STEPPARENTS: VACATIONS

Family vacation time should be an opportunity to relax, enjoy new or old sights, possibly travel a bit, and build some family ties to assist in the development of the new family. With careful planning, it should be possible to make some of these ideals a reality.

A good place to start is the family meeting to make some plans. The parents know if it's financially possible to leave the home area, so it is established from the start what the limitations of the trip are. The ages of the children can affect plans, too, as visiting Disneyland might not appeal to a teenager and attending the World Series probably wouldn't impress a two-year-old.

A handy look at planning a stepfamily vacation is at Vacations with Stepfamilies. This site includes a number of useful suggestions.

Staying at home for the vacation time allows a family to visit areas nearby, and to enjoy area attractions that they otherwise might miss. Although a small town might not offer much in the way of sightseeing, a nearby city usually does. Another possibility is for one or more family members to check out local history in advance of vacation time, and then plan for a few day trips to see the areas where it took place. Camping close to home is a good possibility for a family vacation.

Some good advice for planning and carrying out a family vacation is available at Family Vacations Should Be Relaxing. The authors offer some tips for planning, and ideas for making a vacation pleasant and restful. The following points are discussed in more detail in the article:

• Lay low on debt
• Leave some time for exercise.
• Return home in time to get ready for work again without a stressful rush.
• Eliminate most begging for money by establishing an amount of money a child can spend per trip, day, etc.

One point that is emphasized is that vacations shouldn't be overplanned, which tends to leave no time for spontaneous activities or inflexibility in scheduling. Often it will happen that going to Point A develops family interest in seeing Point B, and the family wants to be as free as possible to follow these unexpected side trips.

A driving vacation calls for careful planning to avoid the dreaded "are we almost there?" question all day long. Frequent rest stops give children a chance to work off excess energy, and they should be encouraged to play catch, throw frisbees, or anything else active. This will cut into total miles covered in a day, but makes for more comfortable travelling. Car games can be fun, too, and offer some light competition. For an excellent discussion of these points, see Enjoy Traveling With Children.

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