Family Holiday Mistakes to Avoid: Credit Card Scams, Food Bugs, Hotel Charges & Cancelled Flights
Our real stories about credit cards, food bugs, hotel scams, cancelled flights and drama booking tours abroad when travelling with kids
EUROPEASIARESOURCES
3/6/20268 min read
Travelling the world with your kids is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
New cultures, new foods, and the kind of memories that come up years later at the dinner table. But alongside that comes a different reality — one where you’re constantly thinking about safety, health, money and logistics.
If you’re a parent planning a trip and wondering what could go wrong, you’re not alone.
This guide is for families who want to avoid the most common travel mistakes when travelling abroad with kids — from credit card scams and hidden hotel charges to food bugs and cancelled flights — and feel more confident before they go.
Quick Answer: What Are the Biggest Family Travel Mistakes?
From our experience, the biggest issues usually aren’t disasters — they’re the small things that add up:
unexpected charges
getting caught out by scams
illnesses that disrupt plans
or travel delays that are harder to manage with kids
The good news is that most of these are completely avoidable with a bit of preparation.
Over the years — from India to Greece, Thailand to Jordan — we’ve experienced our fair share of these moments. Nothing catastrophic, but enough to build up a mental list of:
“Never again… and here’s what we do differently now.”
In this article, we share the biggest family travel mistakes we’ve made, along with simple, practical ways to avoid them — so your trip feels calmer, safer and far less stressful.
Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you book through them — at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools and services we’ve used ourselves and found genuinely helpful when travelling as a family.
Family Travel Mistakes to Avoid: Money, Health & Travel Disruptions
If you’re planning a trip and wondering what can actually go wrong on a family holiday, these are the mistakes that caught us out — and what we do differently now.
Travel Scam to Avoid: Credit Card Cloning Abroad
A few days after returning from India, I checked my banking app and saw charges I didn’t recognise.
The worst part? My card had never left my hand.
Somewhere along the way — likely during a “machine failed, try again” moment — it had been skimmed. The bank refunded everything, but cancelling cards and resetting payments with a young family was a hassle we didn’t need.
What we do now:
use Monzo/Revolut-style cards for daily spending
keep low balances loaded
use credit cards only for large purchases (for protection)
carry backup cash
lock most money away in the hotel safe
It’s not about paranoia — it’s about removing stress.
Credit Card Safety Abroad explains exactly how this happened and how to avoid it.
Food Safety Mistake: What Not to Eat When Travelling with Kids
In India, one small decision cost us three days of our trip.
A fresh sugar cane juice from a roadside stall looked harmless. Within 24 hours, my husband was completely wiped out — dehydration, illness, stuck in bed.
With kids, that doesn’t just affect one person — it derails everything.
What we changed:
avoid raw or unpasteurised drinks
choose busy restaurants with fresh food turnover
stick to bottled or sealed drinks
No street drink is worth missing key parts of your trip.
Food Safety in India covers exactly what to avoid and why.
Hidden Hotel Charges: Protecting Yourself from Disputes
In Greece, a hotel tried to charge us €360 for a TV we didn’t break — and refused to release our luggage until we paid.
With a tired child and a transfer waiting, we paid under pressure. We later recovered part of it, but the stress wasn’t worth it.
What we do now:
take photos and a quick video of the room on arrival
document any existing damage
never assume disputes will be handled fairly on the spot
Two minutes of evidence can save hours of stress.
Hotel Scams to Watch For breaks this down in full.
Cancelled Flights with Kids: Know Your Rights
Flying home from Thailand, our return flight was cancelled. The airport was chaotic, and most people simply accepted a much later rebooking.
Instead, we searched for alternatives ourselves — found a better flight — and asked to be moved onto it.
The airline covered everything.
Even better, we later claimed compensation of €600 per person — something most families miss entirely.
What we learned:
don’t accept the first option without checking alternatives
airlines must reroute you (UK/EU rules)
always check if you’re eligible for compensation
Cancelled Flights: Know Your Rights explains exactly how to handle this.
Booking Tours Abroad: Why Cheap Isn’t Always Worth It
In Jordan, we were surrounded by offers for cheap desert tours in Wadi Rum.
With a child, we chose not to risk it — and even then, our pre-booked stay still became stressful due to poor organisation and hidden costs.
We had to rebook last-minute with limited signal and cash.
What we do now:
prioritise reviews over price
book through reputable platforms
avoid making decisions under pressure on arrival
That final rebooked stay — simple, basic, but reliable — ended up being one of our favourite experiences.
Booking Local Tours & Hotels Abroad explains how to avoid this.
Is It Safer to Stick to Europe or the USA vs Asia?
A question many parents ask is whether it’s safer — or easier — to stick to Europe or the USA rather than travelling further afield.
