Family Vacation Tips

Cancun family vacations often include an educational trip to visit Mayan Ruins. Now families visiting Cancun do not need to travel far to travel far back in time.

So last weekend, I went to a gathering at my friend Denise's home in New Jersey. It was a girl's day in, a pot luck- wine fest to help us moms recoup after the holidays. When I arrived, Denise gathered up all of my baked goods that I was contributing and announced, "Ladies, this is Sally. She's my travel agent friend from Pennsylvannia, Sally meet everybody". Denise left me to fend for myself in a room full of strangers.

Anticipation can be one of the best parts of any family vacation. You've been studying all the glossy travel brochures. It's a wonderful escape just flipping the pages. You see photos of carefree families all together, with happy, smiling faces enjoying some tropical paradise. Then reality hits... Who are these people? The reality is, worry free vacations don't just happen. It takes a good deal of planning and some work to take the stress out of vacation. Family vacation planning is more involved than packing a suitcase and watering the plants. Here are 10 tips will help take the worry out of your next family vacation...

1. KEEP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN - Iphones, facebook, Instant message, twitter, chat, blogs... with all this technology, the fine art of conversation seems to be getting lost in translation. It's amazing how many families never take the time to actually sit down face to face and talk to one another. Often our staff will work with a parent who will book a vacation and find out after the fact that the schedule conflicts with their spouse's important business meeting or daughter's dance recital. Needless to say, this is a waste of time and energy for everyone, not to mention costly reservation change fees. Before you make your reservations, talk to your family. Make sure everyone is in agreement and on the same page.

Updated July 2019

A family cruise is a great family vacation choice, especially for young families with babies and toddlers.  Parents can look forward to a fun vacation with their little ones while enjoying all the conveniences and amenities today's family friendly cruise ships have to offer. Cruising with your baby or toddler offers families lots of convenient choices of destinations and fun activities.

When planning for your family cruise vacation, please be aware that there are cruise line policies and rules in place regarding what age babies are allowed on board cruise ships. These rules have been established for the comfort and safety of all passengers. These rules are strictly enforced by the cruise lines. We've included age requirement rules below here for you.

In addition to checking age requirements, make sure little cruisers have all the right travel documents.  Certain cruises will allow children to sail with an original birth certificate with a valid state seal (no photocopies) but we HIGHLY recommend all children sail with a valid passport.  Reservations can be made in advance of obtaining a passport for your baby.  Just insure the exact legal names used on your reservations match the legal names on your child's birth certificate and passport application.

Most of the family friendly cruise lines offer activities for every member of the family and this includes little sailors. On board nursery facilities and babysitting options can vary even with ships of the same cruise line.  Older ships may not have all the facilities offered on newer ships.

To help you plan your next family cruise with your baby, Vacationkids offers this list of the most family friendly cruise lines and their rules and policies regarding cruising with babies...

Once upon a time, travel agents were the only people in town who had access to a computer reservation system to book airline tickets and hotel rooms. Travel agents went to school just to learn how to use hieroglyphic codes to talk to their computers. Folks marveled at the talents and knowledge that travel agents possessed. Travel agents made it look easy.

Suddenly a world wide web of travel choices rested at everyone's fingertips. Happy, hopeful vacationers now had this "do it yourself" mentality when it came to travel. The internet gave Joe Public the convenience to book travel his way, for less, conveniently from the comfort of his own home.

...So the big question is - Who needs a Travel Agent?
The answer is simple...Anyone planning a family vacation!

The last thing parents need are problems and headaches when they are away from home with their kids in tow. Having a personal, human connection to a vacation advocate is something you simply will not have if you take the do it yourself approach to travel planning. If you think travel agents are obsolete, think again. Travel agents still sell 81% of vacation packages, 47% of hotel rooms, 45% of car rentals 87% of cruises and 51% of airline tickets according to the American Society of Travel agents. The goal of any good family travel agent is to build a long-lasting professional relationship with their clients.

Family travel agents save time and that is a very valuable commodity for busy parents. All the travel choices on the internet create information overload, confusion and frustration. A good travel agent will be able to speak to you from first hand experience. They will help you to focus and select the best vacation options for your family.

