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Planning Ahead is Key to a Fun Family Vacation
Apr 07 2009 by Kristin Varela
My 6-year-old daughter and I recently ventured to Hawaii for some one-on-one time (don’t get too impressed; it was cheaper than staying on-continent). Because I was traveling solo with her, I wanted to make the trip as easy as possible on myself. After a few, uh-hem, shall we say minor roadblocks, we had a great time. Here are some things I learned along the way and a few tips for planning your next family vacation.
Transportation: Check into all your transportation options before leaving on your vacation. You might be able to avoid the cost of renting a car and the hassle of schlepping child-safety seats along with you. Choose a hotel within walking distance of the amenities you plan to use, or your hotel might have a shuttle to take you where you need to go. Don’t forget to look into non-traditional modes of transportation like pedicabs, scooters, bicycles and more.
My Experience: I chose a hotel with most of the amenities we needed so we could essentially camp out there for our entire vacation. When we felt like exploring, we took the free hotel shuttle into Waikiki for shopping and a cheesy luau (the concierge should be fired for recommending that one). The hotel also offered bicycles free of charge to guests.
Hotel: Check and double-check your reservations before you arrive to make sure you’re getting the room you want. This will cut down on frustrating check-in wait times and even more frustrating room migrations. It’s especially important if you book your hotel through a third-party website. If you aren’t satisfied with your hotel room, don’t be afraid to ask for a change (you’re spending a lot of money, after all, and you want your vacation to be perfect).
My Experience: I booked my room at the Kahala Hotel and Resort through United.com, which then used Expedia to book directly with the hotel. Despite requesting a full ocean-view room, the hotel had us in a partial ocean-view room (I could see the ocean if I leaned perilously over the balcony and craned my neck a good 90 degrees to the right). I asked for a change, and was moved to a smoking room — uh, no, thanks. The third time was a charm, and we were finally placed in the room I originally envisioned.
Food: The cost of meals at hotels is astonishing! Check into hotel-booking options that include the cost of one meal per day. You can also stock your room with simple, easy-to-prepare fare with the help of the minibar fridge and hot water from the coffee pot. Oatmeal, ramen noodles in a cup and a slew of snacks and fresh fruit are all good options.
My Experience: My daughter and I chose to have one meal per day at the hotel (with a few frilly coconut drinks served by that hot pool boy). We also dined away from the hotel at restaurants in town that were a fraction of the cost of the hotel’s offerings. We filled in the gaps with snacks and fruit from a local convenience store.
Amenities: Many kids are happy dragging their parents from the pool to the beach and back again, but that doesn’t leave much downtime for the parents. Does your hotel have a kids’ program or camp for your son or daughter while you take a vacation from your vacation? Find out in advance if your hotel has boats, beach toys, masks and snorkels. It makes traveling so much simpler if you don’t have to lug beach toys on your trip (or waste time shopping for them).
My Experience: Our favorite vacation spot in Florida offers everything we could ever need or want free of charge, so I assumed our Hawaiian vacation would be the same. Wrong. Our hotel didn’t have beach toys; goggles and snorkels were available, but at a ridiculous hotel upcharge.
Rest: Last but not least, kids might get so wrapped up in playing that they forget to rest. Families that have established rest times and bedtimes often forget all about them on vacation. While it’s great to break some rules (it’s a vacation, after all), tired kids will eventually melt down and make everybody miserable — including other hotel guests. Establish some boundaries.
My Experience: After spending all morning playing in the sun, my daughter and I implemented an after-lunch routine. She’d get to watch a movie quietly on my laptop (a treat for her), which gave me some downtime, too. We also established a nighttime routine of sitting on our balcony snuggling under a blanket and wishing on stars before we went to sleep. This made drifting off to sleep easier for her and proved to be a treasured moment for me.
