Simplifying family travel is the unattainable goal of every parent. People have been giving tips and ideas on this for a very long time, and yet the topic never gets old. Here’s a run down of some very basic things that can be done to make sure traveling as a family is actually enjoyable.
While you should always allow for some spontaneity in trips, when traveling with children planning is extremely important. Involving the whole family, even the kiddos, is essential. It helps build the excitement for everyone. Whether you’re using a travel advisor or doing it all by cheap mcm backpack yourself, make sure that you ask a lot of questions. For example, what sort of things interest each and every person traveling? This helps narrow down the destination, the tours, and even the hotel.
After involving everyone in the trip planning and booking it, how else do you make traveling as a family easier? One idea is to learn more about the destination together. Go to the library and check out some books about where you will be visiting. If your children are a bit older, help them find novels set in that destination. But learning about a place is more than what’s in a history or travel book. Get a cookbook about the destination’s cuisine, whether from the library or a book store, and as a family choose some recipes and prepare them. This was something that my own family would do when I was younger and it really does leave a lasting impression cheap mcm bags.
The hardest part of traveling together is how to keep everyone entertained so that they don’t ask the age old question of “are we there yet”? Airports are changing to be more kid-friendly but are by no means completely there yet. When flying, one way to keep little ones out of trouble is to give each kid a disposable camera. Let them take their own pictures of their journey. Once your trip is over, you can get them developed and they can make their own scrapbook. However, if you’re a more adventurous family that wants to try traveling by train or car, there are other entertainment ideas. Before you depart, gift a bag to each child to decorate. This will be their trip bag where they can pack their favorite toys and mcm online trip essentials.
Scavenger hunts in a train or car?! Yes, these can absolutely be fun! You can find unique attractions online that will be on the route to put on your own scavenger hunt sheet or print one out. There are also great geocaching phone apps that you can download that will help you. The geocaching works best if it’s a road trip.
While getting there can be fun, enjoying the time together as a family at your destination certainly can’t be beat. Remember to keep it simple when traveling with kids. Make sure that you plan when and how the family is going to do the things you absolutely don’t want to miss out on. However, allow time to just relax by the pool and for naps; there’s nothing worse than a cranky, sleepy family on vacation.
You can use the same techniques used to entertain everyone on the way there when you’re returning home. Just remember that at this point everyone is tired, despite the fun you’ve had together.
There are certainly more destination specific tips to take into consideration when traveling as a family. But the best thing to keep in mind is that these family trips will help make up the memories of your family history and shouldn’t be missed!