After the winter we have had, it’s definitely on the radar to get outta Canada.
Luckily, we booked our flight on the big Black Friday sale in anticipation of the bleak few months that follow Christmas. We decided to go with an all-inclusive. Going to stay in a vacation rental where you still have to cook and clean up after your kids isn’t a vacation. Now that my kids are at an age where I can count on them to keep themselves alive I would lie to do as little of my regular chores as possible on vacation!
A wise colleague once told me that we don’t call trips with our families “vacations”, because even when we need to do the bare minimum, we are still parenting and can never truly relax. So these are called, “family trips”; vacations without kids are true “vacations”. Noted and reminded of this on every single FAMILY TRIP.
First of all, I highly recommend a travel agent. Ours was able to do all the research, give us the best dates for the best prices, and share some tips and tricks to make our stay the best. Usually I research everything to death and try to decide based on tiny little photos on the internet and 8,732 reviews left by disgruntled travellers.
I would also suggest, if you can get away with it, not actually travelling on actual Spring Break. It’s so people-y! And the prices literally double when you trickle into the back half of March. With three kids, we already pay quite a bit more as we have to stay in a “family” suite and are limited to very few resorts.
Find yourself a family-friendly resort. This way you won’t feel the stress of worrying that your children are the loudest, splashiest, or most sunburned – there will definitely be someone more everything than you.
In terms of packing, your kids will likely wear the same thing over and over again. And you will not be bothered to worry about it, because no one cares. We each took a carry-on so that we could avoid the baggage pickup. Make sure your kids don’t pack any secret snacks that might get you in trouble at the airport. But make sure they DO bring their chargers and charge those devices and download what you need before you go. Screen time goes out the window when it comes to air travel. And go to the bathroom before you get on the flight!
Good luck in your travels!
-Jen
#ThatSurreyMom
@jenxrobbins