Planning a Family Vacation as the Kids Grow Up

Published on: 19 June 2018 Last Updated on: 09 October 2020

There’s no doubt family vacation is one of the most precious memories that we have. In fact, a survey conducted by the Family Holiday Association found that 49% of British community said that vacation time with their family is their happiest memory.

Prioritizing vacation with the family does not only rejuvenates your spirit and relieves stress but it also helps foster stronger family ties. Spending quality time with the whole family on a trip gives your kids a happy childhood.

How about when the kids grow up? Is it still necessary to take a family vacation? Yes, it is. In fact, family vacations can be more fun and adventurous when kids are already older. Unlike spending vacations with toddlers where they don’t really have much say on your location or activities scheduled, planning a family vacation with older kids could be more challenging. They have their own lives and preferences so it’s important to communicate and plan for something that’s appealing to everyone.

Below are some of the tips that you can use when planning a vacation with your older kids:

Select a Location that Offers Wide Selections of Activities :

When your kids were little, choosing a destination for your family vacation was relatively easy. You can just bring your brood to any amusement park and they’d be on cloud nine. Choosing a destination for your older kids is a different story. To make your vacation memorable, you have to choose a location that would interest your kids who are not kids anymore.

Generally, older kids want adventure and excitement. Spending the whole day on a museum could be dragging and boring for them.

These family getaway destinations will be appealing to your older kids:

Yosemite National Park :

If you want an affordable yet interesting vacation, visiting a national park is your alternative. Yosemite National Park in Mariposa Country is a must-see for any trip to California. It’s beaming with majestic views, hiking trails, and family vacation opportunities.

Bahamas :

f you’re looking for a dream vacation getaway, the island of Bahamas offers a family vacation that you can never forget. Aside from the magnificent beaches and water activities, treat your family with sumptuous meals and have fun getting to know with the locals. Booking at a family welcomed or 21 and the older resort is a wise idea to save money.

Cruises :

Going on a cruise is the best option if you want to get the most of everything in a small window of time. Aside from covering a lot of ground in a short period of time, the cruise company caters to vast interests, both onboard and on land. You and your husband can enjoy sunbathing on the sundeck of the ship while your kids can head ashore and go shopping. After all, alone time with just your husband is a necessity in your marriage.

South Africa :

Choosing a destination that has plenty of options is a must when traveling with grown-up kids. South Africa offers diverse family bonding opportunities with their majestic mountains, beaches, fascinating museums, renowned vineyards and cuisine and even a colony of a penguin on Boulders Beach.

Choose a Homestay Rental over a Hotel

Though going on a vacation with your family could be a luxury, it does not mean that you have to spend your entire savings account and be broke for the next 10 years. Prioritizing practicality and functionality will go a long way.

Though staying in a hotel room can be convenient and could really make you feel that you are on a vacation, it could be pricey especially if you’re staying for a few nights. Renting someone else’s house or apartment instead of staying at a hotel is an excellent idea to save money.

What are the advantages of homestay rental over a hotel?

First, they are unique and special. Variety of accommodation is limitless, from city apartments to a villa to treehouses. Space is all yours and you will get the privacy that you need. You don’t have to deal with hotel staff or personnel knocking on your door. It also offers comfort and convenience just like your own home, plus you can cook your own meal since the majority of rentals have kitchens.

Be Flexible and Spontaneous :

Though creating an itinerary for your trip is important, you don’t really have to stick to it 100%. Sometimes, we’re too concerned about ticking everything off of our to-go or a to-do list that we forget to have fun and enjoy the moment.

Since your grown-up kids have minds of their own, they may feel to explore the shopping area instead of checking out the museum as you planned. Be open with the unexpected turn out of events and embrace the fact that your kids also need time to do things that they like.

Having older kids may mean less time together as they get busy with school, work, and even their own family. Make up for these lost time and create a family vacation that you and your whole family will never forget. Don’t wait until it’s too late – book a trip that everyone can enjoy.

