I describe myself as an “energetic type-A” traveler. If I was taking a solo trip to a new location, I would research ahead and pack my days full, full, full. And if while walking from Item 32 to Item 33 on my list, I saw something that looked interesting, I would take the detour and dive into that experience too. I want to do it all. ALL. If that means literally running from one place to another, that’s okay. If that means I only get to spend 15 minutes enjoying each location, that’s not ideal, but also okay.
Pedro and I, pre-kids, traveled to Paris. We had invested in the Museum Pass (a great deal, btw, if you have museum-interested kiddos), and I felt that we hadn’t quite gotten our money’s worth. So we sat down that night in our Airbnb and figured out geographically how we could see as many as possible the following day. We planned to start with 30 minutes at the Louvre (no, that is not a typo), and go on from there down a laundry list of Parisian museums. We were the first in line for the Louvre that morning, entered quickly with our passes, and quite ‘Black Friday sale on TVs’-style, we guided ourselves to the Mona Lisa. There wasn’t another person in sight, so we took a few photos, looked at it, said “hmm” and went on to see the Venus de Milo. Again, “hmm” (we’re huge art people lol). We planned to visit a third piece (I can’t remember which), but got lost in the Egyptian section, so I snapped some photos as I ran by. Our 30 minutes was up, so we made a b-line to the exit as quick as possible and speed walked to our next destination. It was a busy day. A hectic day. But both of us look back at the photos fondly, and kind of laugh at how hurriedly we did everything. That worked for us in our 30s.
Enter children. Children are little persons who do not – NOT – like to be rushed. My son’s idea of a good time is finding something fun (ex: a colored rock), and then camping out there for a day. Maybe two. So our rushing days are over. I must finally stop and smell the roses. I hate the smell of roses, but I’m slowly adjusting to it.
First off, why? Why spend time planning at all? Why not just let the wind blow us where it may?
- Because you are spending thousands of dollars to take a trip to a place that you may never visit again. Call it ‘responsibility’ or ‘being task-oriented’ or Proverbs 14:23…whatever motivates you most. You are going to make the most of your time and your money, using both wisely.
- You may wander into a phenomenal unplanned conversation with an elderly lady who invites you to her balcony for tea (what a lovely way to spend an afternoon), but if she doesn’t happen to mention to you – a scrapbooker – that the best craft store in Europe is 3 blocks over…you’ll never see it. And years later when you discover its existence, you’ll wish you had looked it up. So, to avoid regret, you’re going to do your research now, before your trip.
Time frames I recommend (note: this is geared for kiddos under 5):
- For museums, aquariums, and anything housed in a decent-sized building: Try to schedule only 1 a day. These are BIG adventures for littles, and taking in more than one in a day is information overload. 2-3 hour commitment.
- For farms/animal attractions & smaller museums (lesser known, local or speciality ones): You can try to do 2-3 a day if you can fit them in, but I wouldn’t recommend stacking them one after the other, and would plan at least 90-minutes inside of each.
- For “nature exercise” (hiking, biking, snorkeling, etc): plan several hours (“the morning” or “the afternoon” are good for these). Unless it’s your family thing, day-long hikes with children are out. If you’re taking a specific tour, the company will always provide you with a time frame.
- For “other nature” (Botanical Gardens, playgrounds, green spaces): an hour is generally sufficient. If it’s a particularly spectacular Botanical Garden, maybe two hours. Gardens are not super kid-friendly attractions, meaning that kids can have a good time here looking around, for sure. But they don’t care how many species of mint can be grown in Montana. You may be interested in staying longer, but your kids will not be.
- For zoos (unless small) & theme parks: I think obviously, plan the entire day. And if the theme park is the size of Disney World, plan multiple days, of course.
- For beaches, “read the room.” Some families can spend an entire day out sunning themselves, playing in the water and building sand castles. To me, that is a nightmare. I don’t enjoy sand, even when my kids are adorably playing around in it, and pasty-white me can’t tolerate having sun beat down on me for more than ~90 minutes. So our family will never spend more than an hour or two on any beach at this point in our lives. If you thrive in sand and surf, sea breezes and sand castles – God bless you. Spend a week. But don’t invite me 🙂
- For “things to see” (monuments, statues, fountains, scenic vistas, Golden Gate Bridge, World’s Largest Shuttlecock, the Flower Clock, etc.): 30-45 minutes max. Many of these types of things can be seen, photographed, and enjoyed in a total of 10 minutes, but having an extra buffer in your schedule never hurts. It may take longer to find an entrance or to park than you planned, so having the extra time will keep you still on schedule. I love to find ways to get from Other Attraction A to Other Attraction B, walking/driving past these kind of gems. They make good pit stops or water breaks.
Bear in Mind:
- Plan for your kids’ attention spans – not your own. Again, a Botanical Garden might seem like a full afternoon event for you, but if you try that with your toddler, you will live to regret it.
- You are not the Lord Almighty. You do not know every square inch of your destination. Nor do you unquestionably know what will happen in the future. So, given your humanity, you’re going to need to allow for it. There will be an interesting shop that you walk by and go into. There will be construction or a traffic accident (or a protest, if you’re in Paris!). You can plan the best plan that ever was planned. But reality will happen. And you will be knocked off course. That’s okay. As my kids would say, “That happens sometimes.” The goal of planning is not a perfect execution. It’s to make the most of every moment, and sometimes that simply means living in the moment you’re given.
- Include a few of YOUR favorites! Don’t just plan things your kids will enjoy. I am an avid scrapbooker, so you better believe I search for “craft store”/”art store”/”paper store” in every city we visit. I let Pedro and mom watch the kids for 15 minutes and go shop. Or I circle back during nap time and really have a good time. Pedro loves snorkeling, so when I can I plan excursions for him and I take the kids elsewhere.
- Be easy on yourself I plan dozens of trips a year, and honestly there are still days when we come crashing into our Airbnb for the night and I ask myself “How did that go so far off track?? How did we seriously only see ONE thing today??” A plan is just a plan. It’s not a contract of what must be accomplished or else. ‘Failing’ at your plan does not make your trip a failure. Gracefully put a bow on that day (aka pull up a good show on Netflix and crash) and start new the next morning.
I’d love to hear your personal strategies for planning a successful trip. If you have stories of vacation plans going well (or poorly!), please share them below to inspire and entertain us all.
