Summer Vacation Alternatives: Which Fits Your Family The Best?

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

As summer approaches, parents everywhere are starting to think about "The Summer Vacation". Vacations can be fun, educational and provide lasting memories for years to come, the trick is, finding the right one. Whether you're looking at a short day trip or a month long cross country excursion, here are some tips to help make that choice a little easier.

Sometimes the simple things are the most fun. When we were kids, we were left to our own devices for entertaining ourselves for a good part of the summer. If you can?t afford a two week trip or have no public pool available, a day trip to the toy store could work wonders. You could get some water guns, balloons to fill with water and other water toys that connect to a garden hose for a fun afternoon in the back yard. A new bookshelf can be filled with a whole summer?s worth of reading, or a rocking horse can be great fun for exercising the imagination.

If your work schedule and the kids' day camp won't allow for a few weeks away, maybe a series of short day trips are for you and your family. A day trip usually consists of a destination no more than an hour or two away from home. The beauty about these day trips is you can go some place different each weekend. Beaches and lakes are at the top of the list for day trips. If you live near a major city, a trip to the museum or zoo is always fun. Check the internet for theme parks that might be close by too.

The day trip can easily be made into an over night/2 day trip. Maybe you and your kids want to spend more than just a day in the city? You can find inexpensive hotels to stay in and make a full weekend trip out of your visit.

Road trips can be fun too. Why fly to your destination when you can make a vacation out of the trip itself? If you live in the Northeast and want to go to Disney World in Florida, you can drive down the coast and visit a few places along the way. There are plenty of historical sites and national parks to see. Why fly over them when you can stop and explore them for yourself? In fact, you could rent an RV and save on finding lodging along the way.

Of course theme parks are always the number one destination for kids. All of them want to go to Disney Land, Sea World, Busch Gardens, Six Flags and many others. There?s more to life than theme parks and if you?re going on vacation for longer than a week, there?s no reason why you can?t work in some educational with the fun. Plan for a day or two at the park and then go visit some other sites as well.

Specialized vacations are fun too. Do you and your family enjoy diving? Or maybe you like hiking, or rock climbing or ATVs? You can expand on any of your hobbies and turn them into a vacation. ATV camping is a hot activity now as longer trails are opening up everyday. Most resorts also offer specialized activities such as scuba diving or rock climbing along with instruction for beginners of all ages. Dude ranches can be fun too and give your child a glimpse of what life might be like on a ranch or to work with horses.