As you grow older, taking a vacation becomes more and more complicated. You have to consider the children, and you have to coordinate schedules between yourself and your spouse, and that is no easy task. Even worse is that once your children enter school, you are limited to the same vacation periods that every other parent wants to use for their family trip. Fortunately the family vacation is just one of many possible types of vacations you can take, and you may find another vacation type more to your liking.
Family Vacation
When you think about vacations, the family vacation is still the one that you have to consider first. This is going to cost you the most money and it is going to be the vacation that has the fewest options for destinations. You need someplace that is affordable, and you need a destination that has plenty of things for you and your family to do. Those activities will greatly depend on the ages of your children, but you never want to spend your vacation listening to your kids complain that they are bored. This is one of the reasons why Disneyworld and Disneyland are such popular vacation spots; families know that there is always going to be something to do when they visit.
Weekend Getaway
One of the things that you need to think about doing is finding a time and a place for you and your spouse to have a weekend getaway. These weekend trips serve as a reminder that your relationship with your spouse is important and it deserves as much attention as you give your children. Every year, at the very least though every few months is more advisable, the adults of your family need to be able to step away from the kids and rekindle the romance. When you have a strong relationship with your spouse, the rest of the relationships in your home will be stronger and the family will be healthier as a unit. Take the time to care for and nurture your own needs, even if that means leaving the kids behind every once in a while.
Parental Break
Finally, there will come a time when you and your spouse are not getting a big enough break from the kids and a weekend will not do the trick. At this point it is time for the two of you to take a parent’s vacation and go spend a full week or two resting and recharging your emotional batteries. This will give you the opportunity to go to a luxurious destination to get pampered and taken care of in ways that you cannot experience over the course of a short weekend and you definitely cannot experience when you have your kids in tow. These longer breaks are something that even the best parents need, and you deserve to take a longer break, especially when your kids start to get into their teen years and need a little less supervision. Do not wait for retirement to enjoy a luxurious and sophisticated vacation.
There are a lot of different types of vacations that you can plan, and each type requires a different approach and a different type of destination. To get the most from your vacation dollars, plan ahead and think about the type of vacation that you want to have and you will have a much better experience.
I am Sherry Almond and I have been a travel agent and travel counselor for three decades. For my adult customers I like to recommend Jackson Hole lodging like that found at the Hotel Terra (http://hotelterrajacksonhole.com). This is a fantastic place for adults to spend a romantic weekend or a week away from their kids.