Guest Blogger :: Kendra Thornton

5 Fun Tips to Having a Great Summer Vacation

After many summer family vacations, I learned that I needed to take more effort to ensure that my children remained healthy during our time away from home. With a little preparation before going on vacation, we have enjoyed an increasing measure of health and good times every time we have traveled to a theme park or a resort over the summer!

Here are a few simple rules of thumb that I know follow every time we go on a family vacation.  While they may seem minor, they have made a huge difference in how smoothly our vacations have gone since doing these things!

1. Tip: Start every day off with an amazing breakfast.  This is especially true if you are visiting a major theme park and plan on being busy and active all day long.  A healthy breakfast is often provided at many hotels as part of a complimentary service for guests.  Consider loading your family up on oatmeal, fruit, and juice and whole grain toast or bagels to start the day off right.

2. Tip: Make rest and good sleeping habits a priority during vacation.  It’s important for you and your children to get as much rest as possible to avoid being fatigued, which can lead to illness and exhaustion.  Encourage your kids to take naps on long car rides and do your best to get them to bed at a normal bedtime hour. Keep in mind too that there are many Orlando hotels in Walt Disney World that implement a quiet hours policy to ensure their visitors a solids night sleep.

3. Tip: Take time to stop every few hours during extended car trips so the entire family can get out and stretch.  An article provided by Great Schools suggests leaving early to allow time for frequent stops.  Stretching is important to maintain healthy circulation and can make a long trip more comfortable for everyone.

4. Tip: Take along sanitizing wipes.  Sanitizing wipes are ideal to use if a child has a snack in a car so he can wipe his hands off with.  They also work well when you are in public places such as airports or malls where a lot of germs are present.

5. Tip: To stimulate your children’s minds and interests, take along art supplies and cards where they can create their own postcards from the places you visit.  You can also travel with a scrapbook so they can collect memories to last a lifetime!

While these may be simple steps to take, they can help you to have a safer and more well rounded vacation that can be enjoyed by every member of the family.  Keeping an eye out for healthy restaurants and encouraging everyone to drink a lot of water will also help to make the trip safe and pleasant for you and your kids!

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