Get the scoop on traveling on vacation with kids

Today’s paid guest post comes to us from Kiley Morrow, a content strategy writer from Beaches.com, and she shares the pros and cons of taking your kids on vacation. Kiley writes about some of the great benefits from spending time with your kids and creating treasured memories, but she also sheds light on some of the things that might not be the most fun, like dealing with excess baggage and bored kids. Overall, Kiley covers a wide array of pros and cons you should consider when thinking about vacationing with your children.

What are some of your stories while vacationing with your kids? We’d love to know. Share your comments with us below.

Thanks for the great article, Kiley!

Enjoy.
– Will

Pros and cons of taking your kids on vacation

Traveling with your entire family is incredibly fun, but things can get a bit stressful sometimes. And when you add kids to that equation, some parents will feel dread, while others will be excited about all the activities they can do together.

Yes, it is challenging and you have to multitask throughout the day, but making good memories your kids will fondly remember is more important. Being well prepared and knowing all the difficulties you might face is crucial.

So here is everything you need to know before you pack up your bags and head out for a vacation with your kids.

Pros of taking your kids on vacation

Spending quality time with your kids

First, in our list of pros and cons of taking your kids on vacation is spending time with your kids. Being a parent is a full-time position. You have to take a proper care of your kids and you sometimes forget to actually have fun with your youngsters.

If you are a working parent, you might feel even more disconnected from your kids. This can change during a vacation because you will have plenty of time to hang out with them and try different activities that will bring you closer.

You will be away from your work during the vacation so focusing on your family and kids will be easier. Forget about the deadlines or work related stress and live in the moment. Your primary goal should be reconnecting with your kids and making the trip unforgettable for everyone.

A new experience

Taking your kids on family vacations means that they will get to experience plenty of things for the first time. Their enthusiasm when you get to a beach will make you enjoy that place even if you have been there countless times.

Sign them up for interesting mini adventures, such as seeing the local animal world or tours of the local area. Simply sit back and watch their faces light up when they see something new to them. Soak in the excitement and you will get to experience these things from a whole new perspective

Learning opportunities

Kids are very curious and they are eager to learn new things and taking your kids with you on vacation is no exception and is next in our list of pros and cons of taking your kids on vacation. Traveling will allow them to absorb information quickly because the environment is completely different from a standard classroom. So if you are traveling to a country that has a lot of historical sights, make sure you take them there.

You can do a bit of preparation and act as a tour guide. Your kids will become better students and probably learn some other practical skills which will be useful later on. So make sure you include some interesting quests during each family vacation.

Treasured memories

Some of our most cherished family memories are closely related to travel and is one of the top positives in our list of pros and cons of taking your kids on vacation. Many unforgettable moments happen while you are exploring the world. You can probably recall a couple of them right now. So if you want your kids to experience similar things, do your best to travel as much as possible as a family.

You will often mention the adventures from your vacations even after you come back home and they will stay with you forever. Continue the tradition and your kids will do the same once they have their own families.

Cons of taking your kids on vacation

Unsatisfied kids

Sometimes your kids might not like a certain place and they could feel bored. The chances are they will start complaining and asking to leave even if it is not possible. Different weather conditions might have an influence on their mood and the heat can make them feel agitated.

There are plenty of solutions to this problem such as handing them an iPad and letting them play video games or watch a cartoon. You also have to listen to their needs and make sure to include engaging activities into your daily schedule.

The price

Going on a vacation as a couple is more affordable than traveling with kids and is definitely something we won’t forget to mention among our negatives in our list of pros and cons of taking your kids on vacation. Taking your whole family out of the country will definitely cost you more. You can either accept this or try to find a more affordable version which will be more budget-friendly.

For instance, try to find an early bird or last-minute offers on trusted discount websites. There are some great offers that are ideal for families. All-inclusive vacations are a good idea because the price includes unlimited foods and drinks, as well as other activities within a resort which can be something your kids will enjoy.

If you do go all-inclusive, just remember there’s family-friendly resorts and adults-only resorts. Look at the marketing materials and pick one that works for kids and adults. You don’t want to be staying in the honeymoon suite with your kids.

Excess luggage

Traveling with kids often includes additional luggage and you might feel overwhelmed and this is among those in our list of pros and cons of taking your kids on vacation.

They do require more space because they would want to pack toys, games, etc. Plus, there are piles of clothes, gadgets, baby equipment, and so on. You need to know what to expect. After all, there is a huge difference between a stay at an all-inclusive resort and a camping trip. The latter will require much more baggage.

The best thing you can do is to try not to over pack. Be smart with your decisions and limit the number of clothes, especially if you are traveling to a warm place. Allow a couple of toys for each kid and bring only the necessary equipment. Your kids will probably forget that they have no toys because there will be so many new things to do on your family vacation.

So, what do you think of this list of pros and cons of taking your kids on vacation? Do you have something to add? Something that you completely agree with? What is your experience while vacationing with kids? Please share with us by leaving a comment below.