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Less waste – Something You can Do for the World

Any ideas for a new year’s resolution in 2019? Here is one – first look back to 2018 (or any year before) and try to count all the times you had to take out the trash. Impossible? That can be so because we tend to produce an enormous amount of waste. According to EPA research, one person in the United States produces up to 2,000 pounds of trash a year, less than half of which can be recycled. There are, on the other hand, people proud of producing only one jar of waste in a year. Can it be possible for an average person? Here are some tips to produce less waste and therefore care more for mother earth. How much do I really waste? The first thing to do is a little reflection on your life. However disgusting it may sound you should look through your trash and see which items are the majority of your waste. Maybe paper cups? Plastic forks? Paper tissues? By doing so you’ll immediately see, what to focus on and what kind of waste should you limit the most. Little swaps: It can seem harsh to immediately switch your lifestyle to zero waste, but in reality, you don’t need to do everything at once. Little swaps in your daily life can already be meaningful and help the environment. This can be a bamboo toothbrush instead of the plastic ones, a bag made of paper instead of the plastic ones, stainless steel Tupperware instead of – guess what? – plastic ones. So, in general, avoiding plastic is not that difficult if you make little changes. Avoid packaging: The best thing would be to use no plastic packages at all, but that can be hard. So just do your best to limit it as much as possible. Try to buy your fruits and vegetables at a local market instead of the supermarket and don’t forget to bring your own bag. Some markets offer food sold in loose weight, so you can buy them in your own containers, like Tupperware or mason jars. Also, if you buy a piece of clothing, maybe it’s not always necessary to take it in a plastic bag with the logo of the shop? Go for sustainability: In addition to what was written above, you should consider choosing sustainable products. The biggest amount of waste comes from disposable items that are thrown away after one use. Things like a reusable water bottle to avoid buying plastic bottles every day, bamboo cutlery that you carry around to use for your takeaways, or a tote bag for your groceries can make a big impact and help you produce less waste. There are a lot of things that can be changed to sustainable options – from paper tissues and menstrual pads to straws and cutlery. You can also get sustainable homeware made of natural and recycled materials as an alternative to regular homeware. Of course, it can take a bit more effort at the beginning, to carry your own cup of bottle everywhere, but the earth will be a little lighter. Try second hand! Many of the trash that is being thrown away, could be reused. Maybe some plastic containers of butter or hummus that you already ate, could be reused as Tupperware? Or maybe an empty shampoo bottle could serve as a DIY hand soap container? Also consider buying second-hand items like furniture, clothes or other things. You don’t always have to have a brand new thing, right? Do it yourself! In our society, it can be hard to avoid plastic packed things. A solution to that would be to do those things yourself. Online you can find many recipes for great cookies (to avoid buying them packed in plastic bags), cosmetics (many of them are sold in plastic bottles that are hard to reuse or recycle), or liquid cleaners for your home. Again, it takes some time and effort to do everything yourself, but it’s also rewarding, when you discover, that you don’t need to buy this stuff anymore, cause you can do it on your own. Change your lifestyle and save money! It’s not possible to change your waste without changing your lifestyle. But it doesn’t have to be that difficult, many of the changes have other advantages than only helping the planet. For example, when you switch from disposable menstrual pads to a menstrual cup, you save a lot of money every month. Also, when you switch to e-cigarettes instead of smoking regular ones (and throwing away all the butts and the packages), you don’t produce so much pollution. Vaping can be also profitable for your budget if you look for some good vape deals. In general, if the whole thing about protecting the environment doesn’t convince you enough, think of your own wallet and changes that less-waste-lifestyle will cause. Start small: Summing up, there are a lot of things you can do to lower the amount of waste you produce. Our advice is – don’t try to do everything at once, as it can be overwhelming. Start small, change one thing at a time and see how you feel about it. Soon you’ll be ready to go completely zero-waste! Read Also: Easy Ways To Live A Healthier Lifestyle When Someone You Love Has An Addiction: 5 Tips On How To Help An Addict

Can Dogs Help Writers Stay Positive During Stress?

