It’s always fun to get away from the banality of life. When you have kids, vacations can get a little hairy. Where you’re going, what you’re doing and what you’re going to eat are a few of the things that play into the trip planning, but you can’t really ever plan everything. However, there are a few things that you can do for yourself and your kids to keep them occupied and energetic throughout the trip.
1. Pick the Right Hotel
There are always going to be a ton of hotels offering deals for families. The real family fun hotels will offer discounts and provide places for kids to hang out. You shouldn’t always go for the cheapest rate. It’s important to look for those hotels that offer a good rate but also deliver on the quality of experience. When visiting Florida, it’s really easy to find a low budget Orlando hotel, but you get a lot more out of the vacation when staying at Walt Disney Resort.
– Choose a hotel that offers complimentary breakfast.
– Pick hotels with discounts for kids. Many offer quiet hours policies to ensure your children get the proper sleep they need.
– Read reviews for all hotels and pay attention to the family ratings.
– Look for hotels with kiddie pools and activity centers for kids to enjoy.
– Scout out a location that’s close to a grocery store so you can pick up breakfast stuff and keep kids healthy in the morning. This will help them have tons of energy throughout the day.
2. Catching a “Z or Two”
Kids love to push the limits on bedtime on vacations, but don’t let this happen. In addition, when changing time zones, prepare in advance so that kids know when they have to go to bed and don’t suffer harshly from jet lag.
– Car rides and flights are the best times for kids to nap, so pack a movie they like to fall asleep to or read them a book that puts them to sleep.
– Pack their favorite bed things from home like blankets, stuffed animals and pools to make the hotel room more comfortable.
– Break up intense activities with periods of rest and make sure that kids get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
3. Time to Play
On the car ride to the destination, kids are always going to be restless. If they don’t want to sleep and can’t seem to stop fighting, make sure that you take frequent stops and get active. They can stretch their legs, play games or see some cool state parks or attractions along the way to the destination.
– Break up long car rides by stopping at rest areas or attractions.
– Give kids some things to do in the car to take their energy off of the time.
– Play games with your kids in the car to keep them entertained.
I hope these tips will come in handy the next time your family chooses to go on a vacation!
Written by our guest writer Kendra Thornton.
ABOUT KENDRA THORNTON
“Former Orbitz Director of Communications and promoted into full time position in the care of Motherhood”
Kendra Thornton, a mother of three, has been packing her bags and traveling the world since she visited the Bahamas at 3 months old. She comes from a family of travel agents and founded Thornton Public Relations LLC in April 2005 in an effort to bring strategic and low cost public relations to start-up and established travel, consumer and technology companies. Ms. Thornton personally visited 28 countries on 6 continents. Ms. Thornton also appears regularly as a travel expert on ABC, CBS, NBC and CW affiliates across the country to share travel trends, tips and deals with millions of viewers every year.