One of my favorite TV moments was when Claire Dunphy from Modern Family was on a trip to Hawaii and her husband urged her to relax. She said, "I'm a mom traveling with her kids. It's not a vacation, it's a business trip." I am here to tell you that we can and for the love of all things holy, must do better. (I have been wanting to write this post for a while. Ack! Life has been feeling a bit unmanageable.) Can you relate? Do you ever have a vacation planned, envision all of the awesome and relaxing fun places you will see and then somehow it falls apart? You too? I am here with you. Family vacations are not all rainbows and unicorns and that is okay. As many of you may hit the road for some fall travel or for any upcoming future family vacation, I have got some great tips to help you all have a better vacation.
Here is my short story:
My husband, who has little vacation due to his new job, planned such a fun Colorado vacation for a long weekend. The idea was that he wanted us to see some “must-see” venues combined with good family connection time and relaxation. We traveled down south and stopped in Colorado Springs, headed over to the famous and “jaw-dropping” Royal Gorge Bridge,
made our way over to Salida, a very cool Colorado small town, and spent some time with great friends.
We then visited and stayed at Mesa Verde National Park,
and then wound our way through Durango and Silverton,
the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park,
and finally, we arrived at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs.
Tired yet? 😉
The planning and thoughtfulness that went into this was off the charts and I commend my husband for all that he did to make it all happen. Aside from all of the wonderful visits and stops that we made, we found ourselves in meltdown city by the second full day. All 4 of us took turns, thankfully, at different times. 🙁 There were wonderful moments and there were “what the heck are we even doing this for?” moments.
I want to impart some wisdom that may help you the next time you take an “oh-so-needed” precious family vacation.
1) Slow your roll and truly prioritize the way you want to spend the vacation. Talk to each member of the family about what to expect and have a game plan. Surprises are fun and some sharing of the plans can help people feel calmer. Know your child. If you have a child who needs to know the plan, make it a point to help that child be accustomed to what you are going to do.
2) Have good snacks. My wise sister said that you want road trip snacks that were chosen by a 9 year-old. I couldn’t agree more. Thanks, Kris!
3) Offer options and give kids the chance to make some of the decisions.
4) Plan for many breaks for all of the family. Being in the car for long periods of time can make anyone stir crazy, especially highly energetic kiddos. Find a park or a playground to let people let out their pent up energy. Bring a frisbee or football and play. It is important for both kids and adults.
5) Limit the time you spend at certain places so you are not rushing or short on time at the next place.
6) Prioritize the health and wellness of you (and your partner) before stepping into “on-duty” parent mode each day. Just because you are on vacation, it doesn’t mean that you have to let your routine go. Since we try to run or get a work out in most days of the week, it doesn’t mean that you have to let it go. Also, finding part of the day to “reflect” and meditate would have been great since this has become an important part of our routine.
6) Work with the end in mind. If you want some time to yourself (and/or with your partner), plan on how to get the kids to bed at a decent time. That means you need to be thoughtful about when you arrive to places and when you eat dinner. Keep your nighttime routine. Our kids turn into Gremlins (they know it) after 8:30. How about you? It doesn’t matter where we are, but it is a fact that we all do better if we can get them to bed by then.
We just took another long weekend trip, applied these tips, and fared better. Breaks are part of wellness, as they help with re-charging one’s batteries and connecting with people you love, and we need to be mindful about how to get the most out of them. Please give me a shout and tell me what helps you have a vacation instead of a business trip. Thanks for reading.
Kindly,
Kerry
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