If there is one thing I know is stressful to do during the holidays as a family, it is traveling. With a family our size, even the short 30-minute trip to grandma’s house can be stressful and I try to remove as much stress as I can. In order to have a stress-free trip, I like to follow these tips!
Make sure the vehicle is in great running order.
Before you hit the road, make sure your car is in tip top running order by having your mechanic or local dealership, like Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.
Get everything ready to go the night before.
When you have everything ready the night before you can get up in the morning and get ready with ease. No need to worry about picking out clothes, chasing down socks and shoes or the stray mitten. Being prepared early is a huge stress reliever for everyone!
Plan your travel time around naptime
If you are traveling with younger kids, plan your travel time around naptime if possible so the kids can nap in the car and be well rested upon arrival at your destination. This makes the experience enjoyable for everyone.
Pack Snacks
If you are going to be traveling for an extended period of time, be sure to packs so snacks for the kids and the adults to calm hungry tummies or to appease the little ones.
Items to Entertain the Kids
Another great thing to do if you have a long drive ahead is to have items on hand to keep the kids entertained. Books, small toys, crayons, coloring books, etc. these are all items the kids can enjoy while in the car.
Just following these simple tips will help greatly reduce, if not eliminate the stress from your holiday travel and allow you to actually enjoy the holidays with your family.
I feel that vacation planning is very important if I want to enjoy my trip. So it’s worthwhile sitting down and planning out the different areas of the trip. Have a look at what I do to help get you started.
Try to Get Deals
Now, we all know vacations can be expensive, and this why you need to get clever. I always check out the same package on numerous different sites. There will be differences you just have to find them. I’m always on the lookout for deals that will save the family money. These deals definitely exist; it’s just a case of hunting for them. Choose options that will give you the biggest savings without affecting the holiday.
Who Are You Travelling With?
Think hard about who you’re traveling with on this vacation. Is it going to be just you and hubby, or will the kids be coming too? If it’s the latter, you’re going to need some extra preparation to account for the kids. I like to make sure I everything I need on hand when traveling with kids.
Check Out Accommodation
I have often found that the accommodation can make or break a holiday. It sounds like it should be the least significant thing, but it’s really not. If you holiday as a couple, hotels are the way to go. However, if I go on holiday with the kids a hotel can be a nightmare. It’s cramped and crowded, and the kids get stir-crazy. There are lots of rules and regulations to adhere to. So instead I like to find a holiday apartment for us all. That way we get much more space and freedom. We can all be together in the same place, and I can keep an eye on the kids if needed.
Plan Out What to Do
Something you’ve got to realise about going on holiday with kids, you always need things to do. I research where we’re going to go very carefully. I get online and look up all the possible activities we can pencil in while we’re there. I know the kids are going to need stimulation, so accounting for their interests is important. Planning out what we’re going to do keeps everything more organised. It also means we all get the opportunity to do things we’d like to do, kids and parents alike.
Take Plenty of Cash
Make sure you remember you’re going to need plenty of cash with you. There’s nothing worse than running out of spending money during your holiday. So make sure you have enough with you. I like to keep some spare cash set aside too in case anything should happen. Think about changing it all up before you go. Though sometimes I keep some money to exchange when I reach my destination. It depends on what the exchange rate looks like.
Be Prepared for an Emergency
Sometimes when you are on vacation, things go wrong and emergency situations happen. When this happens you want to do your best to be prepared. If you are heading out on the road in the family car, be sure to visit a reliable dealership, like Rochester Hills CDJR, to make sure your car is in great running condition.
Going on vacation should be a fun, exciting and magical adventure. But for a lot of us it can be a highly stressful experience. For me, it’s something that I greet with a mixture of excitement and dread. But I’ve learnt over the years that planning is the best way to solve the stress and chaos problems. Make sure you do the same in the build up to your travel.
