Family,  General

Tips for Your Best Family Trips

May 13, 2020 / 54 Comments

Are you looking to plan a family trip? If so, you’ll want to read this blog post on my best tips for family trips! I’ve done many family trips over the years, including those with distant relatives and our own children. Based on my ‘lessons learned’, I have some useful tips when planning these kinds of family trips.

Get Agreement On What Everyone Wants

The best trips are those where family members have some input and help with the planning. It’s too easy for parents to decide where to go and then force the kids to join along. As I’ve said over the years, when the children are happy, everyone is happy.

Family walk in Lagos, Portugal in 2015

So, the first thing I would suggest is to have a chat with your family and ask them what they want to do. Where do they want to go? Which activities do they want to do on vacation?

Once you have everyone’s input, you will need to come to a consensus that pleases everyone. We have five children between my partner and me. Their age difference is nine years from the youngest to the oldest. As they aged, it became more difficult to find similar activities that pleased everyone equally.

Biking trip in the Ionian Islands of Greece in 2016

Entertaining teenagers looks very different from entertaining an eight-year-old. There is no easy solution if this is your current situation. One possible option is to book vacations at all-inclusive resorts which offer fun activities and ‘clubs’ for all ages. Club-Med is a great example. I’ve personally never been to a Club-Med with my family but have heard many good things from friends who did this regularly. Another example is a cruise where they also have ‘clubs’ and activities for different age groups.

Our gang on a boat ride in a grotto in Greece in 2016

If you like camping, this could be a great option for everyone to enjoy the experience of being outdoors in nature together. We’ve been a few times to a place in France called Center Parcs. It’s a bit like camping in a wilderness area with many trees and lakes, but you stay in nice comfortable cottages. There are many activities there for families to enjoy, like mini-golf, swimming, biking, horseback riding, and bowling. The best thing about this place is that no cars are allowed in the park, so it’s very safe to get around on bikes or walking.

The whole gang at Center Parcs France in 2011

We’ve tried many different ideas for family trips. Some of the best have been those involving a physical activity such as surfing. If kids are occupied with daily lessons and good ole physical activity, they usually have a lot of fun.

Surfing in Peniche, Portugal in 2019

I’ve mentioned in several of my blog posts that our best family trips were the biking trips where we slept on a boat and toured different islands. We did this in Croatia and Greece with our children. Everything is organized for your bike tours and meals. You also have free time to chill out. Our children loved these family trips and we did too.

Our Croatia bike and boating trip in 2017

My take-away point on this tip is that it is important to ask, assess, and make a final decision that will satisfy everyone. We have a saying… ‘No involvement, no commitment’. If family members have no involvement in the process of planning, they will not be committed to having a good time.

Balance ‘Together-Time’ and ‘Downtime’

This is a tip that we’ve had to apply over the years. If you plan too many activities or excursions with everyone the entire time, you tend to get on each other’s nerves. Everyone needs downtime to do only what they want to do.

Kids especially need time to play by themselves or get on their smartphones for pleasure. Parents need time to have a peaceful conversation over a nice glass of wine at the end of the day. Grandparents need time to rest and recover from the on-the-go outings.

Enjoying a nice lunch in Algarve, Portugal in 2015

We’ve taken our parents with us on different trips in the past. One trip was with my mom and our three oldest children. We flew to California and did a tour from Los Angeles to San Francisco (you can read more about that road trip on my blog post here).

My mom and our three oldest daughters in San Franciso in 2010

We also took Mike’s mom with us twice to Portugal, once to the Algarve Lagos region, and another time to Madeira (I just wrote about that trip in my latest blog here). You can see our videos on my dedicated Portugal page.

Mike’s mom with us in Algarve, Portugal in 2015

When traveling with older parents, it is important that they have time to relax, unwind, and rest. Being around grandchildren 24×7 can be quite tiresome. On the positive side, these trips are quite special as grandparents get to be part of the daily family experience and enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.

Organize Physical Activities

This tip may not be possible for everyone, but one thing I’ve learned is that when we combine any type of physical activity with family trips, we stay entertained and have a lot of fun!

Biking trip in Greece in 2016

These physical activities can be easy or a bit adventurous. On various trips with our kids and our parents, we’ve done hiking, biking, white water rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and surfing. You can find many organized tours that include various adventurous activities to fit all age groups. Check out GAdventures.com or TourRadar.com for some ideas.

Kayaking the caves of Algarve, Portugal in 2015

We did an all-day canoe trip with my mom, sister, and my daughters on a creek near Panama City Beach, Florida. What a fun outing it was! We brought a picnic and stopped along the way to eat and swim. I think these unique experiences make for good memories.

All of us in the canoes in Florida in 2016

Another example of organizing physical activity with family is when I went rollerskating with my sister, brothers, and niece when visiting them in Florida. We had so much fun getting back on rollerskates after so many years. We are never too old to enjoy some fun exercise activities! Even if my 76-year-old mom chose not to risk getting on skates, she was there to take videos and enjoy the fun.

Me, my sister, and brother in 2013

If some of your family members can’t participate in the more energetic activities, you could plan some outings which are more laid back. An example would be a boat ride to do whale/dolphin watching. We organized an outing like this in Madeira, Portugal. It was great fun for all ages.

Watching dolphins from our zodiac boat in Madeira, Portugal, 2017

So, when you are planning your family trip, think about what kind of active excursions you could include that everyone would enjoy doing together.

Take Group Family Photos

It may seem silly at the time, but organizing and taking group family photos is special. You are creating memories that will last a lifetime. You could enlarge and frame the photos for each family member as a keepsake.

My brothers, mother, sister and me in Florida in 2013

When we’ve had family reunions over the years, we always try to organize at least one group photo with everyone in it. You could ask a friend or passerby to take the photo for you if you don’t have a tripod.

Our best group pics have been at sunset on the beach. We would all try to wear similar color clothing for the pictures. Is this only an American thing to do?! Nevertheless, I think wearing similar colors is a nice way to show togetherness and unity.

Photo of my family in Florida in 2019

A side-tip related to this one is for AFTER the trip. You could create a photo book or video that shows all the fun times during the family trip. I love to do this online and share it with my family afterward. It’s a convenient reminder of the special memories you made together. You can see some of my annual vacation recap videos here.

Stay Together Under One Roof

One way to save money and optimize the experience of a family vacation is to book a house or apartment where everyone stays in the same place. By doing this, you get to spend more time together. You wake up together, have breakfast together, and end your day together. I really like this option.

Our rental house on the southern coast of France in 2012

I’ve used websites like VRBO or Airbnb to find larger places that can sleep up to seven or eight people. This option is usually cheaper than booking separate hotel rooms. You also save money by preparing and eating your meals in your rental home.

Our rental house and pool in Lagos, Portugal in 2015

The best places we’ve booked have included a private swimming pool. After spending the day sightseeing or doing excursions, a refreshing swim makes everyone happy. Of course, you’ll pay more money for this private pool option, but I think it is definitely worth it to make for a special vacation.

Our rental house on the coast of Madeira, Portugal in 2018

If staying all together in one place is ‘too close for comfort’ for you, you can opt to get apartments or condo units in the same resort. This way, everyone is relatively close but has their own space when they want it. I’ve done these kinds of arrangements with friends and family, and it worked very well.

What are Your Tips for Family Trips?

Happy with their family trip in Croatia in 2017
Click on the image above to save it to Pinterest!

I’d love to hear other ideas of tips for your best family trips and how to make family vacations the best possible experience. Drop a line in the comments below to share.

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!

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