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| This travel blog describes some of our favorite family adventures. |
There's few activities I enjoy more than vacation planning--I simply love planning a getaway for myself and those that I love. Early in our married life, my husband and I some great vacations and some not so great vacations. That differential led me to plan vacations with greater care and research. Since then we've had mostly great vacations. I've kept a list of some of our favorites on this travel blog. What considerations lead to this?
Cost
Sometimes, early on in life, I didn't think a lot about cost when embarking on a vacation. This caused a lot of stress and constant decision making about the price of things during the vacation. Now, I plan vacations with a budget in mind and we pay for most of the vacation costs upfront which leaves cost out of the actual vacation. This has been very positive.
I've also found that research and planning ahead has allowed us to afford great vacations more. Some joke about my long term planning, but those are folks who don't get what it means to plan a family vacation on a budget.
Pleasure
Everyone's idea of a great vacation is different, so a successful vacation depends on surveying your vacation partners about what they desire for the vacation, then planning something for everyone during that time. I have found that choosing a vacation spot with lots of healthy activity options works best for my family, and then creating a loose-tight itineary gives space for everyone to do a few activities that they really enjoy.
Home Base
In general, when traveling with a diverse group, it's great to have a home base or bases. For example our family is planning a weekend family reunion in the mountains. Our home base is a small town that has a big, grassy green, waterfalls, hiking trails, and small shops, restaurants, pubs, and gardens. Family members are choosing their lodging spots that vary from campsites to motel rooms to rentals. Some will take part in only some of the activities as a day trip since the locale is not too far from where most people live.
Having a home base gives you a place to store your food, get rest, and gather. Also creating a simple itinerary that includes one or two signature events such as a hike, day at the beach, or family picnic gives people the option to join others for the collective activity as well as time to do their own thing.
Food
Most families require good food access for vacations. Having food readily available is helpful. I typically do a big shop before the trip or once we arrive at our destination. I create a loose-tight meal plan and have plenty of healthy snacks on hand. If we're going to eat out, we usually research restaurants ahead of time and make reservations. In the past, we would choose food places spontaneously and we were often disappointed with the cost and low quality of the food. Doing the research ahead of time saves a lot of struggle and frustration especially with family members who are hungry all the time. If you use tools like Open Table, you can also accure points and get a meal gift card now and then.
Activities
We typically plan a few signature activities such as a big hike, boat ride, bike adventure, museum visit, theater or athletic competition. These activities when well researched and planned typically become the highlights of the trip.
Local Culture
We find out about the local culture before and during the trip. Researching a place's history gives you a sense of place for your vacation and adds curiosity to your adventure. When at the location, reading the local newspaper and travel brochures also informs you of what's happening there and gives you good information to discuss with the locals.
Safety
No matter where you go, it is good to read up on the safety precautions you need to take. Before an adventure in southwest USA, I read up on rattlesnakes. That was helpful. Travel safety tips about any location help you to make smart choices, and keep your family members safe. I remember the sad story about a family who lost their child on the seacoast of Maine during their vacation. They didn't regard the safety signs seriously, and their child was swept out to sea by a giant wave. I can imagine that those people thought the safety signs were overly protective, but instead, those signs warned of the every-so-often rogue waves that rushed the site and created great danger. Talking about the safety rules prior to the getaway helps everyone to stay on the same page with regard to safe and enjoyable holidays.
Anticipation
My dad loved researching vacations. He always said that the anticipation and preparation for the vacation was a big part of the fun. I agree with him. In light of this, I've planned a number of low key getaways for my husband, myself and family members who want to join us. Since my children are at stages of life where there is little opportunity or interest in long term planning, I've adopted a vacation planning mindset that says come if you'd like, but no problem if you can't come. That gives them options, but also makes sure that we get the kinds of getaways that give us something to look forward as well as wonderful, memory-making adventures.