Writers mostly posses an anti-social personality, which creates greater chances for them to suffer from loneliness and, therefore, stress, anxiety, and depression. However, pets can improve the quality of your life by adding more colors to your dull and monotonous life. Once, you get used to the furry friend’s unconditional love and affection; you cannot think of losing them. Dogs know how to de-stress you and make you experience life optimistically. Here are five ways dogs can reduce your stress: Live Life Realistically : When writers immerse themselves into the illusory world of imaginations, they lose contact with reality. But, imaginations can be dangerous to rely on! Dr. Johnson says that imaginative flights can cause a man to fear or hope beyond the possibilities of life. When the expectations remain unfulfilled, there's stress and depression. You have to take the dog for walks, feed him, pet him, and train him in spite of all your duties towards your stories. You will have to vacuum that pet hair from the furniture, find here: best pet hair vacuum. These responsibilities towards pets will keep you intact with reality. Provide Reasons to Live For : It’s hard to get out of bed each day, but your dog will not understand it. He will provide you with a reason to wake up early, feed him, and go out for a walk with him. Long walks and exercise routines are great therapies for the relief of anxiety, stress, and depression. Exercise and play regulate blood flow and helps to release the happy hormones “endorphins.” Optimistic Outlook : Positive energy is created when the anti-social writer goes out and socialize with people more. The more endorphins are released, the higher are the chances of an optimistic outlook on life. If the writer will simply observe the way a dog explores and enjoys life, communicates with other people, and stays curious at all times; he can develop a positive feeling towards mysteries of life and their unusual ways of revealing themselves. Awaken Creative Powers : When the writer indulges into training the dog using different techniques, his creative powers awaken. Creative skills of a person never let him get stuck at any point and get depressed. As an owner, he thinks of shaping the behavior and skills of the pooch, so he gets more and more creative ideas. By reflecting on the dog’s way of living life and dealing with his human companions, the writer’s creative spirit can be aroused. Paulo Coelho explains it well as: “It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.” Unconditional Love and Acceptance : Writers are introvert and shy. Their struggle to socialize and get accepted is for real. Dogs show unconditional love and acceptance for us despite all our mood swings and personal failing. This creates self-confidence and positive self-image of the writers. Anti-social writers might have been ignored for long, but being a human, they want to be listened to patiently. Dogs are great listeners. They provide such strong bonding and loyal companionship that they are never tired of you. Moreover, physical contact with your fido helps in the release of oxytocin, a neuropeptide that promotes feelings of trust, devotion, and bonding. Wouldn't you suggest your writer friend and anti-social friends get a pooch as soon as possible after reading this? Read Also : 5 Reasons Why Your Child Needs A Dog Dog Bites- Steps To Follow When A Dog Bites Your Kid Food Allergies In Dog And How You Can Prevent It? James is a part-time dog-trainer and dog behavior consultant with years of experience in dog training and the man behind LabradorTrainingHQ.com. He is interested in finding out fun ways to handle dog behaviors, specifically, Labradors to help dog-owners enjoy their companions at all times.

How Much are Horse Riding Lessons?

