Family vacations are great ways to get closer as a family and create memories that you will cherish forever. These strategies will help you create a vacation that everyone in your family will love and remember.
- Make building the itinerary a group activity.
Although knowing all of the details about the trip might overwhelm or bore most people, seek feedback on activities, particularly those you know will be of interest to your family. Pictures always help. Show your family photos of the places you want to go. Texting or printing photos can be a great medium for this. Just type the name of the destination into Google, search Google images, find the most captivating photo. To build the itinerary as a group, try printing photos of all the top activities you think your group will be interested in, and then let each person pick 1-2 things to do based on the amount of time you have. You’ll probably be surprised by the activities people pick! - Be willing to sacrifice a little, to give someone a lot.
If someone in your family is passionate about comic books, and you are going to a town with the world’s largest collection of comics, don’t skip out just because no one else in your group is interested. Be willing to do a few things that only one or two people may appreciate, because those are the things that are likely to be the highlight of their vacation. - Find activities that match everyone’s interests.
At the same time, for most things try to strike a balance finding activities that everyone can enjoy. Everyone might not like going to amusement parks, but if its Star Wars themed and has a great beer garden, maybe you’ll be able to find something for everyone to enjoy. When in doubt, always ask how your family feels about a particular outing you are considering. Try your best to not be let down when others don’t share your enthusiasm. If it’s something you really care about, be open with the group, and say something like, “Most of the things on our trip will be activities you will enjoy, but this one activity you might find boring. It’s really important to me and I’d really appreciate if we could go.” - Add surprises!
There is something comforting about having a road map, but there is something really spectacular about seeing a hidden gem on the road that you aren’t expecting. Sure this will happen without your planning, but you can also add these elements of surprise and delight to your trip. Try and plan at
least one thing without telling the group that will be a surprise. Make sure its something that everyone will enjoy. Its best if this activity doesn’t require too much physical exertion, as you never know how everyone will feel the day of. Keep it mellow on the body, but aim for aw-inspiring on the spirit. Example: walking through a neighborhood and take a road that gives you a great view of a famous monument or beautiful art installation. - Keep your itineraries flexible.
Sure one day on a tightly-packed schedule isn’t too bad, but it can be exhausting. Even a slow-paced day with every minute scheduled will add a little stress to the trip. The less hour-by-hour planning you can do, the easier everyone will breathe. Of course, somethings do require reservations and pre-planning is advisable, but when it comes to going to see things that are
open all day, try to keep it flexible. - Prioritize.
There are a million things to see and do in any one place. Trying to see it all is ambitious, and although you might create a cool Instagram feed for your friends, it’s unlikely you’ll fully appreciate the place. Don’t try to run around and take selfies with all of the cool sights; figure out which ones you and your family care about most and make a plan to see those sights. Know where
nearby attractions are, so if you are feeling up for them, it’ll be easy to go check them out. By having a few priorities instead of a long list of must-see sights, everyone will be able to slow down and spend time on connecting with each other, instead of arguing about rushing to things and missing out on visiting something. - Set clear expectations on treats.
If you are traveling with kids, be sure to set clear expectations for when and how they will receive treats. The clearest route is to give them a daily budget. That way they can pick if they want a dessert or a take home gift. Or if they are fiscally responsible, they may even opt to let their budget for a few days roll over to get a really special gift. This will help alleviate begging and pleading, while also make them feel in control of their gifts. - Take photos! (But, don’t annoy your family.)
It seems like people either take way too many photos or way too few photos. While it does not matter what your personal preference is for your own photo collection, make sure you don’t annoy your family by making them stop and pose every five seconds. If you struggle to remember to take photos maybe you can think of a trigger to help remind you. Like, when you see another family taking a photo of themselves, offer to help take the photo for them, and then you can easily ask them to return the favor for you. - Know how much they want to know.
Some people feel more comfortable and included if they know all of the details ahead of time and will try to memorize all of the logistics and daily itineraries. Many however, want to only know of the big travel logistics (like when travel days are and what kind of accommodations you will be staying in), and the big excursions you plan on doing on the trip. The day-to-day details you’ve exhausted yourself figuring out, like the mini-activities between the big ones, or the list of top rated restaurants, most people will want a day-by-day run down as each day approaches. Like, the night before. Talk to your family and gauge their level of interest as you tell them the details. If they want to know it all, give it to them. If you see them drifting or changing the topic, just wait to tell them until the time comes. - Include enough time for rest.
Build in periods for rest and recovery at least once per day, if possible. This won’t always be possible, so be sure if you plan for one long day to have a good morning of recovery planned the following day. If you do have a long day with no long rest break, be sure to take moments to slow down and pause throughout the day, even for just 5-15 minutes. Maybe after lunch, stay seated a little longer, maybe order dessert. Or, if you see something beautiful off to the side with a bench, take a seat and enjoy the view while giving your body time to rest. If you have a long day of running around, try not to actually run around. Pace yourself, and as you go from place to place, try not to rush around or walk too fast. There’s an old saying that your thoughts move as fast as your feet, try to keep your mind calm, especially when the day itself may be a little hectic. - Build in enough physical activity.
The amount of physical activity desired will vary for everyone in your group, and that’s ok. Just be sure to help everyone get the amount of physical activity they need. Children need to move around a lot to unwind all of their built-up energy, so be sure to give them space to do it (or risk losing your
sanity). No matter where you go, there are sure to be playgrounds around. Finding an awesome playground may even prove to be one of the highlights of the day, especially for the child. Children or no children, make sure you all are getting enough exercise. Moving the body will get everyone’s serotonin flowing, and make everyone feel great on the trip.