About the Guest Post Author

Kiley Morrow is a content strategy writer from Wilmington, Delaware for Beaches.com who submitted this paid guest post submission.

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Spend Halloween afternoon at Meadowood Mall

We, at Windy Pinwheel, received word from our friends at Meadowood Mall about an event just for kids tomorrow on Nevada Day, err… Halloween. We hope you can make it out and have a great time.

What: Meadowood Mall Halloween Event
Halloween is here and Meadowood Mall is inviting all little ghouls, goblins and boo’tiful princesses to come to the Kidgits Halloween event. Costumes are encouraged!

When: October 31st from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Where: Meadowood Mall (children’s play area)
5000 Meadowood Mall Cir.
Reno, NV 89502

Be sure to spread the word. For those who attend, Meadowood Mall would love to hear about your experience, so they are encouraging folks to share by tagging https://www.facebook.com/MeadowoodMall or @MeadowoodMall on Twitter and Instagram.

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Is my Monster Wreath a Pinterest win or Pinterest fail?

Recently, I saw a pin on Pinterest from Baby Rabies that showcased a Tulle Monster Wreath tutorial.

Like all modern moms, I decided to try my hand at something I found on Pinterest to see how it might turn out and also thought it might be something fun to do with the kids. So, I took a shot at it.

While working on this craft project, I found that my kids (ages 6 yrs., 3 yrs., and 9 months) lost interest quickly. However, I was determined to make it work and kept at it. Overall, it took an hour or two to put together and it is something that we can now leave on our door during October, adding to our other festive decorations we have out front.

Here’s what some of my Facebook friends had to say about it:

[block_quote cite=’- Rebecca T.’] Turned out great! [/block_quote] [block_quote cite=’- Jenna K.’] Love this! [/block_quote] [block_quote cite=’- Anonymous’] It looks like a deformed Muppet, but I think it looks better than the original. [/block_quote]

So, what do you think? Is this a Pinterest win or a Pinterest fail? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment below.

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By sponsoring this article, your sponsorship will display for a period of 180 days (6 months). If, for any reason, and it is up to the discretion of the authors of Windy Pinwheel, we feel content linked to or the name provided does not coincide with the objectives of this site for our audience we will issue a refund and pull the sponsorship of the article. This action does not limit you from sponsoring an article on our site again. However, by sponsoring again, we will issue the same review criteria as the prior sponsorship and if it fails, we will follow the same process as before and issue a refund and pull down the sponsorship. We truly appreciate the support of our audience and hope you can help offset our costs of operating this site by sponsoring our site articles.

For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

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July is here and the heat of the summer marches on. Here are some fun activities to inspire your summer.

Well, July is here and this Friday is July 4th… Independence Day. For us, here at Windy Pinwheel, the first half of the year really flew by. With the heat of the Summer in full swing, we thought we would share some great ideas for fun Summer activities found throughout the internet… well mostly Pinterest of some things to do this July 4th and beyond.

July 4th in Reno, Sparks and Lake Tahoe, Nevada

First, we would like you to take a look bring some previous articles that we published last year around this time discussing the many things there are to do in the area on the July 4th Independence Day holiday, here and if you’re interested in a day trip to Lake Tahoe, please take a look at our write-up about where to go from a local’s perspective.

A summer treat

Have you ever had a root beer float? How about a root beer float popsicle? Well, now you can make your own. Find out how at Raining Hot Coupons.

I’m finished swimming, where can I hang and dry my swimsuit?

With Summer comes the unavoidable time for swimming, spalshing, and water play. So, where do you dry your swimsuit? Have no fear, this DIY project will set your mind at ease and bring a decorative element to your towel rack for all things swim and water-related. Learn how to make this craft at A Turtle’s Life for Me.

July 4th activities

• Over at Sophie’s World find out about some adventurous ways to have a fourth of July picnic.
• What Rose Knows shares with us how to create a beautiful patriotic-themed basket for hosting any dining experience during the fourth.
• I Love to Create brings back the 70’s the American way with their version of a DIY tie-dye red, white and blue shirt.

We hope these activies and other ideas inspire you this summer to keep cool and have a wonderful Independence Day holiday.

What’s your favorite article we shared with you in this post? Share by leaving a comment below.

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By sponsoring this article, your sponsorship will display for a period of 180 days (6 months). If, for any reason, and it is up to the discretion of the authors of Windy Pinwheel, we feel content linked to or the name provided does not coincide with the objectives of this site for our audience we will issue a refund and pull the sponsorship of the article. This action does not limit you from sponsoring an article on our site again. However, by sponsoring again, we will issue the same review criteria as the prior sponsorship and if it fails, we will follow the same process as before and issue a refund and pull down the sponsorship. We truly appreciate the support of our audience and hope you can help offset our costs of operating this site by sponsoring our site articles.

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Download our free printable Advent calendar from Windy Pinwheel

Do you remember those cardboard advent calendars when you were a kid? Each door opened up and a piece of chocolate was inside. My grandmother gave me one every year. I never really ate the candy, but loved opening the doors in our countdown to Christmas. Today, in our world with Pinterest, crafty moms and dads have stepped up their game and now advent calendars are no longer just a little cardboard door with chocolate.