Family Travel Agents save money because know better than anyone how to find the best travel values. It's important to realize, A cheap price isn't the same as a great value. They are not out to rip you off. A family travel agent knows that cheap flight you booked online doesn't allow enough time to make your connection. Chances are your family is going to end up stuck sleeping over night in the airport. If you calculate the cost of missing at least one day of the vacation, you'll quickly realize the slightly higher flights your agent quoted was a real bargain. A good travel agent knows which companies always undercut prices and over sell hotel rooms. Your agent want to ensure you and your kids will be guaranteed a hotel room when you arrive. In addition, licensed Travel agents have access to industry wholesaler rates that offer cheaper prices and discounts. These wholesalers do not sell directly to the public, you need a travel agent to get these rates. In addition, many offer excursions and travel experiences that can't be found online. 

Family Travel Agents Have Leverage through important industry contacts. Good agents invest a great deal of time building relationships with hoteliers, concierges, captains and travel industry decision makers. These personal contacts go far when it comes to special favors and requests. As per the statistics mentioned earlier, travel agents carry more clout with hotels and cruise lines than individual travelers. They often have access to amenities that individual travelers will never see.

Family Travel Agents have insider information. Thanks to our network of contacts we know insider information and tips from the back of the house. This is important information that you will never find on tripadvisor. That incredibly cheap deal on that brand new hotel you booked yourself, we know the guy who was suppose to be there to train staff never showed up. This means none of the 800 staff know what they are doing. We also know they just hired a notorious chef from another resort where travelers always complained of stomach issues. That buzz you've been hearing about that new hotel, our staff already visited the construction zone in hard hats. We can tell you where the locals go because we're friends with the locals We chat with them daily online.

Family Travel Agents are NOT expensive. Most travel agents earn their living from commissions paid by hotels and cruise lines. Vacationkids does NOT charge any service fees to our clients and our industry knowledge and network of contacts....priceless. Surprisingly, many of the do it yourself websites charge service fees bundled up in all their fine print. This means you're actually paying for doing all of the work yourself - It just doesn't make any sense.

Family Travel Agents offer expert guidance. Agents know all the industry lingo and how the terms and conditions fine print will effect you. We can help you avoid common pitfalls and road blocks the could effect your vacation. Your agent will work to prevent problems and hassles while you are away from home. If anything does go wrong, they know the right ways to fix problems and find solutions on your behalf.

Family Travel Agents Give Personalized Service. Imagine you can simply pick up the phone and speak to a human being who knows you and is there to help you. You can get your questions answered by somebody with experience. Questions always arise, even for the most seasoned traveler. This is especially true when you're traveling with kids. A good travel agent is always there to help make your journey easier.

Hmmm...an advocate who is there to save you time, money, hassles and worry. Someone who is willing to do the work for you and keep your family out of harm's way. An insider who has friends all over the globe. A person who's help is always there for you...Now that's somebody you ought to get to know.

Puerto Vallarta is located on the Pacific coast of Mexico where the Sierre Madres Mountains meets the Bay of Banderas. It is a charming blend of modern Mexico meets old world colonial charm. Whether you're looking for a relaxing beach side escape or the chance for a bit of adventure, Puerto Vallarta is an excellent choice for families with kids of all ages.

When it comes to vacations, we all like to travel like rock stars and spend like cheap skates. Here are 7 easy tips that can help your family save hundreds on your next family vacation...

I've always been a firm believer that experience is the best teacher. As a young mom, I planned many of our family vacations around learning experiences that would help expand upon topics that my kids were learning in school. For example, when my kids were studying the American history, we took a trip to Boston. Travel did bring their history books to life before their eyes. Over the years the kids and I have taken learning vacations that were themed around interesting subjects, literary tours, art tours, sailing adventures, ski trips, museum outings and more. We were bonding and creating lasting memories while encouraging curiosity and wonder. After each and every one of these trips we all returned home with either a new skill or at least a new appreciation. Thanks to travel, my kids were learning all about geography, history, science, the arts, phs ed, social studies and even math. As a mom and a travel agent, I patted myself on the back that I was using travel to further the education of my children.

It has always been my passion to encourage kids and parents to explore the world together. When Vacationkids.com celebrated our 10th anniversary it gave me pause for reflection. The art of travel itself is a subject of study. It combines so many different life skills beyond the obvious that I assumed as a young mother. If you look a bit deeper, families learn some amazing life lessons while traveling and on vacation. These are just some of the many life lessons my my kids and I learned during some of our family vacations...

