Planning a family vacation this year? The thought of taking the entire family on a long trip can be both exciting and terrifying especially if you have little ones coming along for the ride. Will it be difficult to have a vacation that both the adults and children will enjoy? With the travel tips listed below, it will actually be super easy, barely an inconvenience. Forget about having a family vacation filled with tears and temper tantrums. Instead, take note of these hot travel tips and become a master in the art of family vacation planning.
Relaxation or Exhilaration?
The first step to having the most enjoyable family vacation possible is doing something that the entire family will enjoy. Is your family more relaxed and would prefer to hang out by the beach all day or would you all prefer to do something exciting like visit a theme park or do excursions? Make sure you get a good gauge on the kind of vacation that parents and kids would be most interested in.
For the more adventurous families, it is also smart to create an itinerary that the whole family agrees to. It is important to do as much as possible, but also leave some room for downtime and relaxation. Be sure to leave some room for spontaneity as those random moments often become some of the best memories from a trip.
For the more low key families, be sure to keep some games around to keep your children occupied when they start to get bored. It would also be smart to look for kid friendly activities to break up the relaxation. Things like arcades, mini golf, and toy shopping can be great ways to give your children a little excitement during a laissez-faire style vacation.
Find Your Location
Once you find a middle ground on the activities your family hopes to take part in, look for locations and price points that make sense for your budget. If you are working on a smaller budget, perhaps a trip to Hawaii would not be the best idea. Also, if you’re looking for a relaxing, low key getaway, visiting Disney World may not be your first choice for family time.
Finding hotel accomodations can be very time consuming. You want to make sure that you’re getting the very best location and hotel for a price that won’t ruin your mood. A smart, and fairly new concept coming to family travel is renting out homes or timeshares. These are great ways to test out different vacation destinations on a budget.
The great part about renting homes and timeshares is that you get to experience living in that location for the duration of your getaway. With full kitchens, living rooms and private bedrooms, everyone will enjoy their own personal space after a day of being together, which is something you can’t typically get at a hotel. After staying in your vacation home or timeshare, you may be thinking “I want to buy a timeshare” or “I want to buy a vacation home” here so we can revisit year after year and build memories. Thankfully, there are many companies that can help you accomplish that.
Keep Your Children Occupied
Vacationing with kids can, at times, be frustrating, but it is far from impossible to get the rest and relaxation you deserve as a parent. You can still relax casually by the ocean or pool while sipping on a mixed drink, or two. How you ask? Here is a pro tip? Bring toys to keep your child busy. Lots of toys. Below are some of the best beach-friendly toys to carry for your children:
Beach Toys
- Sand Shovel and Bucket
- Baseball or Football
- Cornhole, Ring Toss, or Can Jam
- Frisbee
- Body or Skim Board
It’s important that you hold their attention on something at all times, even on your way to your final destination. Airplanes and long car rides are often times where boredom sets in easily. Thankfully, you can fix their boredom with a few travel-friendly toys to keep them entertained and distracted. See the list below of toys that are perfect for long car rides, planes, and hotel stays:
Car/Plane/Hotel Toys
- Tablet or iPad
- Family Board Games
- Dolls or Action Figures
- Laptop
- Puzzles
Bring ALL the Snacks
Having healthy and delicious snacks on-hand at all times is a great way to keep your kids happy and moving while on vacation. Specifically for the families who have plans of being adventurous on their vacation, it’s always a good idea to have some snacks ready at a moment’s notice. Snacks like carrots, cucumbers, apple slices, and berries are great healthy options on the go. For families who are taking it slow with a beach vacation, pack your lunches before you leave your rental home, timeshare, or hotel room to save time and money while relaxing.
Another advantage of vacation homes and timeshares is that they come with full kitchens where you can cook full dinners and store food for the week. This will help you save money on dinners and will give your family a chance to wind down together after a long day to have a home cooked meal. Nothing beats a vacation that is filled with your family’s signature dishes.
Bring Portable Speakers, Headphones, and Music
Having a bluetooth speaker on the beach or in your vacation home/hotel room can be a great way to not only start the day, but to keep everyone’s energy up when you’re feeling a little drained. Find the playlist that works best for your family and get everyone into the vacation spirit with some tunes. Bluetooth speakers are a great tool especially if you get the durable, waterproof ones. These are great for the beach and easy to pack in a suitcase or backpack!
To read more on topics like this, check out the travel category.