Five tips for creating lasting memories on summer vacation
THERE’S A LOT
to love about summer: School’s out, everyone’s wearing flip-flops, the trees are a brilliant green and you tend to enjoy the holidays. For most families, one of the best parts of summer is taking off on a vacation. It’s rare that everyone can sit down and eat every meal of the day together, see new things, discover unexpected adventures or explore a different way of life, but on a great family vacation, these things happen several times a day.
The hardest part of any vacation can be deciding where to go. You want to find a place kids and adults will love, and have an experience that will create lasting memories for years to come.
To help narrow down your family vacation plans, here are five things to keep in mind when planning:
1. Seek out unique experiences. The beautiful thing about travelling with kids is being able to celebrate their “firsts.” That magical excitement they have when they first feel the beach between their toes or see the ocean for the first time will warm your heart. This is why so many families head to a seaside getaway.
2. Act like a kid with your kids. Though you have adult responsibilities, that doesn’t mean you can’t act like a kid now and then. Build time into your itinerary for you to jump into the ocean, build sandcastles, float down your hotel’s lazy river or eat ice cream like it’s going out of style. Being an adult is great, but acting like a kid is better.
3. Let everyone pick a fun thing to do. You don’t have to do all the planning on your own. In fact you shouldn’t. Let the kids help to plan activities for your vacation. Allowing your kids to participate in the planning process helps to give them a sense of accomplishment, and feel like they made this vacation happen.
4. Stay where the fun is. When trying to decide where to stay, narrow your options down by considering how close you are to dining, attractions and other activities in the area. There’s nothing like being able to step outside of your hotel room and take a walk on the beach or build a sandcastle. Of course, lodging with an indoor water park will get an A+ from your kids.