Your family vacation can be a wonderfully enjoyable experience if you prepare well beforehand. As the famous quote goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” On the other hand, a well thought out plan gives direction, prepares you for potential problems and unites the family around a common goal.

Since you are planning a family vacation, it is important that everyone participate. Decisions about where to go and what to do while on vacation can be discussed in family meetings. Depending on the number of family members and their ages, it may be necessary to schedule several meetings.

One way to make plans for vacation is for each family member to act as a travel agent. In a meeting, let each one share briefly what he or she expects in a family vacation. This should be in general terms without specifying exact locations. Each family member would then take that information, do some research and develop a vacation package for the entire family.

At the following meeting, each family member could present his or her plans for a vacation. Following the presentations, the family would vote as to which travel package was the best option.

Does your family have more than one location that they are really interested in? One way to help make the decision is to watch special programs about each possible location together.

If your family already knows your vacation destination but hasn’t yet decided what to do while there, the days can be divided up among family members. Each family member could be given a day to plan and organize. Each one would seRVe as “tour guide for a day”.

These are just a few ideas to help make your family vacation a memorable experience. The important thing to remember is the purpose of taking a family vacation. It should be to strengthen the ties among family members. You don’t have to wait until your departure date to do this. The family can grow closer even during the vacation planning process.