- My family of five is going on 22 trips in 2022, and we’ve formed our own special travel routine.
- To build our three daughters’ excitement, we research destinations and curate itineraries together.
- Each family member also gets a small budget to purchase themselves a new item ahead of a vacation.
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After taking a five-week vacation to Europe in 2021, my family of five set our sights on an even bigger adventure: 22 trips in 2022.
We knew the plan wasn’t going to be easy to pull off, but giving our three young daughters new, exciting experiences has made the challenges worth it.
Here are the top tips I give fellow travelers who want to embark on more family adventures around the world.
Be open to trying new places
I explored waterfalls in Costa Rica with our three daughters.
Diana Blinkhorn
My family often has an idea of the places we want to visit, but we try to stay open-minded to new ideas.
Google Flights is one of our most-used resources to come up with fresh trip ideas. Using the “explore” tool, we enter our origin city and then browse great flight deals around the globe.
It’s a fantastic way for our family to dream up new vacation destinations.
Create an itinerary the entire family enjoys
Planning is a huge part of family travel, and we’ve done so much of it that we’ve formed our own routine.
First, we decide on a destination. Then, we all sit down and watch YouTube or travel documentaries to learn more about its history, culture, and landscape.
After we absorb the new information, we all get together to compile a list of the things each of us is the most eager to see or do, which eventually becomes a collaborative, inclusive itinerary.
Read books about the destination and cook the local cuisine
Before going on trips, we cook recipes from the places we’re visiting next.
Diana Blinkhorn
It’s important to get our kids excited about the places we visit.
We like to head to the library and pick out books about the destinations where our family plans to travel. Then, we do small research projects about the destination’s land, culture, and, of course, food.
We even start making some of the area’s local dishes in our kitchen at home to get a taste of what’s to come.
Shop for new items to take on the trip
Taking family trips can be expensive, so shopping for new items before you depart may not seem like the most financially savvy move.
However, we’ve found that giving every family member a small budget to pick out some new things for the trip builds everyone’s excitement.
Even getting a small item, like an accessory or a practical gadget, makes the vacation feel much more special.
Plus, some of the things we’ve grabbed in the past have been useful and made traveling a whole lot easier. I have items I pack for every trip with my kids, and they help our adventures run smoothly.
Eat nutritious foods and get plenty of rest before departure
Traveling can be physically and emotionally demanding, so we try hard to take care of ourselves before we depart.
Leading up to a trip, we like to eat very nutritious food. We drink juices, eat leafy greens, and take vitamins and other supplements to strengthen our immune systems.
Slow down and take downtime when you can
We always try to find moments of rest during our family trips.
Diana Blinkhorn
Most of us get nervous when we travel, and it can cause us to rush and move faster than we typically would.
But in order to sustain travel throughout the year and visit as many places as we have, we try to remember to slow down as much as possible.
Don’t be afraid to take a full rest day in the middle of a trip. Also, be sure to sleep on the plane and take advantage of airport lounges to escape the crowds in the main terminal.
Get to know the destination when you’re there
We do a good job of surveying our surroundings and getting in tune with locals when we travel.
Our goal is to soak up everything we can about the places we visit. For us, getting a real feel for the destination is one of the biggest joys of travel, and it fuels our desire to continue exploring.
Write down your experiences and document everything
Documenting our favorite places and capturing special moments is important to us, so we’ve gotten into the habit of taking notes and journaling throughout our travels.
There’s no better way to look back on an amazing trip than going through photos, videos, and the detailed notes that we all made together.
