2 of 18

Write now Article Tools

As summer quickly approaches - we all start dreaming about lazy days at the ocean. Or we imagine the perfect camping trip - with a mountain hike or swimming at the lake.

However, when summer finally arrives and we embark on our long-awaited trip - we find ourselves sitting in a traffic jam in the middle of a sweltering 90 degree heat, with the kids arguing in the back seat, and the engine temperature rising. As our carefully planned vacation falls apart even before we arrive at our destination, we curse under our breath: "I am NEVER going to do this again!"

Yet we always come back for more.

The end to this viscous cycle is not better planning, but better organizing. Planning is what got you into this mess in the first place.

* Avoid Planning an Itinerary *

My wife and I took our children on a 5-day vacation to Disney last year - a vacation we had spent the last five years planning. We believed we had accounted for everything. We'd made reservations for lunch and supper each day, and we had scheduled which parks to visit on which days in order to take advantage of their "extra magic" hours.

Once we were there - after two days of getting up before 7 a.m., and then staying up late to take advantage of the extra evening hours - my wife ended up sick in bed. The rest of the vacation was virtually ruined. My kids and I tried to make the best of it - but it just wasn't the same without their mother.

The moral is this - put away the schedule.

* Organize Your Summer Trip *

The secret to a successful summer vacation is to remember that your goal is to relax. Your ability to enjoy your vacation and feel rejuvenated afterward depends on whether or not you are well prepared for the unexpected. Planning based on a schedule does just the opposite - it makes the unexpected ruin your entire vacation.

Don't plan - organize. The following tips will ensure that your entire vacation, from start to finish, goes exactly how you dream it will.

1. Provide interesting entertainment for the kids during the ride.

If this means you need to go out and purchase a DVD player with two screens that fit in your car - do it. The headaches that it will save will be well worth it. For the length of a movie - kids will completely forget that they are tired, hungry or even that they have to go to the bathroom. What this means is that the trip will be silent for you - so that you can enjoy the scenery and concentrate on not getting lost.

2. Plan for basic necessities to avoid having to stop the car.

Nothing stretches

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Summer family fun: Start planning now?
We want to hear your view. Write now!