Choosing a holiday destination can be very stressful. In fact it can cause so many problems in the family that they need the holiday to bond again and to relax. It is a shame but because everyone is different them it is likely that everyone will have different ideas as to how to spend their holiday.
If you have younger children then they may not get a choice in the decision. However, it is really important to keep them in mind when planning your trip because they will be the ones that are likely to determine whether you have a good time. If children are having fun then it is likely their parents will be, however if they are not enjoying themselves then they are likely to make it a bad experience for everyone by complaining they are bored or crying a lot or even misbehaving.
If they are older they may not want to come if you are doing something which they do not like. It may be worth planning separate holidays once they get quite old as they are unlikely to share the same interests as you. If you feel they are not quite old enough for this or if they cannot afford not to holiday with you, then it could be good to do things apart once you get there. Go and do different things during the day and then get back together again for meals, the evening or whatever. This could mean that you have much more quality family time where you can all discuss what you have done in the day and you should also all enjoy yourselves better.
Think practically about where you are staying. If you need to look after children then you will need facilities in order that you can do this well. Pick a hotel which serves the kinds of food they like or self cater so that you can prepare them the food that they want. It may seem like hard work having a self catering place rather than letting a hotel do the cooking, but if the child is a fussy eater then it could work out to be a lot less stressful if you are able to just give them the food they like rather than having to coax them to try new things every meal time.
The language barrier could be important when you have children as well. If you want them to play with the local children then they will need to know at least a few words of the language to be able to have fun. This could mean teaching them a bit or going to a place where you can already all speak the language. It can also be more relaxing for the parents if they know that they can communicate should there be an emergency or they need to buy medication or anything like that for the children.
Finally think of the specific location of where you are staying and consider whether there is enough to entertain the children there. Think about what the children tend to do to entertain themselves, what their favourite things are to do and make sure that they will still be able to do some things they enjoy.
