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One of the most exciting things is by far packing up your possessions before a trip, knowing a new adventure is just about to start. Unlike many people think, travel doesn't stop after having children; in fact, it gets even better. Family trips are a perfect time to bond with your family and create new memories together, be it a winter family vacation, or any other holiday. Follow these simple tips to prepare your family for a trip and go have the vacation of a lifetime.
Inspire your children
First things first, let's talk about preparing your kids for a long trip. What you should do is read, read, read! Educate yourself about the location, find some interesting facts and hidden gems and find a way to introduce your children to local culture, customs, foods and all there is. Children learn fast and it doesn't take much to get their attention so do your research and find something that will fascinate your kids. For example, if you are going to Spain you might want to inspire your kids to read Don Quixote because that way they will be excited to see the statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in Plaza de Espana in Madrid and the whole experience will be more meaningful for them.
Explore together
You can also interest your children to learn all there is about your destination by letting them watch kid-friendly movies, TV shows and documentaries about a certain location. Watching with them will give them the motivation to ask you about the things that are unclear and therefore they will learn more and be fascinated when they visit the destination. Show them pictures of the places where they will go, print out maps of the location and let them explore. Also, you can download educational games such as Pop Geo US Geography.
Encourage learning a foreign language
When you are traveling with children consider having them learn a little language with you. You can either play podcasts or use apps for learning a foreign language such as Duolingo. Learning the simplest sentences will get your children involved in planning, choosing what to see and they will be motivated to practice when ordering foods or drinks. Encourage them to research interesting sightseeing spots and to use the words and sentences that they learned.
Be smart plan ahead
Well, that was the hard part, and obviously, the next step is preparing your house and making plans ahead. Planning your trip in advance is a smart way to avoid potential problems so give yourself enough time to plan all the technicalities in details and start packing on time, at least 2 days before actually the hitting the road. Make notes and lists of things you need to pack, and deal with the payments in advance (start booking hotels, flights etc. at least 3 months prior to the trip) to avoid excessive costs.
While packing and planning is obviously the top priority, make coming home even better by following these simple tips for preparing your house for a long trip.
Double-check everything
When making plans ahead for your trip, make plans for future needs as well. Make sure that all your bills are paid and leave some food with a long expiration date so that you don't have to worry about rushing to the store as soon as you leave your bags. Make a list of the things you have to do when you come back and leave notes so that you don't have to think about it on your vacation.
Tidy up before you go
Be kind to your future after-vacation-self and tidy up before you leave. Clear your kitchen cabinets and give away the food that is going to expire soon fresh fruits and veggies. Well, this is the perfect time to de-clutter your home so hire a reliable rubbish removal company and get rid of all the rubbish that was collecting dust over the years. Empty the trash and tidy up all the rooms in the house so that when you come back home, you can have a fresh start and smoother back to reality. What's the point in relaxing on your vacation only to come back and start cleaning and de-cluttering right away?!
Find a house sitter
The most important thing when leaving home for a longer period of time is to find a reliable house sitter. You can ask your neighbours or family members to take care of your house while you are away. It is good to have someone to bring in the mail, set out trash cans on trash days, turn off and on the lights, etc. Don't forget to leave emergency contact information with your house sitters in case you know you are going to be unreachable and all applicable information about your security alarm.
Rely on these tips to prepare your family and your house for the future trip and relax and enjoy your vacation, knowing you have everything under control.
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