Even on the best day at home, kids can be a handful. A family vacation can be a welcome break from the monotony of every day, especially if you select a destination that is bound to be fun for everyone. If you prepare in advance and keep these tricks in mind, you’ll not only make it through your family vacation whole, you might even enjoy yourself to the fullest.
1. Take Your Time
When you have a limited amount of time in a faraway place, it can be instinctual to pack in the attractions and activities. However, every parent knows that kids operate on their own schedule. While arriving late causes all types of headaches, stressing out won’t make your kids understand or move faster. Instead, remain patient and stay organized, and you will still enjoy the most important attractions. Niagara Falls was designed with families in mind, and most everything runs all day, including the WEGO buses, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see what you want.
There’s another reason not to rush and hurry your kids around the town. Vacations are much easier if you keep your kids on their regular schedule. They should wake up on time, take meals at regular intervals, and go to bed by bedtime. If kids can’t predict the day, their behavior will be even more chaotic than usual.
2. Plan Days for Them and Days for You
Attractions that are built for the whole family are rare — which is what makes Fallsview Indoor Water Park so special. Instead of surrendering the entire vacation to your kids or dragging little ones through entertainment targeted at adults, try to balance your trip with days to reward them and days to relax you. Additionally, to avoid confusion and chaos, try to limit your clan to one major attraction a day.
For example, the first day you might spend at Clifton Hill, winning prizes from arcade games and screaming away on any of the thrilling rides. Then, the following day you can wander through the forests and take in the natural beauty of the Niagara Escarpment. The third day can be a compromise at Fallsview Water Park or Safari Niagara, where there is plenty for kids of all ages to enjoy.
3. Be Together
The point of a family vacation, besides showing your kids a new area of the world, is to grow together. Amidst the flash and excitement of a vacation’s activities, your kids want and need to spend time with you, so make sure you’re there playing games and running around alongside them. There is plenty of incentive to spend time with your kids: Children in families that are connected emotionally and physically tend to be healthier and happier overall. You can reward yourself with some adult time while the little ones are napping or entertaining themselves, but on a family vacation, you should be devoting a fair amount of energy to keeping up with your kids.
