Is your family hoping to take a trip yet this summer? We’ve partnered up with our friends at Best Western to make your trip happen! Whether you’re planning to pack up the car and head out on a road trip or your travels will take place via plane you’ll need somewhere to lay your head down at night and unwind after a busy day traveling.
We’re huge advocates of travel, and we’re guessing you might be too. Here are a few tips from Best Western blog ambassador Manny Ruiz to get your trip planning rolling:
- Remember that the journey is what matters most: The longer the journey to your destination, the more likely you will enjoy the memories you make to your destination. I always remind my family of this because those things you do while driving together are as precious as landing in Disneyland. Cherish those moments. Document those moments. When the children are all grown, those are the moments you will see most in your videos.
- Consult with your kids. The older kids get, the more they actually enjoy and want to be involved in the planning process.
- Choices are good but don’t give them too many choices. Hand-in-hand with giving our children input about the places we’d like to travel is also the rule that says you should not give them more than three choices. Limiting the options gives them the opportunity to research and make an informed decision, or make a decision about where they really don’t want to go.
- Research the truly off-the-beaten-path vacation jewels. Sometimes the best places you’ll see are not always the most obvious or convenient ones. For example, most vacation getaways are marketed to be accessible and easy, conveniently located in places that are meant to be found by the masses. There’s nothing wrong with that but, if you do a little Google research, you’ll inevitably find that near most any vacation spot there are always gems worth stretching to find.
- Pack lighter so you can travel easier. One of the most common mistakes made during vacations is to simply pack too much. Don’t make this mistake. Traveling light will make your trip infinitely more enjoyable and less stressful as you’ll have fewer things to worry about. If you’re traveling by air you’ll also be able to cut down on excess baggage charges.
Now we’d love to know what are some of your tips for traveling?
We’ll pick one comment at random to win a $75 gift card from Best Western. You have until August 9th at midnight Eastern to leave a comment and be entered to win.
We can’t wait to hear your travel tips!
About Amanda: Amanda is curious, world traveling mom of 2 boys. She currently lives in Marrakech, Morocco with her husband and kids. Amanda is the publisher of MarocMama a blog about raising multicultural kids, food, and travel. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Amanda Mouttaki
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Have a sense of humor! Usually what can go wrong, will go wrong, so in the end you just have to surrender to it and appreciate the absurdity of it all. Plus, kids look to you for cues on how to handle difficult situations, so if possible teach them how to diffuse tension with some good laughs.
Planning is key to savings. Look online for discounts to attractions you may want to visit.
I *just* wrote a post about road tripping with kids: http://mamasmiles.com/road-tripping-with-kids/
I love traveling. My top tips are to pack intelligently and enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
I’m a planner, and I like to plan our trips in advance. Research on-line places to go, where to stay, where to eat., etc. Just as Manny suggested I always look for off-beat attractions! There’s a great app for that! 🙂
However, as a planner I do understand there are times that your plans change drastically…. so in that case make sure to have a plan B, C, D, etc. 🙂 and be flexible!!! Not all goes as planned, and have fun!!!!!!!!!!
For all the times the airlines have lost my bags, I have learned to work some extra cash into my budget just in case I have to go replenish necessities. I also learned how to pack differently so that the really important things are in my carry-on and the less important things are in the bag that will very likely not arrive at my destination.
My favorite vacations were the ones me and my sister didn’t know about. I thought it was cool planning for my parents to do. Like the time my parents picked us up from school and told us we were going out to eat for dinner. We drove for an hour and ended up at a Taco Bell (I was wondering why we had to drive to a Taco Bell in New Jersey – my dad told me this was the BEST Taco Bell anywhere). Then I saw the navigation system was set for Ocean City! 🙂
Then there was a time my parents picked us up from school because we had to drop my mom at the airport to go to a work meeting in Chicago. Well, she had a work meeting – in Disney World – and my parents had my and my sister’s bags all packed to go with them (our teachers were even in on that one!). I think it’s cool my parents would do that and I think a “surprise” vacation for kids is cool.
My best tip is to have as few agendas or itineraries as possible. I have three kids under 5 and for this age, experiences are more important than goals!
My tip is to allow extra time in your trip plans when traveling with kids because there are usually unexpected stops, and to pack a cooler with lots of drinks and snacks. You can use the cooler to store treats purchased along the way too.