I have been asked a zillion times,
Why do you take your children on vacation with you? Don’t you want to relax?
And I say,
Vacations with my kids, even as young toddlers and now as adult children, have not only been relaxing but have also been tremendously fun, educational and exciting for everyone AND they help to keep the family closely connected.
Why?
It all changed when I began including my children in all the planning. They instantly became more enthusiastic and cooperative from start to finish. They discovered how much they actually enjoyed being a part of the planning.
They became self-motivated, finding themselves working together to create the vacation. Problem solving and finding solutions together became part of the family team effort.
And it gave me peace of mind knowing that the children would be on vacation with me/us rather than being left with caregivers.
How do you begin?
By using an exciting approach, we created that involves every traveler. It has proven to be 100% successful everytime.
Begin by brainstorming possible vacation destinations. It immediately becomes part of the magic which unites and motivates everyone, making the itinerary planning more interesting.
Everyone begins researching possible vacation destinations – The more each one learns about a place; the more enthusiasm gets developed.
Find a destination by:
- Flipping through magazines and brochures,
- Google searches,
- Reading about countries,
- Flipping around the school’s world globe,
- Thumbing through photos of different continents and villages,
- Reviewing maps of states, cities, provinces,
- Reading about historical places, cultures, languages,
- Discovering cool excursions,
- Hearing about a fun experience from a friend,
- Watching a travel television show,
The list goes on and on.
What kind of activities?
- Visiting a zoo,
- Visiting an aquarium,
- Visiting a volcano,
- Making a campfire,
- Sleeping in tents,
- Hiking to a glacier,
- Discovering a foreign amusement park,
- Eating at a famous restaurant,
- Staying in an all- inclusive resort,
- Taking a steam engine train ride,
- Flying in a 6-seater airplane,
- Riding a tram to the top of a 14-foot mountain,
- Hiking in Yosemite National Park or the Swiss Alps,
- Taking a cruise,
- Learning a new skill – skiing, piano, trumpet, snorkeling, ice skating,
- Canoeing,
- Cooking/baking class,
- Scuba diving,
- Fishing a mountain stream,
- Attending a county fair or rodeo.
Or other activities such as:
- Swimming/surfing at Waikiki Beach or Malibu,
- Staying in a tree house in the rainforest,
- Staying in a 5-star hotel,
- Hiking around an archaeological site or ancient ruins,
- Touring Indian Reservations,
- Visiting a famous museum – Smithsonian, Louvre – Paris,
- Photographing wild animals,
- Feeling the spray of a waterfall – Niagara Falls, Victoria Falls,
- Going on a safari,
- Visiting a penguin colony,
- Experiencing a National Geographic wonder,
- Exploring a cave,
- Riding a horse or camel,
- Attending a concert or sporting event,
- Staying at a dude ranch.
What about the cost?
While the children are investigating locations and activities, the parent(s) do a little investigative work of their own to determine a ball park budget for potential destinations. They price out:
- Automobile fuel costs,
- Flights – economy vs first class,
- Trains – commuter vs direct,
- Boats and ferries,
- Buses – city vs luxury,
- Rental cars,
- Subways,
- Bicycles,
- Street cars and trolleys,
- Water taxis,
- Van Pool Services,
- Excursion entrance fees,
- Accommodations – hotel, motel, bed & breakfast, condo, apartment, hostel, campsites, cabins, homesteads, resorts, lodges, guest houses, cottages, villas, chalets, pup tents, luxury tents.
What’s next?
After brainstorming and determining the location, each traveler then prioritizes a personal list of activities that each would love to do on the vacation in that location.
A flurry of discussion ignites among everyone as they discover what each person has “learned” about the destination. By thinking outside the box, vacation idea possibilities become endless. Common preferences among everyone are then placed at the top of the itinerary to be included.
Then what?
Then, from their individual lists of top priorities, the travelers then each pick their top 2 choices of must do/must see favorites. The final itinerary is comprised of everyone’s top 2 favorite things to be added to the itinerary for the vacation!
VOILA!
EVERYONE IS HAPPY! A GREAT VACATION WITH THE KIDS.
Stay tuned for my next Blog post. For questions or comments, please submit here
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