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Planning Your Next Vacation Adventure with Toddlers

4 Tips on Making Your Next Family Vacation Easier

By InMotion AlbumsPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

We all know those yearning feelings we share when dreaming of that next great travel adventure. It’s that feeling—that dreamy but pushy, I-don’t-care-how-much, urge to get away and experience a new, exciting vacation.

As much as we want it all, we also want a vacation with enough relaxation. After all, who wants to return home feeling exhausted looking for another break?

It's all about finding and blending the right mental and physical breaks with new experience and a pinch of adventure.

Now let’s say you saved and budgeted. Let’s say you’re ready to book the flight and make it happen. Great!

But hold on. Something is different this time. This time you have children, small children with small things and big needs.

Where do you begin planning?

Do you wing it and hope for the best?

Now that you’re a parent you’re probably used to some degree of complex planning. Even if you don’t spend too much time thinking you're planning, you're at least going to research hotels and book a flight, right?

Bottom line, you want to take big adventures with your kids. You want to show your kids the world, and you can’t wait!

Before you start though, here are 4 "little" tips to help you start thinking about making your next family vacation or travel adventure easier.

Think LITTLE.

1. Little Animals

Sea Life Park, Oahu

Look online for vacation spots with animals. Kids love animals.

Birds, turtles, fish, nature hikes to learn about insects including butterflies and beetles. Kids love small animals they can watch and talk about. And, anytime you can replace plastic with nature, you’re going in the right direction for the whole family!

How do you best search for this? Search the general region, county or small community where you’re traveling (avoid “hotel” focused online searches). Look at what’s available outside the resorts on public beaches, hiking trails, and museums. Animal parks can be a great option, but make sure to check their reputation and reviews to ensure you’re not supporting animal cruelty and neglect.

2. Little Pools

Hilton’s Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort (but accessible to the public!)

Be on the lookout for small, natural pools where your kids can get the “adventure” without the chlorine or the tides. Some hotels and even public beaches will actually have calm ocean water areas with plenty of beach experience without those rushing waves.

Kailua Beach Park on Oahu, for example, has a small open salt water channel leading to the ocean that offers the perfect, tranquil and shallow spot for your little ones. Hilton’s Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort also helps support an open (to the public) salty beachy pool perfect for small children.

3. Little, Simple Adventures

Small parks, big fun!

Little people have small things and big needs. When you think about your activities while on vacation with toddlers, keep it simple, small and short.

Watch out for "kid-friendly" resorts that claim to have all your family needs.“Kid-friendly” by hotel definition can be as far reaching as offering huge water parks (best for pre-teens), but can also mean nothing more than offering a basic baby-sitting service.

Start with “kid-friendly,” but also look for vacation spaces, hotels, and activities with quiet parks and resorts as well as quaint, enclosed play areas where you won’t worry about them getting lost. Also keep an eye out for areas with plenty of outdoor style restaurants where eating becomes fun for them (kids love outdoors), and therefore fun for mom and dad too.

4. Little Cameras, Big Memories!

Lastly, don’t forget your small mirrorless camera, and of course your smart phone is always an option.

For parents with a photography hobby (or perhaps profession) who love touting their Canon DSLR, consider inquiring whether the resort offers photography services. You may be able to save your worries about traveling with little ones (messy accidents, extra baggage, etc.) by simply hiring a photography professional while you’re on vacation with toddlers.

This article was written by Kristin Miller, Co-Founder of Colorado startup, InMotion Albums. InMotion was named a CES Innovation Awards Honoree in Digital Imaging in the same category as HP and Samsung, and was featured by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ hosted startup-themed broadcast media tour.

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About the Creator

InMotion Albums

InMotion Albums produces the world’s first interactive print, digital and video experience in the form of a high-quality luxe photo album that includes proprietary page detection technology and fully customizable end-user software.

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