Traveling with your loved ones can be the most memorable and enjoyable time in your life, but they also come with many challenges and stress, especially when it is a family trip. Sometimes it can feel like you’re going on a school trip, and your sole focus is making sure everyone is accounted for. So our goal is to bring some helpful insight so that you and your family can focus on what really matters, each other. So check out our list below to help you and your family have the best vacation possible..
Preplanning for the Big Day
Before going on a vacation, make sure to make a plan for your trip. Of course, things will always happen outside of the plan, but preparing beforehand will help cut down on those unexpected events. Preparation is key in improving you and your family’s overall vacation experience.
Budget, Budget, Budget
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects to foresee is how much money you’re going to spend when traveling with the family. Vacations do not come cheap, so it’s important to think about how much you’re wanting to spend and to allocate extra for those unseen expenses. Start by searching online and looking for cheap places to stay, restaurants that you can go to, and even contact travel companies to help you out in making those hard decisions.
Using credit cards tends to be the best way to manage your money when on vacation, especially with the perks that come with spending a higher amount. Having a credit card also can make it easier to deal with any emergency expenses. So with any trip, it is guaranteed that at some point, you are going to spend more than you initially prepared and anticipated. So budgeting extra is always ideal.
Choose the Ideal Location for Your Vacation
One problem that most people experience during large family travels is finding the perfect vacation destinations for family retreats. Although it can be difficult, make sure you stick to your budget when searching for where you’re going to go. Start by looking for locations that aren’t too far by car, since traveling by car tends to be cheaper than flying. Although flying is way more convenient than driving, it can end up being significantly more expensive than traveling by car. This does not necessarily mean that you should automatically go to the state or country that is nearest to your home.
Also, make sure to consider hotel expenses and check for travel promos for resorts/hotels. When budgeting, don’t forget that this is a chance for you and your family to relax and have quality time together. So if your budget isn’t enough to go on the vacation that you really want, there is nothing wrong with saving up for a few more months before going on that trip. You don’t ever want to sacrifice the quality of the vacation because you’re forcing it with your current budget. It can take more patience and hard work, but it will be worth it in the end.
Make Reservations Beforehand
Although it can be a bit of a bother, and can feel unnecessary, it is important to contact the places you’ll be traveling to beforehand. This includes hotels, restaurants, and other locations on your itinerary. Although most places, such as museums and parks do not require reservations, it’s better to have spent a little extra time beforehand to be certain, than to show up and realize you need a reservation. Especially with Covid restrictions varying from place to place, it is even more important to make reservations.
Looking for hotels for you and your family can be one of the most challenging expenses to budget. Most hotel rooms accommodate only around four people max, and sneaking in some family members in one room is not the best way to go. Try opting for resorts or residential inns where they allow more people to stay in one room. The last thing you want to happen is getting rejected the moment you arrive. That is why you should always contact and reserve these places ahead of time.
Don’t Forget to Pack the Necessities and Some Emergency Kits
Everyone should always be prepared for the worst, and it’s never bad to be overly prepared. When traveling, it’s common for people to experience symptoms such as nausea, headaches, and allergies, so bringing some medicine to deal with these can be a life-saver. Especially when you’re with your kids, you know how easily a headache can change their mood. You may want to also consider bringing some other essentials, such as sunblock, wet wipes, and tissues.
If you are traveling by road, it’s a good idea to bring a cooler with some goods and drinks with you to save money. This is especially ideal for families planning on going to areas near beaches where your family can bond over campfires and grills, rather than ordering food from restaurants.
The Day Has Come
Now that you have done all the necessary preparations before your trip, it is time to get excited to depart! But know that your And maybe also expect some trouble/common problems that you might encounter along the way. With that, here are some of them and things that you can do to avoid or resolve these common problems:
Getting Hungry On the Road
There is nothing worse than dealing with hungry people while on the road. So packing some nutritious and healthy food to deal with any harness that may arise is essential. Bring along some chips, cookies, and some other finger food, and everyone will be grateful.
Not Everyone’s Enjoying It
One of the worst things that you and your family can experience during this trip is finding out that someone is not enjoying their experience. This can be remedied by considering everyone when choosing the places that you will be going to beforehand, but sometimes it just doesn’t work the way we expect it to go. In this case, you can always try and reach out to them, ask them what they want to do, and detouring from your plan for a little bit. We all want each of our family members to have fun during this vacation. So, accounting for everyone in our travel plans is very important.
Too Many or Too Heavy Baggages
Another thing that you would love to avoid during a large family trip is going over the baggage limit when checking in at the airport. Or even if you are only traveling by road, heavy baggage can be a bit of a bother having to lug them everywhere.
To avoid this, always tell your family to travel light. They also don’t need to wear something new every day, especially pants. If you can, it is also better to share one bag for every two family members. This way, you can save the trouble of unpacking more baggage, and it is easier to keep track of them.
Sticking To a Manageable Schedule
The best way to do vacations with large families is to go to one or two places a day. It can be quite tempting to go and see every tourist attraction immediately, but you also must think about how much everyone’s going to enjoy it if they aren’t at full energy. Forcing your family members, especially kids and those a bit older, to go around while they are tired will only just kill the experience. But don’t get us wrong, it’s still nice to have spontaneous and unplanned trips especially if that opportunity arises.
Is Everyone Documenting Enough?
Yes, we know everyone doesn’t like tourists who are constantly taking pictures. But come on! It’s a family vacation and more than experiencing the fun at the moment, it is also nice to have photos and videos to reminisce once you all go back after the trip. You can also encourage your younger members to journal if they want to. When they grow up they can look back and laugh at the silly and cute things they wrote. It will make this vacation more memorable than it already is.
Just a Few Reminders
Remember that this trip is all about having fun and creating memories that you and your family can go back to over the years. We are aware that large family travels can be hard to manage, but it is important to be flexible to changes and be considerate of everyone. And we hope that our list can help you cut down on the stress and tension and allow you to relax and look forward to your family trip.
Consider browsing our website, rentaltrader.com, where we can help you create the perfect trip for you and your large family. While on our website, please contact us with any questions you may, we would love to help. Our goal is to help you create an experience that everyone will enjoy, including you. It’s easy for the person planning to get caught up in everything and feel the burden is on them to create the experience for everyone else. So we hope our website can help take some of the burden off you so that you too can have an amazing trip.
