1. Don’t spend the week complaining

Yeah, it’s tough when your family beach vacations get rained out, but griping about it ad nauseum does nothing for your collective morale.

Instead of yipping and yapping about what you can’t do, focus on what you can.

2. Don’t stop disciplining your kids

You’ve seen them – the parents who virtually allow their kids to get away with murder on a trip.

To maintain the structure of your best family vacations, don’t get too lax about your expectations. Sure, your eight-year-old might not need to go to bed at nine, but that doesn’t give him or her the right to back-talk just because you’re not at home.

3. Don’t spend money you don’t have

“Hey! That looks good! Let’s put it on the credit card!”
“Why bother to worry about money? We’re on our family vacation getaway!”
“Dinner tonight? We’ll head to the fanciest restaurant we can find!”

The secret to having a great experience while vacationing is to remember that you’re not made of money. It’s fine to spend a little more than you normally would, but don’t rack up so many bills that it’ll take you another year to pay them off.

4. Don’t eat and eat and eat

Just like your bills piling up, it’s easy to pack on the pounds when away from home.

Strict dieting isn’t necessary (unless ordered by a physician); do allow yourself a treat once in a while during your family vacation getaway. But don’t stuff yourself, or you’ll regret it later.