6 Ways to Make Family Vacations More Relaxing for Mom

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing events where you can take tie out of your busy schedule and check out, but when it is a family vacation, that is often easier said than done for one reason or another.

If you’re a frazzled mom, who is tired of having family vacations that are anything but relaxing, here are a few things you can do to change that and ensure your next trip away is one of the most serene yet:

1. Plan things for the kids

Often, family vacations are less than relaxing because the kids are bored, and when the kids are bored, they will act out and wind you up. So, if you want to have the kind of vacation you think you deserve, it would be prudent to plan a few activities for the kids. From surf camps to rock climbing, there are so many children’s activities to try on vacation, and the more of them you schedule in for the kids, the less bored they will get, and the more time you will have to kick back and relax.

2. Let everyone have their say

If you want to avoid arguments, then when you are planning your itinerary, you should let everyone have their say. You should try to divide activities and attractions up equally so that everyone gets the same amount of time doing something they love, including you.

3. Keep things low-key

Although you will want to fit in some exciting stuff like visits to theme parks and horse riding trips along the beach, if you’re looking to have a relaxing family vacation, then you don’t want to overschedule yourself with activities – you will want to keep things low key.

Leave spaces in the schedule for simply relaxing on the beach or taking a dip in the pool. If you try to fit in too much, you will never get a chance to just be, and that means you will always be rushing around unable to find the peace and quiet you so desperately need.

4. Let it go

When you are on vacation, you absolutely do not need to maintain the same high standards that you usually do at home; you can be a bit more free and easy than you are used to. So, if the kids’; clothes are not perfectly ironed or your hair is not perfectly preened, learn to let it go, go with the flow and you will have a much more chilled-out time of it, for sure.

5. Share the load

Before you head off on vacation, you should agree with your spouse, and any other adults and teenagers who are coming along, to share the load in terms of cooking, chores, and anything else that needs to be done when you are on vacation and come up with a rota that lays out what everyone will be expected to so in order to pitch in. Just because you are a mom, does not mean you should be the one always making lunches or tidying up your rental apartment.

Of course, if you want to really relax, then staying in a hotel with full-service rather than an apartment, will mean none of you have to do very much other than have a good time, so do bear that in mind too! 

6. Do your own thing

If it is possible to do so, you should try to schedule a day or so when you can go off on your own and do something just for you. As much as you love your kids, having some time away from them can be just the thing you need to recharge your batteries. So, take it in turns with your spouse to take charge of the kids, so one of you can go off and do something nice, or if you are traveling as a solo parent, look into kid’s clubs and childcare that will enable you to take a few hours to yourself where you can hit the spa, go for a hike, do some shopping or have cocktails on the beach. You deserve it.

As you can see, there are lots of simple things you can do to ensure that your family faction is as relaxing as it can possibly be for you, and everyone else too. So, what are you waiting for? Time to start planning that trip, and remember that you deserve to have a relaxing vacation just as much as everyone else, so don’t be afraid to put yourself first occasionally.