When it comes to taking vacations your family may not have the time or money to do a long distance travel or something expensive, but don’t let this stop you from going on vacation.
This year, we did some simple local vacations using Cabins and car driving.
But how do you go about planning a local trip? Where do you start? I am going to give you my family tips on planning a local driving vacation.
Decide on a destination that has some things you would like to do as a family. This is important since you may hear from your friends that Legoland is wonderful but what if no one in your family is into Legos, well then it probably isn’t somewhere you should go or the beach if your family hates sand and water, it makes no sense to go there; so choose wisely.
Pick Activities for every member of the family. My family is active; I love to hike and my kid’s love water so selecting a hike to a lake where they can swim, allows for most of the family to be happy. On our latest trip, we went to Pinecrest Lake and we hiked to a swimming hole where the kids got to swim.
Hit up some local tourist spots. Many people will get all elitist and say oh that spot is so touristy so I don’t want to go there, but the reason people go there is because it is usually pretty awesome. On our trip to Pinecrest lake, we also took the time to see the old mining town of Colombia and go to Moaning Cavern’s (both are gems that are only a few hours away).
Do something educational. Ok, I know that sounds boring but you want to make it fun and here is what I mean; doing things like eating food which was eaten back in the old days or wearing clothes from a time long ago or seeing art from the masters which expands everyone’s brain and makes for well rounded individuals. (Educational doesn’t mean you have to sit with books for hours). We did gold panning at Columbia park and my kid’s loved it so much, they did it for 2 hours. We also did a stage Coach ride to experience how people used to travel by stage coach.
Eat yummy food. I really love food and trying new things. When traveling in a new area, Yelp is a great resource for finding those hidden gems. We love Alicia’s Sugar Shack on our recent trip to Pinecrest lake.
If you buy souvenirs, make them unique and memorable not junk. I only try to buy things we will use or things that remind us about where we have been. Secret: we have a smashed penny collection and we have found them at zoos, little towns and museums. The kids love to look and see where we have been as a family. On our trip this summer we also bought the girls sling shots which we are enjoying on my parents farm and they are getting much better aim.
So, when I planned this recent trip, I got a cabin with a view and for my family, I planned an easy to cook menu for all of us. Then I picked only one activity per day so that it actually felt more like a vacation than a hardcore trip. And we had an absolute blast with just simple things some days and more complex things other days. So, start planning and keep it simple, it may not be a fancy Hawaii trip, but it can be just as memorable.
Comments