Traveling with kids is quite an adventure. Discover 8 reasons to travel with kids that make the ups and downs worth it in the long run.

If you find yourself asking, ‘Why should I travel with my kids? It’s so stressful!’ You aren’t alone. Kids are notorious for whining during long car rides, needing multiple bathroom breaks, and begging for a souvenir at every shop you pass.

That’s not relaxing at all. Traveling with kids is hard, but you should still do it. Here are eight reasons why you should travel with your kids.

Reasons to Travel with Kids #1

When you are traveling with your kids you connect with them on a deeper level. Your daily routine is gone, and instead of asking them to put their toys away and eat their dinner you are showing them how big and exciting the world is. It gives you a chance to spend time together as a family and get to know one another.

Reasons to Travel with Kids #2

When you travel with your kids you are making memories. Your children will remember their trips and they often become some of the best memories of their childhood.

These memories also tie the bonds between your family tighter. When your kids are in their 30s, they will barely remember the new app they got last week. They will have solid memories of the time you all went on a grand adventure together.

Reasons to Travel with Kids #3

Traveling with kids shows them just how big the world is. To a preschooler, the world is only as big as your home and the places that they go on a regular basis. They’ll never understand mountains or the ocean unless you show them.

Reasons to Travel with Kids #4

You can teach your kids history when you travel with them. No matter where you go you are bound to be surrounded by the history of who was there before us and how our country or another country was created. Teach these stories to your children. If you don’t know the story of where you’re going, learn about it together beforehand to enhance your experience.

Reasons to Travel with Kids #5

Traveling with kids gives them a sense of wonder. As you already know, kids ask a lot of questions and want to know lots about the world around them. Fill their minds with curiosity and creativity as they walk through an art gallery or marvel at the Grand Canyon. Children who’ve seen the beauty of our world will never be satisfied with a run of the mill existence.

Reasons to Travel with Kids #6

Traveling with kids makes them adventurous. It’s easy for kids to want to spend all their time indoors staring at a screen. You can fight this by taking your kids on a real adventure.

Reasons to Travel with Kids #7

Travel teaches your kids about culture and that some people live differently than they do. For example, when in the Southwest they’ll try spicy Tex-Mex food but in New England they’ll sample fresh seafood. They’ll learn how people adapt and live based on the climate in which they live.

Reasons to Travel with Kids #8

When you travel with kids, you meet people you’ll never meet in your daily routine. We live in a world where children need to learn to treat everyone around them with honor and respect. They will be much more likely to honor people that don’t look, talk, or act like them if they’ve met different people in their travels.

Reasons to Travel with Kids #9

Lastly, you should travel with your kids because it makes your family stronger. Sharing experiences with your family, whether they be exciting, scary, comical, or adventurous, brings you closer together. In the story you write for your family, your traveling chapters will be some of the greatest!

If you choose to travel with your kids you may return home feeling like you need another vacation, but do it anyway. Go. Embrace the adventure together! Show them that the world is bigger than your backyard and teach them that all people are different yet similar. Some of the best memories are made while traveling, so travel with your kids even though it’s hard!

Family vacations are wonderful times of togetherness for a family. If you’re staying home this year, use these staycation ideas to make memories with your family.

There is nothing like a family vacation to put a little excitement in your life and bring your family together! However, if your budget is tight this year and you’ll be staying home, then what you need is a staycation.

Here are nine staycation ideas that the whole family will love.

Staycation Ideas – Idea #1

Game Night

The fun thing about game night is that there are many game options for people of all ages. You could start your day out with fun games that your kids will love and then play a few grown-up games after the little ones go to bed.

Staycation Ideas – Idea #2

Themed Days

Pick a favorite family movie, such as Star Wars, and plan your entire day around that theme. Watch the film, play a Star Wars game, eat themed snacks, and end your day with a little star gazing. Just pick a movie that everyone loves and go with it. Pinterest has tons of ideas if you need a little help.

Staycation Ideas – Idea #3

Go Swimming

What’s summer without a day at the pool? Find a pool or waterpark near you and load up the family. Everyone is sure to love a day splashing around in the water. If you are completely set on staying home then you could always pull out the sprinkler and a few water guns!

*Family Friendly Tip: Taking a staycation in the winter, fall, or spring? Let the kids throw on bathing suits and swim in the master tub!

