Identify activities that all family members can enjoy
There should be something for everyone. From petting zoos to shopping malls, identify the must-do activity for everyone involved. Some clans use a family meeting to pre-plan the trip. This is also a great time to obtain agreement that vacations are give and take and involve compromise. It is usually impossible to please everyone all the time.

Make plans that are age appropriate
It is unrealistic to embark on a long car trip with very young children. They will be miserable and so will you. Small children do much better with short trips that include plenty of opportunity to play. Likewise, most teenagers will be bored with stops at museums and areas of historical interest; they prefer the shopping mall. You will save yourself a lot of misery if you understand the attention span and interests of your children.

Be prepared to wait
Whether by plane, train or automobile, travel can involve delays and waiting. Bring games, books, and other time fillers in case there is time to kill. Make “getting there,” half the fun with all understanding that some glitches while traveling are the norm, not the exception.

Beware of too much togetherness
You don’t have to spend every minute of every day together. Part of a great vacation is also getting some time alone to reflect and think. You can also team up with different family members based on interests. It allows an opportunity to reconnect in new ways.

Expect the unexpected
While annoying at the time, some of the best memories and funniest stories are the things that aren’t expected. Like adjusting the motor on the boat and watching as it falls to the bottom of the lake or raccoons loose in the cabin. These events are the fodder for stories around the campfire for years.

Keep a sense of humor
Try to enjoy the special moments of just being together taking time to laugh and play. It’s a funny thing. I have worked since I was 16 years old and can barely remember one workday from another. But I can tell you the details of every vacation from the last twenty years.

For many kids, the only way to keep their attention on a family trip is to get them involved. The best method for doing this is to give them a journal and ask them to make daily entries. Keeping a journal will encourage kids to pay attention to the things around them. It also gives them something to during long rides in cars, on planes and so on as well as promotes good writing habits.

There are famous instances of people keeping journals throughout time. Of course, Anne Frank’s Diary is the best example. In her diary, Anne kept a running commentary of the two years her family spent hiding from the Nazis. While your family vacations will hopefully be more lighthearted, keeping a journal will let you and your children reflect on past family vacations, particularly as the years pass. Nothing beats reading old journals at a family gathering and reliving the memories.

A good journal for kids will combine a number of characteristics. First, it should be compact. Second, it should have a case to protect it from rain, spills and just because kids will be kids. Third, the journal should contain blank areas for notes, doodles and so on. Finally, the journal should contain cue spaces to remind children to pay attention to certain things and write them down. Cues should include:

1. Who went on the trip,

2. Places visited and why they are important,

3. The most memorable experience each day,

4. New friends made and contact information for them,

5. Events occurring on each day, and

6. Impressions of things seen.

As time passes, the family vacations journals will remind your kids of past trips. Memories fade with time, even for kids. By keeping a journal, kids will open their eyes to things around them, enhancing your family vacation.