Take the trip… that you can afford. There are cool things to see all around, and if you can’t afford to travel to Europe (for example), that doesn’t mean you can’t have a great time on a road trip, camping, visiting somewhere closer/cheaper/for a shorter duration. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

If you have young kids, check out a bunch of library books (fiction & non-fiction) about your destination to read in advance to get them excited. For example, before a trip to Niagara Falls, we read about daredevils going over or across the falls, a couple of fiction stories set in the area, general info/history of the area, plus about Nikolai Tesla.

If you have older kids/teens, involve them in the planning process.

*Pack as little as possible
* Don't check bags unless you have to
*Bring a folded reusable bag to use a beach bag
*Yes on Ziploc bags for toiletries, food, etc.
*Print out travel info when traveling to another country (if your phone fails- you'll need confirmation details)
*Keep a pair of lightweight flipflops in your bag- hotel floors are gross barefoot
*Yes on travel cubes
*Bring mints and small bag treats
*Get seat assignments in advance when flying ( unless you don't mind sitting in the middle)
*If going to a popular destination get tix for museums, etc. in advance (eg. we got tix for Anne Frank House + Van Gogh Museum on Viator when we went to Amsterdam..no one was getting in sameday w/o a Rez)

As long as you have your medications/contacts/wallet w passport or id, everything else can be replaced if you forget it. This coming from someone who packed her kids and suitcases for a week long beach trip once, (and husband had his of course) but accidentally left her whole suitcase, fully packed, in the bedroom at home.

Especially in the US, you speak English and everything is in Google maps. You will be fine for the most part, even if you haven’t been there before.

Don’t try to do too much. It ruins the whole trip.

Clean before you go on vacation. If you can afford to have a professional cleaner do it, schedule them for a day or so before you leave. Nothing feels better to me than coming home to a clean house.

Schedule plenty of downtime. We are busy in the mornings but after a late lunch we have a couple of hours to nap, relax etc.

Packing cubes are worth it if you are staying in several places. Bring a trash or laundry bag to store dirty clothes. Pack light. Have a spare change of clothes in your hand luggage if you are checking a bag. Make sure at least one member of the family learns some of the local language. Check with friends who have lived ir have family in the locations for tips and restaurant suggestions. Don’t bring new shoes - you want ones that won’t give you blisters.

Pp here - I also saw the suggestion last year to write out the names of towns you’d pass through on painter’s tape and put it up in the car for road trips. I did this before a road trip (5 hrs) with kids who were 7 and 11 and they really enjoyed crossing out the towns as we drove and being able to see our progress.

I like ti have about 2-3 hrs of planned activities / rough outline of what I’d like to do per day. Enough to not waste the day figuring out what to do / where to go, but also builds in time for playing things by ear. When my kids were little, packing a pull-toy for getting through the airport and walking around during layovers worked really well.

A friend told me her family always does bike share when they get to a European city for the first day because it’s a totally different perspective than foot or transit or car.

We go to family in the south of France a lot from the west coast and always book that tiny in-airport hotel Yotel if we go through Amsterdam to sleep for a few hours before our afternoon flight to Marseille. We arrive to family rested and relaxed and don’t lose a whole day to jet lag.

Don’t be a ninny about Mexico. It’s an incredible country and my family goes every year to cities and towns on the Pacific, Oaxaca and Yucatán. Take precautions, don’t go to cartel run areas and enjoy the magnificent culture, food and people.

Anonymous wrote:Don't go to Disneyworld over Thanksgiving.

I did this (Disneyland) S-W of Thanksgiving week and it was awesome! We stayed at Grand Californian which had its tree up. It was lovely. One day at Disney and one at California Adventure. It was my only time at Disney. Dh grew up in Florida and has been a million times and he said this was the best ever. Kids were early teens.

Anonymous wrote:Deacades ago when I was whining about DH scheming for too many work trips to parlay into overseas vacations, he said:
"We can go now and not go later, or we can not go now and not go later."
Covid. Orthopedic surgeries with complications. Medical stuff. Age.
Only places we stil really want to go and never have but are content if it doesn't happen are Egypt (Pyramids, Luxor, Sharm), Galapagos.

This is great and your too spots are also on my list!

-Have low expectations
-Before you leave, order grocery delivery for your return
-Ideally I like to travel Sat to Sat to allow time to pack / unpack before / after work.
-Book excursions that could be canceled for weather related reasons at the beginning of the trip, to allow time to reschedule if needed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:always pack a deck of cards ziploc bags, all the OTC meds, and if w kids a ball and balloons.

A ball? You are packing a freaking ball?

When my kids were little, I usually packed a couple of inflatable beach balls (deflated of course). I don't think this is bad advice!

Regarding being kind in order to get upgrades, I think my tip would just be to lead with kindness in all situations. Not because it will get you something special or extra, but just because it's a good way to live life, and staying calm helps keep a vacation enjoyable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A tip I learned on this forum: When traveling to Europe, book your first hotel/apartment/whatever in the first city starting the night before you arrive, so you can check in immediately upon arrival (assuming you take a red eye to Europe). Having to putz around for hours while you’re exhausted, waiting until 3 or 4 pm to check in, sucks.
Make sure everyone in your party uses the bathroom before getting into the passport control line, and maybe grab a bottled water on the way if you can. Last March in Rome, we waited well over an hour in line. In Paris this past April, the wait was over two hours!

You better let them know what you are doing, or there is a good chance you will arrive and your reservation was canceled and they gave your room away when you didn't show up. Even when you do let them know what you are doing, this can happen.

Yes of course you need to tell them you are arriving the next morning so they don’t think you are a no show. I do this all the time though for both work and fun travel and have never had them give the room away.

It is pretty common for them to end up giving the room away. This is a risky thing to do.

How is it risky? DP, but I email the hotel after I book it and then a few days before the trip I call to confirm again. It's a small price to pay to have access to a hotel room before 4:00. They're certainly not surprised by what I'm doing.