by JP Shaw

Created on: March 05, 2008   Last Updated: March 30, 2008

Being Prepared Makes Room for Enjoyment on a Family Vacation.

Where to go? What to bring? How to get there? Will there be activities for the kids? How much will it cost? Planning a summer family vacation can be about as stressful as being caged with a tiger without a tranquilizer gun. If you aren't prepared, don't have a plan or haven't figured out what you want to do. You will wind up wasting precious days trying to invent solutions to problems that could arise.

So what are the key ingredients to planning a successful summer (family) vacation? Well for starters, a little bit of research will go a long way.

Last year my family and I had a wedding to go to in Victoria, British Columbia. We had to take a ferry to get there; being it's on an island. We had no family to stay with. We had no idea how long it would take, how much it was going to cost or what activities there were for us to enjoy in a city we'd never experienced before. Excited because this was going to be our first real family vacation with our boys (ages eight and a year and half) we decided the first thing we had to do was investigate our options.

Utilize the Internet: Google is one of the fastest growing search engines, and one of my favorites for searching for anything the heart desires. I began by doing a background search on the city we were going to be visiting.

Almost every city in the world has a homepage. News, information, lodging, weather, maps, accommodations and attractions can be found on a cities web page, and if there isn't a web page for the city you can bet there is a blog or site with information from someone who has been where you want to go with tips on what to bring, the best places to stay, what to look out for and things to do.

Make a list: Not everyone likes to make a list when planning something. When you have kids though, making a list can be a life-saver, especially if something unexpected arises. Think of things that might happen on the trip, even ones that seem far-fetched.

The car breaks down. The hotel you booked is under construction. Your wallet gets stolen. Do you have those important phone numbers you might need if you fall into trouble? What if one of the kids gets sick? Do you know where the hospitals are? Did you pack the diapers and cans of extra food? Many of us don't think of these things when planning a trip.

The most important thing to do is homework. Know the place you are going to by finding out the information you need. Sit down as a family and discuss your options, what activities you'd like to do together and whether everything fits into your budget. Make room for life's little mishaps. But above all have fun planning because summer only comes once a year, and each day you spend together as a family enjoying one another is more important than where you go.

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