Organized Family Vacation

Busy parents, take heart! If you’ve got kids, we know you’ve got better things to do with your time than spend hours planning a family vacation. So we’ve done some of the work for you, searching out the most useful Web sites for family travel and compiling them all in one convenient place. From itinerary ideas and family-friendly city guides to the best games for long road trips, we’ve got your next trip covered.

Summer is here. You can feel it. School is over, children are out riding their bicycles and birds are singing from dawn until dark.  What an amazing time of year. Summer vacations can take on many forms; major trips, several weekend jaunts or even a staycation. Whatever the format it takes, taking a vacation is one of the most important things we can do for our family and ourselves. With a little planning and organization you can pull off a stress-free, fun-filled trip.

So you decided on a family vacation?

Take the stress and disorganization out of the vacation planning. Create a binder using various tabs for all your ideas and inspirations for your itinerary, or if you are tech-inclined then sites like Evernote or Springpad are great for compiling vacation ideas.

WHO – is going?

WHAT – what does the vacation look like to you? To your children? What is your budget?

WHERE – camping, cottage vacation, resort or a staycation?

WHY – no explanation required.

WHEN – when is the right time for a vacation for you and your family? Do you have hockey camps or other activities you have to work around?

HOW – how far in advance should you plan? How are you going to get there? Finally, what are the steps you need to follow to make it happen?

Planning – Whatever vacation you choose to take, the planning at the start of it is crucially important.  Failing to plan for a trip can leave a family very disorganized and frazzled. There are many great vacation checklists that are available online for no charge.  Websites like Packing Lists Online allows you to customize your trip; who is going, what style of vacation, what activities are you planning, who is going, and what to take care of before you leave. Genius! If you are more traditional paper and pen, checkout Knock Knock’s travel checklist. Although these check lists covers almost everything, things like meals, activities and attractions are usually missing from these checklists. Ensure you give yourself enough lead time to organize these aspects of your vacation.

Vacation is not just about going away anymore.  Staycations are a pretty big trend, a great way to stay close to home and save money, as well as a great way to reconnect with your family. Also, if there are any hockey camps planned for the summer, this route allows both to be achieved. These family vacations can be near free if organized and planned correctly. Here are some great tips from Real Simple on how to plan a Staycation.

Packing – If you are flying, consult your airline’s website to verify checked baggage limit, as well as acceptable amounts for carryon. Again, sites like www.packinglistonline.com will help you customize your packing list, however, it is still mindful to keep in mind the following when packing.

• If you are traveling with a partner you might consider packing half of each person’s things in the other’s bag.
• Pack only versatile clothes, only pack clothes that fit in the “I will definitely wear it”. Try to pack neutral colours.  Roll your clothes, you will be able to fit more in.
• Pack in zones; money & valuables, clothing, toiletries, last minute items/carry-on.
• Pare down shoes. They are heavy! Choose a few pairs that can multitask.
• Carry a change of clothing and some toiletries in your carryon, just in-case your luggage goes to a different destination than you do.
• Finally, look at what you have laid out and then half it.

If you are driving again you are limited to the space that your vehicle allows. Although you may be more inclined to not feel the need to pare down your suitcase, remember, the heavier your vehicle the higher your gas consumption. Keeping your things (such as food, music and beach items) in individual containers sold at stores like Target.  Keeping these items contained not only keep the car organized, easy to locate but it also acts as a safety measure to prevent loose items flying through the vehicle in the case of an accident.