Our Family Rules

Rules to help you get the most out of your Family Vacation

My family and I love to travel and explore new places, but sometimes finances or life doesn't always allow us to go to new places, so we like to follow the following rules while on vacation to help make every trip memorable:

First Rule:  Try new things!  What's great about this rule is that this could pertain to anything which makes this rule easy to fulfill.  It could be trying a new ride at your favorite theme back or trying a new activity that you may have never experienced before.  Our family loves to try to incorporate at least one new thing into our vacation. 

For example: When we got to Disney, we make it a point to try something we haven't done before.  Our past trip in 2021 was super easy to check off the list because we were able to ride the Skyliner for the first time and we all LOVED it. 

Tip: Get on the Skyliner just as the fireworks at Epcot start. Such an amazing view of the Fireworks and you beat the crowds back to the hotels.

Another Example: During the height of the pandemic when a lot of vacations were "canceled" we did a local staycation and incorporated a couple of hikes at a waterfall location.  This was something new to our family as we aren't really the outdoors hiking type, but the final results were beautiful and we were all so happy we stepped out of our comfort zone. 

Left: Diana's Bath Bartlett, NH
Right: Sabbaday Falls Conway, NH

Second Rule: Do not eat at places we can get at home!  This is probably one of our favorite rules of vacation because it gives us the option to try new foods.  This can be a super easy rule to fulfill at your favorite theme park as they don't typically have restaurants you'll find at home, but this is another rule that we like to follow on your "staycations" to make it seem like we are somewhere far away, when in reality we may only be within an hour of our home. 

For example on our 2016 road trip from NH to MS, we discovered Bo Jangles and Zaxbys! The only problem with this rule?  When you fall in love with the place (like we all did for Bo Jangles) and the closest one to you is about 14 hours away.  But then sometimes this works in your favor.  For example last year we discovered an amazing restaurant Flip the Bird in Danvers, MA which is only about 45 minutes from us, and now we find ourselves going every other month if we can. 

Flip The Bird
Left: Buttermilk Biscuit
Right: The "OG" Sandwich

Third Rule:  NO RULES!  Okay, I know it contradicts this whole blog post, but hear me out.  We did this a lot with the kids were younger and it just stuck.  We would say "There are no rules on vacation" when it came to the girls' bedtime so they could stay up late, or to allow them to order an appetizer for dinner, or breakfast for dinner, or the best one is allowing them to have the leftover pizza for breakfast the next day.

This rule is very popular when we do our "staycations" as well because while we are staying home and maybe just doing "day trips" it still gives the girls a little sense of "breaking" the everyday rules.

These three rules have helped my family make every vacation feel magical and special whether you are going on a local trip, a staycation, a Cruise, or a theme park like Disney and Universal. 

What are some of your rules?  Comment below!