canary Islands

• Disneyland Paris

• Crete

• Costa del Sol

 

Reigo Eljas, Country Director UK & Ireland at lastminute.com, said: “Whether it's playing badminton on the beach, trying a new flavour of ice cream or simply enjoying some uninterrupted family time, kids treasure holiday moments for years to come. Our job is to take the stress out of booking a family holiday, so parents can pour all their energy into making those memories instead, safe in the knowledge that we've got the perfect destinations covered.”

 

Making a perfect holiday can be hard work for parents, but there are plenty of tricks to make life easier.

 

Here, lastminute.com's family travel experts have put together their top holiday hacks for parents:

 

Make extra room in your suitcase for those all-important toys and outfits by vacuum packing your belongings. It's easy; put your clothes in medium-sized plastic bags, close the top except for a tiny bit, roll them to get all the air out and then quickly close the gap. And, depending on where you are travelling to, why not purchase nappies, wipes, and baby food online and have them sent to the place you are staying?

 

Even a short haul flight can feel like forever when you have young children to look after. As well as a selection of travel-friendly games, grab a divided food container and pack it full of finger friendly snacks. When all else fails, pull this out for some fun snack time.

 

There's no need to fork out a fortune on sightseeing and shopping, when something as simple as messing around in a pool can leave kids with the best lasting memories. It's a great chance for you to relax and put your feet up, too.

 

It can be daunting to go somewhere new, especially if it's your kids' first time away from home. Pack their nightlight and a pillow case from home to help them settle down at night – after all, we all know that happy, well rested children will make a world of difference to how much you enjoy your trip.

 

ENDS

Contacts Amelia Bullock-Muir / Anna Lewis / Sophia Schoepfer lastminute@firstlightpr.com  0203 617 7235

• Video: In May 2017, lastminute.com interviewed seven children aged between four and seven years old

• lastminute.com's top family destinations, and have been ranked against a strict set of criteria, including whether they have beaches, swimming pools, water parks, kids clubs and other family friendly facilities.

See here for our family holiday deals: www.lastminute.com/holidays/family.html

• Travel hacks: lastminute.com developed these tips in conjunction with Bébé Voyage, a global community of parents providing local knowledge and practical advice on how to travel with small children. See more at: https://www.bebevoyage.com/ About lastminute.com Every year over 10 million culture vultures, sun worshippers, adrenaline junkies and spa-goers book their travel and leisure experiences with us. We're been among the worldwide leaders in the online travel industry since 1998. We focus on making every second of the customer journey count and creating cutting edge content that inspires audiences from click to trip and beyond.