Prepare for a Physically Demanding Vacation
Family vacation means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Some think the perfect vacation is sticking their toes in the sand on a beach for a week. Others think hiking and camping offer perfection for relaxation. Still others want to stay in a comfortable hotel with room service. You can take the kids on your family vacation no matter the type – the trick is to prepare them!
Prepare the Kids for a Physically Demanding Vacation
Once upon a time the kids spent a lot of time running around and climbing trees. Now, PE is a dying subject in school and kids spend a lot of time on electronic devices. If you take kids on a demanding trip where you are walking hours a day or hiking for hours a day – you’ll get tired feet and whiney kids. Prepare ahead of time so everyone is ready!
*Get moving.
Most years we take the kids for walks a mile or so at first and then work up to two miles. This gets them in good shape for most types of sight seeing walking. In bad weather we put them on the treadmill! One kid was really interested in the buttons on the treadmill so I had to stand between them and put rules on how fast they could go.
The adventure to Peru would require more hiking than walking so the preparation needs to be different. We are starting with one mile and including the hills in the neighborhood and will work up to 3 miles at a time.
When you are ready for some serious hiking look into national parks. They are a great way to explore the US. With such a large country and varied terrain you’ll love exploring! Our friends at Two Wandering Soles explore Zion National Park.
*Get the kids interested!
Each year we make a chart to keep track of how many miles the kids are walking/hiking. The chart is made with pictures and illustrations based on each kids interest.
With each mile, the child earns one $ of whatever the destination currency is….Euro, Turkish Lira, and in this case – Nuevo Sol. A picture of the currency is glued on the chart. When the trip time arrives, the chart pictures are exchanged for real money. The kids have this for spending money. Learn more about using money for traveling education here.
*Teach the kids about money.
Learning about money is an important life skill and one that the schools teach, but nothing is like real world application. When the kids earn some spending money, they get to handle the money, learn what it looks like and count it. When the it comes time to spending it, they practice real world skills like seeing a price and deciding whether or not they have enough money for the purchase, which bill should they give, how much change should they get, talking to the shop keeper or cashier, waiting for change, looking people in the eye and thanking them.
*Wear good shoes!
Good shoes and good socks are a must for little feet.Cobblestones and rough surfaces are harder on fee than you think. Buy good gear even though it seems pricey as it makes all the difference in the world between happy travelers and misery. You can get a good deal on last season’s colors from these sites Campmor and Sierra Trading Post.
*Mentally prepare the kids.
While you are walking, discuss what you’ll be seeing. Discuss that you might have to walk a long way. Practice carrying a backpack or water.
One of the very best ways to prepare mentally for a trip is to read ahead of time. We love books specifically about a destination – just for the kids. They learn and so do we! I have gathered books on food, art, historic spots, famous people and animals about these destinations. Click to get the ready made list on your next destination.
CLICK HERE – Reading gets you ready – Book lists on 10+ destinations like France, Italy and more!
Kids are strong and resilient and capable. Prepare them and then watch with a smile when they handle a physically demanding family vacation with ease!
The dolomites are a cool place to hike and use these skills!
Happy Family Vacations,
Natalie, The Educational Tourist
very good tips!
I am not a mother, but I have always think that kids will enjoy any trip if you get them interested on what the trip is all about.
Agree!! Thanks for your comment!
Looks like a helpful advice, especially I like wear good shoes.
Whatever it takes to keep the feet happy! Thanks for stopping by!
Some great planning there!
Not to mention the general health benefits for everybody just from being more active! 🙂
Good point! We all need to get moving, don’t we?
As a teacher, if we don’t prepare the kids ahead of time it will be chaotic and a headache but if we do, the kids surprise us by following. Of course nothing is perfect but it helps a lot. Plus other kids help police the others… Makes it a lot easier
You can never be too prepared, right? Thanks for stopping by!
So much respect for you and what you do, Natalie! Such an inspiration to any parent and future parents alike!
Children are naturally curious. It’s great that you make it a point to make sure you entertain yours and not suppress their spirit of inquiry. It’s good to take the necessary precautions too so they would not be too overwhelmed by what lies ahead.
Really clever idea about keeping the charts and giving them incentives! They’re learning the value of earning money. In this case, they know they’ve ‘walked’ and exerted a substantial amount of effort in getting their money so they won’t be reckless with spending it. Now they have a clue on the value of money in the world.
Thanks for the compliment!! I appreciate you stopping by. My kids have always amazed me! In the classroom I found that students want to learn more and more! My own kids have grown to love travel and adventure and rolling with the punches!! Kids really are amazing.
I always bring my family to the beach. Once my little sister grow a bit older. Ill bring them to the mountain. 🙂
She’ll love it. Spending time with her big brothr – I know she enjoys it.
Just the right time! In some days, I will finally have my vacation from my class. I need to get more moving soon.
Yeah! Some exercise and daydreaming about a vacation will be wonderful after class! Thanks for stopping by!
I second, third, and fourth good shoes! It can make and break your trip. Great list!
These are great tips! Yes, good shoes are a must! People have no idea just how important this is and how much difference it can make! I never thought about having the kids practice hiking, that is a good idea. I think its great that kids get involved with nature and actually go out and explore rather than just watching tv and playing video games. If I ever have kids, I will definitely be taking them out as much as I can and explore everywhere
Good point about getting outside! It is also such a great time to talk and listen to each other! Thanks for your comment.
Good shoes are definitely key. You don’t want to get blisters on day 1 of your trip…yikes! I love walking on a daily basis so trips that involve lots of walking are awesome 🙂
NO doubt! Actually that reminds me of a story. On a very early trip a friend of mine chose shoes that seemed comfortable at the time, but had no support and within days she was using bandaids all over her feet. We ended up in a very small town in France using our limited language skills looking for insoles for her shoes! In the end she bought a very ugly and expensive pair of shoes just so the entire trip wasn’t ruined by her pain. From then on….and geez… that has been almost 20 years!! We have all worn REALLY good shoes and socks!! LOL! It is funny now but not then!! Thanks for stopping by!