The plan
Figure out what your family is looking for in a vacation and plan out your budget. With the higher cost of gas and airline tickets, transportation can easily be your biggest budget-buster.
When packing your carry-on and hand luggage (a backpack works best because it frees up your hands), the general rule is to be prepared for delays and messes. Once your luggage is checked or placed in the trunk, your carry-on transforms into a veritable magician’s hat!
Some things to have on when traveling by plane, train or automobile are:
- A change of clothes for your child. It's cold in airplanes, so pack a sweater or jacket, too.
- Any medicine your child is taking. If it's trapped in the suitcase, flight delays and locations in the trunk may keep you from reaching it at the scheduled dosage time. Bring medical information and doctors’ information as well.
- Coloring books, word games and puzzles are also good ways to pass the time. For little children, colorful toys that make noise are often a good distraction.
- Portable DVD players (many cars come with built-in DVD players, too) can be lifesavers on long trips.
- Electronic handheld games are ideal for older kids.
- Listen to children’s books on tape. In fact, bring along the most beloved books (the ones kids have you read again and again) and simply pop into the CD player and let someone else do the reading.
- Resealable plastic bags to hold dirty clothes, trash and so on.
- Snacks with minimum mess potential and ease of distribution such as fruit, granola bars and chewing gum to help relieve ear pressure during decent.
- A color photo of your child - in case you become separated.
So you’re there – now what?
A happy, content family can make anyplace seem like Shangri-La. Plan different activities that appeal to different family members and one activity a day you know the whole family will enjoy participating in. You may want to look in to resorts and accommodations where trained and certified nannies or kids programs are available so that you can indulge yourself while your kids have a blast with others around their age.
All-inclusive destinations have tons of activities and recreation for kids, a variety of restaurants to keep even finicky eaters happy, included drinks and the convenience of never having to carry cash or credit cards.
Returning home
Kids are creatures of habit, so while the vacation meant an escape from the usual, coming home brings back the routine and security. Here are three steps to ease into this transition.
Step 1 - Leave on a good note. Prepare for your homecoming before you leave for your trip.
Step 2 – Schedule extra time. If possible, take an extra day off to tie up loose ends, sort through the mail and deal with any issues that came up while you were gone.
Step 3 – Unpack right away. Ask everyone to help unpack for a specified amount of time (maybe 30 minutes) and deal with the mountain of laundry that will inevitably be created.
Whether it’s visiting the museums an hour away, or flying overseas, your family can survive any vacation with a little planning and enthusiasm!