Staycation Ideas – Idea #4

Amusement Parks

Amusement Parks have a variety of rides, games, and shows that everyone will love. Make sure you plan ahead so that everyone gets to spend time doing what they love.

Staycation Ideas – Idea #5

Sporting Event

Whether it’s baseball, basketball, or football that your family loves, a staycation is the perfect time to go to a game. Put on your team’s colors and have fun cheering them on as a family.

Staycation Ideas – Idea #6

Bowling

Who doesn’t love bowling? Make it extra special by going glow bowling late at night. Many bowling alleys have bumpers for the kids. It doesn’t matter if you keep score or play for fun, everyone is sure to have a great time.

Staycation Ideas – Idea #7

Take a Hike

Hiking and seeing nature’s beauty is one of the best things that you can do for your kids. Depending on what’s in your area you could take them to see waterfalls, mountains, rivers, canyons, and wildlife. Just make sure that you find a hike that won’t be too hard for your kids.

Staycation Ideas – Idea #8

Go on a Scavenger Hunt

Head to the mall, grocery store, or a park for a scavenger hunt. To make the day a challenge, group your family into different teams and compete to finish your hunt first.

Staycation Ideas – Idea #9

Pretend You’re a Tourist

Is there a tourist location in your hometown? Have you ever been? Take a day or two to pretend you’re a tourist in your own city. Visit the hokey, cheesy, or cool draws that bring people to your area. Take the time to visit the zoo, garden, or attraction you’ve just never been to. You’ll know more about your city, and have a fun time together.

Just because you are staying at home doesn’t mean a staycation has to be boring! With a little imagination you can plan a staycation that the whole family will love.

When you need a break from your routine, but don’t want the stress of travel, a staycation is a great idea. Learn 5 staycation planning tips to plan for a time of family fun and relaxation in your own city.

The entire premise of a staycation is that you aren’t leaving town. To have the best staycation for your family, you’re still going to need to do some planning for your days.

With any vacation, you are sure to spend some time planning out your meals and activities. Planning the perfect at-home adventre starts long before your first day of vacation arrives.

Staycation Planning Tip #1

Leave Work Behind

The first thing that you’ll want to plan is to leave work behind. Don’t check your work emails or take calls from the office. Unplug your work laptop and stick it in a closet if you have to!

Work can wait but time with your family passes quickly. The same goes for kids who may have homework and chores. Pretend that those things are a thousand miles away during your staycation.

Staycation Planning Tip #2

Don’t Focus on Cleaning

Secondly, you need to accept that you are on vacation and let the housework go. The dust and vacuuming can wait until your vacation is over.

You might even want to purchase paper plates and plastic silverware ahead of time so that you don’t spend your time washing dishes.

Staycation Planning Tip #3

Plan Meals in Advance

Next, plan your meals before your staycation begins. You’ll want a good mixture of dining out, home cooked meals, and picnics. Make sure you have a food budget for the week in place and do your grocery shopping before your trip begins.

A good schedule would be to have breakfast at home, picnics or quick meals for lunch, and then go out somewhere nice for dinner. You can get your kids involved in the planning process by letting them pick restaurants to visit or find a fun way to surprise them with where you are going every day.

*Family Friendly Tip: Want to still eat out, but stay in budget? Eat out for lunch, which is usually cheaper. You can then have sandwiches for a quick, easy, relaxed dinner at home.

Staycation Planning Tip #4

Plan Family Fun Activities

You’ll want to plan activities for your family for every day of your vacation. These plans can be as simple as a day of movies on the couch or more elaborate such as a themed movie day with popcorn and movie-themed crafts and snacks.

Even though it’s a staycation, you should still plan a few day trips. No matter where you live you’ll be able to find something fun to do. It could be a trip to the zoo, an amusement park, a national park, the movies, a concert, or just about anything that you can dream up!

Staycation Planning Tip #5

Put Your Phone in Time-out

Lastly, you need to put the phone down. If you want to be genuinely present and have the perfect staycation with your family then you need to be there for them.

Phones are a wonderful thing, but they are also a huge distraction. Don’t share every detail of your staycation on social media. Just spend time with your family. You can always share pictures of your staycation later if you want to!

You don’t have to fly around the globe to have the perfect vacation. All you need is your family, some planning, and a little imagination and you’ll have the perfect adventure with your family at home.