Maybe you have a list of places you want to go. I do. Most of them right now center around National Parks because I have a goal of going to all of the major National Parks in my life, but some of them are because they’re beautiful or there’s something fun to do there or I want to see something in person that I’ve only ever seen in pictures.

So, your first step is to figure out where you want to go. And remember, it could be the great pizza place you heard about about an hour from your house. It doesn’t have to be far and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Just plan something, make some memories, and laugh together!

So, now we know where we’re going to go. Our next step is to come up with a budget. I know that word can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be exact. You can estimate a few things, but it’s nice to know how much you’re going to need to spend or save.

Travel Tip - If you’re planning a cruise or a European vacation, give yourself plenty of time to plan! Cruises should be planned at least 9 months in advance. I like to plan our big overseas adventures the same way. There are a couple of reasons.

First, then you’ll have something to look forward to.

Second, you’ll be able to choose where you’re going to stay easier. Things sell out.

And Third, you can have some time to save.

If you’re flying, don’t forget to add in transportation. If you have littles, it’s harder to just take public transportation but it’s doable. Remember, kids don’t need car seats in buses and trains.

If you’re going to be renting a car, you can also rent a car seat, but here’s a travel tip - those rentable car seats are not always the cleanest. Personally, I’d rather pack the car seat on the plane than use a rental, but you can get new ones.

How many days are you going to go? Is it going to be a long weekend, or are you going to be there a week? Remember, flights are often cheaper if you stay over a weekend and fly in the middle of the week. (Right now, flight prices are a little crazy and the old rules don’t always apply but that’s how it used to be and hopefully will be again soon.)

Ok, we have our flight figured out (or how much gas we’re going to need). We know how we’re getting around. We have a place to stay. (If you’re going to be there a few nights, always look into a vacation rental. I’ve found that they are often the same price as hotels and you’ll have way more room.) All of the boring stuff is done!

Now onto the best part - planning what to do there.

There are so many amazing ways to find out the best things to do in the world! Here are my favorites.

1. I used to love a good old fashion travel book. Frommers have always been my favorite. But I feel like this way of researching is going out of style fast because of how often they have to update the books. I would rather check it out from the library than buy it, but the library books are often out of date. It’s a good place to start but it’s no longer my favorite place to find information.

2. Podcasts are a new and fun way to learn about a place. And the best part is, you can listen to them while you’re doing other things. I mean, if you wanted to find out some interesting things about the Big Island, you’d just have to listen here.

3. YouTube is getting higher on my list of places I go to find out what is fun to do in new places. I’m a very visual learner so seeing places is so much better for me. Take for instance when I was planning our Big Island trip. I kept reading about Two Steps for snorkeling. It sounded amazing. You stepped down 2 steps in the reef and there you were, in deep enough water to see some really amazing things. I don’t know about you but when I’m done snorkeling, I’m not feeling like climbing back up 2 steps on a slippery reef, but I couldn’t find anywhere that talked about how you get out of Two Steps. So I went to YouTube and found a video someone had done of their trip to Two Steps and they showed how you could swim around to a sandy beach to come back in. Perfect! But I also saw when I was watching that video that the area would be too much for Trooper so we didn’t end up going.

4. Instagram is not just for pictures of your food. You can find a ton of interesting things on instagram. When I know we’re going somewhere, I’ll often search for an account that talks about “hidden” things. But the cool thing about Instagram is, once the algorithm figures out that you want to see something, it will suggest more accounts like that so you’ll get a lot of information that way. And, like I said, I’m a visual learner! (I have not used Facebook the same way but I do know that there are a TON of groups on Facebook so search where you’re going and you’ll probably be able to find something.)

5. And now for my all time favorite place to find information about a destination - Pinterest. Oh how I love Pinterest! Type in New York City with kids and see what you find! It is so awesome! Now, a word a warning or maybe this is a travel tip - people can put whatever they want on the internet. So if I find something is new, I wait to get excited until I’ve seen it a couple of places. That way, I know for sure that it will be fun!

6. BONUS place: Google Maps! I love to take a look at where my vacation home is and then look around there for good places to eat or things to do. We’ve never been disappointed in the restaurants we’ve gone to when we find them on Google Maps - and read the reviews!

When you’re traveling with kids, or adults for that matter, it’s good to get a general idea of what everyone wants to do. That’s not to say everyone has to do that same thing all the time, but you can plan in a way to make everyone as happy as possible!

Here are some things we’ve found the whole family has loved!

1. Geocaching. I’m going to let Trooper explain what Geocaching is, but we have found some beautiful places in this world when we’ve gone Geocaching.

2. Adventure labs. This is like geocaching but you’re searching for information rather than a thing. We have done one so far but we thought it was really fun!

3. Junior Ranger programs. This is not just for the big parks! You can pick up a Junior Ranger Booklet at hundreds of places! 

4. Things that might stretch us a big. Being on a trip allows you the opportunity to do something that you might not do otherwise. We’ve gone mud buggin’ in Kauai, we went to a farm in Ireland, and we panned for gold in Alaska! Why not try something new!! (But always pay attention to how old you can be to do these things, or how much mobility you need!)

Now that you’ve planned all of this fun stuff to do, where do you store it? Well, let me tell you!

I used to print everything out and stored it in an accordion file. It was nice to have all of the important information in one place but I didn’t like wasting the paper and ink. So then I went to...

Google Drive. You can store PDF’s and docs and even budget spreadsheets in your Google Drive folder. And the coolest part is you can access it from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection and you remember your password.

But, now, my favorite way to store all of my information is Trello. Trello is a program that you can use for free that makes it really easy to store information, write yourself to do lists, and even keep notes on things you want to do! Check it out at www.trello.com !

Well, do you feel like you’re ready to plan your next adventure? We sure hope so!

And now it’s time for Trooper’s Tips for Kids!