Making Family Vacations with Kids Less Stressful

OK, we all know that family vacations can be pretty stressful even though it is meant to be relaxing and fun. I always laugh when people come back to work from vacation and say "this will be relaxing compared to the vacation I just got back from". It shouldn't be that way, you should go on vacation to enjoy the company of your family and get away from the stresses you encounter every other day of the year. Here are a few tips that will help you through the FAMILY VACATION.

The first thing you need to do is stop with the clock watching, time shouldn't be that big of an issue. If you are stressing about when you are going to be somewhere you might as well go home and stress about getting to work on time. You should never schedule something at a specific time on a family vacation because it will never work out and a sure fight will ensue. Don't try and cram too much "stuff" to do in one day, without a doubt someone will end up getting burnt out and the fighting will once again percolate. On the other hand, don't plan too little to do in one day because we all know how bored kids pass the time, they will annoy anyone within yelling distance to pass the time.

One of the easiest ways to avoid undue stress on a family vacation is to pick places that are age appropriate for you children. Sometimes us adults we forget that our children don't necessarily like to walk the strip of Vegas. Remember this is a vacation for the kids too, don't let that slip your mind or you will have some grumpy rug rats on your hands. The more fun you have planned and the busier you keep the kids, the better off the whole family will be. It just takes a little thought and some planning to avoid major catastrophes on your vacation.

Think about how you are getting to your destination as well, flying is always stressful during the experience and sometimes is costly but it is over and done with in a hurry and you can eliminate a big stress factor right away. Driving can be fun and part of the "adventure" but remember that little ones can only take so much time in a car, and for that matter you can probably only take so much in a car with them too. Just think about how your kids deal with different situations and make the decision based on that. I will recommend that if you do drive you have music choices for the whole family and you make it very clear that turn will be taken. When I was 5 my folks took us to Disney Land and we drove, they didn't think about it much and my brother and I were on about our 80th bout of Farmer and the Dell. To say the least my father had enough and at one point he turned around and thumped me in the head, for no reason I'm sure, and that is one of the only things I remember about that trip.

Finally, sit down before you begin your little expedition and get a feel for what everyone wants to do. Don't just decide what will be best for the family without any input. The kids will have more fun if they feel like they had a part in the whole thing. The best advice I can give is to be patient and prepare yourself before hand that something wrong will happen, deal with it and move on.