Riding horseback has long been seen as an activity exclusive to two classes, an aristocratic class with money to burn, and certain subsets of a working-class who use horse riding as part of a means of production. Today, fewer people than ever ride horses for work. These groups have been reduced to actual “cowboys” who act as guides and shepherds for cattle as they move from one part of open country to another, mounted police, park rangers, and others. This leaves us with today's more or less aristocratic class, the upper-middle class, and others who can afford to indulge in the hobby. The point here is, owning horses is expensive. They require housing, more or less depending on the climate where they are kept. Quality food for horses is more expensive than that intended for other large animals, and they need a large amount of land in order to maintain their mental and emotional well-being, as well as their physical health. Horse medicine and veterinary care are especially expensive. Horses are large animals whose primary adaptation of speed and size makes them prone to certain health risks. In addition to these costs, learning to ride horseback is also not for those of modest means. There's a good reason for this, and in this article, we shall endeavor to explain why. How Much Do Horseback Riding Lessons Cost? The general consensus on a ballpark price range is between $30 to $85 per hour and an annual average of about $4,000. Looking at the annual cost, the upper limit of which is roughly $4,420, that's really not an enormous cost when you consider the value of the skills you'll be learning, the real-world utility of it, and the other great benefits of horseback riding. Compared to the average cost of martial arts training, that's about twice what you can expect to pay. The reason we mention martial arts is that the difficulty and the amount of training to reach a journeyman's level of proficiency is about the same. Naturally, for a martial arts trainer to become proficient enough to teach, takes years of intensive study and practice. The same is true of horseback riding. The reason learning to ride horses is more expensive is likely to come down to the fact that costs are higher. It could be said that the gear for horseback riding is more expensive. Certainly, you could spend a huge amount of money on martial arts equipment. But at the end of the day, the only thing you need to learn martial arts is your health and your instructor. Maybe not even that if you watch enough Kung Fu theater. To ride horses, you need to see the care of the animal, their shelter, food, land requirements, and grooming. Over time, this can add up to a considerable amount of money. When you consider the fact that a trainer will need to maintain these costs, or have the costs maintained for them, then it's easy to see why they are as pricey as they are. Becoming a competent riding trainer will cost about as much as one year's worth of training times the number of years it takes to develop this competence. The Benefits of Learning to Ride Of course, there are some significant real-world benefits of knowing how to ride a horse. For a start, it's transportation. In some parts of the country, the Amish ride horses and use horse and buggy to get around town, so it's really not out of the question if you know what you're doing. There are also valuable health benefits. In a previous article, we discovered that an hour-long session of riding burns about half the amount of calories as running. Riders also gain strength training benefits as well as benefits of the poise and balance they can develop. Riding horses gives you a marvelous sense of freedom and power. It gets you out under the sun in the fresh air while getting that all-important connection with nature. Also, the benefits of developing a bond with your horse are not to be underestimated. A mindful and caring rider can become very close to a horse. Both the rider and the animal must learn to trust each other implicitly. As this mutual trust builds, you and your horse will build a relationship that is as meaningful as any human/animal friendship can be. Finally, riding horseback is also a mark of status. It is an elegant and beautiful pastime with a long and dignified history. Being a competent rider can be your foot in the door in clubs, competitive leagues, exclusive organizations, and more. All of these benefits give riders a wide range of beneficial effects to focus on. Are you a fitness-oriented rider? Do you crave freedom and mobility? Do you appreciate the joy that can be derived from developing a trust bond with a large, powerful, and beautiful creature? Or are you in it for the veneer of class and respectability? Perhaps a portion of all these reasons contributes to your interest. The Cost Spectrum Many people learn to ride by growing up on a farm, by having a friend or family member who permits them to use their horse and land to learn on. A trainer you know well may give you a discount. There are also fewer and more expensive trainers out there. The quality of your trainer matters greatly, especially if reputation and accomplishments are important to you. At the end of the day, your training is worth an investment in high-quality instruction. But, if your budget is tight, you may be able to find a more affordable option. Quality Riding Equipment is Key to Your Success You owe it to yourself and to your horse to invest in the right equipment. If you can afford to get into this beautiful hobby, you'll never regret having made the investment. Doing it right means taking the time to learn well and to learn in a well-advised manner. It also means treating your horse like a beloved friend, feeding and caring for them fully and properly. It can take years to become a competent equestrian. While you learn, the health and comfort of yourself and your horse will be best served by investing in top-quality horse riding gear. Cutting corners can lead to fatigue, injury, and reduce the chance that you and your animal will experience the best this hobby has to offer. High-quality riding equipment will not only promote the health and wellbeing of your horse, but a high-quality saddle, for example, can last for many years, and can even serve as a valuable family heirloom. Read Also: 5 Myths About Horse Racing That You Must Know Conor Swail Irish Showjumper Explains Showjumping In UAE Love Running In The Morning? Check Out These Austin Real Estate Neighborhoods Near Outdoor Parts The Importance of the Domestication of Horses

Planning a Family Vacation as the Kids Grow Up