Family Vacation Planning: Reducing Stress

Although family vacation planning can be the hardest part of taking the trip, some vacations don't get stressful until you arrive at your destination. You can reduce stress when you travel with children from the minute you decide to go away until the minute you arrive home, by keeping a few family vacation planning tips in mind.

Plan Early
Last-minute trips can be fun, but when you're planning a big family vacation, it pays study guidebooks well in advance of your estimated departure date. What can you see and do on your family vacation during the evening as well as daytime? Will there be activities that suit a wide range of ages? How close are local restaurants, grocery stores and attractions to your accommodations? If you can, begin the planning for your family vacation at least six to nine months in advance of the intended dates and consult more than one source for information on your family vacation destination.

Consider Everyone's Likes, Dislikes and Personalities

You don't have to cater the whim of every family member on your family vacation, but one way to promote togetherness on your family vacation is considering each family member's likes, dislikes and personalities. If your spouse or children feel left out of the planning process or you've planned an itinerary that doesn't take what they'd like to do (or not do) into account, you'll likely experience more conflict than harmony on your family vacation. Make a list of everyone's favorite activities and interests and seek to find a destination that offers something for each member of your family-including yourself.

If your children are older and involved in extracurricular activities, look at their calendars before choosing the dates for your family vacation. If your family vacation interferes with soccer camp or other event your children are looking forward too, their disappointment may affect everyone.

Likewise, your family vacation planning should allow for time to re-acclimate to regular life upon your return. Plan to arrive home at least two days before any important events, like the first day of school or a delivering a presentation to a prospective client to keep worry at bay during the final days of your family vacation.

Avoid Connecting Flights Whenever Possible
If you're traveling by air and your family vacation takes you from Boston to Chicago, connecting flights may not pose a problem. However, when you're traveling cross-country or you're planning an overseas family vacation, and what should have been a 12-hour journey takes 27 hours, you might arrive at your destination needing a vacation from your family.

Do your best to book direct flights direct between your departure and destination cities, even if it means choosing an neighboring airport that's a bit farther away from your home or you skip the shuttle flight on the other end and drive to your final destination. If your flight is delayed you won't worry about missing your connection or how you'll eventually arrive.

Think Outside the Hotel Room

If you've traveled with children before, you've probably experienced the shortcomings of traditional hotel rooms when it comes to family vacations. Many families find that standard hotel rooms are too small and fail to meet their needs, especially if the children are quite young.

Fortunately, you there are more and better options to choose from when you're planning your family vacation and, depending upon the needs of your family, some of them may prove to be more cost effective than hotel rooms. Take the time to research what other kinds of accommodations are available in your destination area paying special attention to facilities that offer self-catering.

Look for extended-stay hotels and houses or condominiums for rent that provide you with more space, kitchens, laundry and other amenities. These accommodation options reduce the stress on family vacations that often comes from too many people sharing a too-small room-the less crowded you feel, the more likely you'll able to fully relax.

Over-plan and Under-plan
Older children and teenagers may need a lot of varied activities and forms of entertainment during your family vacation. Younger children, especially babies and toddlers, are going to need down time-and you may have to plan a family vacation that addresses both age groups' needs.

Ask your older children to help you plan your family vacation and ask them what items from home they'd like to bring with them. If it's just you, your spouse and the two-year-old twins, you may want to avoid guided tours and other activities that hold tight to a timetable. Remember, you know your family best and planning your family's natural rhythms goes a long way toward reducing stress on your trip.

Set Realistic Expectations

It's happened to everyone: you go on a family vacation and return home more exhausted than when you left. Blame it on the fast pace of modern life or chalk it up to eagerness, but essentially, you planned too many things for too few days on your family vacation.

It's good to have a plan, but it's best if that plan is flexible. Before you leave, take a few minutes to set realistic expectations for the trip and everyone who's coming along. Expect airport delays, and when they occur, they may not be as upsetting (especially if you've successfully avoided connecting flights). Schedule one or two days of your vacation where nothing's planned and see where the day takes you.

Do your best not to let minor irritations and annoyances get to you: If you don't make it to all three museums you wanted to, relish the time you spent at the first two. Your children will take their lead from you; if you remain calm, they likely will too.