How to Have a Fun Family Vacation

If done right, a family vacation can be exciting, relaxing and fun for the whole family. But if not properly planned, it can be a disaster. In order to make your family vacation the best that it can be, try the following.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Plan ahead for everything. Make sure that all members of your family are in agreement of what you are doing and where you are going. If mom likes to shop, plan time on the vacation for mom to do shopping, and if dad likes to golf, then dad should be able to golf on the vacation. The kids should also be able to have fun at amusement parks or do something entertaining that all members of the family can enjoy.
   
   When going to amusement parks get a map of it prior to going and plan out your day as to what shows you want to see and rides you want to get on. This way there are no arguments about what to do when you get there. Place name tags and cell phone numbers inside your children's clothing so that if for some reason they do get lost, someone will be able to call your cell phone and notify you of their whereabouts.

2. Check the weather and make sure that you have clothing appropriate for weather. You can go online and look at the weather or take a look at the weather channel on your local cable station.

3. Make a list of what you need to take with you on your vacation so that you do not forget to pack it. Go over the list and mark off everything as you pack.

4. If necessary, talk with a travel agent to get the best deals on hotel, airplane tickets or entertainment tickets. Find good deals on your own by checking approved websites like Travelocity.com, Cheaptickets.com, Expedia.com or Hotel.com. Online you can check your room accommodations and arrangements to ensure that the hotel you are staying in is to your liking. Many websites offer star ratings so you can get others' opinions on the hotel.

5. Use the Internet to access and pay for all your travel arrangements upfront via credit card through a secured website. This allows you to avoid waiting in long lines to purchase tickets. It also helps so that you do not have to continuously pull out your wallet or purse to do cash or credit card transactions, which makes it less likely for someone to have an opportunity to steal it or for you to lose your wallet or purse.

6. Have a portable DVD player for children to watch movies and keep them occupied if you have small children and are traveling by plane or automobile for longer than an hour.

7. Consider a time share unit that has a stove, refrigerator, dishes, and washer and dryer. This saves money on food and hotel expenses.

Tips & Warnings

• Have a talk with your children about making sure they do not walk away from the family or talk to strangers.
• Make sure that everyone wears comfortable walking shoes and brings extra clothing in case there are any accidents.
• Don't forget to bring maps of your location so that if you get lost you can refer to the map instead of relying on someone's bad directions.
• Check out all deals to see if they are authentic, so that you don't get cheated out of your money.
• Don't forget to bring medicine for allergies or stomach upsets.

[travelwithkids]

on 7/31/2009 Good tips on traveling with your family. Thanks