You’ve likely watched a video or two of parents surprising their kids with a dream vacation. Even if you haven’t, you can imagine the children’s response. The news is often met with happy tears and a lot of questions.
If you want to give your children the same type of gift, there are some ways to go about it to make it as stress-free as possible for all parties involved. The following guide makes choosing a family-friendly destination easier, too. That way, you know you’ve made the right choice by deciding to surprise your kids with a travel experience of a lifetime.
Five clever ways to get your kids prepared for vacation include:
1. Hosting a vacation reveal party.
It works for babies and could be a clever way to share where you’re going with your children and family. Rather than end the occasion with pink or blue, why not have it be two different destinations? As everyone tries to guess where they’re going, excitement builds. You can even decorate the way they do at a gender reveal party by incorporating travel into the event.
2. Creating a destination-themed scavenger hunt.
Give the kids a list of items to find and retrieve. Tie in your vacation destination in the objects you select to include on the lists. At the end of the time permitted to ‘scavenge,’ reveal where you plan on taking the kids. Explain why each item had a place on the list so it helps them understand its importance.
3. Allowing them to pick a souvenir in advance.
Make it something they can wear on the trip. It’s one less thing you need to buy along the way and you can immediately pack it in their suitcase or have them wear it the day of departure in an attempt to save time. Buying a souvenir in advance ensures that you’re not paying astronomically high prices for something with a cartoon character or funny saying on it, too. You’ll have more selection to choose from and less pressure to spend four times what you would normally spend on a shirt or hat back home because you’re on vacation.
4. By getting a map of the area, sitting down, and studying it.
Most children don’t even know what a map looks like up close. They’ve spent a lot of time seeing digital copies of them. Getting a road atlas or map of the country you’re planning on visiting is easy. Once the item is in your possession, you can plan to sit down and look at it in detail with your kids.
5. By helping them choose a few activities to do while away from home.
It makes them a part of the planning process which gets them ready for the trip. They have something to look forward to doing, and you won’t lose valuable time wondering how you’ll spend your time once you do arrive at your destination. You’ll have a well-planned itinerary of events to experience.
Get your kids psyched about vacation. The anticipation will be unreal! You’ve now got some ideas to try out to prepare them for your next big trip. That way, they’re just as ready and willing to leave home as you are.
