3 Tips for the Perfect Family Vacation
Planning the best family vacation isn’t about hitting the trendiest destinations, experiencing the biggest thrills, or spending the most money on the most lavish accommodations.
No, the best vacations are the ones that create the most lasting memories of you and your loved ones spending meaningful time together.
Which will only happen if your vacation itinerary keeps everyone’s interest.
Use these three tips to make sure that your whole family has a great time on your next big summer trip.
1. Plan Something for Everyone
You and your spouse don’t want to spend your two weeks away from work standing in line at theme parks and battling headaches at noisy arcades and gift shops.
Your kids don’t want to spend two weeks of their precious summer on a golf course or in a spa.
And your teens … might not want to go at all.
A vacation that leans too heavily into pleasing one part of your family is going to leave everyone else bored, exhausted, and counting down the days until home. More often than not, it’s the grown-ups who find themselves sacrificing their hard-earned vacation time to entertain the kids. But you deserve real R&R too.
If you are going to travel to one big-ticket destination, pick a place that has activities for everyone – including you. When you’re not all riding roller coasters, give older teens some leeway to explore on their own. And take advantage of on-site childcare services so that you and your spouse can spend an afternoon at a museum or have a nice dinner at a restaurant that doesn’t feature your kids’ favorite characters on the menu.
2. Stay Flexible
No matter how many special offers and discount days you take advantage of, summer travel is expensive. It’s understandable if you feel some pressure to get the most out of every second of your vacation.
But while there are certain things that you might schedule first and plan the rest of your vacation around – like a high-demand restaurant or taking a boat tour – be careful not to schedule too much of your vacation. If you plan every single meal and activity down to the second, then your trip is going to start feeling like a to-do list. Leave some extra time between scheduled events in case your family wants to explore a particular attraction a little more or something close by catches your eye. You might block off a whole day just to wander off the beaten path or to give family members time for their favorite individual activities.
And if your kids don’t want to wake up early and hit the ground running, let them sleep in and enjoy breakfast with your spouse.
3. Plan Teamwork
Being in the same place isn’t the same as spending time together. If your family is all lounging around the pool, but the kids are splashing, your spouse is reading, and you’re fighting the urge to check your work email, then you’re all having separate vacations at the same time. Even shared activities like going on rides might not really give you chances to engage with one another.
A little bit of teamwork could go a long way towards creating more meaningful bonding experiences. You’ll have to work together to paddle a kayak or figure out an unfamiliar city’s subway system. Take a cooking class together and learn how to make your family’s new favorite meal. Learn how to surf together or tackle a challenging hiking trail. When you’re working together, you’re improving communication, learning from each other, and empowering every family member to be a part of the moment.How are you feeling about your summer travel budget this year? Let’s talk about where you want to go and how our Life-Centered Planning process can help you get there.
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