10 Super Cool Travel Tips

How to Make this the Best trip of your Life!
29 Tips to the Most Amazing Holiday Ever

PREGAME TIPS

• Ask the kids Where do they want to go? You might be surprised. Play Zenga’s Words on Tour for this week’s game night and dream together as a family.
•  Pick 3 places Each parent picks their three dream destinations and the kids decide on two favorites, one from each parent. Spend the month researching the top spots, then surprise your family with the trip as birthday and/or holiday gifts.
•  Child’s play We’re all busy and travel can seem like a luxury. But, when you ask your adult kids about their favorite memories, lots of times vacations rise to the top. So help your kids help you get there, and teach them how to save too! Got some spare change? Everyone contributes to the kitty.
•  Get crafty Have fun on a rainy afternoon and decorate the travel kitty. Maybe every kid gets their own, an especially good idea for souvenirs. Use whatever you have on hand, maybe a jelly or peanut butter jar, and decorate––paint, decoupage vacation-inspired magazine clippings, etch glass, glue sequins. The most important thing is to get-er-done and get the whole family involved.

TRIP TIPS

• Seek Bit of bad luck? You’ll begin to find spontaneity refreshing. Look at setbacks as opportunities. The museum closed? No problem. Open up the map, close your eyes and point. Be flexible and playful when unscripted situations threaten to derail your good time. There’s something even better waiting for you to experience if you just see where the day takes you.
• Say yes When in doubt say yes. Go to that new park you heard about from the person on the plane. Don’t make excuses for not going the extra mile to accept an invitation or take an extra excursion. You won’t regret the adventure.
• Say no Take time to just be. This is a vacation, after all.

• Show-and-Tell These can be the best trips where parents share places in the world that they loved visiting as a child. This type of travel can be adventurous and even educational. Share your memories with your kids on the visit. 
• Get a bucket You’ve heard of the bucket list? Well, while getting ready to go, why don’t you use one to hold your research. Keep it all in one place and have different members of the family add to it when they find something amazing. Make this everyone’s trip. 
• Upside-down You’d be surprised how just hanging upside-down relieves your muscle tension on long road-trips or even when you get to your hotel room after a long flight. If you’re able, join the kids in headstands or handstands. Extra points if you don’t need a wall to hold you up. If needs be just lie on the ground and raise your legs up the wall. Enjoy.
• Open doors Be polite. We’re all in a rush, especially when we’re traveling. Take that extra second to wish someone a good morning and ask how they are doing before requesting information or chit-chatting. The gesture sets a tone of graciousness that infuses your trip. You never know where it might take you.  
• Be afraid Do something that scares you. Not something that isn’t safe, of course, but take the family out of their comfort zone. Whatever that looks like for all of you––kayaking, cycling, hiking, snorkeling. Go for it!
• Joy Find one over-the-top surprise to spring on the family that’s “off-the-menu.” It doesn’t have to be extravagant, just fun––cupcakes in the park, a midnight trip to a waffle shop (or sushi place). Whatever you come up with, it will undoubtedly be the talk of the trip.

• Help Don’t get frustrated. Keep your cool. Maybe even try enjoying that you thought you were headed in the right direction. Perhaps you’ll want or need to see something that’s in this uncharted territory. In any case, just ask for help.
• Smile Start a conversation with your fellow tour members. You might find that you have more in common than you thought. Open up and find a friend for life.
• Noise Two words––ear plugs. Trust me, you’ll not regret them. You never know what snore-filled, construction happy, tuba playing situation you might come up against in the middle of the night. These might just save your trip.
• Beyond Do something you’ve always dreamed of doing but just never seem to have time for––dance, play a new instrument, climb, ski, surf, learn how to bake croissants. Whatever it is, go beyond what you’ve done before.
• Get lost Spend a day getting lost in your surroundings and see where the day takes you. Bonus points if it’s dusk and you have to ask strangers for help getting back to your hotel or apartment.
• Laugh Visit a local fair, concert, or zoo and find something to laugh about. A kid-friendly comedy or magic act always let’s the good times roll.
• Cards Pack a deck and enjoy late-night fun with the whole family. Or use them to pass time during delays and long waits. Do not leave home without them.
• Snacks to-go Never leave empty-handed. Carry granola bars, apples or one of your family’s favorite to-go, go-to snacks. They’ll be a great budget-saver during longer days when you might be tempted to splurge on expensive snacks just to tide you over.
• Take off A couple things to bring for take off include a small pouch of disinfectant wipes and Airborne. Pop an Airborne tablet in a water bottle and drink the extra boost of vitamin C before take off. When you find your seats, wipe down the exposed surfaces close to you and your family. It’s a healthy one-two punch.

• Keep it going Bring a journal to write in or a sketchbook to sketch in, however you and your family enjoy recording trips. Just a sentence or sketch each day will be treasured over the years. Sketching and writing about a place allows you to see the it in a new way.
• King King for a day is always fun. Take turns passing the crown.
• Queen Queen for a day is even better. Pass the tiara.
• Binoculars You never know when you’ll need to get a better look at a tropical bird, or dolphins jumping offshore, no wait, it’s a whale! They’ll come in handy in the wild or in the big city.
• Secret spy Do some intel on the weird and/or bizarre facts about your destination. They might lead you to discover a new interest or help you find an activity to do together as a family that you never would have thought about before.
• A plan It’s true that the dollars spent on vacation are some of your most valuable, so why not get an itinerary together to make sure you take advantage of every fun-filled minute. Some things to watch out for when planning your getaway are the days and hours must-see monuments and museums are open. Don’t be stuck in a city where everything you want to see is closed.
• Legends and myths Have fun looking a little deeper into local history. Explore some of the famous sites of local legends and mysteries. Some of these can incorporate the destination’s unique lifestyle features like sailing the high seas, or going deep into a city’s underbelly. Get your detective on and have fun.

Bon voyage!

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