10 Simple Vacation Planning Tips That Help You Avoid Mistakes that Kill Your Joy

You want to make the most of your family vacation by seeing as much as possible and doing everything you can. Right?

Wrong!

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The biggest mistake you can make when planning your family vacation is overscheduling. Planning your trip is a good thing, but if you try to pack too much into each day, you’re not going to find joy and relaxation while on vacation. You’ll most likely have the opposite effect and end up exhausted, cranky, and stressed out. Not only will this ruin your vacation, but it will also make it harder to enjoy the time you have together as a family.

When you are planning your next trip, I have a few simple tips to help you avoid overwhelming your vacation experience (aka overscheduling), so you can focus on enjoying your time together.

Over Planning Does NOT = Great Vacation Experience

You’ve been planning your dream vacation for months. You’ve read all the guidebooks and scoured the internet for the best things to see and do. You have a detailed itinerary mapped out, complete with restaurant reservations and tickets to shows.

But are you really enjoying your vacation? Do you find yourself rushing from one thing to the next in an attempt to squeeze everything in? Are you going through the motions, trying to check everything off a list of things you should do? Are your children cranky?

Here’s a Real Life Example

At the Orlando airport – you’ll know which families are heading home after a week of vacation at Walt Disney World. There’s the mother who is frazzled, the children who are crying, and the father who is carrying all the bags. They’ll be the ones in line at Starbucks, desperately trying to get caffeine into their systems because they are all exhausted. What went wrong? They tried to do too much. And in the process, they missed out on the magic of vacation.

If this sounds familiar, you may be overscheduling your vacation. I have been there myself and even have the Disney family t-shirts and self-published trip itinerary complete with 64 pages of color-coded maps to prove it.

Now, I love Disney World as much as the next person. But I have learned from experience that it is possible to enjoy a vacation without doing everything and seeing everything. In fact, I would argue that it is necessary to take some downtime in order to truly appreciate all that a destination has to offer.

Why Overplanning Doesn’t Work

Overplanning and overscheduling can result in a vacation that is more stressful than relaxing. It can also lead to arguments and resentments among family members. Your family or friends are left feeling resentful because they didn’t get to experience the trip the way they wanted to.

When we try to pack in too many activities, we end up missing out on the true beauty of travel – taking the time to relax and enjoy the moment. We are so focused on getting to the next thing that we don’t take the time to savor our current surroundings.

It also doesn’t account for the unexpected. No matter how much you plan, things will inevitably go wrong. Flights will be delayed, restaurants will be closed, and rain will ruin your beach day. If you have planned every minute of your vacation, there is no room for flexibility and you are more likely to get stressed out when things don’t go according to plan.

How to Plan a Vacation That Doesn’t Suck

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make the most of your vacation. After all, a vacation is an investment of time and money. It would be really awful if the trip didn’t meet your expectations and basically “suck”. But there is a difference between making the most of your trip and trying to do too much.

Here are 10 tips to help you avoid overplanning and overscheduling your vacation:

1. Set a budget for your trip and stick to it.

This will help you avoid overspending on activities, food, and souvenirs. Having a set travel budget will also force you to be more selective about the activities you choose, so you don’t end up spending too much money on things you don’t really want to do. Money can be a huge stressor on vacation, so it’s important to set a budget and stick to it.

In your budget, you’ll want to include: transportation to/from and at your destination (airfare, train tickets, gas, public transit, care share, etc.), lodging, food, activities, etc. It helps to allocate a certain amount of money for each day of your trip. For example, if you have $1000 to spend on your four-day trip, you would have $250 to spend each day. This will help you keep track of your spending and make sure you don’t overspend.

2. Make a list of the must-see attractions and must-do experiences.

Once you have chosen your destination, it’s time to make a list of the must-see attractions and must-do experiences. For example, if you are visiting Paris, you may want to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Louvre. If you are hiking in Yosemite, you may want to do a day hike to Half Dome.

This will help you prioritize and make sure you don’t miss anything important. But be realistic about what you can realistically fit into your trip. It’s okay to miss a few things – you can always come back!

After creating our list of must-do things, rank the top 3-5 attractions that you really want to see and focus on those. I like to get my family involved in this step and have each person choose their top 3 must-sees. This helps ensure that everyone gets to do at least one thing they are really excited about.

3. Map out your days, but not every minute of every day

Once you have a list of the must-see attractions, it’s time to map out your days. This doesn’t mean that you have to plan every minute of every day, but it’s helpful to have a general idea of what you want to do each day. This will help you avoid wasting time and ensures that you make the most of your trip.

Plan to do one, maybe two, activities each day. This will give you plenty of time to enjoy the activity, the destination, and each other without feeling overwhelmed. If you want to do more than one activity in a day, try to plan them back-to-back and/or in close proximity to each other to avoid wasted time getting from one place to the next.

Something we implemented with the kids is everyone has their day. Everyone gets to choose one activity that we do as a family or gets half to the full day where they plan the activity they want most. We found that the kids didn’t want to do ALL the things on their day(s) and often only choose to do 1 to 3 things. This helped us avoid feeling like we had to do everything and helped the kids learn a bit of independence.

