Travel Love Language - Help to Identify, Understand, & Plan Vacations

How can you be sure you’re getting the most out of your vacation? The answer may lie in understanding your travel love language. Just like any other relationship in your life, the way we give and receive love affects how satisfied we feel on family vacations.

We all have different ways of expressing and receiving love. Knowing your travel love language can help you and your family enjoy vacation more. It can also help you understand each other’s preferences and avoid misunderstandings and conflict while you’re away from home. Kids have love languages, too!

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What’s Your Love Language?

In the book ‘What are the Five Love Languages?’, author Gary Chapman says everyone has a “primary love language”. This is their predominant way of expressing and receiving love. Essentially, you want to keep your “love tank” full to increase satisfaction in relationships.

Here are the five love languages. A child’s love language also fits into these categories, but its expression might look a little different than an adult’s:

1. Quality Time

If quality time is your love language, you feel most loved when you’re spending one-on-one time with your partner or family. You’re not as interested in the destination as you are in the quality of the time you spend together. For example, this might look like running errands together or taking a short walk – the emphasis is on the time you are spending together fully engaged with the other person.

2. Words of Affirmation

If words of affirmation are your love language, you feel most loved when your partner or family tells you how much they appreciate you. You like hearing words like “Thank you” and “I’m so glad we’re here together.” This may also include using words to describe someone you love, like how kind and generous they are.

3. Receiving Gifts

If your love language is receiving gifts, you feel most loved when your partner or family buys you presents, either before or during the trip. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive – it could be a souvenir from a local store or tickets to a show or attraction that you’ve been wanting to see. It could also be something like a beautiful shell you found on the beach or a wildflower plucked in a meadow.

4. Acts of Service

If acts of service are your love language, you feel most loved when your partner or family does things to make your vacation more enjoyable. This could include packing your bags, making restaurant reservations, or planning activities that you’ll all enjoy.

5. Physical Touch

If physical touch is your love language, you feel most loved when you’re physically close to your partner or family. This could include holding hands, cuddling, or simply sitting close to each other on the plane or in the car.

Determining Your Travel Love Language

Knowing your travel love language can help you and your family enjoy vacation more. It can also help you avoid misunderstandings and conflict while you’re away from home.

If you’re not sure what your travel love language is, below we have some questions that can help you determine which one best describes you and what type of vacation will make you the happiest.

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Once you know your travel love language, you can start planning vacations that will be more enjoyable for everyone. Keep in mind that we all have different love languages, so what works for one person may not work for another. The important thing is to communicate with each other and be respectful of each other’s needs. These tips below apply to couples’ getaways, family trips, and just about any trip with 2 or more people.

Here are a few things to consider when trying to identify your family’s travel love language:

1. What Kind Of Activities Do You Enjoy Most While On Vacation?

Is it exploring new cultures and trying new foods? Or do you prefer relaxing on a beach with a good book? Maybe you love adventure sports or seek out opportunities to learn new things?

2. How Do You Like To Spend Your Free Time While On Vacation?

Do you like to spend downtime with your family or do you prefer to have some time to yourself? Maybe you love being active and exploring your surroundings, or maybe you just want to relax and take in the sights and sounds of your vacation destination.

3. How Do You Want To Feel When You’re On Vacation?

Do you want to feel relaxed and rejuvenated, or do you like to feel excited and energized? Maybe you want to feel like you’re really getting away from it all, or maybe you just want to feel like you’re on a memorable vacation with your family.

4. What Kind Of Memories Do You Want To Create On Vacation?

Do you want to create special family traditions or just make lasting memories with your loved ones? Maybe you want to take lots of photos and videos to document your trip, or maybe you just want to savor the experience and enjoy the moment.

5. What Kind Of Amenities Are Important To You While On Vacation?

Do you prefer luxury accommodations or are you happy with a more basic setup? Do you like to be pampered while on vacation or do you prefer a more hands-off approach? Maybe you like having a lot of activities and entertainment options available, or maybe you prefer to keep things simple and focus on spending time with your family.

6. What Kind Of Budget Do You Have For Your Vacation?

Do you want to splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime trip or are you looking for a more economical option? Maybe you’re willing to sacrifice some amenities in order to save money, or maybe you’re willing to pay a little extra for the perfect vacation experience.

7. How Do You Feel About Spending Time With Extended Family Or Friends While On Vacation?

Do you love having a big group to spend time with or do you prefer a more intimate setting? Maybe you’re okay with mixing business with pleasure, or maybe you just want to keep things light and fun.

