Creating a family bucket list is a great way to pre-plan the next few years of vacations and will make sure everyone gets to satisfy that deep wanderlust.
You can start by downloading this free printable to make this happen!
Start by having everyone in the family make their own list
Have everyone in your family write down a few things that they really want to do.
You can print the first page of the Bucket List Printable for each person.
Give them a number to make the brainstorming easier. Let’s go with 6. Ask everyone to write down 6 things they would really like to do with the family on vacation.
If you have younger kids you can expect to have a lot of easy to cross off items. Do not overlook the trip to McDonalds or going outside, these simple items will mean that the youngest members of the family get their needs met too. I bet everyone will probably have fun too.
Teenagers might have some bigger ideas, I know I really wanted to visit New York as a teenager. These ideas might be on a longer timeline, but they will be huge adventures with months and months of happy anticipation!
Make a Master List
Get everyone’s lists together and compile them into one big master list.
Put the list on the fridge accompanied by a pen.
Encourage everyone to keep thinking and let people keep adding to the list for a week or so. Spend the week looking at maps, talking about local attractions or memories.
Make a Top Three
Once you have a really good, robust, list that everyone has worked on, it’s time to get everyone around the table.
Read the list and tell everyone to remember their favorites.
Decide together on a top 3. These are the action items for the year. They do not all have to be trips, one should be an easy win, something you can definitely do this year.
Once you have the top 3, talk about the top ten, these are longer term plans that you can all work on saving towards and planning.
Keep the list posted so everyone can add to it when they have ideas.
Plan a Trip
Take one of your top three and get it in the books!
I have a few posts to help you prep, pack and plan for road trips. I like road trips for families with kids, because it gives you low stress together time while traveling. If you plan to make that travel time fun, it will be time well spent.
Its all about the journey, right?
I have been doing a lot of research about family travel while writing for the blog, and the benefits are really wonderful.
Shared memories, stronger family bonds, and even a reduced chance of divorce are all benefits that have been studied. So, even if a trip seems like a lot of work, its money in the bank and will deliver benefits for years to come in your family life.
One thing I have learned is that if you plan a trip at least a month in advance you are less likely to experience travel stress. Keep this in mind, last minute trips can be really fun and exciting, but planning will make the trip more likely to leave you refreshed and not stressed.
Post a Calendar
Create a family vacation calendar and post it in a shared space. I created a simple vacation calendar you can download here.
Having a reminder that a trip is coming up can really boost spirits.
If you want to up the excitement for younger kids you can display pictures or brochures for everyone to see.
Do not skip this step. It is important to harness the power of anticipation. Studies show that people are happier before a vacation, this is easy to understand, people are happier when they are looking forward to something good. Posting your vacation calendar is going to extend this benefit for your family for months instead of days.
Document the Trip in a Meaningful Way
Once you have gone on the trip, make sure to document the trip.
Memories are a funny thing, and that is a post for another day. Give yourself and your kids a link to the past by documenting the trip.
I have a big list of some creative ways to document family trips, and I love all those ideas, but just printing a few pictures is a good idea.
If you have younger kids they love to see pictures of themselves. I get the one dollar photo albums and slide in a few pictures so they can flip through a book about themselves! I slip in a few 3×5 cards with notes to them in the blank pages.
You can print pictures while on vacation by submitting them to a service like Snapfish and have them mailed to your home.
If you are not big on pictures, I really recommend a family journal. A notebook that everyone is welcome to write in. Have everyone fill a page in the journal with memories, stories, or drawings that represent their experience of the trip.
Keep Chipping Away At the List
Once you have completed your top three, print another top three and do it again.
You can change the list, things may drop off the list, you will add often, but do not give up on it. Your kids can carry their list to college, into a gap year or into their own family.
Create a culture of following through on your dreams. This is a gift for your family.
You are amazing mama, you got this.
