Planning Makes Perfect

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Choosing Your Destination
Perhaps your heart is set on taking your kids for a first-time trip to New York City. Or your family is gearing up for its first big trip to Disney World. Perhaps you and your family have decided to go as far away as Hawaii! In the chapters ahead, you will be able to gather more and more information about types of vacations -- beach vacations, winter sport trips, cruises, extended visits to an all-inclusive resort or city, outdoor adventure trips, and meandering trips that include stops at some of America's hidden treasures. The more variety you see, the more likely you will be able to narrow your choices and come up with the perfect vacation plan for your family's next trip. It's also helpful in selecting a destination to ask your friends, extended family members, and coworkers where they have traveled and which places they have enjoyed as families. Word of mouth is always a great source of travel information.

Here is a quick overview of the types of vacations described and their general locations:

• Beach vacations in and around New England, the mid-Atlantic states, the southern coast, the Gulf shore, the Great Lakes, California, and Hawaii
• Winter vacations in California, Colorado, Wyoming, Vermont, and Canada
• All-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, Colorado, Florida, and Bali
• Cruises through the islands of the Caribbean and Bahamas, and to Alaska
• Soft adventures such as white-water rafting, dude ranches, Outward Bound experiences, and BackRoad adventures
• Composites across the U.S., including national parks
• Cities including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Memphis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, and London, England
• Hidden treasures in California, Canada, Hawaii, Florida, New York, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin

Getting Your Kids Involved
Should you get your kids involved in the decision-making process? That's a matter of both their age (they need to be at least six to have a logical opinion) and you and your parenting style. Do you typically invite your children to influence family decisions? Do you often ask them for their input when choosing a movie, deciding on dinner, or selecting their room color? If so, then it makes sense that you would ask your kids for their input on the type of vacation or its destination. On the other hand, if you and your partner make all family decisions, then your kids might be a bit perplexed if you suddenly ask them where they want to spend their spring vacation.

For those of you who want to include your kids in the decision, I will make one suggestion: Present your children with two or three possible options. There's very good reason behind this idea: Consider the havoc each morning at the breakfast table if you said, "Okay, kids, what do you want to have for breakfast?" Sally would say oatmeal, John would say pancakes, Hillary would say eggs, and Patricia would say waffles. You not only open the door to having to prepare four separate dishes, but you also create chaos that is certainly avoidable. Get the picture? Just as at mealtimes, you're in charge.