Travel News

Window Seat or Aisle Seat: How to Plan Harmonious Family Travel

Traveling With More Than Two

If you are parents or a single parent fortunate enough to be able to go on a multi-generational trip you are in luck. You’ve got more helping hands and the ability to divide and conquer. Sheryl Kayne, a parenting coach with a masters in education and school psychology and the author of Immersion Travel USA: The Best & Most Meaningful Volunteering, Living & Learning Excursions, suggested that larger families choose a destination with enough diversity of activities to appeal to all abilities and interests of everyone in the traveling party. That way either everyone can choose to participate in one activity or family members can break off into smaller groups. Parent’s can take one child on a hiking expedition, while grandparents pair off with the other kids for a beach day. Not everyone is going to agree about every activity all the time nor do they have to.

Kayne shared, “one family I was working with had a very challenging time convincing their children to go on a volunteer vacation. The kids perceived the trip as work and boring. I told the dad that children respond better if they know more about the trip. Otherwise they tend to immediately object. Once he gave them the list of all the activities they’d be involved in, they liked it.”

Children usually respond well when they know all the details.

Kayne also suggested giving everyone in the family their own trip journal. Giving a child prompts like  “write the best three things you did today” helps keep them focused on the positive aspects of every adventure rather than the downside.