By TMOM TEAM MEMBER DENNETTE BAILEY

A vacation is an opportunity to relax and spend quality time with people you love and care about. On the vacations we spend with our children, we want to make them fun for adults and children, and a key to that fun is avoiding mistakes that hinder us from having enjoyable vacation memories. Here are seven mistakes to avoid when planning to take your children on a vacation that just might save you from regretting the trip.

1. The Trip is Not Age Appropriate – Even though a trip might seem like a good idea, depending on the age of the child, it may underwhelm or overwhelm them. For youngsters, you may want to avoid too much walking if you are not able to easily use a stroller or if the trip involves hiking up hills. For older children, you want to meet their expectations. I once had to cancel a trip to an amusement park because I did not have anyone to accompany us who likes to ride rollercoasters, and I knew I was absolutely not willing to ride them. Consider that rides at amusement parks will have height requirements. It will be a big disappointment to spend money if your child is not able to participate in most of the rides.
2. Not Planning for “Me” Time – Bring a sitter or a nanny. You may want alone time, couple time or time to spend with your children of various ages at separate times. Consider hiring a sitter or nanny to accompany you on the trip. This way, young children can stay at the toddler parks, or you can have special time with younger children and then special time with older children.
3. Plan for the Travel – Have games ready for the ride. Card games are great, and you can even make up some of your own, but try to avoid screen time as much as you can. It is much easier to transition the big and little people in your group to move onto the next thing when screen time is not what they are transitioning from.
4. Wearing the Wrong Shoes – Please, if you care about your feet, do not wear flip flops. They are terrible if you will be walking a lot and terrible for children on vacation because they cannot move and run freely without worry of the flip flops coming off. You might not feel the pain on day one, but the next morning, your feet will be in pain.
5. Being Exhausted on Vacation – Remember to plan a rest day. In our excitement during the planning process, we believe we will want to see and do everything. However, we must consider that both adults and children get tired and, even if they put a nap off one day, two or three days with no rest is not realistic. No rest will make it difficult to enjoy the vacation because being tired can cause children and adults alike to be cranky. So, for the benefit of everyone, rest!
6. Not Budgeting for the Miscellaneous – Bring some themed items ahead of time. For example, special cups or light up trinkets for the evenings that go along with the theme of the place you are visiting. These items purchased at the vacation spot might be quite expensive, and you can save that money for more important parts of the trip with planning. Oriental Trading and the Dollar Store can be much cheaper for these types of items, and the money saved can help purchase food, excursions or upgrades. In addition, you might be able to avoid the disappointment your little one will have if they see these things, but you cannot purchase them.

Forgetting to Pack for Convenience – Be creative on the strollers or backpacks. There are lots of packing methods and materials that can help you travel lighter and more organized. Organize so you can carry less and, as a result, be less likely to lose something on the trip. Also, check with your mode of travel on acceptable suitcase sizes or carry ons such as foods and liquids.