Enjoy A Stress Free Family Vacation

Just as you can save money on family vacations, you can also make your trip more enjoyable and stress free. In this section, we cover some tips for making every family vacation a huge success, regardless of destination, amenities, or budget. Remember, your vacation should be a way for everyone to spend quality time together, laughing, sharing, and bonding.
 
ROAD TRIPS
 
If you are planning a road trip for your family vacation, the following are some great tips to make the trip more enjoyable.

• Use road maps to plan your trip.

• Plan rest stops and meals so you know exactly where and when you will be stopping.

• Have your car checked for tune-up, belts, filters, wiper blades, fluid levels, oil, tires, turn signals, brake lights, and so on so you do not run into any unexpected problems.

• If you will be traveling during colder months, make sure you have an emergency kit just in case. This kit would include blankets, candles, food such as granola bars, matches or lighter, bottled water, flares, etc.

• Be sure you have a charger for your phone to keep it charted at all times.

• Pack entertainment items for the children to include CDs or videos that can be played on a laptop computer, road games, books, coloring crayons and coloring book, and take time to look up some fun road games the entire family can enjoy.

• Make sure you have emergency phone numbers for the different cities where you visit or drive through.

• Check driver’s licenses and insurance to ensure they are current.

• Try to pack as much in the trunk as possible so the passengers have adequate room.

• Put a few pillows in the car in case the children become sleepy.

• Have healthy snacks in the car, which could be apples, grapes, oranges, and low sugar snacks such as individual packets of tortilla chips, and so on. Avoid high sugar foods, which cause hyperactivity.

• Plan lunch at fun places such as McDonald’s, which offer outdoor and sometimes, indoor play areas as well as a healthy menu.

• Make sure any rest area is well lit with a lot of activity for safety reasons and never allow the children to visit the restroom alone or choose a truck stop instead, which is usually a safe place to take a break.

TRAIN RIDES
 
If you have a train ride as a part of your family vacation, the following tips will make sure your trip is both safe and fun.

• Always remain behind the yellow platform line until notified to board the train.

• Be sure children are not allowed to roam free or run around on the platform or stairs.

• Take a small garbage bag with you for trash.

• Remember that there will be other passengers on the train so take books, CD players or MP3 players with earphones, or other quiet games for the children to help keep the noise level down.

• Make sure no one puts their feet on the seats, which can result in a fine.

• Arrive about 30 minutes prior to departure.

AIRPLANE RIDES
 
If you have a plane trip as a part of your family vacation, the following tips will make sure your trip is both safe and fun.

• Book seats in the front or back of the plane near restrooms.

•  Talk to your children about the plane ride, preparing them for some quiet time.

• Take lots of fun stuff for the children to include things like rattles, pop-up toys, snacks for babies, brightly colored toys, story books, and snacks, small wind-up toys for toddlers, picture books, finger puppets, wipe-off easels for pre-school children, activity books, crayons and coloring book, Etch-a-Sketch for school aged children, and movies for a laptop, silly putty, go-fish cards, and snacks for older children.

• Arrive early so you can take advantage of pre-boarding, which allows you time to settle in before other passengers.

• Grab pillows and blankets on the plane to make children comfortable.

• Go over emergency information with the children prior to getting onboard the plane. Chances are they will be too excited to hear what the flight attendant has to say so this will allow you time to address safety issues ahead of time.

• If you have a child that weighs less than 40 pounds, we suggest you bring an infant seat on board for better safety and comfort. Just make sure the seat meets FAA’s guidelines.

EMERGENCY KIT
 
Every family should carry an emergency kit with them on vacation, especially if traveling by car. For this, you want to bring things such as Band-aids, antibacterial ointment, insect repellant, cough syrup, pain reliever, peroxide, ice pack, and other items just in case someone should have a minor injury.

EXTRA PRECAUTIONS
 
The safety precautions mentioned in this section should be carefully considered. Obviously, the last thing you want is for one of your children to be injured while spending time on vacation.

• Bring outlet covers for the hotel room if you have a small toddler.

• If you will be using the hotel’s swimming pool, spending time in the ocean, or visiting a water park while on your family vacation, make sure the child is never left alone. In addition, make sure the water temperature is appropriate, that there are no strong undercurrents, that your child is wearing an inflatable vest, and that he or she always has a minimum of 30-SPF sunscreen on tender skin.

• Depending on the part of the world you travel, make sure you drink only bottled water.
   

GETTING ALONG
 
If you have children that tend to bicker, the last thing you want is to hear it in the car while trying to have a nice family vacation together. The following tips might help cut back on some of the quarrelling, making the trip far more enjoyable.
 
Truce
Before the vacation starts, sit down and talk things out. Make a truce so that any disagreements are resolved prior to climbing into the car.
 
Arguments
Realize that some arguments are likely to come up. Therefore, make an agreement for things ahead of time. This might include where people will sit in the car, which person will sleep with whom at the hotel, how much money each person can spend while shopping, any forbidden foods, and so on. This way, there are no misunderstandings.
 
Fair Play
Talk to the children about sharing and playing fair while on vacation. Help all of the children understand the importance of sharing toys, playing nice in the pool, and being kind to each other to make the trip fun.
 
Privacy
When staying in a hotel, campsite, RV’s, or even a home, everyone should be on the same level when it comes to privacy, especially for teenagers. This means being patient with the restroom, not making embarrassing comments in public, and leaving a sibling alone if that person wants to read or listen to music. By respecting each other’s privacy, the entire family vacation will be more exciting.
 
Alternative Plans
Rather than wait until a rainy day or a cancelled show, create a plan B and plan C. That way, if you had planned to visit an outdoor theme park only to have it rain, you would have two alternative plans in place. This will cut back on bickering and disappointed children.
 
Travel Journal
Encourage each of the children to keep a travel journal. Purchase them a unique journal and pen and then ask them to write down something special they saw or did each day of the vacation. In addition to creating a lifetime keepsake, a travel journal also makes great show and tell material.

Disposable Cameras
Offer each of the children their own disposable camera, asking them to take pictures throughout the vacation. Even the younger children can get in on this with a little help. Once back home, you can all enjoy the various pictures important to the photographer.
 
Collectibles
You might also ask the children to collect things important to them while on vacation. This might be an interesting rock, a menu from a favorite restaurant, ticket stubs from a show, napkins from a restaurant, and so on. Once you arrive, back home, help the children put a scrapbook of their family vacation together so they have something to cherish.
 
Kid’s Clubs
Many hotels and resorts now offer some type of kid’s club, which means special activities geared specifically to the children. With this, the parents can take a little time out for themselves, perhaps taking in a special show or fancy dinner while knowing the children are being taken care of by professional staff.
 
Rules of the House
If your family vacation includes a trip to grandma’s house or any relative for that matter, you need to make sure the children understand that there will be a different set of house rules to follow. However, usually sitting down to explain what things can and cannot be done is all it takes.
 
Unfortunately, for some children, visiting relatives is a time of boredom. Because of this, it is important that you incorporate some activities into the trip. This might include visiting a local amusement park, going to the park, visiting the local roller skating rink, or other activities enjoyed by the children. That way, the children can enjoy some time with relatives while also having some time away for things they enjoy.

On the next page we are going to go back to basics and discuss how you go about Setting SMART Travel Goals.