Make the Most of Summer with these 15 Useful Family Travel Tips

It’s summertime and you can’t wait to go on a trip with your family. Here are some great family travel tips to help make the most of your summer travels:

1. Bring lots of snacks: Snacks are a real lifesaver on a trip. Bring plenty of yummy snacks to stave off hunger and deal with travel delays and other unexpected problems.
2. Put together a surprise bag for everyone: Everyone loves a surprise. When you see a meltdown about to occur, take out a surprise from the surprise bag. Include otherwise forbidden things like lollipops for those “reaching the end of the rope” moments.
3. Bring a lot of small bills and loose change: You will need change for tips, vending machines, laundry, and those little resort spots that only accept cash.
4. Get the right accommodations: Where you stay can make all the difference in the world. Pick a suite with separate bedrooms for the kids. Or go all out with Airbnb and rent a house with everything you need to make your stay pleasant.
5. Keep things casual: When you have small, worn out kids don’t opt for fancy restaurants at the end of a long day of sightseeing. Instead do take out or even delivery. Ditto for family outings. Museums are not for everyone.
6. Bring a lot of bags: You are going to need a lot of bags for dirty laundry, trash, and a million other things. Bring a variety of different bags for different needs.
7. Prepare the entertainment in advance: Load up the iPad on movies, books, etc. Make sure the earphones are working too.
8. Look for coupons: Vacations can be expensive, but they don’t have to be. There are a lot of great coupons for travel if you know where to look. Try a site like Groupon, or coupon apps like Ibotta. Also check the local newspaper for deals and ideas on things to do.
9. Pick a spot that is very family friendly: Try to visit places where children are welcome, not just tolerated. Make sure there are plenty of restrooms, eating places, and fun activities nearby.
10. Don’t pack too many activities in: It’s tempting during the planning stage of your trip to add too many things to do. This will only result in tired, cranky children and frazzled parents. Instead, pick one main activity for each day and plan for some down time as well.
11. Prepare for the heat: Bring the sunscreen, especially spray on kinds that are easy to apply, as well as hats for everyone. Also bring a sun visor for the car. Pack frozen water bottles for a road trip.
12. Go for the bright colors: Dress your children in stripes or bright colors to make them easily identifiable if they get lost.
13. Visit the local grocery store or farmer’s market: Shopping locally saves you money and keeps your family in good health.
14. Pack for each day: For a long road trip, try having collapsible crates for each day of travel. That will help you be prepared and save space.
15. Prepare for sleep early: Bring along some melatonin, or earplugs and prepare for sleep earlier than usual. Do whatever helps you get enough rest so you can have energy for the exciting travel days.

Hope you enjoy these great family travel tips and have a safe vacation.

Sources

http://www.parenting.com/family-time/travel/5-family-travel-trends-2016

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/family-travel-tips

http://www.travelandleisure.com/blogs/top-family-travel-tips-from-the-experts

https://www.ytravelblog.com/25-tips-for-travel-with-kids

http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/better-family-travel