Going On Vacation

You plan, you pack your bags, you spend quality time with the family, you sight see, you go from place to place, you eat out way to much, and you come home memory filled and sleep deprived. 

Welcome to family summer vacation!

Where does it all begin? 

Choosing where to go for how long based on your budget. I had a friend in high school whose family would each put a destination in a hat and then they would pick one, and go there no how crazy the place. They once landed in Greenland. Our family is not quite there yet on the scale of being adventurous! We do enjoy finding places that have beaches, amusements parks, fun educational things to do that are within a manageable distance from home.  

Once you have chosen where to go you can start to plan the details. 

Where are you doing to sleep?
What can you do while you are there?
Where are you going to eat?Here are some sites that have helped our family answer all these questions and more:

 

Ready, set, pack your bags and your patience.
Do you need a list to stay organized or do you just wing it in hopes of remembering everything? I have a list,and I still forget things!Amber from {lou lou girls} put together an awesome check list of what to pack when you go away! She divides these FREE printables by making a separate packing list for Mom, boy and girl! Perfect!

Allison over at {www.lifehack.org} gives some great tips on the best way to pack your suitcase. 

Here are some things that we have done to help ease the tense travelling moments:

 

1. If you do not have a DVD player built into your car..get a portable one! Having the option of watching movies makes the time go by quicker! We often check the $5 movie bin at Walmart to stock up!

 

2. We allow our kids to pack a small back pack or bag with some toys from home. Not only does this occupy them but their toys are sweet reminders of home.

 

3.Art projects..Come up with some creative art projects that you can do with crayons and paper in the car. My girls love to color white paper and fold it into a fan like a princess. My son loves to create wacky origami type shapes. All three of them like to play games on paper like tick tack toe and hangman.

 

4. Listen to some music and sing along. I don’t recommend singing ‘this is the song that never ends’ once you get singing that there’s no turning back 😀 

 

5. Pack snacks and drinks. Pausing for a snack can cut down on having to deal with a case of the crankies. 

 

6. I spy with my little eye…for some reason my kids love this game and can occupy themselves with it for quite awhile.

 

7. Tablets, iPod touch, Nintendo DS, leapster or any other tablet as an option to spend some quiet time in the car and allow time to pass on by.8. Erin at {kidventurous.com} has 10 printable car games that you can play! Check out this cool car bingo!

 

 

Here’s our game plan before we take on the sights:

 

1. When we decide on a destination we check out the town or city’s website to see what they say their best attractions and restaurants are. We also check to see if they host any fun summer events like concerts in the park, kid activities, farmers markets etc.

 

2. Trip advisor is an app on our phones that breaks down a destination into categories such as: hotels, restaurants, attractions and more. 

 

3. We check out any brochures in the hotel lobby for any good sightseeing and discount coupons.