Winter Blues Got You Down? Start Planning a Family Getaway!

How to Plan an Enjoyable and Affordable Family Vacation

Announcing a New Series for February!
Take-a-Trip Tuesdays: Stress-Free & Fun Tips for Travel with Kids

Remember those times when your vacations consisted of simply lounging around and relaxing? When you could wake up late and take your time deciding what fun activities you'd do that day? Go surfing or play tennis? Take a hike or explore a new city? Sunbathe by the pool and read a book without interruption? Sadly, as a parent to young kiddos, that version of a vacation is no longer the same (at least for a few years).  But don't let that scare you off! Things may be different now, but it's still possible to have a fun and relaxing vacation, even when you add your kids into the mix. It's easy to shy away from traveling with kids, especially young ones, but with some careful planning and a {mini} shift in expectations, you can enjoy your family vacation, and even return home feeling rested!

Yet here we sit, right smack in the middle of winter, and often seems that there's no end in sight (although if you are lucky enough to live somewhere with mild temps, I envy you! Northeastern winters can be brutal). So to help me (and other cold-weather troopers) power through these next few months of snow and slush, I've decided to get my mind on warmer weather and exciting adventures. I'm happy to announce that over the next several weeks, our Tuesday posts will be dedicated to Take-a-Trip Tuesdays! And I'm getting a little help on this series! My travel-savvy husband, Ben, who has become something of a deal-finding-travel-guru, is going to publish three guest posts about some clever tricks he's discovered on how to save a lot of money but still travel in comfort. Yay!

Together we'll address and break down two of the biggest stumbling blocks when it comes to traveling with kids:

• Expense: As soon as you wish your toddler a "Happy 2nd Birthday," you've just crossed over to paying full price for that tiny person's plane ticket. And now that there are more of you, you need more space, and you've got more mouths to feed. Those travel expenses all add up quickly! But there are things you can do to make your trip much more affordable.
• Stress: Taking your kids out of their normal daily routine is a difficult adjustment in any circumstance, but add in travel time, over-excitement, and exhaustion, and you've got a recipe for disaster. By putting in some extra effort BEFORE the trip, you'll be able to avoid some of those {but not all!} undesirable situations.

My husband and I love to travel, so when we had kids, we were determined to get them used to traveling while they were young. It hasn't always been an easy road, but we've come up with some great strategies to help us not only maintain our sanity, but enjoy ourselves on our family vacations in a budget-friendly manner. I think we make a good team, Ben and I, and since he focuses on the big things like where we'll stay and how we'll get there, that allows me to focus on the nitty-gritty details that will help keep everyone happy throughout the trip.

Hopefully you've got some vacation time coming up soon when you can put these tips into practice. If your kids are in school, February break is right around the corner (if you get that one)! If not, Spring Break in March or April vacation are great getaway times, too! Hope you enjoy the upcoming series!

Check out the individual posts by clicking the images below. Safe travels!

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