It is almost summertime! The beginning of spring marks the beginning of vacation planning. Last year David took his first trip to Florida with me, isn’t that the cutest darned picture ever? We went to Sea World and had a total blast!
Traveling with a baby was not very difficult at all. Since he was a breastfed baby, he nursed quite a bit and that kept him very happy on the plane. The biggest trouble was hauling my luggage around with David’s car seat on top.
I am already dreaming of fun family vacations now that Lizzie and David are getting older. I promised Lizzie that when she turned 5 years old she could go to Disney World. I was hoping she’d forget, but what child forgets a promise to go see the real Disney Princesses?
So as I sat dreaming about a family vacation to Disney world or an accommodation at the Carmel By The Sea hotels, I thought I’d share some creative ways to plan vacations with you! Please share any of your creative and fun vacation ideas with me too, I might use them next year when my kids are a tad older.
1. Sneak in the Education
Unless you have kids that really love learning, you might want to find a way to make the learning a lot more fun on the vacation. So do things that are really fun like scuba diving at freestyledivers.me and visiting national parks. Keep the activity level high and they won’t feel bored, like they are being taught things.
2. Let the kid’s pick (within reason)
Have a family meeting and let the kids write down on slips of paper were they want to go. Put the papers into a hat and then draw! This will create a really fun itinerary. Just make sure you all agree on a certain area first so you don’t end up drawing Hawaii and Florida.
3. Plan an Oscars Inspired Itinerary
Take a look at some of the Oscar-award winning films from this year and plan on a trip to those sites! Perhaps a trip to see Swan Lake in New York City (Black Swan) or Santa Fe, NM (True Grit). If you have younger children like I do, then you can’t go wrong with Disney World. I can’t wait to see David’s eyes pop out of his head when he sees the Buzz Lightyear and Woody attractions!
4. Take a Cruise
Ok, this is the least creative of the bunch, but cruises have all you need. I have never been on a cruise and I am dying to try one. You can see some gorgeous sites and enjoy a wide variety of fun activities. I found some great tips from All-Travel.com – it has a huge selection of cruises and vacation packages. Sometimes you just gotta let someone else do the planning if you are too busy.
What are some fun vacations you have taken? Are you planning one this year?
Annie,
You got lucky. Just Disney World….Noah and I are going on a Disney Cruise for his 5th birthday. It was an idea I came up with when I was in the hospital shortly before or after he was born. Our birthday’s are 8 days a part and I turn 30 the same year he turns 5. I thought they were both milestone birthdays. Thanks for the great tips.
Disney cruise? Now that sounds really fun! Lizzie just wants to see the princesses up close. I’d love to go on a cruise, that would be making both of us happy 🙂
Feel free to take me along! You know, you might need help wrangling those kids of yours 😉
The last 7 years we’ve been obsessed with the Disney cruise line – we have done approximately 1 each year since 2004.
Our most favorite was last April when we helped ‘move’ the ship from Florida to the Mediterranean for their summer itineraries there. It was phenomenal, and cheap because they had to move the ship anyway, so the cabin prices were really really affordable. We got 7 days at sea with all the Disney magic, and then we visited ports in Portugal, Gibraltar and Spain. Almost a year has passed since we first went aboard for that cruise, and every day I think about it!.
This year we’re going to Alaska with Mickey. I think my parents might join us for this one, since we don’t live near them, it will be a fun time for all of us to be together with neither of us worrying about dinners and cleaning, etc.!
Great tips! We haven’t ever had a family vacation, need one badly!
Great tips! While my daughter is young we’re planning more low key vacations in kid-friendly locales. Taking my daughter on an airplane at 2 is not my idea of fun so all of our vacations for the foreseeable future will be within driving distance. Lucky for us, we’re used to driving and have our road trip routine down. I’m thinking another vacation to Florida is in order for this summer. My grandma is 82 and it’s nice to be able to combine a trip to the beach with seeing family.