This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WinWinSnacks #CollectiveBias
Summer is the perfect time of year for a day trip. The kids are already out of school and may need a distraction. To make the day a big success it takes a little pre-planning. Find out how to plan the perfect day trip for your family and make some great memories in the process!
Table of Contents
How to Plan the Perfect Day Trip for Your Family
The perfect day trip is going to be different for every family. Some families like their day to include a lot of outdoor adventure. Other families will want a day filled with sports activities. Then you will have those families who want to explore new places.
It really doesn't matter what kind of day trip you are planning…the key is to do a little planning! 😆
Pick a Location
This is one of the hardest parts of planning the perfect day trip in my opinion. There are SO many things we can do that I have trouble narrowing it down to just one.
Decide if you are going to have a day trip close to home or will you be driving further away. I like to keep our day trips within about 2-3 hours drive so we still have time for fun. If you live in a large city you can probably plan all sorts of day trips within your city.
Sometimes my husband and I will be the ones to decide where our day trip will take place. Other times we will come up with a few locations and take a family vote.
The important thing to do is finalize your day trip destination! It may be an unusual destination like when we went to see Big Brutus. Or it could be going to a museum your whole family has been looking forward to exploring. It doesn't matter where you go…just go!
Get Some Buy In
My children are very spread out in age. They range in age from 20 down to 5 years old. It can be hard to get EVERYONE excited about the same family day trip.
There are times when we have to get some buy in from the kids beforehand. I know if the kids are excited about the day trip then it is going to be more fun.
I won't lie…there are times we do something that one of the kids is not excited about. It just happens. It is hard to please everyone, every time.
If I can't get that child to buy in to the trip then I ask them to please be agreeable and the next day trip we will try to pick a location they would prefer. Typically this will work and we will still have a great time.
Pack a Day Trip Bag
Even if we aren't staying overnight on our day trip I always pack a day trip bag. When children are involved things will be needed. It is just that simple! I will be able to relax if I know we have items with us to cover the expected and the unexpected.
I will head to Target to load up on some basics for my bag. There is one thing I can always expect from my kids. They will get hungry on our way to the destination. When you are driving around rural Kansas there won't necessarily be places to stop for a snack.
The best way to go is to be prepared with snacks to keep the troops happy. I grabbed some Jif® Power Ups ™. These are available in Chewy Granola Bars and Creamy Clusters. I love that Jif® Power Ups ™ have the goodness I want and the taste that my kids love.
They are also very portable and perfect for our day trip adventures. The unique flavor varieties keep my kids interested! Did I mention that these have NO corn syrup!! 🙂
Other must have items in our day trip bag are water bottles, a change of clothes for the kids, a first aid kit for ouchies, sunglasses and an umbrella for unexpected weather! I will usually throw in a hand towel because for some reason it seems like we always need one, LOL.
Relax and Go With It
It is normal for things to go wrong…or maybe that is just my family! Years ago I would get unhinged if the day trip didn't go as planned. Back then we didn't have GPS and getting lost was a reality for us.
We have had our vehicle AC go out while on a day trip. The weather has not been what was forecast and that has caused us issues when we are doing outdoor activities like hiking. The list can go on and on.
My husband and I have learned over the years to just relax and go with it. Maybe the day trip won't turn out exactly as planned, but you can still have fun as a family.
Be ready to improvise if needed. This is also a great lesson for kids. They need to learn to deal with some disappointments and figure out how to make that disappointment a fun adventure.
What is Your Favorite Day Trip?
Do you have a perfect day trip destination or activity? Be sure to grab the Cartwheel Offer so you can save 30% off any Jif® Power Ups ™ so your day trip bag will be ready to go. This offer is good from 7/8/18 to 8/4/18.
- Unique Fun Christmas Gifts for Tween Girls in 2023 - October 31, 2023
- Weight Watchers Skinny Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken - September 22, 2023
- Fun and Easy Ghost Halloween Popcorn Balls Recipe - September 20, 2023
Leave a Reply