There’s no denying that a family vacation can be a deeply enjoyable and rewarding experience, one that you and your family talk about for many years to come. But as anyone who has been on a disastrous family trip knows, that is far from guaranteed. When you’re taking yourself plus some little children so far away from your usual routine, it’s normal that things don’t quite go as you’d like! The good news is that with a little bit of planning, you can help push your family towards having an awesome vacation, one that’s memorable for all the right reasons. Check out our 5 tips for awesome family vacations below to ensure that’s exactly what your trip turns out to be. By employing these tips, you will be able to avoid common vacation disasters!

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Tip #1 for Awesome Family Vacations

Begin From a Place Of Rest

Before you begin traveling, you want to find a place of rest. This first tip for an awesome family vacation, will help you get off to a bright start if you’re beginning from a place of rest.

If you’re setting off and you’re already tired, then you’ll be cranky from the first moment, and as anyone with a family knows, cranky behavior does not often lead to having a great time. While you’ll hope that your vacation is energizing and restorative, don’t make the vacation do all the heavy lifting. In the run-up to your vacation, be sure to take things easy, sleep well, and build up your energy levels. 

Tip #2: Make the Trip Yours 

There’s no shortage of family trips you can take. That’s what makes the world so exciting! You can go to all corners of the globe and have a million different experiences. But of course, that doesn’t mean that you should. When you’ve got a family, you’ll need to think about which destinations will be suitable for your loved ones, and which won’t be. You can have a free-wheelin’ attitude to traveling when you’re young and single, but when you’ve got a family, it’s all about the prep. 

Tip #3: Get Everyone Involved

This tip will ensure that everyone in your family has a great time on vacation! You’re the one calling the shots, but let’s remember that this is a family vacation, so it’s important that everyone is represented. This includes during the planning process (what will you guys do?) but also relates to who’s coming along. Could your dog join you? If you’re going for an extended period or to a dog-friendly destination, then the answer should be yes — you can check out https://www.shiply.com/us/pet-transport/dog-transport for how to transport your pet to your destination. It’ll be a true family vacation when everyone is involved!

Tip #4 to Ensure You Have an Amazing Family Vacation: Activities and Relaxing 

While you’ll want to do a lot of activities when you’re on your family vacation, it’s important that you don’t over plan the agenda with high-energy plans.

Take it from an expert Disney goer. If you don’t plan relaxation time, you will not have a fantastic vacation. When you are tired, you will be crabby! And when you are crabby, the entire family will suffer!

You should aim to strike a balance between fun activities and relaxing. The more you push and push, the more tired everyone will become. And the more likely it is that tantrums are thrown – even by mama!

Tip #5: Go With The Flow

Finally, remember to go with the flow. Your trip won’t be joyous from beginning to end, because no trip ever is — there’ll always be frustrating moments. Just don’t let them derail the good times for too long!