THE memory of my father swearing and shouting at me while on a summer holiday many years ago has stuck with me.

Who knows what had happened in the run-up to his outburst?

Unfortunately, this same scenario is played out time and again – when, in fact, holidays should be a time for creating magical family memories.

But, along with testing our levels of tolerance, holidays are also a time when many of us stretch ourselves financially.

At the very least, many of us put a significant sum of money into the privilege of taking what we hope will be a memorable week away.

Perhaps that’s the cause of much of the stress that can go hand-in-hand with holidays.

The problem with planning our holidays is often our own expec-tations and atti-tudes – ‘Let’s go for it’, ‘We will worry about it later’.

We want to experi-ence too much of a good thing and we then have a temptation to overindulge. Maybe we need to take more notice of the old saying ‘all things in moderation’.

Some holiday makers are movers and shakers, who insist on experiencing and achieving things. I, however, am quite the opposite! I believe that leisure is primarily about loaf-ing, doing whatever you feel like doing. For me it’s also about planning a list of restaurants to sample and, of course, sampling the odd glass of wine.

Many parents, I am sure, feel shivers down their spine at the thought of a holiday spent watching their children hooked up to the inevitable gadgets required to provide hours of entertainment.

Personally I’d advocate not letting them take their electronic entertainers in the first place. Yes, it’s doable!

You need to be firm and you also need to make the commitment to connecting with each other. It will bring about family harmony.

Whatever you are doing this summer, make it a special holiday. Have a great time and make the most of the beautiful sunshine we have so far enjoyed. Let’s hope it keeps going!

As for me, I’m planning to have a wonderful time. A time when I won’t be planning at all.