I’ve written a lot about travel here, concentrating mostly on the details of planning a great vacation. But now I want to explore destinations. After all, the hardest part is deciding where to go! Ask yourself these questions when planning a family summer vacation:

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  • How much time do we have?
  • Do we prefer to drive or fly or sail?
  • How long does it take to get there?
  • Are we bringing the dog?
  • Do we want to visit family or friends?  (I do not consider a trip to visit family or friends a real vacation. No offense, but  a real vacation requires that you can do exactly what you want without compromise.)
  • What is our budget?
  • Do we want an active sight-seeing, big city vacation, tourist attraction/theme park (like Disney World), an outdoor adventure/ National Park, cruise or a quiet getaway with a lot of down time?
  • Do we want to go someplace where we’ve never been, or visit a familiar place?
  • What activities are there for your children?
  • What is the weather going to be like? (Rain and heat are the enemy!)
  • What kind of equipment will this trip require, and do you have room in your car or the desire to pack it all up? (i.e. camping, boating, etc.)
  • What type of accommodations will be available?
  • Will we be eating out every meal or cooking some?

After you’ve identified your travel requirements, it will be easier to choose a destination. I like to sit down with my family and ask them what type of vacation they’d prefer. Then I start researching it and narrow it down to 2 or 3 choices. Then we have another family meeting to discuss the possibilities. I give them details on the sights, accommodation possibilities and other highlights. It’s usually easy for us to agree and decide on a destination. And we like to rotate adventure trips with big city destinations and rural getaways. That way we never get bored.

Check out these websites to help you decide where to go:

  • Wandering Educators – You’ll find everything travel here. Destination info, travel planning, guidebooks, photos and much more! (Plus many of my articles!)
  • Rand McNally – My favorite map company offers a ton of great travel info online, with destination ideas, articles and of course, atlases!
  • Travel With Kids on About.com – This website gives you great travel ideas and feature articles on destinations.
  • All Travel Kids Family Vacations – I love the way this site has lists by themes – all-inclusive resorts, theme parks, cruises, travel by state and more.
  • Ciao Bambino – This beautiful website has comprehensive info and objective reviews for families who enjoy luxury travel with their kids.
  • Budget Travel – This site offers affordable travel ideas for families with destinations all over the world.

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