Five Simple Steps to Planning a Family Vacation with Young Kids

Having the opportunity to take time off from careers, projects and daily routines is a welcome time for many families. Parents of young children may struggle with the idea of taking their young children on vacation with them due to constant needs and wants. However, if done with prior planning, some flexibility, motivation and with the right intention (spending quality time together and sharing experiences) vacation time can be smooth sailing and truly memorable! 

                         Here are Five Simple Steps to Vacationing as a Family:

1)      Picking a Destination & Duration: Depending on your families schedule and taking into consideration needs and wants of everyone, what is the ideal vacation spot? This is where family friendly and kid friendly destinations are recommended. How many days (without  counting transit days) will you have available to spend at your destination? It is best to vacation at one or two destinations per vacation, as traveling and repacking with young kids can be stressful. 

 

2)      Drive or Fly: Once the destination location has been determined, decide which transportation method would be most convenient given your family size and needs. If the duration of a vacation is less than a week, it can be more convenient to fly if the destination is in a different state, so that vacation time is spent vacationing rather than on transport. Road trips are a different story if that is your goal. Each method has its own advantages, so be prepared to make a choice based on best use of time, family needs/wants, cost and vacation goals. 

3)      Plan with Flexibility: Parents of young children understand flexibility as kids have their own minds and bodies that we need to take into consideration. For an example, a child may get sick and plans for the day might change to napping/hanging out at the hotel, rather than sightseeing or even cutting the vacation short if a serious illness occurs. Try not to over plan activities with young kids, as that might stress you out and over-exhaust them. Limit transit time. Be flexible with time.  Teach your kids to stop and smell the roses with you guiding the way. Remember to always include naptime,  snacks and plenty of sugar free fluids to hydrate especially if elevation levels differ from where you live.

 

4)      Pack Accordingly: Pack simple outfits and accessories together and always have good walking shoes for everyone!  It helps to have a “kids” suitcase and different one for the parents. Pack lightly and bring an extra bag to take home goodies from your trip! Baby gear can take a lot of space (strollers, carseats, etc) so take the absolute necessities. If flying and renting a car, most rental companies offer carseats with rental vehicles. If driving, downsize to a light and compact stroller (umbrella stroller) that will fit and carry easier. Check out the weather ahead of time, so you can pack accordingly.

 

5)      Documenting your Family trip: Pictures can tell a story and capture beautiful moments that we want to hold on to as parents and treasure and share with our loved ones. Our children truly grow up fast and being able to spend these moments with them is a blessing, so document it! You can have your kids write journal entries if they are able to, draw pictures of their favorite things they did or saw and include it with pictures. Document the trip from everyone’s perspective.

 

With some prior planning and  flexibility, vacationing as a family can be a great time to create lifelong  happy memories together, that both parents and children can reminisce about and look forward to doing  again and again….together.

 

Questions? Comments?

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