From our experience, the reality is:
Most of the challenges we’ve faced have happened outside Western countries — in places like India, Jordan, Turkey and Thailand.
The only exception was the hotel dispute in Greece, which shows that problems can happen anywhere.
There’s no doubt that in some destinations you need to be more aware and more prepared — whether that’s around:
food safety
scams
or how things are handled when something goes wrong
What That Actually Means for Family Travel
This doesn’t mean you should avoid those countries. Far from it.
Some of our most memorable trips have been in exactly those places — they offer:
completely different cultures
unique experiences
and a depth of travel you simply don’t get in more familiar destinations
What it does mean is: you need to travel differently, not avoid them altogether
How We Approach It Now
When travelling in places like India, Jordan, Turkey or Thailand, we:
do a bit more research upfront
rely more heavily on reviews over price
stay more aware of food and hygiene risks
and build in a bit more flexibility
Those small adjustments make a big difference — and they’re exactly why I share what’s worked for our family trips, what hasn’t, and where I’d genuinely recommend for others travelling with kids.
Would These Experiences Stop Us Going Back?
No — not at all.
Every one of these issues was:
frustrating at the time
but completely recoverable
None of them would stop us recommending these destinations for family travel.
If anything, they helped us become more confident travellers, because we now understand what to expect and how to handle it.
If you’re deciding whether these destinations are right for your family:
break down what it’s really like on the ground.
Final Thoughts: How to Avoid Family Travel Mistakes
None of these experiences ruined our trips — but they changed how we travel.
The biggest lesson is this: Most family travel mistakes are small — but avoidable.
What now works for us:
split money across accounts
carry basic medical supplies
document accommodation on arrival
check reviews properly
understand your travel rights
always have a backup plan
The Real Takeaway
Travel with kids doesn’t need to be perfect — it just needs to be planned well enough to stay flexible. Because when you remove the unnecessary stress, that’s when you can actually enjoy the trip.
FAQs: Family Holiday Mistakes to Avoid
What are the most common family holiday mistakes to avoid?
From our experience, the biggest issues tend to be:
getting caught out by credit card scams
food-related illness disrupting plans
unexpected hotel charges
and not knowing your rights during travel disruption
The good news is these are usually avoidable with a bit of preparation.
How can families avoid travel scams when abroad?
The key is reducing risk rather than trying to eliminate it completely.
What worked for us:
using low-balance cards for daily spending
avoiding retrying failed payment machines multiple times
keeping backup cash and a second card
Credit Card Safety Abroad explains how our card was cloned — and how we changed our approach.
How do you avoid getting sick on holiday with kids?
Food safety is one of the easiest ways to prevent disruption.
From our experience:
avoid raw or unpasteurised drinks
choose busy, well-reviewed restaurants
stick to bottled drinks where needed
Even one mistake can easily cost you several days of your trip.
Food Safety for Family Travel goes into more detail on what to avoid.
What should you do if a hotel tries to charge you unfairly?
This happens more often than people expect — especially at checkout.
The best protection is:
taking photos or a quick video of your room on arrival
documenting any existing damage
not feeling pressured to accept charges without evidence
Hotel Scams to Watch For covers exactly what happened to us and how to avoid it.
What are your rights if your flight is cancelled with kids?
Most UK and EU passengers have strong rights when flights are cancelled.
This usually includes:
rebooking onto an alternative flight
meals and accommodation
potential compensation
From our experience, many families don’t realise they can request better alternatives.
Cancelled Flights: Know Your Rights explains what you can ask for and how to claim compensation.
Are cheaper tours and activities safe when travelling with kids?
Not always — and this is where we nearly got caught out.
When travelling with kids, the biggest risk isn’t just the activity — it’s:
lack of reliability
unclear conditions
and limited support if something goes wrong
We now prioritise:
strong reviews
reputable booking platforms
Booking Tours Abroad: Why Reviews Matter More Than Price explains how to choose safely.
What’s the biggest mistake families make when travelling abroad?
Trying to save money in the wrong places.
From our experience, the biggest problems came from:
taking shortcuts on safety
choosing convenience in stressful situations
or not having a backup plan
Small decisions can have a big impact when you’re travelling with kids.
How can families reduce stress when travelling internationally?
The biggest difference for us came from having simple systems in place:
splitting money across accounts
carrying basic medical supplies
understanding travel rules before you go
and always having a backup plan
plan your next family trip with kids
If you’re planning your family trip, these guides will give you inspiration:
About Plan Family Escapes
We’re a UK-based family sharing real, experience-led travel guides based on trips we’ve taken with our school-age son Joshua across destinations like Lapland, Turkey and India.
Everything we share is based on what we’ve personally experienced — with honest advice on what actually works when travelling with kids, focusing on making family travel easier, more comfortable and genuinely enjoyable.