For some people, visiting family or friends is the best part of a vacation. Others find it to be a necessary evil. If you fall somewhere in between, try to find a compromise that everyone can be happy with.

8. What Is Your Ideal Schedule For A Day While On Vacation?

Do you like to wake up early and make the most of the day, or do you prefer to sleep in and take things easy? Maybe you like to have a mix of activities planned, or maybe you just want to wing it and see what happens.

9. What Kind Of Environment Do You Prefer While On Vacation?

Do you like busy, bustling cities or do you prefer more laid-back beach towns? Maybe you love the great outdoors or maybe you prefer the comforts of indoor activities.

10. What Is Your Ideal Weather For Vacation?

Do you love basking in the sun or do you prefer cooler temperatures? Do you like rainy days or are you a fair-weather traveler? If your plans get rained out, do you like to have a backup plan?

11. Do You Have Any Dietary Restrictions Or Food Preferences?

Do you need to eat gluten-free, kosher, or halal foods? Maybe you’re a vegetarian or vegan. Or maybe you just love trying new things and want to sample the local cuisine.

12. What Is Your Ideal Vacation Length?

Do you prefer long vacations or quick getaways? Maybe you like to take multiple vacations throughout the year or maybe you like to save up for one big trip.

13. Are There Special Needs To Be Considered?

Do you or anyone in your group have special needs that need to be taken into account? Maybe you have a baby or small child, or maybe someone in your group has a disability.

14. What Is Your Preferred Mode Of Transportation While On Vacation?

Do you like to fly, drive, or take the train? Maybe you prefer to go by boat or cruise ship. Or maybe you like to mix and match and use different modes of transportation depending on your destination.

15. What Are Your Thoughts On Souvenirs?

Do you love buying souvenirs or do you prefer to take pictures and memories? Maybe you like to bring back gifts for friends and family, or maybe you just like to buy things for yourself.

Travel Love Languages for Kids

Once you’ve answered all the above questions for yourself, it’s important to plan around your child’s primary love language, too. If they have a bit of autonomy and choice in your vacation activities, they will have a better time as well.

There are all kinds of adventures, some good and some..… well let’s just say they are a different kind of adventure. A perfect vacation isn’t one that goes exactly as planned. It’s the trip that everyone has fun on and one where you create memories together that fuel those “Do you remember when we went to…..” stories for years to come. THAT is the kind of vacation I consider to be perfect.

I have found that when I get the kids involved in planning the trip, we get the nearly perfect vacation. The one we all look forward to and have a great time on. By getting their input, I learn a few things like:

Where they’d like to go
What they want to see
What activities do they want to do

This information helps me create a trip that is as close to perfect as I’ll ever get. Sometimes the kids’ answers surprise me. On one of our trips to Disney Cruise to the Bahamas, as part of the Disney Social Media Moms Conference trip, I asked them about the types of shore excursions they wanted to try. Snorkeling and relaxing on the beach were what they wanted to do. No sites, no excursions, just swimming and playing in the sand. So that’s what we did and we all LOVED it!

Would You Rather Questions for Travel

To get the kids involved in the perfect family vacation, start asking questions. We love playing the game “Would You Rather?” It’s a fun game for any age and can be used to help plan a trip. It’s also a great way to express love by getting your kids’ opinions. These questions can also be sued to learn all your family love languages. Below I have included a few fun Would You Rather? questions to help you get started.

Would you Rather:

Pack your hiking boots, snow suit, or beach ball?
Swim with sharks or climb a mountain?
Visit a museum or play in the pool?
See wildlife, your favorite cartoon character, or something you haven’t seen before?
Go camping, enjoy a room with a fireplace, or sleep on a boat?
Grill a fish you just caught for dinner or try steamed dumplings?
Take a guided tour or explore on your own?
Try a new activity or eat a new food?
Ride in a 4-wheeler or sit on an air-conditioned bus?
Would you rather dance at a luau or learn to count a different currency?

These questions to ask the kids are just the beginning. Once you have an idea of where everyone wants to go and what they’d like to do, you can start planning. Take a look and find the perfect family vacation destinations we have shared to help inspire you.

When it comes to planning the perfect vacation, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. But by taking the time to understand your travel love language and the love languages of children, you can make sure that your next trip is tailored specifically to your needs and preferences. By doing so, you’re sure to create lasting memories and enjoy a stress-free experience that everyone will love.

Don’t forget to invite your friends to our Facebook groups! We would also love to see your vacation pictures!

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Travel Love Language – Help to Identify, Understand, & Plan Vacations