The number of families taking at least one vacation together each year has declined 28% during the past two decades!!

The following excerpt taken from Putting Family First; Successful Strategies for Reclaiming Family Life in a Hurry-Up World by William Doherty and Barbara Z Carlson

Nothing in family life creates such lasting memories as family trips and vacations. Trips might be defined as visiting relatives while vacation is for pure enjoyment. 

It is simply harder to coordinate vacation schedules when there are two working adults.  But another part of the explanation is children’s extracurricular schedules.  Year-round sports seasons means that active children will always be playing important games and having important tournaments during summer vacation and spring break.  Surrendering this important family ritual to an unexpected and unplanned youth sports event can open the door to other reasons to retreat from family time and family rituals.

But when families make vacations a priority, they rarely regret it, even when lots of things go wrong. Like all other extended family rituals (weddings and holiday season rituals), family vacations generally involve periods of tension and irritability. But those very frustrations often become he fondest memories in later years.

Vacations imprint collective memories into the consciousness of family members.  Sometimes it’s not so much the places, but the journey on the way.  When we think of family life, most of us think first of the hearth and home.  But family life is also about what we do outside the home and away from the neighborhood, in those hours or days.

Many families don’t prioritize vacations; some feel they can’t afford the time off from work, or the expense, while others must forfeit a vacation because of a child’s athletic schedule or commitment.

During family vacations, you will be sharing most meals together, a single bathroom, beds, or sleeping and snoring together in the same tent, but you will also hear funny stories, and learn to respect each other quicker than you can imagine.

Think about what your kids may be learning next year.  Talk with teachers to find out what they'll be covering in class. If it's a unit on the civil war for example, you may want to schedule a visit to Gettysburg. If it's geology, visit a national park. 

Talk to your friends and neighbors. Ask them what worked and what didn’t work.

Tips for planning a successful and memorable vacation

• Ask each family member where they’d like to go and value their suggestion
• Decide how long you will be gone
• Discuss how you will get there
• What type of vacation - sightseeing, physically active, or lounging?
• Evaluate your vacation budget
• Involve the family with research and decision-making
• Leave work at home
• Leave friends at home

Bring a camera and don’t forget to journal the daily events. You are making memories of a lifetime!

Family travel made easy: how to plan a kid-friendly vacation

Family Vacation Planning Guide

Ideas for the At-Home Vacation

Please tell us about how you made your family vacation successful or special, so we can share it with others.