With just two weeks left in her junior year, my middle daughter is about to enter her final year of high school. My oldest daughter is about to finish up her sophomore year of college. And the caboose in my family, my 14 year old, is graduating from middle school. Time waits for no one - so my husband and I consciously made the decision when they were toddlers that we would take wonderful vacations throughout their childhood to make memories, strengthen our family bonds and show them the world.
The vacations do not need to be elaborate. They do not need to cost an arm and a leg. But they do need to be well thought out because half the fun is in the planning. Involve your children as much as you can. The anticipation and experience of getting to your destination is almost as important as being there. As a former flight attendant and as an avid traveler, I have some tried and true advice for like-minded "traveling family circuses."
1. Pack light. No matter the destination, travel as light as you possibly can. If you are traveling for 7 days, halve that number to determine how many outfits you need. That will mean you may have to wear some outfits twice, but that's okay. If your destination is hot and humid, then you won't need to pack bulkier items like a parka or long coat. In that case, pack at least 1 T-shirt per day, but plan on wearing your jeans or shorts at least twice. My rule is a single backpack and 1 rolling suitcase per person. Even when we went to Europe in the winter, we managed to stick to that rule.
2. Wear your souvenirs. My kids have enjoyed picking out T-shirts from the various places we have traveled. Their friends tend to sport name brand clothes emblazoned with the company logo. My kids prefer to stand apart from the crowd with T-shirts that have a unique graphic that reminds them of our travels. And since we tend to pack light my kids bring a shirt that is ready to be tossed and leave that behind to replace with their new purchase. Continued on Yahoo! Shine
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