My good friend Morgann owns Adisten’s Closet (check it out, she makes pretty amazing stuff) and created these super cute Advent calendars last year. So we decided to step up our game this year too! In the interest of making holiday memories and not buying dollar store junk or a bunch of candy, we did a lot of Pinteresting and found so many great ideas and because we love our readers we thought we would share these with you. So here they are; our countdown to Christmas activity printable Advent calendar.

We hope you and your family enjoy the memories and please comment below with other ideas you have and we will add to our advent calendar printables over time.

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The Review Wire’s Holiday #HoHoHo Hop Giveaway is in full swing and we’re giving away Snoopy’s Doghouse Display

As you may already know, last year we celebrated Christmas by giving away a Blu-Ray copy of The Polar Express. You can pick up a book copy of The Polar Express or a copy on Blu-Ray (or get the 3D Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray combo instead) in our online store.

This year, as we are participainting in The Review Wire’s Holiday #HoHoHo Hop Giveaway, we are excited to once again give away something in the spirit of the Christmas season, Snoopy’s Doghouse Display, found only at Toys ‘R’ Us.

Starting now through 9:00PM PST on December 6, 2013 you can enter daily to win this wonderful toy to have in your home this holiday season.

Snoopy’s Doghouse Display in action

Make sure you stop by The Review Wire to Enter the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a large Teach My Learning Kits of choice (RV $39.99) PLUS a Second Prize Winner will receive Teach My Kit of choice (RV $14.99).

Here are the details for our giveaway:

• Entries are accepted from November 22, 2013 at 9:01PM PST through December 6, 2013 at 9:00PM PST
• The giveaway is open only to residents of the United States
• You must be 18 years or older to enter or with your parent’s permission.
• The winning entry must claim the prize within 48 hours of the close of the giveaway by replying to the email we send to the winner with their mailing address so we can ship the item to that location
• The winner must be able to accept a package at the mailing address they specify; no P.O. Boxes

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By sponsoring this article, your sponsorship will display for a period of 180 days (6 months). If, for any reason, and it is up to the discretion of the authors of Windy Pinwheel, we feel content linked to or the name provided does not coincide with the objectives of this site for our audience we will issue a refund and pull the sponsorship of the article. This action does not limit you from sponsoring an article on our site again. However, by sponsoring again, we will issue the same review criteria as the prior sponsorship and if it fails, we will follow the same process as before and issue a refund and pull down the sponsorship. We truly appreciate the support of our audience and hope you can help offset our costs of operating this site by sponsoring our site articles.

For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

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We have something special in store for The Review Wire Holiday #HoHoHo Hop Giveaway

Last year, we celebrated the holiday season by giving away a Blu-Ray copy of The Polar Express. You can pick up a book copy of The Polar Express or a copy on Blu-Ray (or get the 3D Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray combo instead) in our online store area. We’re delighted to announce that we will be giving away another exciting item this year starting this Friday, November 22 at 9:01PM PST. We are participating in The Review Wire’s Holiday #HoHoHo Hop Giveaway. The Hop will run from November 22 through December 6, 2013. As I write this announcement there are over 61 blogs and websites that will be participating, making it convenient to “hop” from one giveaway to the next right from the giveaway post itself. The minimum requirement is offering an item $25 or more.

Now, you might be wondering what this item could be.#What could this item be, you wonder? You’ll have to wait and find out. It could be “a major award” that is “frah-gee-lay”. You never know. Or it could cause you to put on a Christmas pageant at your school and mock the director as you dance with your friends. It could be something to cause the power of the city to dim as you turn on your Christmas decorations or send your cousin to kidnap your boss because he forgot your Christmas bonus this year when you are already committed to putting in a pool in your backyard this year. Maybe it will make you declare that “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear” or scare some guy on top of your rooftop on Christmas Eve and cause him to slip and you to decide whether or not to put on his appropriately-red suit. Maybe you’ll see three ghosts trying to inspire you to change your life or just an angel who will show you what life would have been like without you in the world. Who knows? You’ll have to stop by again on Friday night to find out.

In the mean time, you can take a look at the other blogs/websites offering to join the giveaway hop starting this Friday below. If you have a site and you would like to join, please sign up right here and join in the fun.

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By sponsoring this article, your sponsorship will display for a period of 180 days (6 months). If, for any reason, and it is up to the discretion of the authors of Windy Pinwheel, we feel content linked to or the name provided does not coincide with the objectives of this site for our audience we will issue a refund and pull the sponsorship of the article. This action does not limit you from sponsoring an article on our site again. However, by sponsoring again, we will issue the same review criteria as the prior sponsorship and if it fails, we will follow the same process as before and issue a refund and pull down the sponsorship. We truly appreciate the support of our audience and hope you can help offset our costs of operating this site by sponsoring our site articles.

For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

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