Planning My Cape Cod Family Vacation the Easy Way

I know that planning this year's vacation for my ever expanding family can be either a joy or a nightmare. But I think I am off on the right foot because I have remembered a lesson learned over 40 years of travel planning, I've started planning my family vacation earlier than ever before.

Starting Yesterday. I have learned my lesson about when to start my planning for something as complicated as my family vacation can be. Too many times I have been burned by picking out a vacation getaway that looks perfect only to be told when I call the rental agency that I'm too late. For me getting started early hopefully is going to mean less personal stress and an easier vacation planning experience.

Choosing a Destination. It's almost 10 months before we will be enjoying our next family vacation but that seems to be about the right time to begin discussing with my adult children and their kids the most important aspect of vacation - where will we go. The early returns seem to say we will be heading back to Cape Cod, MA for our next vacation. All of us have spent vacations on the Cape before and there is little doubt that we will return there for our next vacation. The mountains, amusement parks, other national treasures will all have to wait. This year it's Cape Cod for us.

What remains to be determined is where exactly on the Cape we want to locate. There is a good deal of difference between the "bay"side and the "sound" side ( Cape Cod Bay or Nantucket Sound). One side has warmer water, the other gentler tides. One side is far more built up and commercial than the other. A family discussion of the possible locations on the Cape "lower", "upper" or "midcape" needs to happen shortly to help me narrow the vacation site search.

One difficulty I am spared is that going to Cape Cod automatically dictates the method of transporation I need to be concerned about. Planning summer vacation on Cape Cod means taking one or more family vehicles, crossing the Cape Cod Bridge and then proceeding to the town or village where we will be staying. Of course that's how just about everyone gets to the Cape which means there can be some horrific traffic problems. That's when planning ahead can really be helpful. Checking out information about the two Cape acces bridges and reviewing reports from "Smartraveler" about Cape Cod traffic even in the off season will help my family choose property that can be reached without extra traffic delays.

Finding the Perfect Property. I know we have decided as a family to go back to Cape Cod, so I can begin researching properties that suit the particular needs of our family: two senior citizens, five adults in their 30's-40's and 5 grandchildren. This is not an especially easy number to bed down and that's why planning our vacation early really becomes important. I'm going to ask all of the adults to give a little time early on to research possible Cape Cod properties according to their own expertise. Researching possible vacation spots on Cape Cod can include talking to other travelers, watching travel shows on television or culling Cape Cod articles from travel magazines. Fortunately all of the adults in our family and half of the kids are pretty computer handy. My search and those of other family members will likely take place about 75% of the time on line.

I'll be instructing everyone this year to be especially tuned in to properties that are being offered by their owners. There is something reassuring about making this kind of personal connection. Responses seem to be prompt,informative and enthusiastic. Talking to the owner gives me a unique window into what to expect at the property. "Vacation Rentals by Owners" (VRBO) has been especially helpful to me in the past. As one of the senior citizens in the group I will take the responsibility of checking out potential sites by spending a day or two on the Cape during the off season. This will allow me and my husband to scout out the property and the neighborhood. In some cases we may even get a chance to look inside itself. Oh and I'm reminding everyone right now that research officially ends on March 1 giving us two weeks to mull over what we have uncovered and come up with this year's vacation site by mid-March.

Financing the Fun Part of what will enter into my family's final choice for a vacation property does always have to be the cost. We'll try to do all the budget tightening we can to produce vacation funds, but I discovered just last year that talking one on one with a property owner about my financial limitations can at times reduce what the owner is willing to accept in payment. I have already been on the receiving end of this kind of understanding and marveled at the financial benefits gained by simple, honest discussion.

If I get started early, put effort into choosing a destination and a rental property, reduce travel difficulties and financial demands perhaps this can be the year when I say, " Planning a vacation for the family is a joy", and really mean it.




Sources : www.vrbo.com

http://smartraveler.com