Don’t we all want to do this? The best part about taking a vacation is meeting the locals. A family vacation is the perfect opportunity to teach children how to make friends. If your kids are shy, help them to be more extroverted. They may resist at first. But it’s up to moms and dads to be the catalyst for their children, if they want them to have a vacation they’ll remember.

Family Vacation: How to Make New Friends and Memories of a Lifetime

Make friends and memories on your family vacation. Ask someone to take the family photo. Photo credit: Herman Brinkman

Smile at people

Smiling is a great way to make new friends and memories on your family vacation. You’re on vacation which is reason enough to smile. Remember … a smile can brighten someone’s day!

Ask someone to take a picture of your family

Instead of mom and or dad taking a photo (they won’t be in the photo), ask a local to snap a photo of your family. This way everyone will be in the picture at the same time.

Start a conversation with people while you wait in line

Instead of sticking to yourselves, start a conversation with the people around you. Take an interest in the locals and their community. You never know, you may meet another family who has the same interests and values that your does.

Have your kids play with other kids at the park

Most U.S. and European cities have parks. Have your kids meet and play with other kids. Get to know other parents. Have a chat. Be friendly.

Enroll the family in a cooking class

It could be fun to learn how to cook different meals, and kids will benefit from learning how to cook. Remember, kids grow up. They’ll be moving out and heading off to college and will need to learn how to cook their own meals.

Ask for directions

This is another way to meet the locals. It’s okay to stop and ask for directions during your family vacation. Sometimes, GPS doesn’t provide accurate directions. It’s better to stop and ask someone before you and your family gets lost.

Find out where the locals eat

If you want to know where to take the family to dinner, ask the locals where they take their families. Not only will your family have a great time and enjoy delicious meals, but you could save money when you eat out.

Connecting with others on your family vacation spices up your travel experience; kids learn how to meet and greet people. This is a good way to get them and you out of your comfort zones. If you journal or create a scrapbook about your family vacation, you may be surprised how much fun everyone had. These are memorable souvenirs the whole family will enjoy year after year.

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