Family vacations are amazing opportunities to create lasting memories and share new experiences together. You can choose to take your family to a new place that none of you have ever been to before to experience a new culture, or you might want to have an adventure-filled time full of outdoor activities.
No matter what you are planning, you will have your hands full with organizing everything from packing to travel to accommodation. In fact, the thought of planning your vacation might be making your head spin. Without taking the right amount of time to plan things accordingly, your fun family vacation can easily get derailed.
Here are three things you can do to make your next family vacation a bit easier.
1. Keep Your Time at the Airport Short
One of the most stressful things about traveling with your family is managing to get through the airport without any mishaps. You need to be there in plenty of time to check any bags, get through security, and find your gate, but ultimately you don’t want to be there any longer than necessary.
To make your time at the airport more efficient, there are a few things you can do. Start by working out your parking ahead of time. Nothing can add time to your visit to the airport like having to drive around looking for space. The cost of parking in certain lots is nothing to take lightly either. It is far better to reserve a space before going to the airport so that you can park quickly and get to the check-in counter without any hassle. You can find parking based on what airport you are flying out of, such as Atlanta airport parking.
Once you are in the airport, you will have to face even more lines at the check-in counter, baggage check, and security checkpoint. All these things can be expedited a bit, though, with a little advanced planning. You can check-in online before you ever at the airport and present your boarding pass at the gate using your smartphone. You can also potentially register for TSA pre-check so that you and your family can bypass the security line.
It might be a challenge, but limiting your luggage to carry-ons only can eliminate the need to stand in the bag-check line before your flight. This measure also has the added bonus of reducing your time at your destination airport since you won’t have to wait for your bags at the baggage claim.
2. Make an Itinerary
There are some vacations that are perfect for just going with the flow and doing whatever you feel like on any given day. Then there are family vacations. Anyone who has ever traveled with their family will tell you that it is far better to plan out your itinerary in advance so that you can keep the kids entertained and happy for the entire trip.
Start by researching the place that you are going to visit. Are there outdoor activities that you can plan on doing or interesting tours that you can book ahead of time? Make sure to plan time for meals throughout your day too as a fun family day can easily be derailed by irritability resulting from hunger.
3. Make a Packing List for Each Person
Packing is another stressful aspect of going on a family vacation. You don’t want to overpack, but you certainly don’t want to forget anything important. The solution is to make a packing list for each person in your family to follow. Double-check the lists before leaving for the airport so that you can ensure that everyone has what they need.