Whether this is something of a dream, or a vacation you plan to take in the future, a break from the children can often be welcomed. We have to remember sometimes that we are still individuals and a couple, as well as playing the roles of mom and dad. If you get the chance to have a vacation without the kids, whether that be a weekend or something longer, it’s worth taking that opportunity. It can do wonders for your relationship. With that in mind, I thought I would share with you some of the destinations you should consider.
Las Vegas
A holiday without the kids can mean one of two things. Either you want to relax with your half and catchy up on well-deserved sleep. Or you want to enjoy the party with a few cocktails thrown in. If the party is what you want, then Las Vegas can surely provide it. The city that never sleeps. You can enjoy some time in the casinos and bars. You might want to catch a show from some of the top quality residencies that are held there. Or you may just want to enjoy the rollercoaster that sits on top of a hotel. Whatever you decide to do with your time you will have a fantastic vacation in Las Vegas.
Cancun
If you are after a more relaxed vibe during the day with a something going on at night then why not consider Cancun. Cancun holidays are fast becoming popular, and you can see why. There is many an all-inclusive hotel to unwind during the day. These tend to sit on the beach meaning you don’t need to move far for a beautiful view. Or you can take in some of the picturesque surroundings by doing a tour.
Barbados
Perhaps you just want to be in one another’s company. Then consider a trip to Barbados. A relaxing Caribbean island that will allow you to sink into a sunbed while hearing the waves softly in the background. It’s a little piece of heaven. This is the perfect spot for a little romance if this is your intended purpose.
England
If you are the couple that doesn’t sit still then why not take in the greenery and attractions of England. You could head to London and see Buckingham Palace. Or head up north where the locals are said to be some of the friendliest around. There is so much to do that the main dilemma will be what can you fit in?
Italy
Finally, you could take in the country love. Italy has many destinations that will ignite the romance in a couple. Rome being the most famous and with so many attractions to take in you won’t be bored. There is also the wonderful food to sample. Pasta and pizza galore, what is not to love? There is also Venice and Florence with all their characteristics and charm. A little bit further than some couples would like to travel but it will be well worth it.
I hope this has inspired you for your next adult only escape.
I have a lot of goals in life and I just keep adding them to my ongoing list and check them off as I do them.
One thing I hope to do, and would love to do in the very near future it travel around the U.S. by car and stop and take in all of the sights. I’m not just talking about the sights that everyone travels to see like Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls….I’m also talking about those quirky and fun roadside attractions.
Fast road leading into a suset.
Seriously, who doesn’t want to have their picture taken outside of the mill where Kevin Bacon danced his butt off in Footloose?
Or what about the world’s biggest ball or twine?
Yep, I want to see it all!
Where do you want to go and what do you want to see?
It may only be March but Alex and I have already been talking about what we want to do with the kids this summer. Since we moved into our new house, we haven’t really done any family trips aside from day trips here and there.
This summer, we thought it would be cool to take some time and travel outside of Wisconsin and visit a few places that none of us have ever been to and are in the process of planning an epic road trip.
I want to leave Green Bay and stop in Madison for a few hours and show the kids State Street. From Madison I plan to drive straight through to St. Louis to take the kids to the St. Louis Zoo and to see the St. Louis Arch. I am planning on adding in quite a few other things to take us through a few different states, visiting some different attractions and then making our way back home. I think it would be really cool to look for an available RV rental St. Louisand turn our road trip into an RV trip!
Yes, putting all 7 of us in the family minivan and driving around the midwest for a few days, visiting different places is going to be exhausting, loud and a little pricey (thankfully gas is affordable again) but in the end, I think it will be worth it.
I think this road trip is something our family really needs and it will be a lot of fun planning for it and spending some time together. I’ve even been checking out some different apps that will come in handy along the trip.
We’ve never done a road trip with all 7 of us that wasn’t a day trip and never an overnight trip (as a family) since Ellie and Joey were born. Hopefully this whole thing goes off without a hitch.
If you’ve travelled around the midwest, what are some places you recommend we visit on our trip?