Responsibility - CALIFORNIA 1985 - Sweetie I'm so sorry you forgot and left Aye-Aye bear on the plane. I feel sad too but just think, he's probably enjoying a fun flight to Tokyo right now.

Independence - CRUISE 1986 - Go enjoy yourself mom and don't worry, I'll play here in the club and you go have fun...We'll do lunch. (instructions given to me by my son age 5)

Flexibility -DISNEYWORLD 1987- Yes this room has only one bathroom that all five of us have to share even when your brother stinks it up.

Consequences - FLORIDA 1989 - If you refuse to wear your shoes and walk with bear feet even when the local people warned you about the fire ants then you can expect to be waiting in an emergency room hurt and itchy.

Empathy - WILLIAMSBURG,VA 1990 - Yes this car ride is taking even longer than forever because of your sister's car sickness but just imagine how sick she feels.

Patience - NYC BLIZZARD OF 1993- There is nothing we can do about the weather and being stuck in the airport for several more hours.

Tolerance -BOSTON 1994- Yes honey we are walking on the freedom trail but the police are making us stop here and wait for a while because there is a gay rights parade happening here right now.

Pride - GERMANY 1995- The one thing that really impressed me mom was that, Because I was a visitor to their school, they played the star spangled banner to welcome me. I felt proud to be an American.

Respect - THAILAND 1996- Great outfit selection sweetie for visiting the temples today as we need to be respectful of other people and their beliefs.

Courage - TURKS AND CAICOS 1999- I appreciate that your red toe nail polish attracted all those fish and freaked you out but I'm so proud that you were brave enough to continue to go snorkeling with me to the beautiful reef where we got to play with the turtles and starfish.

Manners -MEXICO 2001- You know what mom... It really doesn't matter too much if you can't speak a language as long as you can say PLEASE, THANK YOU, HELLO AND GOOD BYE you can pretty much smile and point to everything else.

Curiosity - LONDON 2002 - I wonder too how many windows there are in Buckingham Palace, we can both count the ones we see and compare notes.

Perseverance -HAWAII 2003 - I know you swallowed a ton of water but that video of you surfing was way cool dude!

Humility - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2004 - After visiting that family in their home and seeing how hard they worked on their farm growing coffee it really makes me want to help people when I grow up

Assertiveness - ICELAND 2005 - I know we're cold, lost and neither of us speaks Icelandic, but mom's feeling really sick right now so please, you'll have to ask somebody to help us.

Problem Solving - FRANCE 2006 - We can't figure out how to get our French rental car to go into reverse when the only English speaking person we can find in the french countryside doesn't know how to drive...my daughter spotted a man dressed like a mechanic and got him to speak to our translator.

Adventure - NEW ZEALAND 2007 - How nice! You brought your mom home a souvenir from your class trip?...thank you for the photo (gasp!) but mostly THANK YOU for not telling me you went bungee jumping off a bridge until after you got home (hug child and say a prayer of gratitude).

Generosity - PERU 2010- What a great idea to ask Grandma for crayons for you to bring to the kids. (Grandma worked at Crayola and had volunteered on many community donation projects)

If you do a google search on the internet, you'll find millions of articles on HOW to take a family vacation. There are also plenty of articles on WHY you should take a family vacation that suggest a need for relaxation or family bonding. I'm convinced that traveling builds a child's character. When parents spend money on what appears to be a fun family vacation, I tend to see it as an investment in their child's future.

Wouldn't it be great if allergies would take a vacation? Unfortunately they don't but often as parents we have to pack them along and take them on vacation along with our kids on our family vacations. Many parents out there are more than familiar with allergies and how they create havoc with our kids. For discussion sake, an allergy is a hypersensivity to certain substances like foods, pollens, medication etc. Our body's immune system kicks into full attack mode trying to fight off the problem substance. Symptoms can be as mild as a runny nose or red eyes or as serious as an asthma attack. Anaphylaxsis is an acute medical situation that can result in a person's death if not treated with immediate emergency medical care.

If you've recently gotten engaged, please let us be the first to congratulate the both of you... mazel tov! As soon as you start sharing the good news with family and friends the very first question you'll get is "...So when's the big day?" Boom!...reality hits and the wedding planning begins. This is enough to give any happy couple a huge jolt right out of fantasy land.