Family vacations can come in various forms from expensive destinations to simple backyard staycations. Whether you are planning on hitting the road this summer with your family or traveling via plane, you don’t want your fun to get spoiled by poor planning.
Children can get restless, traffic can become unbearable and the savings you envisioned can evaporate through airport snacks and pricey meals out. With some careful planning, though, you can breeze through your trip without encountering any added stress or costs for your family. Here are the steps you can take to do so.
Map Out a Detailed Plan for Your Trip
If you plan on packing up the family for a big road trip, you can use apps such as Waze, Google Maps and Apple Maps to plan out the best route for reaching your final destination. These tools can help you best determine when to start your trip, how to avoid snarled traffic, as well as provide information about points of interest you may want to stop for along the way.
Plan to fly during your travels? You may want to schedule your flight for the morning. Flying early in the day means a less likely chance of having your flight delayed, which can equal fewer opportunities for a stressful meltdown from young children.
No matter how you get to your final destination, plan a fun itinerary to keep family members of all ages engaged and enjoying themselves. Have your kids contribute to your plans, but also leave a little downtime in the schedule so everyone can relax and recharge.
Find Ways to Entertain Kids Outside of Planned Activities
Even if your family isn’t busy, you can still keep your kids entertained and having fun. One option is to bring along a portable streaming device to hook up in your hotel room so you can play your favorite TV shows and movies on the go. This is also a clever trick for those times when the weather decides to rain on your vacation plans.
You should also plan some fun activities for those potentially boring times along the way to your destination. Kids get bored in the car and on planes, and that’s when problems can arise. You can head those problems off by having children choose some fun car games to play. One popular game is the alphabet game, where family members take turns coming up with cities, names or objects that start with different letters of the alphabet.
For in-flight entertainment, you and your partner can add a few games to your smartphones so your children can stay occupied. If you decide to allow your kids to borrow your phones, make sure to switch to a tempered glass screen protector to defend your devices against serious drops and spills.
Plan for Healthy Snacks Without Spending a Fortune
Hunger can be the ultimate meltdown trigger on your family vacation. Although fast food and processed snacks may be more convenient, it tends to leave kids even more anxious and hungry.
Before you hit the road, stock your car with healthy snacks and meals for the ride, such as PB&J and crackers or veggies with hummus. For larger appetites, make some wrap sandwiches or protein boxes using diced meats and cheeses. You may even be able to bring some of these healthy snack options on your flight to avoid costly airport food that will only leave your family cranky.
You don’t need a big budget or fancy tricks to keep your family happy and having fun during your travels. All you really need is some proper planning ahead of time and a bit of patience along the way. Master those two and you’ll be able to focus on the fun memories made, rather than travel bumps.
Heading to LA for a fun-filled family getaway? Check out all there is to see and do on Fun With Kids in LA. Our site has a wealth of information to help families find new and exciting experiences in Los Angeles and beyond!
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