We all look forward to that much needed break away from work. The time that allows you to disconnect from structured routines and tasks. For me, working a full-time career and being a parent to a toddler is encouragement alone to map out some time each month to plan for future family vacations. Don’t get me wrong, this planning on my end is cumulative and time consuming as I look at every detail from desired destination, attractions that we can each find enjoyment and of course cost.
I think the last part is the driving factor that can either make family travel seem attractive or undesirable to some. Often reasons for avoiding family travel from other parents have included.
- It costs too much to enjoy. (It costs me time to plan, which I see as an investment in the quality of my life and experiences. Does it cost money, yes but you budget for that, my blog shares many tips on how to save and enhance your vacation experience with points and miles and rewards).
- Toddlers really can’t enjoy the location. (That depends on planning – remember to include destinations that all family members will benefit from, not just the adults or vice versa).
- Toddlers won’t remember the trip. (False. My toddler at the age of 2.5-3 years old remembered the name of every beach we visited along with at least one attraction – she still asks to go back).
- It’s too much work to plan for and the costs outweigh the desired goal, rest. (I value rest and relaxation, there is no price I can place on the importance of this)
- Packing is too difficult. (Only as difficult as we make it, again planning accordingly and streamlining your packing needs is key to a good time).
I get it. There is some truth behind each statement, but you can see how I’ve countered each pretext. I’m going to share with you how I go about planning for our family of three travels. And you know what, it costs me time in researching how to prepare but that’s part of the fun and what builds excitement. Plus, my husband gets to participate in the planning process, and it gives us something to work towards together (planning), it motivates us to continue working, and ultimately gives us the desired goal. Rest and Relaxation!
Yearly Vision Board
At the beginning of every year, I take the time to map out my goals and ideal travel destinations. I list 3-4 places I’d like to go to and use that as inspiration to map out my future travels. Now I may not hit every destination, but I can use that as inspiration or allow it to carry over for the next year. At the end of the year, I revisit this little vision board and reflect on what else I may have prioritized that year if I didn’t hit all the marks. In 2022 I included Palms Springs, Lake Arrowhead, Santa Barbara and Solvang as my travel destinations. I was able to book Santa Barbara and although I didn’t secure travel for the others, we visited Disneyland, Disney CA Adventure, San Diego Seaworld, Old Town San Diego and attended the Halloween Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure. By knowing the types of locations you want to take, my husband and I search the web for deals we can find for our ideal vacation.
Plan Months in Advance
I go by something referred to as the 3, 6, 12 Rule. I’ve never heard of the rule, so I’ll call it my rule! I plan a minimum of 3 months ahead of time and sometimes up to 12 months ahead of time. The reason for this is that as of 2022 I have officially joined the points and miles rewards game. Using a minimum of 3 months planning allows me to search for low rate, last minute deals, and that’s really the only time that we book last minute. We have to factor in our annual leave allowed away from work so advanced planning plays a key role here. Back to the points and miles with credit cards, you can score really good hotel deals buts award redemptions should be booked as early possible.
Subscribe to Airlines & Hotel Loyalty Programs
I can’t emphasize this enough. Do this early on. It’s free and you’ll even get notification to your email inbox on last minute deals or travel promotions. Earning rewards with a hotel or airline can help determine who pays you back best in terms of your customer loyalty and will help map out your future travel plans.
Find credit cards that work in your favor.
Okay, this is probably my best tip. If you’re working, you likely have credit established. We were in the routine of charging expense to our credit cards (and paying off monthly) but not using them to our best advantage. My husband was much better at this than I was. He was loyal to a specific credit card and due to the pandemic, he had racked up tons of points. Points that we redeemed for our stay at the Hyatt in Santa Barbara. That little road trip cost us $0 out of pocket.
This year (2022), we have applied for the following credit cards:
- Capital One Venture X – 75K points awarded with unlimited Priority Plus Lounge access $100 TSA PreCheck/Global Entry Credit, $300 annual Travel Credit. $395 annual fee.
- Chase Business Ink – 90K points (working on earning). $0 annual fee.
- Citi Premier 80K points awarded. $95 annual fee.
Oh and we just applied for TSA PreCheck which will come in handy when we fly to Honolulu in January from LAX this year. And that Priority Pass Lounge Access, will be our first time in a lounge at both airports too. The savings alone are bringing in tons of value to apply towards the credit card annual fees.
These are my top tips for you as you begin to contemplate how to begin incorporating travel into your family life. You can expect hotel reviews, loyalty program reviews and our tips on travel destinations as we experience them. Next one up will be Waikiki Beach when we visit in January 2023.
xoxo,
The Sun Queen