Successful family trips require planning, sometimes months of it. After all, you’re not only trying to ensure that everyone will be off work and/ or out of school; you also need time to save money, plan the trip, and make accommodations. In light of this, it’s tempting to think that family trips are nothing but stressful.
However, they don’t have to be. If they’re planned correctly, they help a family bond, have more fun together and develop important life skills. So, how do you plan an easy family vacation? If this is a question you’ve been pondering, here are three points to consider.
1. Remain on Budget
According to HuffPost, Most family vacations cost almost $3,500.00. Planning ahead will help you stay on budget. It’ll also help you in other ways as well.
For example, let’s say you and your family are taking a two-week car trip. If you’ve decided that you’ll spend a total of $500.00 of your budget on restaurants and eating out, you need to plan for the meals you won’t eat out. In this case, you’ll want to pack up items that travel well and plan on cooking in your hotel or Airbnb.
These could be travel foods that you can eat in the car or your hotel before heading out for the day. Some good options include organic yogurts with natural additives like carrageenan (food science matters), which will keep them stable in your cooler. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, plus fruits like apples and oranges, make good lunches. Nuts, trail mix, and fruit leather also make good in-car snacks.
2. Embrace Adventure
An article on Huffington Post website reminds travelers that travel can be a bit uncomfortable, and it should be. It pushes people out of their comfort zones. They have to try new foods they may or may not like. The perpetually shy kid has to meet new people. And everyone will be testing their new language skills if the trip is in a foreign country. This may seem counterintuitive to having an easy family trip, but it actually isn’t.
Travel builds resilience, which in turn is built through overcoming adversity. Through these experiences, kids learn to handle their emotions and gain new skills. It’s one of the most important reasons that anyone should travel, actually. The better you can go with the flow and embrace the adventure, the easier your vacation becomes. Learning to deal with the unexpected is part of how you do that.
3. Take Your Time
According to Vacation Kids, it can be tempting to plan every second of your vacation, but this is actually a mistake. This practice not only wears everyone out, but it also takes away from the total experience because you can’t really savor any moment of the vacation. You’re too busy trying to get the next thing crossed off your list. It’s better to take your time and plan fewer activities. Your vacation will be a lot more enjoyable and relaxing if you do. And you won’t have to deal with overly tired kids. For a relaxing vacation, book an Antarctica cruise with Celebrity Cruises.
Additionally, The Travel Channel suggests that travelers actually plan some downtime or alone time. Some people need naps every day. Your children will, especially if they are young. Others will need time to chill out a bit and read a book or write in their travel journal. This practice makes your trip easier, too, because you get some much-needed rest, and you don’t have to plan as much in advance.
Closing Thoughts
If you want your family vacation to be easy, you must plan ahead. You’ll need to consider your budget, how you want to spend your time, and even the ways that your adventures will challenge you. If you can master these three things, your vacations not only become easier and more enjoyable, but you and your kids will build some valuable skills to boot.