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Family vacations can and should be a fantastic and uplifting experience, where happy memories that will last a lifetime are forged.
Unfortunately, it’s not too uncommon for arguments and bad moods to get in the way of the family vacation dynamic and to begin to mar the experience and cast a shadow over the trip.
Luckily, there are some simple things that you can do in order to help keep everything tidy and harmonious during your family vacation. Here are a few tips:
Fit in something for everyone
Often, disharmony during a family vacation will be caused by the fact that some members of the family feel they aren’t being included or taken into consideration when planning the type of events and attractions which the family as a whole is going to attend.
Typically this will be a problem with children, but it can even be the case that one parent dominates the planning process, and the other becomes resentful at feeling left out.
The solution to this issue is straightforward. Do your best to fit in something on the itinerary that each member of the family will enjoy.
While your job as a parent is, of course, to guide your children and to expose them to experiences you feel will be good for their development, it’s not too much of a compromise to squeeze in the odd cinema trip or theme park visit in a vacation otherwise filled with art galleries.
Likewise, if your partner wants to visit one historical site which you find completely uninteresting, it’ll often be a good idea to compromise for the sake of balance and collective happiness.
Find ways of letting everyone have a bit of space when needed
In the family home, over the course of day-to-day life, everyone generally has a way of detaching themselves from the group and having some time alone to cool down when tempers become too heated.
On vacation, by comparison, every member of the family will tend to find themselves spending essentially every minute of the day together. This means that when tempers do fray, an argument or tantrum is more likely to develop.
To prevent this from happening, try and create a degree of space for each member of the family — somewhere they can retreat to by themselves for a while, if needed. Whether you’re staying in an up-market hotel like the Courtyard Alexandria Pentagon South, or a campsite, something can usually be worked out.
This tends to be especially important when travelling with teenagers.
Encourage laughter and friendly conversation each day
Cheerful conversation is one of the best ways of keeping everyone in the family happy, united, and upbeat during a vacation. While it’s good to do this during the day while seeing the sites, the evening often provides a perfect opportunity for everyone to come together and unwind.
A great way of accomplishing this is by playing some board or card games together after dinner, before heading to bed.
