1. Over-packing

Do you really need five pairs of jeans? Does your trip to one of the most beautiful Alabama resorts truly require you to bring along fifteen necklaces and a dozen bracelets?

We’re all guilty of overpacking from time to time; don’t let a too-heavy suitcase weigh down your family vacation getaway. Instead, pack mix-and-match apparel that will be versatile, but not in the way.

2. Over-planning

It’s easy to want to see everything at the best family vacation spots around the country; however, it’s not possible and will only exhaust you if you try.

Choose a maximum of two places to go each day of your family vacation getaway. And if you have kids, you may want to just stick with one tourist attraction; they tend to become restless and cranky otherwise.

3. Over-exerting

You never go to the gym, but you’re dying to scuba dive, parasail, water ski and snorkel during your [...]

1. Business Cards

You might think you’ll never need a business card while enjoying one of those best family vacation spots. This is limited thinking, though!

Bring a few business cards to exchange wherever you go during your next family vacation getaway. Hey, you never know who will be sitting next to you in that fancy restaurant… or lying beside you at the beach!

2. Your Resume and/or CV (Curriculum Vitae)

Like business cards, you might assume that a family vacation getaway could never be a place to drop your resume or CV… but you might want to guess again. Plenty of people have traveled to a spot, fallen in love with it, and then decided to move there permanently.

Make sure your credentials are updated and polished. Oh, and keep them in a manila envelope or folder so they aren’t crunched up between bottles of shampoo and baby wipes!

3. A List of Friends’ [...]

ALERT!:

This is a post directed to all those teens out there who want to have the best family vacation this summer but are worried about how to do that AND get along with nagging parents, annoying siblings and visits to museums of natural boredom.

There IS a way to make sure you don’t fall asleep for the whole time you’re at your Tennessee log cabin or South Carolina resort.

Travel Tips for Teens #1: Play Along

Okay, so your dad really wants to go to some old house that was built about nine million years ago and you could care less. You COULD mope and groan and make everyone miserable… but that wouldn’t get you anywhere. Instead, play along with your dad’s big adventure. Ironically, if you think positively, you’re more likely to enjoy the family vacation getaway, even as you’re hearing a tour guide say “antique” for about the fiftieth time.

Travel Tips [...]

Babies are awfully cute when they gurgle, coo, laugh and sleep. But they aren’t known for being the best family vacation getaway companions. That’s why you need to be prepared!

“Baby’s Best Family Vacation” Travel Tips from GuestQuest:

TAKE TOYS! — No, wait. Make that “take favorite toys”. If Junior loves his old, beat-up teddy bear with the missing eye, you’d be wise to ensure it makes the journey from your home to your family vacation destination.

KEEP A ROUTINE — Okay, this can be tough, especially when you want your family vacation getaway to include lots of late nights exploring the moonlit beach or the thumping city nightlife. However, if you want to remember your journey with fondness, it’ll behoove you to stick to routines as much as possible.

AVOID TRAINING BABY DURING THE TRIP — Think you’ll introduce “the potty” during your visit [...]

You’ve envisioned the perfect

family vacation getaway.

You’ve planned it for months.

You’ve detailed every aspect of it, from beginning to end.

It’s going to be perfect, right?

*ahem…*

Anyone who has ever been on a trip knows doggone well that there will always be unexpected bumps in the road. And if you’re the type of person who can’t be flexible, your best family vacation could turn into a not-so-terrific experience.

So how do you make certain that you don’t wind up sulking in Canadian hotels during this summer’s holiday vacation? Try these travel tips:

• Have a very “loose” itinerary. Sure, you’re staying at one of those fabulous Delaware condominiums, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have the opportunity to see every attraction the state has to offer!
• Allow others in your party to have their own schedules. If you [...]

It may already be August, but “sun and fun” season is still in full swing!

If you’re planning to head to the shore anytime soon, it’s a good idea to put some thought behind packing for your family beach vacations.

Packing Tip #1. Leave Something Behind

Your house needn’t look vacant after you pack up your car or van. Regardless if you’re headed to a Florida vacation condo or similar family vacation spot, plan to only take what’s necessary. Often, that means merely a few changes of clothing (especially if you’ll have access to a washer/dryer) per person, minimal amount of toiletries, just necessary prescriptions, towels and bedding (perhaps) and one or two personal items (e.g., books, magazines.)

#2: Don’t Bring Mega Bottles of Certain Items

Why bring a full-size bottle of shampoo or conditioner to your Virginia lodging destination? Invest in travel-sized containers, buy “sample” products, or simply purchase these types of items when [...]

It may sound like an impossible dream, but you absolutely can have the best family vacation getaway of your life even if you’re bringing a brood of energetic youngsters with you.

Whether you’re heading to a South Carolina resort or taking a journey to Paris, France, you have the power to make your trip fantastic regardless of number of kids in your group.

What’s the secret? It’s quite simple: Have reasonable travel objectives.

Often, the biggest problem isn’t that your children are behaving like tots (e.g., crying at inopportune moments, pitching fits at airports, requesting potty breaks every 20 minutes.) The dilemma is that most adults expect too much of their youngsters. They want their family vacation getaway to mirror their romantic getaways to the Canadian hotels they took pre-parenthood… but that’s just not [...]