Consider the Kids When Planning a Family Vacation

If you want to have the best family vacation you can, start with your kids and work your way up.  Avoid trying to cram children into situations where they need to behave above their age.  Give them the opportunity to enjoy the experience at their level.

We all work, and in most households, both parents work.  Family vacations are a chance to really connect with your children, so make sure you plan a vacation that focuses on them and connecting with them.

That doesn’t mean that the experience has to be a theme park.  Camping is a great way for your children to see you in a different light and for you to get to know them better than you already do.  Car trips don’t have to be the thing of spoof movies.  You can plan ahead, make sure there are plenty of stops along the way to break up the ride.  A walk in a park, a stop at a museum, a moment to break up the monotony for you and the children will make getting to your destination as memorable as the destination itself.  Wherever you choose to go, make sure it is age appropriate for the people that mean the most to you.

If you are planning on going on a cruise, or to a certain destination, be sure the venue you choose is kid friendly.  Take into consideration how far it is to walk if you children are very young.  A death march to and from your hotel isn’t going to make supper time a pleasant memory.  Some venues are geared more toward couples and adults.  Avoid them.  The kids want to feel comfortable too.

Personally, I think that the whole family should ban electronic devices for the duration.  Engage each other.  There is no reason to keep checking your phone or for the kids to hide behind digital games for the entire trip.  I’m not saying don’t take your phone for emergencies, but a cute post about a cat hiding in a box is not an emergency.  Limit yourself to checking your phone one or two times a day.  Everybody should be looking at each other, not some silly hand held device.

Whatever kind of vacation you choose to take, plan your day around the children’s schedule.  Are they used to taking naps?  Then pick something where you can easily slip back to your room so they can lie down in the afternoon.  Young children are interested in everything.  Show them flowers, talk about the animals you see, sit in the sand and look for shells.  The truth is, when you point something simple out to them and explain how it works or why it is there, they feel important.  They feel as important as they are.

The moments where you really interact with your children, where everyone sees each other, these are the things they will remember when they get older.  These are the things that make your relationship more dynamic.  These are the things that build trust and openness in a family.

Have a great time, relax, don’t try to do too much in one day.  Trade digital stuff for paper and colored pencils or board games the whole family can play.  The truth is, one day, practically the blink of an eye, these wonderful children of yours will have children of their own, and be away from you.  Engage them, enlighten them, consider them and grow with them.