Travel Tip: When traveling with young children who have set schedules for naps and meals, try to plan your days around their schedules. This will help minimize stress for everyone involved!

Looking for more family experiences? Take a look at these and others on Get Your Guide.

4. Build in downtime and rest days.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when planning their vacations is failing to build in some downtime. Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you have to be go-go-go all the time. In addition to scheduled activities, be sure to build in some downtime each day. This is time for you to relax, explore on your own, hang by the pool, or just do nothing at all.

Downtime is important because it gives you a chance to recharge and enjoy your surroundings without being on the go all the time. It’s also a great opportunity to connect with your travel companions and build lasting memories.

When my family travels, we plan a break every day after lunch and also take every 3rd day off This is especially important for us when we spend a week at Disney World because we need the break to avoid burnout.

5. Avoid scheduling activities too early or too late in the day.

One of the worst things you can do on vacation is to schedule an activity for the time of day when they aren’t at their best. For example, don’t schedule a theme park visit for first thing in the morning if your family is not morning people. Or, don’t plan an outdoor activity for the middle of the day when it’s sunny at 103˙F outside.

Instead, try to schedule activities for times when you know your family will be at their best. This will help you avoid feeling rushed or stressed and ensures that you make the most of your vacation.

However….. I say this, but if your family are morning people or night owls and you want to hit the theme parks or attractions when they are less crowded, by all means, do so! For our family, we often find that going into the theme parks at opening or taking a morning off and then staying until closing works better for us.

6. Don’t be afraid to say “No”

It can be tough to say no, especially when you’re on vacation and everyone wants to do something different. But if you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to speak up and say that you need a break. This also goes for the kids. If they are old enough to say they’re tired, let them. It’s okay to slow down the pace and take a break. If you have younger children who are starting to get cranky, it’s okay to head back to the hotel for a rest.

It’s important to remember that you don’t have to do everything on vacation. The point is to relax and enjoy your time away from home. So if you need to slow down, don’t be afraid to do so.

7. Wake up early

If you want to avoid feeling rushed on vacation, one of the best things you can do is wake up early. This will give you a chance to start your day slowly and enjoy some leisurely activities before the crowds arrive later in the day.

Plus, if you’re traveling with kids who rarely sleep in, this is a great opportunity to get in some quality family time before they become cranky and exhausted. If you want to loosely schedule an early morning activity during our vacation, go for a walk on the beach, explore the town, or even just enjoy a quiet cup of coffee on your hotel balcony.

Travel Tip: Nothing beats a sunrise on the beach. You’re usually the only one out there and it’s so peaceful. It’s the perfect way to start your day!

8. Don’t Overpack

One of the worst things you can do on vacation is to overpack. Not only is it a pain to lug around a bunch of stuff you don’t need, but it can also lead to feeling stressed and overwhelmed, not to mention paying for airline luggage fees that aren’t necessary. When packing for vacation, be sure to pack light and only bring the essentials.

If you’re not sure what to bring, make a list of the activities you’ll be doing and pack accordingly. And be sure to pack for the weather. There’s nothing worse than being uncomfortable on vacation because you packed the wrong clothes.

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9. Slow Down and Be Flexible

One of the best things you can do on vacation is to slow down and savor the moment. Instead of rushing through your activities, take the time to enjoy them. This will help you create lasting memories and avoid feeling frazzled.

If you are traveling with young children, slowing down is essential. We have found that if we try to do too much each day when traveling with our kids, everyone ends up feeling cranky and stressed out. Remember that earlier example of the Florida airport family (a.k.a us years ago.) We didn’t slow down.

10. Learn to Relax

One of the best things you can do for your vacation is to learn how to relax. This may seem like either an impossible task or a no-brainer, but it’s actually somewhere in between. If you’re the type of person who has a hard time relaxing, it may take some effort to learn how to do so. But once you get the hang of it, it will be worth it.

Start by taking some deep breaths and focusing on the present moment. Then, let go of any expectations or preconceived notions about what your vacation should be like. Remember that it’s okay to relax and do nothing – you deserve it!

Set some ground rules for yourself and your family.

Above are ten ways to plan a vacation that doesn’t lead to overwhelm and the need for a vacation from the vacation. Lastly, I wanted to share this last bit of advice. Before you leave on vacation, sit down with your family and set some ground rules as well as let them know what to expect while you’re gone. This will help to avoid any surprises or meltdowns while you’re away.

Some things to consider:

• What time will everyone need to be up in the morning?
• What activities are planned each day?
• How long will we spend doing each activity?
• What is our budget for meals/activities/souvenirs?
• What is our plan for bedtime/naps/down time?

By setting these expectations ahead of time, you can avoid any arguments or disappointments while on vacation. Plus, it will help everyone to enjoy the trip more knowing what to expect each day.

There you have it! Ten tips for planning a vacation that won’t leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed. If you keep these things in mind while planning your trip, you’re sure to have a relaxing and enjoyable vacation. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your next getaway today!

If you found these tips helpful, please share this blog post with your friends or family members who are planning a vacation.

Do you have any tips for planning a stress-free vacation? I’d love to hear them! Share in the comments below or join us in our Family Adventures Facebook Group and share them with likeminded parents who are looking for ways to make family travel easier.

Happy travels!