Vacations provide a great outlet where you can communicate and spend quality time together as a family. Depending on where you go, what you choose to do and see and how you get there, you can include the other family members in the planning process.
Choosing fun methods to engage your family when traveling will instill special memories that can last a lifetime and strengthen your communication skills with your loved ones. Read on for some simple ways to increase the family fun factor while you make time to be with your family.
• Implement a Plan
Each member of your family should play an important role in planning your adventure. You’ll find differing tastes in what you want to do, where you want to go, and the things that you would like to see. But with a bit of research, you’re likely to find a destination that will make the entire family happy. Camping, amusement park venues and beaches are just a few popular choices.
Once you’ve decided on where you would like to go, the fun can begin. The Internet makes it easy to search the area and choose attractions that are important to all involved. Museums, shopping, hiking, horseback riding and water parks may be just a few of the items that head the list, but you can explore further options once you get there. Dining is another area where you can engage your family and giving each member of the family a choice in picking an eatery can make your excursion a fun and exciting experience for them.
• Strengthen the Bonds
Family mottos can make your trip more memorable, and you can choose something that will hold significance for everyone later on. This could include hiking up a mountain and engraving your names in a particular rock formation or getting a particular phrase, emblem or symbol engraved on your body. Body art is a fun, bold way to engage in something uniquely chosen for your trip together too! Consider choosing and applying personalized temporary tattoos as an unconventional and memorable way to remember the special trip that you’ve taken together as a family.
• Assign Positions
Certainly, the planning of a family vacation can be a chore, especially when you have a host of things to do in order to get ready for your excursion. To engage your family further and get them excited about the adventure ahead, you can assign each person a different responsibility when you go away.
The trip photographer would be assigned the job of taking various pictures of the activities, and the places that you went to. They can also be in charge of putting together a scrapbook of your trip once you get home.
The Travel navigator is someone who is in charge of getting you to your destinations with the use of cellphones or GPS devices. You’ll also want to assign someone to video the highlights of your trip. Including a narration can add a personal and insightful touch to your day’s events.
Planning a family getaway is exciting, especially when you include everyone in the planning and entertainment aspect of your vacation. When you spend quality time together as a family, you’ll bridge the gap of communication that so many people feel are lacking in their own personal relationships.
Akilah Richards is a Certified Family Life Educator who shares articles in efforts to help families connect, communicate and engage in fun, life-enhancing ways. She often recommends outside-the-box ideas such as personalized temporary tattoos, available on the soon-to-be-launched Tattooyou.com, as a way of helping families to explore each others interests and perspectives.
Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kamoteus/2307752958/
