Family Vacation Tips

Family Vacations can be exciting and stressful all at the same time. 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, stress free family 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...

If you are flying with kids to your next vacation destination, please give serious thought to what you pack into your carry on bags. This is where you will pack the most important items that will never leave your side through out your time in the air.

                                
The fall season for travel agents means the arrival of all the new glossy travel brochures.  I had one of these new brochures sitting on my coffee table when a  I saw a preview for the new season of my favorite TV show "Modern Family".

New parents are usually the people most in need of a vacation. Yet the thought of taking their vacation with baby in tow probably freaks many of them out. Parenting skills need to be learned and nurtured. The same is true when it comes to travel.  Travel is not a hereditary trait, it's a life skill and practice makes perfect. Good news is that the earlier you start traveling with your baby, they will learn travel skills right along with you and vacations will once again be something the whole family will look forward to taking. Keep these tips in mind and it will make the travel process much easier...

An all Incluisve family vacation by definition is a vacation package that includes everything your family needs rolled up into one  price. Prices tend to be lower because you're buying everything as a package deal. sounds like a simple idea right?...but this is where it gets a bit confusing.  There is PLENTY of conflicting and confusing information out there. Much of it is advertising spin to help separate you for your hard earned vacation dollars. So how do you know what you're getting for your money and most importantly, how to you find the best all inclusive vacation deal for your family?...The best way to figure it all out is by examining the base pricing:

Last week I was working one of our clients named Wendy suggesting family resorts that would be able to accomodate her family of 6.  With four children ages 4-12, this is always a challenge.  We struck out with availability and budget when it came to family resorts for next spring break so I suggested the idea of family cruises.  Wendy emailed me back saying, "being trapped on a boat with our 4 kids sounds more like torture than a vacation".

Oh Wendy, and the rest of you out there...fear not! When it comes to children's activities and kids clubs, many people don't realize how much family friendly cruise lines have really stepped up their game as far as kid activities.  Actually most cruise lines that cater to families offer more free Chidren's clubs and family friendly activities than most resorts.

We've talked to many parents and kids when it comes to top vacations for teenagers.  Over the years, we've compiled a list of the top 5 types of vacations most requested by our clients with teens...

All inclusive family resorts are ideal vacations for busy families because really, they are a no-brainer. Generally, with a few exceptions, all inclusive resorts for families are found on the most beautiful tropical beaches of the Caribbean and Mexico. At an all inclusive resort, all of your meals, snacks, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), activities, entertainment, tips and taxes are ALL INCLUDED in the price of your hotel room. As far as activities and entertainment, most family all inclusive resorts offer day long activities like sports, games, non-motorized water sports, specialized kid's clubs and nightly entertainment. Non-motorized water sports often confuses people. Non-motorized water sports includes activities like snorkeling, small sail boats, kayaks, boogie boards...water activities that do not have a motor. Some resorts do require a refundable deposit to insure that borrowed equipment is returned properly. All you have to do is walk up to the water sports center, ask for your equipment and off you go. There would be extra charges for activities like jet-skiing, water skiing, and diving because these activites include equipment or boats that have motors.