Planning Family Vacations

When it comes to plotting, preparing, arranging, and scheduling a family vacation, I am the main instigator. My feet are the itchiest in the family, after living in six different countries and changing school seven times, I still want to see more! I want to share the world a little at a time with my Tweeny Traveler, so I am happy to be the family travel ringleader to make it all happen.

My family travel leadership doesn’t go to the point of being a total control freak with hourly spreadsheets of how we will spend our vacation time (well maybe sometimes but I am working on it). My scheduling stops at researching, booking accommodation and flights (if applicable). With the basics covered of where to stay, how to get there and a general overview of available attractions, natural wonders and activities, I start discussing possibilities with Tweeny Traveler and the husband, so they can also think and marinate about the type of vacation experience they want. Although they don’t add much input!

Our traveling party of three doesn’t always agree, in fact our three visions of the perfect vacation are vastly different. The husband’s ideal vacation day would be spent in Singapore, eating six – seven street meals a day. Tweeny Traveler’s ideal vacation day involves a resort pool, a swim up bar and pool side room service (she knew how to say charge it to my room by age four – I know bad parenting!). My ideal vacation would be in New York, walking, shopping and having cocktails throughout the city but Tweeny wouldn’t mind that so much.

 

Singapore 2013 - The husband ate while Tweeny and I shopped but we all took time out to enjoy the view
 

What works for us, is taking turns to make decisions on how to spend the day. If there is something particularly objectionable to one of us, we also divide up. In Singapore, the husband was not interested in shopping along Orchard Street, so he ditched Tweeny and me to eat some local delicacies (that we were not particularly interested in) while we shopped. Win – Win situation if you ask me.  So far together, we have been to 14 countries and counting. We love travelling, and if we are going on a holiday assume I booked it!