As published in The Florida Villager.
A Fun Travel Plan Idea
Typically, the parents plan the vacation and the kids tag along. How about doing something different this coming year that really gets the kids involved? I’ve talked about having a vision board for yourself but this is different. Each child makes his own, which can include just activities that they would like to do, specific places, time of year, type of accommodations or anything else they want to include. They can cut and paste pictures, younger children can use markers and crayons, while older kids can surf the web. Once everyone has their board done, make their favorite dinner, sit down and have each share their board. It is an ingenious way to stimulate conversation by asking them why they would want to do a certain activity or what is drawing them to a particular destination. If a child has listed only activities, start a discussion on where he thinks those types of activities could be done, think low-key geography lesson. It’s also a way to interject finances and talk about the cost of the trip. It’s never too early to make kids aware that vacations have a price tag. Look to see if there is anything in common between the boards and if not, talk about how you as a family can compromise on activities and places.
To take it a step further, let’s say Jimmy has listed 10 activities he is dying to do. Have him put the board up on his wall and as he does the activity, whether on vacation or just throughout the year, have him check it off. This can be a visual motivator for them to get out and accomplish a goal, along with a fun way to keep track of their memories throughout the year.
Technology has caused things to be somewhat impersonal and lack the luster of being ‘special’. For example, getting Christmas cards, now we get a text. Forget getting a beautiful invitation through the mail, we now get an evite. Thank you notes are a thing from a different era. Making travel plans are no different. Instead of sitting quietly flipping through a magazine filled with beautiful pictures, we sit at a desk or in bed with a computer and hit keys. Then we book the trip, download our tickets and off we go. There is no build up, nothing ‘special’ because we really haven’t engaged.
For your next family vacation, try this fun travel idea, I bet it will add a wonderful , special addition to the vacation.