The Family Vacation – Doing It Right!

That’s the Last Time

As a work at home step-dad, vacation time for me is ANY time away from the kids.  Last year Maggie and I took the girls to Old Orchard Beach, ME – a twelve-hour drive from our home here in Toronto.  We stayed there for a few days before heading down to Derry, NH for a family reunion.  Close quarters (OK, trapped with the ‘Loved Ones’) for an entire week had me on edge for most of the trip.  By the time we returned home, I vowed to Maggie, “That’s the LAST time I ever vacation with… THEM!“

A year later, I’m still faithful to my vows.  That was my story then and I’m sticking to it!  If you want advice on how to take a FUN family vacation, I wouldn’t be the best guy to talk to.

NO WAY!

But Russy, It IS Possible

OK, so I can’t make sense out of how to put those three simple words, FUN, family and vacation together.  To me, they just don’t fit.  But according to some of the stories my readers share with me, vacation wouldn’t be as much fun WITHOUT the family.  Today I’m going to let my cousin’s wife Karen tell about her family’s adventures driving down to Florida from their home in New Hampshire.  In this short piece she gives us TONS of traveling tips and advice to make the journey enjoyable for all.  Towards the end, Karen even reveals her weakness and how she overcame it while vacationing with her kids.  She makes it sound like… well, so much FUN!

We’re Going to Disneyworld!

by Karen Stoessel Isabelle

I love nothing better than to take 2 weeks off and drive down the east  coast, Rich and I and the kids have done it 3 times now. Of course if we are going to drive all the way to Florida you absolutely have to take some time to hit up Disney World, my absolute favorite place to take the kids! There is just so much to do and see there that we can’t possibly ever get to do and see it all.

I also love taking some down time and just laying out at the beach, usually anywhere on the Gulf of Mexico (a terrible tragedy now with the huge oil spill). Florida has so many nice beaches.

This last trip we took wasn’t planned too far in advance, my jobs and Rich’s jobs make it very difficult for us to have time off at the same time.  We decided we would do whatever it took but we were going to leave in 4 days drive straight through to Florida (Orland is approximately 24 hours from Pelham NH) and go for 11 days.

I wish we could have stayed longer, it was such a wonderful adventure. We took the kids to all the Disney parks, swam in the hotel pool, went to water parks, ate at every buffet restaurant we could find, went to Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast, we visited with a friend and her family of ducks, we drove even further south and drove through and walked in Alligator Alley. It was so nice to spend time with the kids and my husband as a family without the everyday worries and stress. Even though we were exhausted every night, it was time we really needed to spend with each other.

Sanity-Saving Travel Tips

Russ, I read your comments about close quarters with children. I want to tell you that at times it can be a challenge. Three Florida road trips ago we had the twins who had just turned 3 and Justin who was 10 and my father who had just gone through a rough time in his life. We drove to Washington DC, Murtle Beach SC, Pensacola Florida and of course Orlando, we spent 2 full weeks on this trip, it was an adventure I will never forget, we had the best time.

I have found that if you do make sure you take frequent stops and be sure when you do stop you can go for a quick walk together or a long stroll, you can find a McDonalds that has a play structure for the kids, we stop and buy lots of junk food (we figure we are on vacation and splurge!!! Our last stop for junk food cost us $40 but what fun it was.

In the car the best thing we had for the kids was a laptop that played dvd movies and we brought our book full with movies for the kids to watch, I made sure they had a real pillow and blanket so they can get more comfortable to sleep even with their seatbelts on. They brought books, i-pods and hand held games. Sometimes I let them play with my video camera, makes for an interesting video to watch when you get home
I also invested in a book, “Are We There Yet” by Karen Richards.  I also found that if the parents can catch a nap before leaving and then leave at night and start the trip off driving over night the kids sleep for most of the trip.

I love any and all vacations, the best times are spent with loved ones on any adventure!

Oh, I almost forgot!  On my vacations I decided to conquer my fears.  I have a very bad fear of heights and I really don’t want to pass it on to my kids so last year I decided that when we do things together that I will conquer some of my fears and just do it.

I went on the scary high rides with my kids if they wanted to do something I did it too.  There were about four times while we were on this last trip that my heart was palpitating.  I was sweating, shaking to myself and every bad thought imaginable running through my head and I had to force myself and tell myself to stop and just do it, close my eyes, scream, hold on to whatever I had to but just do it.  After all I can’t let my two “babies” go onto these contraptions risking life and limb while I stay safely on the ground.

I can’t tell you how good I felt after I did ride the rides that I thought for sure would give me a heart attack. I was still shaking afterwards but I felt exhilarated also. I also felt relieved and could ride the ride the next time and feel so much better.

I hope I can continue to do things that I am afraid of… mind over matter? Baby steps, baby steps. I don’t want my fears to make me miss out on fun or life adventures. I am going to try my hardest each time I have a fear to just do it!

********************

Back to Russy

Well there you have it.  Thank you so much Karen for sharing your experiences, tips and even your greatest fears.

There are people (like me) whose idea of a vacation is to get away FROM their kids.  Let’s face it, even the BEST parents need a break from their ‘loved ones’ albeit some people seem to want (or need) more time away than others.  Then there are those (like Karen) whose idea of a perfect time is to get away WITH their children; to have experiences that they will all share for a lifetime.  The difference is all in the attitude!

Do you have a vacation story you’d like to share.  Enter it into the comments below or send me a message.  Thanks for sharing all the different ways you find joy and happiness.  You gotta Love That Feeling!

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