A father of three and veteran of many such road trips, Stuart believes that having a rewarding and enriching family vacation starts long before you and your troop head out the door. Vacation time brings a different structure to family life, Stuart said. People who may have only been seeing each other for a few rushed minutes in the morning and then a couple of TV-filled hours in the evening are suddenly spending up to 16 hours a day together. And just as you spend time carefully mapping your travel route, you and your family should get together and discuss how to remap your needs and expectations of each other. Stuart also cautioned parents to be realistic in their expectations of how much their children will enjoy the vacation.
Most children tend to prefer the routine over the unfamiliar.
A vacation takes them away from their home, their toys, TV and friends, creating more anxiety than excitement. Stuart suggests that familiar routines like mealtimes and bedtimes be adhered to as much as possible, even if it means taking a little longer to get to your destination. It's also helpful to take along familiar foods, like your children's favorite breakfast cereal. And while your backseat doesn't have to be a toy store, you should be sure to stock it with books, puzzles and games that are appropriate to the ages of your children. It's also important for you decide for whom this vacation was planned.